In 2010 — eons in the digital world — the 60-Second Marketer website published a post titled “The Top 52 Social Media Platforms Every Marketer Should Know.” Not all of them caught on — Lefora, anyone? — and heaven only knows how many more platforms have been introduced since then. It’s become clear that it’s just as important to know where not to spend your time, money, and attention as it is to keep up with the latest innovations. The following list, which came to Convene via Tourisme Montréal, weighs seven platforms’ pluses and minuses.
Good for: People-oriented events with lots of visual and social content
Not good for: Text-heavy content
Pros: Numbers reached; ability to incorporate updates, event invites, and rich media
Cons: Long lead-time to build fan base and engagement; requires monitoring
Good for: Tech-friendly events with lots of information; making contact with media and influencers
Not good for: Expressing long, complex thoughts
Pros: Instant dialogue; reach beyond event
Cons: Requires monitoring
Good for: Establishing professional connections before and after events
Not good for: Sharing information during an event
Pros: Trusted and respected professional network
Cons: Little potential for visual and rich media content
FOURSQUARE
Good for: Sharing tips for local resources
Not good for: Sharing content at an event
Pros: Instant word-of-mouth advertising
Cons: Difficult to measure impact
Good for: Events with visual appeal and highly social attendees
Not good for: Events with camera-shy attendees
Pros: Easy to integrate into other platforms, especially Facebook and Twitter
Cons: Account may not have relevance after event
Good for: Design, tech, or visually oriented events
Not good for: Event with a strong male demographic — more than 70 percent of users are female
Pros: Visually appealing and easy to use; has 70-million-plus users
Cons: Difficult to use during events
YOUTUBE
Good for: Quick “on-the-street” videos and interviewing attendees and presenters; also can be used for livestreaming
Not good for: Events with few visual or interactive components
Pros: Captures a sense of being there
Cons: Editing and uploading videos takes time and skill.
This information, reprinted by permission of Tourisme Montréal, previously appeared in Connections, published by PCMA’s Greater Philadelphia chapter.
GOOGLE+
Google+ has far fewer users than Facebook or Twitter, but its numbers are growing so fast some are predicting it could usurp Facebook in a few years. Here is Convene’s assessment of its strengths and weaknesses:
Good for: Community building; sharing rich content; via Google+ Hangouts, bringing interactivity to small virtual meetings
Not good for: Instant results; large virtual meetings
Pros: New features added frequently; user base growing exponentially
Cons: Networks must be built up over time; frequent changes by Google must be monitored
