With all the recent social hubbub, we figured it was time for a bit of a social refresher to get a sense of how marketers are feeling about TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook as well as the pros and cons of each. Given the industry\u2019s speed of change, these pros and cons could change in a matter of weeks.<\/p>\n
Of course, that speed of change does have an impact on how marketers feel about social platforms. \u201cDue to all of the changes in the social landscape over the past year plus, brands are more considerate in where and how they are investing on social to build long-term growth,\u201d wrote Christina Miller, head of social media at VMLY&R London in an email. \u201cBut [they] still believe it\u2019s the place to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n
Natalie Gomez, director of integrated strategy at Zambezi, echoed that sentiment, and noted that the constant change forces the agency to be \u201cconstantly doing POVs\u201d about various social platforms for clients. \u201cA lot of the times, it\u2019s just proceed with caution,\u201d said Gomez. \u201cFrom a paid standpoint, you can always have the discussion of reevaluating spend and reallocating spend from one platform to another.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marketers and agency execs say that TikTok\u2019s continued growth, ability to get on the For You page even with a low follower count and preference for less polished content continue to be positives for the platform despite the potential ban. Even if marketers aren\u2019t spending time actively posting on the platform, it can also be a place for consumer research. \u201cIt\u2019s a good way to get a sense of what the cultural zeitgeist is saying,\u201d said Cass Cervi, strategist at creative shop No Fixed Address. \u201cSo even if you\u2019re not super on it, it\u2019s good to be listening.\u201d<\/p>\n
But marketers aren\u2019t completely discounting the potential for the platform to be banned. And some are left reassessing how much effort they should continue to dedicate to the platform.<\/p>\n
\u201cUncertainties and challenges with data and privacy continue to emerge across the globe for TikTok, making it hard to know if investing in building a following on the platform is worth it, or if that might all go away in the near future,\u201d said Miller.<\/p>\n
Of course, the potential ban isn\u2019t TikTok\u2019s only issue. Marketers say that some of the initial ease of massive engagement on TikTok isn\u2019t there anymore and that the effort needed to put into TikTok can be a big ask for marketers, especially those who aren\u2019t set up to pump out content as quickly as it is needed for a strong TikTok presence. \u201cCreatively, brands often are not set up to create TikTok-style content (both in-house and with agencies),\u201d said Miller. \u201cIt requires a shift in investment\u00a0 and production which can prove to be a challenge for many brands \u2014 without content, being relevant on the platform is near impossible.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Marketers chasing the attention of Gen Z may not turn to Facebook as the platform has older demographics but they shouldn\u2019t write it off either, according to marketers and agency execs, who say that overall Meta\u2019s offering still takes the top spot for social media marketing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMeta I think is still the strongest player just because it has the ability to reach people across Facebook and Instagram,\u201d said Erica Patrick, svp and head of paid social at Mediahub. Brendan Gahan, chief social officer and partner at Mekanism, echoed that sentiment. \u201cIt\u2019s the most effective from a performance standpoint,\u201d said Gahan.<\/p>\n
As for Facebook, specifically, marketers say that its pros are that it is efficient and effective. The cons, however, include an aging user base, limited organic discovery and fewer creative innovation opportunities. Marketers also pointed to the ongoing issues with Facebook\u2019s ads manager as well as its issues with its ad reps, all issues that have been complaints for buyers for years and continue to be with some marketers saying that recent layoffs have exacerbated those issues.<\/p>\n
While Instagram\u2019s constant algorithm changes can be annoying for creators, marketers and agency execs say the platform is still a staple in the budget because it\u2019s consistent, reliable and delivers results marketers want. \u201cWe call it kind of like the new homepage,\u201d said Cervi. \u201cIt\u2019s where most people are looking to find out more about your brand\u2019s general identity, what you are, what you look like. People go on the Instagram page first before the website at this point. So it\u2019s just a good one to have because it creates legitimacy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even so, Instagram\u2019s algorithm changes and flip-flops in focus continues to be an issue. \u201cInstagram has gone through a bit of an identity crisis over the past year \u2014 chasing platforms like TikTok and BeReal to keep up with the latest trends and functionalities that users are craving,\u201d said Miller. \u201cIt\u2019s led to frustration from users and has caused brands to question their strategies and how to create to remain relevant on the platform.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Miller continued: \u201cIt\u2019s not quite clear yet how this will all end \u2014 whether we\u2019ll see a Reels-focused future, or if Instagram will remain a place for image-posts and video alike, but the uncertainty is challenging for brand strategies.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Efforts to court advertisers to start spending again on Twitter have been ongoing. Whether those efforts will be fruitful enough to get marketers to return to or make the platform a significant focus remains to be seen. The tumultuous nature of the platform following Elon Musk\u2019s takeover<\/a> has marketers still questioning efforts<\/a>, though the platform\u2019s push around the Super Bowl<\/a> did have some marketers returning to the platform.<\/a><\/p>\n At the same time, the partnership with DoubleVerify to boost brand safety efforts<\/a> also had some marketers reconsidering their Twitter spend, per marketers and agency execs. Even so, \u201cIt tends to be a little bit more of a risky platform to be on,\u201d said Cervi. \u201cIt\u2019s another example of a place that requires a lot of community management.\u201d<\/p>\n The uncertainty around the future of the platform is another issue for marketers. \u201cWe still don\u2019t have a great sense of what comes next,\u201d said Patrick.<\/p>\n Freddy\u2019s recently went through a digital transformation, including launching an app. Why do it now?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n To me, if you weren\u2019t to do it, you\u2019re losing [market] share. You\u2019re losing business on the table and you\u2019re giving it to competitors. The guests, the consumer, is in that direction, regardless. Sure, the choice could have been made not to do it. But then that would be acknowledging that we\u2019re limiting the brand and limiting the experience to a certain subset of people, which is not what we want to do. Like any brand, you want to make sure that you\u2019re constantly recruiting new users to the brand. Let\u2019s face it, you\u2019ve got a whole bunch of Gen Z and younger who are extremely heavy in this environment, digitally. We wanted to make sure that we had those offerings for those guests that want to interact with us in that way.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n How does the app impact business goals?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The fun part of this for marketers is being able to have data that helps us learn more about our guests, and learn more about what they\u2019re buying, when they\u2019re buying so that ultimately, we can give them more of what they want. The more we learn about their behavior, the more we can target those messages.<\/p>\n What does the rest of Freddy\u2019s marketing strategy look like?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Like several brands, the biggest thing that we are focused on is brand awareness. This goes from a marketing standpoint and from a development standpoint. Because as of right now, there are still areas of the country where we are relatively unknown. There are others where we\u2019re the hometown favorite. But we\u2019re growing in awareness nationally. So that\u2019s a big objective\u2013to make sure that we are relevant as a brand and starting to shift to a true national brand. The other is just making sure that we\u2019re continuing to drive guests and we\u2019re continuing to drive those transactions. We want traffic in our restaurants. \u2014 Kimeko McCoy<\/em><\/p>\n With the increased use of social media, worries about social media\u2019s impact on mental health, especially when it comes to younger generations, have been ongoing. HigherVisibility<\/a>\u00a0conducted a survey of consumers about how the growth of social media has and will affect them in the future to assess Gen Z\u2019s attitude toward social media in the U.S. and how it impacts their lives. Find more details from the report below:<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve made it to the promised land, but the promised land looks a bit like where we\u2019ve just been in the sense that there\u2019s huge fragmentation across the digital media landscape. We made it to the future [but] the future has its own challenges that we need to work through.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Andrew LaFond, \u202avp and executive director of media and connections at R\/GA, when asked about the streaming boom and the difficulties for advertisers that come with it<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n3 Questions with Laura Rueckel, CMO at Freddy\u2019s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers\u00a0<\/h2>\n
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