“What’s the most important tool you can use in mastering social media?” Maria Miranda of Miranda Creative, Inc. asked a packed room.
Some attendees raised their hands to answer her question. Some blurted out answers. None had the simple answer right.
“Your brain,” said Miranda.
Miranda continued her social media education session making it clear that social media is just another form of media by which owners and operators can market their businesses. She then asked what day the audience thought had the greatest readership of newspapers. Without hesitation, the consensus was Sunday, the correct answer. She then asked what time of day the audience thought the most people listened to the radio, to which the answer was unanimous and right: morning and afternoon drive times. However, when she asked what social media platform was the best for reaching men aged 21 to 27, the crowd fell silent. Miranda then stated her goal: to make sure that when her audience left her session, they were every bit as sure of the answer to that last question as they were the first two.
There are myriad social media platforms from which to choose. Unfortunately, that also means there are myriad platforms by which we can all be sucked into a quagmire of wasted time and engagement online that offers incredibly little to zero return on investment. In Miranda’s eyes, it isn’t important to stay on top of every social media platform, it’s important to stay on top of those that are relevant and interesting to you and your business. To that end, this breakout session focused on what would be considered the Big 3: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. As all use a common feature – the hashtag – and Facebook purchased Instagram, these platforms are easy to use for cross-referencing and discovery.
What You Need to Know About Facebook
- 30% of people have Facebook open while watching TV. To take advantage of this, post between 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM.
- Facebook ranks as the most popular social network, used by 71% of all Internet users.
- Over 80% of users of other social media also use Facebook.
- Facebook is particularly appealing to women (76%) and 18 to 29 year olds (84%)
- The adoption rate of Facebook among the 65+ demographic has grown by about 10 percentage points in just a year to 45%.
- 54% of users access Facebook via mobile devices.
- The average Facebook user has 130 friends and is engaged a total of 405 minutes per month.
- Miranda believes that Facebook has been experiencing an aging out but that users still maintain their Facebook profiles, mostly to check out photos, while adopting different platforms
What You Need to Know About Instagram
- Most popular between 18 to 29 year olds (37%).
- Istagrammers are the most engaged users among the Big 3.
- Almost 6 in 10 users report using the platform daily, second only to Facebook and well ahead of Twitter.
- Instagrammers are also very active on Twitter ; there is a 50% crossover between the networks (which is why using hashtags is important, in particular common hashtags).
- Because Instagram is all focused around the posting of images and hashtags, post your food and beverage items (making sure the photographs are attractive!), staff members, guests (with their permission), your venue interior and exterior, and even your chef or cook preparing food items (making certain that your kitchen is clean and up to code).
What You Need to Know About Twitter
- Most popular between 18 to 29 year olds (31%).
- The most popular Twitter user is a 27-year-old male (the answer to Miranda’s question in the beginning of her session).
- Males most predominant at over 60%.
- Over 60% of Twitter users access via mobile.
- Twitter users are 127% more likely to use the platform when out with friends, which means they’ll be engaging while inside your venue.
- The fastest growing demographic of Twitter users is the 50+ group.
- The average user is engaged 89 minutes per month. This is due in large part because it’s much faster to use than other platforms, users share shorter, more digestible content, and images are inserted as links so users can decide if they want to engage or not.
When you’re ready to set up your social media profiles, go to a site like Namechk.com, enter a desired username (handle) and see if it’s available on all of the platforms you’d like to use. It’s best to be able to use one common profile username in order for guests to find you easily online. Once you’ve gotten your profiles set up on the Big 3 platforms (should you choose to use all 3), select an employee to be your bar’s Community Manager if you aren’t able or willing to do it yourself. An excellent way to make the community manager’s job easier is to purchase an in-house mobile device and plan, load all the profiles onto it and keep the device on-premise. This way, the manager and other employees who are trusted to post to social media on your establishment’s behalf can engage with users while at work (during appropriate times).
Get all the latest social media trends and 'need to knows' at the 2016 Nightclub & Bar Convention and Trade Show. Register today at www.ncbshow.com/register.