I’ve been trying to figure out which platforms will work best to build a more robust following for the Opinionator. Things have definitely gotten more confusing since video has become dominant and since instagram stories was introduced. Pics above are recents from my instagram stories, snapchat and facebook (it should be video I know!).

Here’s a rundown of the platforms I’m most active on as well as the function they play in brand building:

Instagram and Instagram Stories:

This is becoming a powerhouse for me. Am planning to use for storytelling around events that are strong visually e.g. museum and gallery shows, performances, travel.

Here are 2 things that resulted in a big uptick in engagement:

• Posting almost 100% video has upped engagement tenfold (vs. snapchat). Additionally, video posts get significantly more views than photos.
• NOT limiting myself to instagram stories. If I have a great video, I post it on instagram and it lives on for days. I am still trying to figure out the role of instagram stories vs. snapchat – as is everyone else including those with huge followings on both.  At the moment, I am seeing lots of redundancy between the two platforms. Nobody has a good answer yet for what they should be doing uniquely on each platform.

Snapchat

Am still a snapchat fan both because of the platform (it’s fun!!) and because of the people I follow e.g. Justin Kan, Brian Park and Tai Lopez (I know, I told you that Tai Lopez was a jerk but I’ve gotten used to him and find him hugely entertaining and informative).

• Going forward, I’m approaching snapchat as if it were a local news channel e.g. NY1. Focus will be local, newsy topics to inform/entertain, doesn’t have to look amazing.
• What I’ve learned over the last year is that everyone who I enjoy watching on snap, is the star of their own show – warts and all!
• Goal this year: stop hiding behind the camera, get over my shyness, be less uptight. I doubt I will ever become a video star but I will be more entertaining!

Read on below for remaining platforms including Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin.

Twitter

Twitter is so powerful and has definitely gotten its mojo back. Use it every day for the blog –  and if the stars align, it is the most productive platform to drive engagement. Also use for networking and problem solving.

Key to brand building:

• A timely, relevant topic e.g. the opening of ART FOR ALL at Uniqlo was a top post for the blog on twitter this past month
• An engaging, catchy tweet
• Usernames and hashtags – they’ll get you on the radar of people/companies you want to reach
• RETWEETS: if somebody with a huge following does a RT, it is magic! Buff Monster retweeted my Uniqlo post and it brought thousands of people to the blog.
• A good bio – and make sure your company name is prominent. Recently changed my name to Zandl Slant on this and all other platforms and the response has been phenomenal.

Facebook

Am so over facebook. It has become absolutely grueling to wade through all of the politics – especially since every article is reposted by dozens of people.

That said, it is still the biggest platform and I use it primarily to post each day’s blog. I’ve noticed since the election that anything not associated with politics gets lost in the shuffle. Even live video is used primarily for demonstrations.

Facebook is being redefined. Doubtful it is currently an effective medium for marketing or branding for companies. We’ll see how long advertisers stay on the platform.

LinkedIn

Another platform to use for the blog but not one I find particularly engaging or useful.

YOUTUBE

Much more complex and requires more skill and gear to create videos that people want to watch. I follow Sam Sheffer on both snap and youtube and he’s worth following to learn more about social media. He’s also excellent at using snap to drive people to his youtube channel.

Pinterest

I have an account that I use intermittently when planning design projects. Not active otherwise.