Facebook and its family of apps have long driven a publisher’s social media marketing platform strategy, and there are many reasons for this. The company has been around for a long time, and they cover a lot of internet territory. The numbers surrounding Facebook usage are insane, and they have long been a major source of traffic for publishers. Facebook is the largest and most critical piece of their puzzle, but Instagram is likely a more relevant piece of the puzzle in the age of TikTok, giving them a chance to compete on the video front.

Each major social platform serves a purpose in a publisher’s strategy, and the first step in developing your social media marketing strategy is figuring out how each of them can serve you. The truth is that the large platforms will shape your content and distribution choices, and things like length, headline, image selection, and voice will be impacted by your social platform priorities. Since Facebook is the most link-friendly platform, playing nicely over there will make a big difference for publishers.

First, what is a social media marketing platform strategy?

It is exactly what it sounds like: This is the digital marketing strategy that publishers use surrounding social media platforms. It isn’t as simple as throwing stuff up on social media and hoping for the best! It’s important to understand how to post well and why people follow you.

Instagram and Facebook are critical pieces of the social media landscape, and understanding how they are evolving is essential.

Facebook

Facebook is still the largest social media traffic driver if you are trying to get people to your owned and operated sites. It can mean a lot of frustration as you chase an ever-changing algorithm for success, but it can be done.

You need to start by analyzing what you’re already doing. Here are some questions you should consider:

• What is working on Facebook? What isn’t?
• How much of your strategy relies on driving traffic to your websites?
• Is my post frequency working?
• Are my content types diverse enough? What is my ratio of video/image/link/text posts?
• Am I complying with the platforms guidelines?

Here’s a look at what performs on the platform as a whole.

The truth is, though, that if you’re publishing only for Facebook, you’re probably missing other opportunities. This should be your baseline. If you feel like you’re spending too much time on Facebook and can’t get traction on other platforms, we can help! True Anthem can take the day to day scheduling and content discovery off your plate. Set up a demo and we’ll tell you everything.

Instagram

The social media marketing platform strategies put into play on Instagram will not be traffic driving. Since day one, the lack of native link options on Instagram has been a pain point for publishers, but this does not mean Instagram should be ignored! The truth is that Instagram is not a traffic driver— it’s a marketing tool.

This means that you will probably not drive traffic with Instagram, although with the link stickers that is more of an option.

However, this is where you can build community. This is where you connect with your audience in a real way and introduce them to the faces of your brand. Instagram Stories, Lives, Reels, messages, and comments provide a way for you to engage with your audience regularly. Relationships are important for success, and ignoring this is a mistake.

Don’t get discouraged because you aren’t driving clicks with Instagram. If you’re looking to understand the algorithm and up your game, check this out. The most important elements are always going to be engagement, hashtags, and consistency.

How does this affect your strategy? As always, listen to your user. If they’re engaging with your Reels, give them Reels! Understand that the platform is to build audience and influence and connect. If you’re solely looking to drive traffic, you’re probably going to be disappointed.

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