Facebook or Instagram? How to Choose Your Main Social Media Platform?

By Peter Minkoff

Facebook and Instagram are towering social media giants that also serve as incredible marketing platforms. Social marketing, however, is not just the face-off between these two. Many other social media channels are popping up, while other established networks are also attempting to steal the show. The latter have unparalleled reach, but their success is far from guaranteed.

Due to the rising competition and complex technical dimension, staying on top of the ever-changing social media game can be a daunting challenge.

A plan of attack

Cost-effective social channels empower startups to overcome two of the chief obstacles on the road to success: Limited manpower and constrained budgets. A barrier to entry is low and the playing field is leveled. This is not to say that choices do not matter. On the contrary, they can make or break the whole social media marketing strategy.

First off, note that spreading yourself too thin is not the most efficient approach. Trying to make the most of all platforms tends to bring only mediocre results. Thus, instead of the scattergun tactic, embrace a targeted and focused plan of action. Save work hours, trim your payroll, and utilize platforms that give you substantial ROI. Looking to save time on getting new followers? Some offer to help you get real followers at a good price with Nitreo discount using new growth tools.

After all, each channel is used in different ways and by various groups of people. There are no one-size-fits-all solutions or shortcuts to greatness here. You may already feel overwhelmed and that is fine. Many other companies seek social media experts from agencies like Jason Hornung to help them navigate the labyrinth of decisions. 

Nevertheless, it always pays off to educate yourself.

Name of the social game

The key to making the right call is figuring out your target audience and the networks they use the most. So, conduct a thorough research. Do not fret if you are off to a slow start: Every little bit of spadework will pay dividends in the long run.

Snapchat, for instance, is a real gold mine for businesses that target millennials. To capture their imagination, brands offer behind-the-scenes photos, engaging video content, and feature interviews with prominent figures.

Furthermore, according to Statista.com, men and women between the ages of 25-54 form the bulk of all Facebook users. Because it captures a slightly older market, this channel might not be the primary platform for companies that cater solely to millennials.

Instagram may sound like a no-brainer as it is used by 500 million people worldwide most of whom run it every single day. However, the latest algorithm update changed the way in which posts are presented. They no longer appear in a chronological order, meaning brands lose some of the control over their branding efforts.

Besides, as Forbes points out, Instagram still has a smaller user database than Facebook.

Amalgam of moving parts

This brings us to the point that the target audience is not the only element that influences your decision-making. The aforementioned Instagram, despite the latest technical hullabaloo, is a sound choice for businesses that post a lot of visual content in order to foster a loyal following.

Then again, there is also image-heavy Pinterest to consider. It attracts one group of users, in particular, women the age of 18-49 and it is teeming with brands that offer products in the food, fashion, décor, and art sector. They do not have much use for platforms like LinkedIn, which facilitates business networking and job searches.

As you can see, the choices are never straightforward and answers are rarely cut and dried. Finally, the list of social networks goes on and encompasses some lesser-known, industry-specific, and even obscure examples. Why would you bother with them? Well, being an early adopter of a new platform can turn out to be something that launches your businesses into the stratosphere. 

As we have already said, it all comes down to discovering where your company fits in the market. This should be your guiding principle if you want to make the social media work for you.

How Millennials Use Influencer Marketing for Their Business

It’s no secret that millennials now make up for the largest percentage of the population, outnumbering baby boomers in the US alone. It’s also no secrets that they have figured out the balance between work and life and that their spending habits are more focused on the current pleasures such as travel, fashion, leisure, technology and beauty products. They can also be accredited for both being the forefathers of the occupation that goes by the name ‘influencer’ as well as the term itself.

Influencer marketing has therefore become an essential strategy for millennial businesses looking to connect with their target audiences in a more personal and authentic way. Unlike traditional advertising, an influencer marketing company can leverage the trust and credibility that influencers have built with their followers. By partnering with influencers, brands can tap into highly engaged audiences that are more likely to trust product or service recommendations.

There are virtually hundreds of thousands millennial influencers out there, and probably the same number making efforts to become one. Now, the question that poses itself is – how does one manage to make social media platforms their own personal, highly lucrative playground? How do they attract sponsors and more specifically, how do they appeal to their followers and ‘convince’ them into purchasing a certain product and service. Those are the exact questions we’ll be answering today. One final, but in no way less important aspect is the choice of brands they choose to ‘advertize’. Influencer marketing in New York City offers many opportunities to brands who want to reach a wider audience by partnering up with influencers.

The target group

Being part of the millennial generation themselves, these young influencers know ‘their people’. They’re aware that they share at least approximately the same values and interests, so it’s not that difficult to speak to your audience as there is no age gap. The millennial influencer is aware that whatever he wants his followers to respond to is the same type of thing they themselves would respond to.

Aside from that, being the same generation as their followers, influencers immediately have that ‘starting’ vote of confidence and all they have to do from there is gain more credibility.

Investing in content

They don’t respond to paid advertisements and trust only authentic content. That is precisely why the influencer takes the time and effort to create great content – a blog post, a tutorial, a vlog, high-quality and inspiring Instagram posts, even interesting and candid Instastories. Managing these platforms is a full-time job and they never post anything short of perfection.

They know that their followers are not concerned with loyalty, at least not when it comes to whom they follow on social media, so in order to get the numbers up, and not down, they can’t afford risking it with content that leaves something to be desired. They also make sure that their sites are using relevant keywords so that they can easily be searched in the internet like "how tall is tristan tate

Pushing a brand

A true influencer will never allow themselves to be sponsored by a brand they personally don’t like – it’s not good for their image and it makes it that more difficult to be convincing. However, knowing their audience, they will often promote vintage shops, second-hand stores that sell vintage dresses, blouses shirts and more, and often with no reimbursement at all – why? Because it’s good for their image; first, they help and indie brand or a vintage store gain popularity, which will hence ultimately become lucrative for them, and gain points for authenticity as they support brands which they aren’t sponsored by.

This is one of the crucial elements of trustworthiness – making it apparent that you’re a real person and not a sponsored robot. Especially fitness influencers and fashion influencers are very considerate when it comes to brand loyalty.

Staying authentic

Being aware that their peers don’t respond very well to advertisements, making sure a blog post that mentions a particular brand is authentic is paramount to their credibility. They make sure that they’re wearing a certain dress they truly like, genuinely enjoy a vacation, give their honest approval of a certain makeup brand. To take things further, in order to maintain their integrity, beauty bloggers for instance, will often give a negative review of a product, or at least point out certain flaws. One such example is the international You Tube sensation whose channel is called Nikke Tutorials. Even though she has gained massive following and even a collaboration with Ofra cosmetics, this beauty vlogger doesn’t shy away from telling the truth about a product. That’s what makes her followers love her and believe in her opinions.

Speaking of love, another way young influencers pave the way for themselves is by keeping their feet on the ground. That means that communication with audiences is of the utmost importance – replying to messages, not getting on a high horse, answering questions in the comment section, sharing genuine love – it takes all that and much more to keep the love of your audiences.

Rebel with a cause

One final, but in no way less important aspect is the choice of brands they choose to ‘advertize’. Knowing that millennials are increasingly staying away from makeup and cosmetics brands that still test on animals, or retailers who have a history of unethical practices and aren’t committed to sustainability, most smart influencers will stay away from these brands and focus on those with which they have shared values. This is firstly because they genuinely believe in environmental causes and secondly, they don’t want a riot among their following.

How savvy are the influencers you follow and how great is your trust in them?

By Sophia Smith

Let Influencers Decide What You Do On Your Next Trip

We can all agree that the hardest part of traveling is the actual planning that goes into it. Whether you're hoping to avoid bad weather for the weekend or a last minute business trip, not all trips can be well-planned due to time restraints. While having other people book your trip is always an option, executive assistants may be under-informed about cities their bosses are traveling to, hotel concierges may suggest tourist spots, and other discovery apps are often sorted by popularity or proximity, which may not be to your liking.

Which brings us to Dot & Pin, a personalized recommendation engine with a messaging-­powered online travel concierge, who caters for short or long-­term business travel. Rather than showing you the most popular results, Dot & Pin offers a virtual human concierge who acts as an expert local resource for various needs, such as recommending and booking restaurants, transportation, on­-demand meeting venues, golf tee time, outdoor activities, private jet, and many others.

All it takes is answering 5 questions to build a personalized profile that'll only show you what you may be interested and taking out unnecessary choices. While many resources can be out-of-date or misinformed, Dot & Pin utilizes selected influencers of cities that most travel for business to as their experts on hidden gems and current events.

If you're looking to stay well informed before your next trip you can check out their blog with stories such as, Best Matcha Latte in America, 6 Best Cookies In The World, and 13 Carry-on Essentials for Frequent Travelers. Or simply start using Dot & Pin to get your personalized recommendation here. 

Dot & Pin is currently live in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

2018 Consumer Electronics Show Roundup

Last week in Las Vegas marked the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show, the annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association. The newest innovations and trends in tech have us seriously excited, let’s take a look at some of the announcements.

One of the biggest, quite literally, announcements came from Samsung. They debuted their new 146 inch 4K TV appropriately called, The Wall. Samsung claims that The Wall is “the world’s first modular television.” It’s size isn’t the only thing that has people talking, The Wall uses MicroLED technology to produce it’s picture.

Phot courtesy of Samsung

Alex Colon, of  PCMag stated that "I wasn't at all surprised to see voice assistance play a bigger role than ever this year, for instance. But I didn't necessarily expect to see it embedded in the bathroom, where it can do everything from start your shower to turn on your toilet's foot warmer. It was also a bit surprising to see Google Assistant keep pace with Amazon Alexa—not to mention the fact that Google had a big presence at the show, where it typically keeps a low profile. Although Alexa has held an edge in the past, 2018 looks to be the year that Google Assistant closes the gap. And although Apple steers clear of CES, it's worth noting we didn't hear much about Siri at the show, which doesn't bode well for the company's upcoming HomePod speak" you can read the full article and more on CES here.

Peloton dominated the fitness category at CES particularly with the reveal of their new treadmill, The Tread. Peloton is known for their cycles which allow the riders to stream high energy workouts without having to leave their homes. The treadmill features a 32 inch television which will allow the runner to choose between live or pre-recorded classes. Along with the launch of The Tread, Peloton announced they would be introducing total body conditioning class options.

Photo courtesy of Peloton

Audio company Libratone announced the newest in their minimalistic audio products, the TRACK+. The TRACK+ headphones are wireless which include noise cancellation which comes at a variety of levels available to the user. The TRACK+ are both splash and sweat proof, so the neckband design is an excellent choice for use in work outs.

Photo Credit: Libratone

As always CES has shown a peak behind the curtain to what is sure to be an exciting few years in tech development. From robots, to drones, to advancements on items we use everyday it always offers an interesting look for what is to come.

Our favorite listing this week is 508 West 24th Street, Unit 5th Floor, home to NBA Player Carmelo Anthony. The ten-time NBA All-Star, has listed his New York City condo. The home is the largest unit in the Cary Tamarkin designed building at 508 W 24th that overlooks the High Line and is walking distance from world-class shopping and prominent art galleries.

251 East 51st Street, Unit 2M, listed on the market as a Compass "Coming Soon," is a recently renovated, perfect pied-a-terre (and ideal one bedroom for all the rest of us). What truly sets this pad apart from the rest is the dreamy outdoor terrace with endless possibilities and city views. Accessed by the living room and overlooked by the bedroom, this 24x12 outdoor space is an oasis in the center of the Midtown hustle and bustle.

Our last #openhouse roundup will you be checking out this #parkslope home? #nycrealestate #brooklynrealestate #milliondollarlistings #luxuryhomes #OffTheMRKT

DNA Development announced that closings have commenced at 350 West 71st Street, the successful Upper West Side luxury conversion that seamlessly combines two historic pre-war buildings into one stunning contemporary condominium with a classic façade. As construction nears completion, the seven-story building’s 38 elegant residences and bespoke amenities are coming to life, as DNA welcomes its first residents.

Our favorite listing this week is located at One West End, the sculptural glass residential tower designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli within Riverside Center. At $19.5 million, 29B offers 5,302 square feet of interiors space, with four bedrooms, five and a half baths, a media room, lofted library, and a double height great room leading out to a 3,000 square foot terrace with impeccable views.