There are many different social media platforms that can be used to share messages, but their benefits, drawbacks, demographics, and target audiences are unique. Additionally, as new features are made available to existing platforms, new platforms are created, and some platforms become less popular, social media strategists need to remain current to make informed platform and channel decisions. 

 

Prompt

Imagine that you are responsible for helping others who manage approved social media accounts for your organization better understand commonly used platforms and how to use them to reach internal and external target audiences. Come up with a basic overview that employees who create and share posts for your organization can keep at their desks. This overview should help them to make informed platform selections and adapt their messages to each platform. Use the template linked in the Guidelines for Submission section.

Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:

Platform Identification: Identify five platforms that are commonly used in current social media practice.

Platform Functions: Identify the primary function of each platform (social sharing, personal and professional news, location-oriented, etc.). Listing more than one category per platform is acceptable.

Target Audience Demographics: Provide a brief summary of the typical user demographics of each platform, and support your summaries with evidence.

Platform Use Cases: List common use cases for each platform to help your organization's employees better understand which platform is appropriate to select for which messages.

Platform Limitations: List limitations and drawbacks of each platform to help your organization's employees better understand when each platform may be ineffective for a given message.

Example Message: Describe how the message below should be adapted to best suit each platform's functions, demographics, use cases, and limitations, using evidence from course materials to support your descriptions.

A nationwide coffee franchise is having a buy one, get one free promotion on beverages for Valentine's Day. The promotion runs from February 10th to the 15th and includes all chocolate-based beverages they offer.

Three to five bullets are required.