In the past 12 months, one social media trend has been consistent across almost all of the major platforms - the introduction of algorithms to filter content. Facebook started the trend with their notorious News Feed algorithm, while both Instagram and Twitter also notably introduced their own machine learning systems in 2016. LinkedIn also has an algorithm, as does Pinterest - basically, once the amount of active content starts to become overwhelming, one of the best ways for social platforms to maximize engagement is by introducing tools which help show people more of the material they like, with fewer distractions.
And the stats show that this generally leads to a better user experience - Facebook engagement and user stats continue to grow, while Twitter's reported better daily active user growth rates as a result of their experience enhancements, including the introduction of their algorithm.
But while fewer distractions can help boost user engagement, it also makes the job of marketers that little bit more difficult. Now, you not only have to compete with other brands vying for attention, but also with the platforms themselves, who's systems inevitably limit the reach of your promotions.
The key, of course, is improving audience relevance and truly getting to know your target market, but another important option to consider is paid advertising. Each platform now offers it's own variation of paid outreach, with sophisticated, targeted options that can generate great results.
To help with this, Marketo have put together this new infographic which looks at some key stats around the ad offerings on each platform, along with tips on how to maximize your social ad performance.