Social Media Content Shift
Kate
MikeGoal
The Social Media Content Shift activity is designed to enhance participants' digital marketing skills by exploring the nuances of content adaptation across various social media platforms. Through the analysis of existing posts, participants will gain insights into tailoring content for optimal performance.
Attachments
Materials
Instructions
Introduction
Invite learners to share any and all social media platforms they can think of.
Ask them to share 1-2 things they associated with that platform. For example, they might associate job postings with LinkedIn, or dance trends with Tiktok.
Social Media Speed Dating
Tell the learners you’re going to watch a video that imagines if some of the social media sites were participating in speed dating.
Play the Social Media Speed Dating video with the learners.
The aim of the video is to showcase how differently each site is used by its audience, and the ways in which its audience has differing interests.
Each social media channels, if it was dating, would present themselves based on what message or image they want to convey, who they're trying to attract, what people think about them on first glance, etc…
Invite reflections and thoughts from learners about the video.
Does the video match their own thoughts about each of the social media sites presented?
Do you use those sites in the way it's described in the video? Why or why not?
Were there any sites missing? How do they think those sites would present as speed daters?
Social Media Content Review
Let learners know they’re going to work in groups to analyze a social media post, and consider how that post could/should change if it were to go onto a different platform.
Start by doing an example together as a group.
Select a social media post from within your own community.
The post can come from businesses, organizations, or prominent individuals.
The post can come from any number of social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, LinkedIn, Snapchat, YouTube, X (Twitter), Pinterest, etc…
The post should have a clear message.
Explain the objective is to analyze the content and discuss potential modifications for different platforms. Ask learners to consider:
Who do you think the intended audience is for this post?
What tone or mood does the post convey?
If you were to share this post on a different platform, what changes would you make to better fit that platform?
How might the post be adjusted to engage a different audience on another platform?
Emphasize the importance of aligning content with the unique characteristics of each platform to maximize engagement and to cater to the preferences and expectations of each platform’s audience
Small Group Work
Divide learners into small groups and assign each group one or more social media posts to analyze.
Instruct groups to discuss and note how they would modify the content for 2 other different platforms than the one it was originally posted to.
For each post, ask learners to consider:
How the audience may different across platforms
Whether the content isn’t suitable for a certain site, or whether a certain site isn’t suitable for the content.
Any visual elements that would need to change
Text length and messaging
Overall tone changes
Learners should draft suggested changes for the post to suit another platform.
Invite the groups to come back and share their thoughts. Facilitate a discussion with the larger group, using the debrief questions provided.
Background
Preparation
Curate diverse social media posts to showcase various content types and highlight the need for adaptation.
Consider posts from businesses, organizations and prominent individuals within your learners’ communities
Select posts from across a variety of different platforms.
Choose posts that are recent and relevant to your learners.
Choose a post to use as an example with the large group
Technology Considerations
Whether in person or virtually, prepare social media posts in advance and showcase them on Miro, Powerpoint or Slides.
Ensure learners have a physical or digital copy of the posts they will be working on.
Additional Context
This activity promotes critical thinking about the nuances of social media content creation and the importance of platform-specific strategies. It also helps learners to become more familiar with different platforms and their functions.
Tips for Localization
Encourage participants to bring examples of local businesses' social media posts for analysis, fostering a connection between the activity and their community context.
Invite learners to choose a post from a business, organization or person they admire as part of this activity.
Debrief Questions
How did the post need to be different when thinking about different social media sites?
What insights did you gain from adjusting content to fit each platform?
Was it easy or hard to modify the content for a different platform/audience? Why?
In what ways could the changes you suggested make the post better?
How can businesses, organizations or individuals benefit from making their content right for each social media site?
Appendix A: Summary of Social Media Apps
Social Media App
Description
A widely-used platform for connecting with friends and family, sharing updates, photos, and videos, and joining interest-based groups.
Focused on photo and video sharing, Instagram allows users to post visually appealing content and engage with others through likes, comments, and direct messages.
Twitter/X
Known for real-time microblogging, Twitter/X enables users to share short messages (tweets), follow others, and stay updated on news, trends, and discussions.
Threads
Similar to Twitter/X but offered by a competing company, Threads allows users to share short messages, follow others and stay updated on news, trends and discussions.
A professional networking platform, LinkedIn is designed for career development, job searching, and business networking, allowing users to connect with colleagues and industry professionals.
Snapchat
Emphasizing ephemeral content, Snapchat lets users share photos and videos that disappear after a short time, promoting more casual and spontaneous interactions.
TikTok
A short-form video platform that has gained immense popularity, TikTok allows users to create and discover entertaining and creative content set to music.
Focused on visual discovery and bookmarking, Pinterest is a platform where users can find and save ideas for various interests, including recipes, fashion, and home decor.
A messaging app that enables users to send text messages, make voice and video calls, and share media files with friends and family, with an emphasis on privacy and security.
YouTube
The largest video-sharing platform globally, YouTube allows users to upload, view, and share videos on a wide range of topics, from educational content to entertainment and vlogs.
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