Phototastic

As a 'creator', there's a few things that drive me. One is the process of making something; It's therapeutic and relaxing, scratches creative itches and gets me exploring. Then, to be honest, there's the reaction of showing people. It's nice to get positive feedback, and anyone who tells you different is kidding themselves. But basically, making something that people see is rewarding.

In terms of my approach to Social Media, I tend to not really favour one platform over another and have a cross-channel approach to my content. There is some overlap with audiences where people may see the same post across platforms, but for the majority of my audiences, they are pretty seperate. That said, platforms change - it wasn't that long ago that my Google Plus profile was smashing it. Not anymore. 

My main point of this - there's plenty of opportunity on Twitter. I really don't see Twitter going anywhere bad (unlike many doomsday predictions) and personally find this platform the best for reach. Personally, it's my favourite social platform.

So, with a very non-scientific approach, I'm going to look at some recent posts that I've shared on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, along with the associated analytics of each.

The Social Profiles

My @regularsteven handle is where I'm posting, and these range in terms of followers. My @regularsteven Instagram has the biggest audience of 7,500 followers, my Facebook page has 1,800 followers ('likes'), and Twitter has the least with 1,300 followers.

Picture Number 1 - Shrine of Remembrance

Starting off, here's a post on July 6 of the Shrine of Remembrance. As of these screenshots, the data is about 48 hours in, and that's probably pretty much the life of a post.

For the live posts, check them on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. But the real stuff? Screenshots below.

Top Line Metrics

• Reach of Twitter topped it at 4,800, Instagram second at 2,860, and Facebook came last with 1,000.
• 'Likes' on Instagram were the highest at 376, Facebook second at 128 and Twitter last with 60.

It's worth noting that not all platforms are equal in how they measure metrics, but that's that. What's important - in terms of exposure - is getting work out in the wild and getting eyeballs for free. No paid activity, but organic reach. That's what I'm hoping for. The other metrics, such as followers, engagement, etc will follow. Get the eyeballs. 

Also worth noting is that Twitter lends itself to the most 'viral-ability', in my opinion. A retweet automatically increases reach by a dramatic amount and is a very strong signal. This concept doesn't exist on Instagram, and shares are much less common on Facebook.

Instagram Metrics

Facebook Metrics

Twitter Metrics