Digital Platforms

 

Digital Platform: Facebook

Figure 22 Facebook Logo (Wikimedia, 2018) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Facebook_icon_2013.svg

Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes (Hall, 2021) Facebook is an online social network service with three billion active users as of 2021 (Hall, 2021) While Facebook users can be found at all ages, 72.8% are within the 18 to 44 years old range and the largest demographic are ages 25 to 34. (Chen, 2021) Facebook is free to new users and does not offer a paid subscription service, however businesses can opt-in to creating a business page and running paid advertisements through Facebook Business Suite.

Figure 23 - Facebook Timeline (Adespresso, 2021) (https://adespresso.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Facebook-Algorithm-1-1024x479.png) 

The platform give its users the ability to share pictures, music, videos, and articles, as well as their own thoughts and opinions through the timeline ‘share status’ feature. Shared content can be made public or closed to within your close friend group.  The content displayed on a user’s timeline is based on a multi-layered algorithm designed by Facebook that decides which posts users see when they are viewing the timeline, and in the sequence posts appear on this timeline (Mullery, 2021)

Digital Platform: Instagram

Figure 24 – Instagram Logo (Wikimedia, 2016) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Instagram_logo_2016.svg

Founded in 2010 by Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom (Blystone, 2020) and purchased by Meta Group in 2012, Instagram has an estimated user base of 1.41 billion users. (IQBAL, 2021) The social media platform emphasizes users publishing photo and video content through its mobile application for other users to interact with through likes, comments and sharing. (Forsey, 2021) Access to the Instagram application is free and can be downloaded through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Figure 25 - Instagram Features Example – (Adam Levy, 2021) https://www.fool.com/investing/2021/07/05/instagrams-top-priority-for-the-rest-of-2021/

Instagram is a visual platform, unlike its competitors such as Twitter that focus on text, Instagram enables users to share photos, videos and with their followers. Instagram has a variety of options for interactivity with its users such as the ability to add captions, use hashtags and tag locations to make there post more widely available to other users. Similarly to other popular social networking platforms, Instagram users have a curated feed of content based on a multi-layered algorithm that works in real-time to show the user content based on how likely you are to spend time, like or comment on a post. (Thomas, 2021)

Furthermore, Instagram has the ability for businesses to utilize its social media functions, offering brands the ability to host advertisements and ecommerce shops through there Instagram profile, book reservations amongst other features.

Digital Platform: LinkedIn

Figure 26 - LinkedIn Logo (Wikimedia, 2014) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/LinkedIn_logo_initials.png/768px-LinkedIn_logo_initials.png

Launched on May 5, 2003 by co-founder Reid Hoffman (Linkedin, n.d.) LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network on the internet, with 740 million member and 55 million registered companies (Osman, 2021) LinkedIn is a social network used by professionals and employers to help users find a new career and connect with other professionals. LinkedIn users can access LinkedIn from a desktop or the LinkedIn Mobile App available through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Figure 27 – Example Of Linkedin Profile https://www.businessinsider.com.au/what-is-linkedin-2019-9 (Business Insider, 2019)

LinkedIn is free for users to join, however can be upgraded to a premium account through a monthly subscription fee. LinkedIn premium subscription offers users with learning material about marketing, sales and more. (Linkedin, n.d.)  The social networking platform operates similarly to other social network platforms such as Facebook, where users can like, share and comment on posts created by other users. The target demographic for this platform varies from ages 18 to 49, with 29% of 18-29 year olds using LinkedIn and 33% of 30-49 year olds using the platform. (Connectplus, n.d.)

Question 2: Digital Platforms Evaluation

Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn have been chosen as the digital platforms of choice for the, marketing strategy and the buyer’s journey.  Evaluation through second hand research on the 2Degrees buyer persona and further evaluation of its competitors shows a clear understanding of the buyer’s journey and the content this audience will consume.

2Degrees has a younger audience that primarily utilize social media and have an adept understanding of social media platforms. The target audience use images, videos and stories throughout Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.  As the 2Degrees buyer persona is familiar with these Digital Platforms, it allows for a varied approach to the marketing strategy.  2Degrees can utilize the curated content sources, Buzzfeed and Pinterest through these Digital Platforms and guarantee success in engagement with its users as they are familiar with the content being provided to them.