An Introduction to Using Social Media

Using SocialMedia Anintroductionto

'ello good soul!

Welcome wonderful human!

I'm Cherie Clonan, Founder + CEO of Australia’s leading social media training agency, TheDigitalPicnic.

We've popped together this littleguideforfolkswhowantto take their first steps into being activeonsocialmedia.

It's for the folks who haven't ventured much beyond scrolling throughtheirfeed.

But it's also for the folks who are brand new to socials and want a little helping hand to getstarted.

We hope it gives you clarity, confidence and a little nudge to get your message out into theworld.

Our DMs are always open, so pop over to @thedigitalpicnic onInstagramandsayhi!

FOUNDER+CEO

That'sabigol'myth!

Notonlyisitabigol’myth,it’s very bad advice! A better approach is to invest in the *right* mix of channels [as opposed to trying to be everywhere, with no cohesive strategy].

The truth is, having an impact on a social network, and driving business value from your presence there, requires a serious investmentoftimeandresources.

Don’t waste your limited resources on maintaining the wrong channels. Instead, focus on selecting the channels that are best suited to helpyouachieveyourgoals.

We always suggest that you pick the platform where your audience is most likely to be active. As a very general rule, you can safely assume:

Millennials are most active on Instagram, then Facebook [and passionatelypresentonTikTok!]

Boomers are most active on Facebook primarily, but also aroundonIG

Gen Z are most active on YouTube, Snapchat,TikTokandalittleactive onIG[inthatorder]

Service professionals and B2B folk areveryactiveonLinkedIn.

Instagram

IG

Thevisual channel where business' thrive

Instgram has been a true game changer for countless businesses and service providers. And for customers? Our search often begins in this here little app. Let's getyoustarted.

Yougotthis!

Instagramoverview

Hitting the 'ideal' posting rhythm on any channel isn't always possible.Far better to post fewer and better. Two great posts a week arebetterthanzero!

Inaword? Visual

Theidealpostingrhythm

3-5daysaweek

Primaryaudiences

Millennials,GenXers,someGenZ [mainlyolderGenZ'ers]

Attainableaspirationalcontent

Socialising

Shopping

Peoplecomefor

Entertainment

Popculture

Inspiration

Conversationaltone

Whatworks

Whatdoesn't

Productionstandards

Human-centredcontent

Short-formvideo

Anythingthatsoundstooformalorcorporate Brandswithoutanyfacesorpersonalisation

Highestpossiblebutnotso"produced"thatit feelsinauthentic.

Lowproductionvaluesareokaytoo.

Gettingstarted

Downloadtheapp

Head to your Google Play account or the Apple App Store and download the mobile phone app. Head to Instagram.com to create an account via the desktop. [We prefer the app though - the desktop version of Instagramisverylimited.]

Chooseyouraccounttype

There are a number of account types on Instagram, and they each give you access to different features. [We coveritindetailonthenextpage].

Addtwofactorauthentication

In your Settings, we suggest you set up two-factor authentication, which means you get a text or code when trying to log in. This greatly increases the security ofyouraccount.

Setupyourbio

Add a profile photo and details to your bio. Talk about thevalueyou'llbringtheviewerandaddlinksinyourbio, sopeoplecanclickrightthroughtoyourwebsite.

Typesofaccounts

Personalaccounts

Ideal for simple browsing, personal accounts don't have analytics or the ability to sort your DMs. Most thirdparty scheduling platforms won't work with personal accounts.Youcanhaveapublicorprivateprofile.

Businessprofile

You can link to products, get more detailed insights and analytics about your post performance and audience, you can add buttons to your profile like 'Contact' or 'Get Directions',andusethird-partytoolsforscheduling.

Creatoraccount

With most of the same features as a Business profile, Creatoraccountsareidealforinfluencers,publicfigures, and anyone wanting to access more detailed analytics. Theyalsohavethebestrangeofmusicavailable.

Anoteonmusic

Because of licensing and copyright restrictions, Business accounts only have very limited music choices. Businesses often choose a Creator account to bypass this issue, but technically the risk of copyright infringementstillapplies.

Typesofposts

Staticphotopost

TheOGInstagrampostandthemost simple! While Reels and carousels oftenperformslightlybetterinterms ofthenumberofpeopletheyreach,a well crafted static post can absolutely still flourish. Take a closer lookhere.

Carousel

Carousels allow you to post a mix of up to 10 photos and videos. They can be a useful way to share educational content, or a collection of content. Sometimes also referred to as a 'photodump'. Take a closer lookhere.

Typesofposts

Reel

Reels are a type of short-form video. They're usually short and snappy and often use 'trending' audio. [Audio that is popular and is prioritised by the algorithm]. You can create Reels of up to 90 seconds in the app, anything longer would need to be uploaded and would countasavideopost[seebelow].Takeacloser lookhere.

Videopost

Similar to a Reel, but longer and less reliant on trendingaudio.Yourvideopostcanbeupto60 minutesinlength.Takealookhere.

Typesofposts

Livevideo Guides

Live videos are a little like a one sided video call, where you are streaming live to your audience, and they can comment. Once you've gone Live on Instagram, you can then choose to post it to your feed for others to watch back. Take a closer look here.

Guides offer a place to gather all your posts, Reelsandvideos.Think of them as a mini-blog but on on Instagram. Takeacloserlookhere.

Typesofposts

Stories

Stories are located at the top of the IG feed, and they last for just 24 hours. They're supposed to be quick to digest and an interactive way to engage your audience via polls, emoji sliders and link stickers. Take a closer look here. You can save Stories for your audience to see in Highlights.

Tourofyourprofilepage

Yourprofilepic+ taptowatch stories

YourBio

Thisgivesyoudata insights if you haveaBusinessor Creatoraccount

Your Highlights

Thisistakes youtoyour Instagram Feed

Search

Thenewpost button

Goestothe createmenu

Thisistakesyou totheReelsfeed

Goestoyour important accountsettings. Oftencalledthe hamburger

LtoR:Gridview; ReelsTab; Guides;Posts you'retaggedin

Thisisa "pinned"post Wearehere, andthisistakes youbacktoyour profile

Yourfeedwhere you'llseethe contentfrom peopleyoufollow andcreatorsthe algorithmthinks you'lllove

Usethesame templatethe creatorusedto makethisReel.

Whopostedit

Thecaption

Howmanylikes

Theaudio track

TouroftheReelsfeed

Createyour ownReel

Thistakes youtoyour

Instagram Feed

Searchall content

Createa newReel, PostorStory

Wearehere,and thisistakesyouback totheReelstab

Howmanylikes, clickheretolike

Howmany comments,click heretocomment

Howmanytimes thisReelwas shared,clickhere toshare

Seewhoelse usedthisaudio

Returnto profile

StoriesOverview

AlmostthreequartersofusersonlyviewStorieswhentheylogonto Instagram,soit'scertainlyaspaceworthit'sownintroduction!

Primaryaudiences Millennials,GenXers,olderGenZ

Inthemomentcontentthat'srealunpolished

Breakingnews

Peoplecomefor

Behindthescenesglimpses

Shortandsnappyupdates

Funfeatureslike polls,quizes,Q&Aboxes

Facetocameraclips

Captions typedonscreenallatonce

Whatworks

Whatdoesn't

Productionstandards

Behindthescenessnippets

InteractiveStickers[polls,Q&As,quizes,etc]

Onlyposting graphic-basedStories

Onlyposting hard-sellpromotionalcontent

Longramblingupdates

Nohighexpectations

Butgraphicorpolishedcontentcanbewell

receivedifit'struly interesting

How-to

4

5

6

7

Howtotagpeoplein

IGposts

1 Justbeforeyoupost,tap 'Tagpeople'.

2 Taponthepersoninyour image.

3 StarttypingtheirIGhandle+ selectitfromthelistthat comesup.

4 Tap'Done'.

1 Tap+then 'Reel'

2 Taptheiconinthebottom lefthandcornertoaddyour videofromyourcameraroll

3 Click'add'then'next'

4 Toaddyourcoverphototap 'Editcover'then'addfrom cameraroll'choosean imagefromyourcameraroll thenhit'Done'

5 Addyourcaption andany othersettings.Weliketogo toAdvancedsettingsand makesure 'Showcaptions' isonunderAccessibilityand 'Uploadathighestquality' isonunderDatausage

6 Tapshare

Howtoupload contentfromyour camerarolltoStories

1 Fromyourprofilepage,tap the‘+’buttonatthetopright ofthescreen.Tap‘Story’.

2 Taptheimageicononthe bottomlefthandcornerof thescreen.Thiswillbringup yourcameraroll.

3 Pickyourimage/videofrom yourcameraroll

4 Tapthearrowbuttonon bottomrighttopostto stories.

Howtoaddstickers toIGStories

Once you've uploaded the image or video you would like to post to stories [or even just a coloured background], click the sticker icon atthetopofthepage

You can then choose from a number ofstickersincluding:

LocationTag

LinkSticker

Mention [this sticker allows you tagpeopleandbusinesses]

Hashtags

GIFs

Music

Time Poll

Question

CountdownTimer

Aslider

Quiz

1 Toaddtexttapthe'Aa' symbolatthetopmenu.It bringsupacursorandyour keyboard.

2 Totagtypean'@'symbol andsearchtheusers'name. Taptheirname.An underlinedlinkisaddedto yourtext.

3 Toaddstickers/GIFsselect thelittlesmileystickericonin themenu Typeinasearch termforthetypeofimage youwantlike'newpost'. Selectandoptionfromthe stickerlibrary.

4 Useapinchanddragoutorin toresize.Holdyourfingeron thestickerandwhile maintainingpressureonthe screendragthestickerin place.

5 Tapthesharebuttonwhen designisfinished.

1

Onceyou’veopenedupstories andaddedyourphoto/video, tapthestickerbutton.Tapthe ‘Music’sticker.

2 Youcaneitherchooseasong Instagramhasrecommended foryou,oryoucantapthe browsetabandscrollformore music

3 Ifyouhaveaspecificsongin mind,searchforitviathe searchbutton.

4 Topreviewthesong,pressthe ‘Play’button,andtoadditto yourstorytaponthesongtitle.

5 Youcanchoosewhichpartof thesongyouwantplayedon yourstorybydraggingthe musictimelinetothesection youwant

6 Tomakethesongthumbnail disappeardragit&throwit awayoffscreen.

Note:Unfortunatelysome accountswillnothaveaccess toallofInstagram’smusic library

1 Onceyou’veopenedup storiesandaddedyour photo/video,tapthesticker button.Tapthe‘Poll’sticker.

2 Addyourtextintothe'ASKA QUESTION'[thiscanbeleft blank],'Yes'or'No'fields Choose"Addanotheroption' ifyouhavemorepotential responses.

3 Chooseacolour.

4 Useyourfingerstoresizethe imagebypinchingyour fingersonthescreenand eitherdrawthemtogetherto shrinkthestickerorstretch themaparttogrowit

5 Dragitintoplace.

1 Fromyourprofilepage,tap the‘+’buttonatthetopright ofthescreen Tap‘Story’

2 Taptheimageicononthe bottomlefthandcornerof thescreen.Pickanimage.

3 Selectthe3dots[...]inthe toprightcorner.Then'Draw'.

4 Taptheeyedroptoolto sampleabrandcolourfrom yourimage.Tapandhold yourfingeronthescreenuntil itfills.

Facebook

FB

TheOGhome ofsocial connection

Stillthemostusedsocialplatform globally, Facebook is true to its roots and favours features like GroupsandMessengerthatallow peopletoconnectsocially.

Facebookoverview

Facebook remains a powerful place for connection, while engagement seems low on the surface. Plus, the ads it offers are exceptionallyaffordableandeffective.

Inaword? Clickable

Theidealposting rhythm

3-4daysaweek

Primaryaudiences Millennials,GenXers,Boomers

FacebookGroups

Localinfo

Peoplecomefor

Socialconnection

Shareablecontent

Lightentertainment

Groupposts[they'reprioritisedbythealgorithm]

Sharedarticles

Whatworks

Whatdoesn't

Productionstandards

Addinglinksintothepost

Informativecontentviaengagingtutorials+hacks

Hashtags

Boostingposts

Postsshareddirectlyfrom IG

Mixedbag-lowerandhigherproductionvalues

bothworkonFacebook

Gettingstarted

Downloadtheapp

Head to your Google Play account or the App Store and downloadthemobilephoneapp.HeadtoFacebook.com tocreateanaccountviathedesktop.

SetupaPage

Rather than a Business accounts [like on Instagram]

Facebook offers users a Business Page. You can give access to others to be an admin, moderator or contributor,butitmustbestartedbyanindividual.

Addtwofactorauthentication

LikeonInstagram,wesuggest yousetuptwo-factor authentication,whichmeansyougetatextorcode whentryingtologin.Thisgreatlyincreasesthesecurity ofyouraccount.

Getsocial

ExploretheGroups,Pagesandcreatorsthatarerelevant to your niche and start interacting. You'll find the best resultsonFacebookwhenyoureally network.

Typesofposts

Textposts

Also known as a status update, text posts have been around since Facebook launched. They're usually useful if you have a quick update, or you'd like feedback from your community. Take a look here.

Photoposts

This could be an eye catching photo, a testimonial graphic or some user generated content. If you're a product -focused business then photo posts are a greatoption.Takealookhere.

Typesofposts

Videopost

There's no doubting that video first content is where it's at across most social media platforms, and Facebook is king for video content too. They can be up to 240 minutes inlength.Takealookhere.

Reels

Similar to Instagram, Reels for Facebook can be up to 90 seconds long and are usually short, snappy and use trending audio. Take a lookhere.

Typesofposts

Linkposts

Just as straight-forward as they sound, link post posts include links [without adding any other images or videos].Whenyouputthelinkintothe caption,thelinkshouldembedforyou. From there, Facebook will automatically generate a preview of thewebsite.Takealookhere.

FacebookStories

FB Stories are pretty much the same as Instagram Stories. They can be either photos or videos and expire after 24 hours of posting. Facebook doesn't have as many interactive features in Stories, but they do certainly have some worth playing with.

TourofaFacebookPage

Edityourprofileand keydetailsabout yourbusiness

Yourcoverimage

Yourprofilephoto

Yourbusiness name

Thenumberof peoplewho've likedorfollowed yourpage

Thisistakesyouto yourFacebook Homefeedwhere you'llseeastream ofposts

Createand viewyour paidads

Createa Story,Reel, Liveor

Seewho's interacted withyou

Search yourPage

Viewoptionsto payforpromotion

Accessmoretools andsettings,like yourarchive, and posts

Accessa detailedlist offunctions andsettings

How-to's

1 From your homepage tap + then'What'sonyourmind?'

2 Enteryourtext

3 To add an image select the photo/video icon then uploadfromyourdevice

4 Then 'Next' at top right of screen

5 Checkthesettings

6 Tap'Post'

1 Once you've created your posttap'Next'

2 Choose'Schedulingoptions'

3 Tap 'Schedule for later' then selectthedateandtime

4 Then 'Save' at top right of screen

5 Checkthesettings

6 Tap'Post'

Threads

Thenewkid ontheblock

Instagram's answer to Twitter, Threads has smashed all records, hitting 100million users in just 5 days. Keep reading to meet the newkidintown!

let'sdoit!

ThreadsOverview

Whileit'salmosttoosoontotellexactlyhowThreadswillbeutilised,it's clearlystruckachordwithusers.Think-socialconnectionviaquippytext.

Inaword? Conversational

Theidealposting rhythm

Primaryaudiences

4-6times,mostdays

Millennials,GenXers,olderGenZ

Peoplecomefor Conversation

Unpolished,inthemomentexpression

Funny,entertainingandclevertidbits

Short,sharp,humorousshares

Addingarelevantmeme

Whatworks

Whatdoesn't

Productionstandards

Startingaconversation

Cheekinessandalackofpretentiousness

Overtmarketing

Politicalcontent-theplatformisworkingtolimit it

Currently-hashtags,butthey'recoming

Nohighexpectations

Memesandpopculturereferencesarewelcome

Gettingstarted

Downloadtheapp

Install the Threads app for Android or iOS. You can use yourInstagramlogindetailstologin,andyoucanimport yourprofiledetailswithasingleclick.

Choosewhotofollow

You can either choose to follow all of the folk you're following on Instagram, or start fresh and follow new people.

Startposting

You'll have 500 characters per post, and can add a photoorvideo.Youcanreplytoyourownposttocreatea thread.

Keepitcasual

At this stage, Threads isn't a space for really overt marketing,it'smoreofasocialspace.Businessesarestill welcome, but we'd suggest more of a casual and conversationalapproach.

Howtopost

1 From the homepage, hit the notepad symbol at the bottom in the centre. From there you can type your thread.

2 You've got up to 500 characters and can tag others using the @ symbol. You can also include links, photosandvideos.

3 Pick your image/video from yourcameraroll.

4 Whenyou'redone,hit"Post".

Howtosharethepost

1 Clickontheplaneicon

2 Youcanchoosetoaddtoyour IG Story, post to your IG feed, copy the link to send to someone, or share via text, WhatsApp, email or Messenger.

3 Each option will have slightly different steps, but for the most part the post or link will open in the destination you choose and you can simply presspostfromthere.

TikTok

Thehomeof trends+shortformvideo

TikTok has its average viewer spending almost 24 hours a month ontheplatform-atruetestamentto the addictive nature of this creative hub.It'satthecuttingedgeofshortformvideoandahubofinspiration.

let'sdoit!

TikTokOverview

Wantingtoseethelatesttrends,creativeideasorentertainingvideo content-looknofurtherthanTikTok.Absolutelyatthecoreofwhatworks onsocialmedia.

Inaword?

Theidealpostingrhythm

Primaryaudiences

Entertaining

7daysaweek,multipletimesaday

GenZ,MillenialsandGenX

Entertainment Connection

Peoplecomefor

Nicheinterests

Searching

Raw

Unpretentious

Entertaining

Whatworks

Whatdoesn't

Productionstandards

Creative

Informativecontent

Trends

Overtmarketing

Politicalcontent-theplatformisworkingtolimit it

Currently-hashtags,butthey'recoming

Nohighexpectations

Memesandpopculturereferencesarewelcome

Enjoyalittletourof theTikTokapp.

We've designed this guide for beginners, so we won't go into too much detail around how to use TikTok. It certainly requires just a littlemoreexplorationandpractice.

However, if you're up for the challenge, please enjoy this bonus video from one of our beloved TikTok Challengesrecently.

Ittakesyouthroughatouroftheapp welovesoverymuch!

Thingstocheck

Thebasics

Alittlechecklistforwhenyou'restartingout

Areyouabusiness?StartaFB

Page

Setuptwofactorauthentication tokeepyouraccountsage

Makeyourprofileiscustomer focused,articulatingyourvalue

Joingroupsthatarerelevantto yourtargetaudience

SetupyourownFacebookGroup onceyougainsometraction

Facebook Allplatforms

TikTok

Don'tpostcontentthatfeels corporate-yortooformal

Getactiveinthecomments,it's greatforvisibility

AddlinkstoyourIGintheprofile sectiontohelpdrivetraffic

RepurposeyourReelsfromIGand FB.TryandaddanytextinTikTok.

Playaroundwiththedifferent formats-Duets,Stitches,filters

IG

Articulateyouruniqueoffering andvalueinyourprofile

Introduceyourselfandyour offeringclearlyinfeed+Stories

Aimtohaveconsistentbrandingcolours,fonts,and'voice'

ShowupinStoriesregularly, don'twaittiltheperfectmoment

Replytoeachandeverycomment andyou'llearnmoreengagement

Alwaysturncaptionson,for accessibility+soundoffusers

Alwaysturnontwofactor authenticationifavailable

Taganyrelevantfolksinyour contenttohelpitgainreach

Re-sharepositivecontentabout youoryourbrand

Addvalueandcreatetruly engagingcontent,always