YouTube – SMIO Digital Marketing

I recently read an article that had an awesome infographic , and it depicted what time of the day is best to post. Therefore, the article was based around time. Take a look at the infographic as it breaks down each social media site and what is the best time to post on each. While I found this article very useful, I also found it to be somewhat underdeveloped. What I mean here is that significant social media sites were missing. Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, and Youtube were all absent from this article. I found this extremely odd, because these are major social media platforms that are consistently growing in popularity. I also found it interesting that all of these platforms are mainly used for visual representation. Meaning we use these platforms to send visual types of information, such as pictures and videos. This made me wonder, is there a different set of “posting” rules to follow when using platforms that are mainly visual in nature?

Now the article states specific periods throughout the day that are good to post and bad to post. However, when it comes to using applications such as Snapchat is a message sent at 2am just as effective or seen just as positively as one sent at 2pm? In my opinion, yes and no. I think that these applications that are mainly used for visual representation can be just as effective if used in the wee hours of the morning or mid afternoon depending on the relationship the sender and the receiver of the message currently have with one another.

Okay, so what I mean here, is imagine it is 2am and you are receiving a Snapchat alert from…let’s say Social Media In’s and Out’s…advertising an infographic of their companies effectiveness as social media consultants. What is your reaction? Now, imagine the same scenario, but instead you receive a message from your significant other sending you some sort of heartfelt visual message. Now what is your reaction? My guess is your reaction would be very different if you received an advertisement at 2am versus a message from a loved one. The relationship matters! My point here is that the same rules do not apply to the sending and receiving of visual messages, such as through Instagram, Snapchat, Youtube, and Tumblr because concerning these types of messages the rules are unclear on what is acceptable and what is not. So when is the best time to send a visual message through these applications…it really depends on who you are and who you are sending it to!

A brief overview of what Snapchat is; it is a photograph app. allowing users to set a time limit to how long the viewers can view the image. After the time limit is up the picture is then unable to be viewed and is deleted from the Snapchat server. Snapchat is a very user friendly app that allows its users to constantly stayed connected with one another through the use of images, these images can be seen as a way to express one’s self nonverbally through the use of images. This app is also geared towards and popular with a relatively young demographic between the ages of 18-23 years of age. So, I wonder how this popular tool can be used for marketing and organizational use? My thoughts are this is untapped resource, especially if your brand targets a younger demographic, to get a message across very quickly. As I have stated before, we are the right now generation and time is precious. When we want something we want it now, there is no time to sit around watch a full 1-2 minute commercial. Therefore, I think it is time for business’ to start utilizing this vital tool to get their message across in a very short amount of time. However, in using an app such as this one with a time limit, users must be very strategic in what message they wish to send to their consumers and to insure it is perceived the way it was intended. While Snapchat may seem like a fun app for personal use, however, this app should be strategically thought about how it can be used to connect with a younger demographic to get a message across, such as buy our product! Check out this article for some additional information on the growing popularity of Snapchat. For access to the app check out the Snapchat website.