Facebook or Twitter – which Social Media platform to focus on?
We put both of these platforms to battle. Twitter wins quite a few points over Facebook in the initial rounds. But then Facebook makes a strong comeback!
(Twitter)
“I prefer Twitter to Facebook because it’s easier to make friends with people you have never met.”
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Easier to use
Twitter is as simple as things get. You log in, read your friends’ tweets and maybe post one of your own. That’s about it. No hassles of visiting multiple pages, following links to check things you have been tagged in, etc. This makes it especially popular with people who aren’t comfortable with computers.
Easier to find interested people
A hash tag, properly used, will find you everything you need. Searching for people interested in the same things you are is pretty simple here. Contrast this to Facebook, where you might have to visit multiple communities, go through profiles, and the like.
Tweets reach everyone
Facebook has a secret algorithm for its ‘Top News’. People don’t see the status updates of all friends, only the ones Facebook thinks are close to them. Twitter, on the other hand, shows your tweets to all followers.
(Facebook)
“I gotta say…I’m becoming a fan of facebook more and more”
–Marc on Internet Geek Girl’s blog
Preview of links
Imagine posting a link on Twitter. Most followers have learned not to trust any text in blue. Facebook gives them a hint of what they will see if they click on the link, usually resulting in better conversions.
More people spend more time on Facebook
There are so many apps for Twitter that very few people visit the actual site any more. They get all tweets in their inbox or mobile devices, and update their own tweets by text messages. Facebook, however, encourages users to spend more time on the site. Features like chatting, applications, etc keep users hooked. This means there are better chances of them seeing your updates.
Helps build trust
They way things work on Facebook, people in each other’s friend lists often trust each other more than tweeple in each other’s followers’ list. Then there are things like tagging photos, sharing videos and so on. If your ‘friends’ can get a few laughs out of media uploaded by you, it boosts the chances of them listening to what you have to say. Used properly, Facebook can give you more traffic than Twitter.
Discussions
Tweets and re-tweets, that’s about as far as things go on Twitter. Facebook, on the other hand, encourages lively discussion via its comments section below every status update and share. Then there are fan pages and groups that you can use to drive promotion even further. Twitter gives you none of this.
Putting things in perspective, Twitter and Facebook are both indispensible as marketing media. It depends on which platform you are more comfortable using. It’s best to select one and stick to it.