Why you shouldn't bombard your audience with the same message on multiple platforms

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"Violated." That's the top response I received when I asked my Facebook followers how they feel when they're hit by the same message from the same brands on a number of different communication platforms.

Another response was "Annoyed. It just makes me spend less time on those platforms... I don't listen to the radio as I am tired of ads after 10mins. Instead of watching TV, I'd rather spend the extra effort and download something. I also spend less time on social media sharing with friends and acquaintances, and more time communicating just with close friends through closed platforms such as WhatsApp, which have no advertising, or email."

And another? "Totally agree [with these comments], one of my pet hates is being bombarded with stuff I do I not ask for and don't want!"

Rather strong opinions, all in all, so marketers need to ensure they're getting the most appropriate message across to their intended audience on the most relevant platform, without stoking their wrath.

But it's more complicated than it sounds.

While it's hardly breaking news that we're making use of more and more social media platforms to share views and keep in touch, 'social media' is just that - a collection of individual social mediums. Some flitter across the radar - Emoji-li, anyone? - while others have the staying power of Facebook.

So how do you know which is the best one to use to target your intended audience?

Don't post to all the social media platforms, just because they're there

Amanda O Mathe, Founder/Director of Ndlovukazi Online Media, tweeted on Monday morning that she's often asked whether it's necessary to be active on all social media sites, and what purpose it serves in doing so.

Nazareen Ebrahim, Chief Editorial Officer at Socially Acceptable, tweeting for @SocialByTheSea, responded: 1) As an individual: Try platforms to check functionality. 2) As a brand: Identify benefits and stats of platform, then use #socialmedia101. As only a few social media networks actually help serve and promote business goals, you need to do your research and identify those.

For example, while LinkedIn isn't so popular in SA, in the US it's huge. That's why Mathe says you should not place the exact message across different platforms, as the audiences on each are looking for different things and there is some overlap.

Wondering what to do instead?

Tailor the message to the platform and the medium

Mathe suggests that instead of panicking and changing your business goals to suit a platform, you rather come up with one strong brand message and then adjust wording to suit the specific audience and platform, and to always consider that before distributing content.

For example, you'll need to keep in mind that our environment dictates the most popular social networks, so you should factor in the use of smartphones vs feature phones as well as connectivity issues. This is especially true if you're running an awareness campaign in rural areas where connectivity is weak and users are less likely to click on a link to a mobisite through a feature phone.

Revealed: When to use Facebook, when to use Twitter

Saul Kropman, Managing Partner at SLV & Co mobile consultancy, asserts it's not social media best practice to bombard people with the same message repeatedly across different social networks. The audiences who are following you on Twitter and Facebook, as two of the main social media marketing channels, are generally quite different.

Kropman explains that Facebook tends to attract an older audience who are more interested in the brand, while Twitter usually is for faster responses by people who need help. It's also about sharing interesting content not purely related to the brand.

The best way to sum it up? Probably by copying TBWA digital marketing consultant and WITS Sociology of News Production lecturer MJ Khan's example of updating the advertising adage that content is king to 'context is king'. After all, he explains, "user engagement without context is often pointless. You need to be in spaces that add value to your consumers".