1 Instagram Follower Is Worth 10 Twitter Followers

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This column was intended to be written to suggest some of the most effective ways publishers can write content to get the biggest impact through social distribution. The story was going to be focused on the need to craft editorial and content (words, images, and video) around the needs of one person (your ultimate target) and then enjoy the viral sharing and global growth by watching a personal message resonate with the masses.

I got a bit sidetracked when I read this article by Chris Jadatz at SumAll, a data visualization company, in a search for some supporting statistics.

This article shares some quick-to-digest but compelling information about the monetary value of a tweet versus an Instagram post. Did you know that by integrating Twitter into your website you will see an increase in revenue by 1 to 2 percent? Or that six tweets is the optimal number of tweets for any brand to send out per day? (Revenue recognition per tweet goes down after that.)

After stopping to think for a minute that maybe it is less about personalization and more about mass appeal, I decided to stick with my gut. This article didn't make me rewrite my column; instead, it confirmed the original thesis: social success is driven from individualized messaging strategies.

In 2011, the average number of tweets per day was a measly 200 million. This is up from zero in 2006 when Twitter was first born. In 2013, the average number of tweets per day is already surpassing 400 million with no signs of slowing down.

Today, over 130 million users are sharing on Instagram Video. Vine is growing as well with 13 million users.

Forget about brands for a moment. These statistics alone show that people are striving to share their personal thoughts and story with others. They want to make an impact and a personal connection. People post on social networks to educate, vent, celebrate, and connect. Brands should be no different. The ultimate drive for social success should be built on the ability to publish content that connects your brands to the heart of your customer, in a personal and relevant way.

As a brand, you already know that when your advertising speaks directly to your target audience you get better results. Why would social be any different? The biggest success for brands will come from publishing content that appears to be personally relevant. The choice to distribute your content through a tweet, Instagram photo, or social video should be an outcome of your analysis of your target consumer.

For more insights on the social video battles, see this CNET article, which compares Instagram Video to Vine. It has some very interesting points.

As we travel on our quest to harness the power of content in effective ways through social networks, distribution choice will be a critical choice that can propel your company forward if selected well. Which route will you venture down?