Comparing Social Media Marketing Options for Your Cooperative Extension Program

Social media has become a vital tool for Cooperative Extension program teams to connect with existing and potential partners and stakeholders. Multiple social media platforms have emerged over the last twenty years, leading to questions regarding which platform(s) are best suited for outreach.

Over 95% of Fortune 500 companies have active Twitter/X and Facebook accounts (Jha & Verma, 2023). Facebook, the leading social media platform, documented a monthly active user rate of over 3 billion in 2024 (West & Zote, 2024). Similarly, monthly active Instagram users surged from 90 million in January 2013 to 1 billion in June 2018; as of 2024, Instagram boasts 2 billion monthly active users (Shahbaznezhad et al, 2023; West & Zote, 2024). Moreover, social media advertising revenue in the United States alone has soared; Facebook’s total ad revenue reached $135 billion in 2023, Instagram’s $50.58 billion, and YouTube’s $31 billion (West & Zote, 2024).

Not only does a successful social media plan require applying platform strategy, but it also requires using content strategy to keep a program’s mission relevant and engage social media users. This publication explores methods that program managers can utilize to select appropriate social media platform(s) based on a program’s objectives and target audience and shares strategies for their implementation.

Choosing Social Media Platforms

Before implementing smart content strategies, brands and marketers must carefully select an appropriate social media platform (Shen, 2023). Platform strategy should be the primary approach for enhancing customer engagement with program posts. When program managers share different content across various platforms for a particular campaign, there is no notable discrepancy in engagement between customers and programs. However, significant differences in engagement emerge between customers and programs when identical content is shared across different platforms for the same campaign. Program content differentiation entails distinct content sharing the same program information or campaigns across various social media platforms. Essentially, engagement with program posts remains unaffected by program content differentiation on platforms, as engagement is intricately linked to platform strategy (Shen, 2023). Traditional marketing (e.g., television and radio) is a one-way communication channel, while social media has allowed marketing to evolve into a two-way communication channel. As noted by the cited sources, several current social media platforms—Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, and YouTube—can open the door to a larger audience. The set objectives for a Cooperative Extension program’s social media presence help determine which platform(s) are best suited to the program’s marketing needs and the target audience’s demographic. Social media can be segmented into four categories (Voorveld et al., 2018).

• Relationship platforms focus on the creation of individual profiles and the ability to send messages to other users (e.g., Facebook).
• Self-media platforms allow for the creation of a profile and specific communication channels (e.g., Twitter/X).
• Creative outlet platforms provide opportunities to be creative with content for engagement (e.g., YouTube and Instagram).
• Collaboration platforms provide opportunities for creative content and allows customers to engage with questions, receive advice, and find recent news (e.g., Instagram and YouTube).

The next step is to choose the best way to engage with the target audience(s) based on specific aspects of the platform. Platform strategy encompasses various elements, including public relations; brand building; and organizational, product, and sustainability strategies (Jha & Verma, 2023). The type of content created can increase stakeholders and public interest and impact future social media plans. There are ten dimensions of engagement, and each platform supports different dimensions (Voorveld et al., 2018).

• Entertainment: YouTube is the most entertaining platform; Twitter/X is the least.
• Negative Emotions: Twitter/X and Facebook content can leave users with the most negative emotions; carefully consider messaging and sharing information on these platforms.
• Pastime (done for enjoyment): Instagram and Facebook are pastimes, and content may be seen more often; this may provide programs with an opportunity for content to be seen more often by potential consumers.
• Stimulation: Pinterest gives users the most stimulation and can be an effective platform to create enthusiasm for services.
• Identification: Facebook evokes more empathetic emotions and fosters connections between users.
• Practical Use: Pinterest is the platform best for practical use, as users can find useful and reliable information on solving problems.
• Social Interaction: Facebook is the most used platform for social interaction; this platform could be best suited for sharing content widely.
• Innovation: No platform stands out as a way for users to feel ahead of others regarding trends or to receive respect from others.
• Empowerment: No platform seems to give users a feeling of empowerment, though empowerment of program participants may be an outcome that helps a program stand out.
• Topicality: All platforms give users the sense of quick and up-to-date information, but Twitter/X is the top-performing platform in this dimension.

As of August 2024, some Clemson Cooperative Extension programs currently use at least one social media platform (table 1).

Table 1. Social Media Platforms Used by Clemson Cooperative Extension as of August 2024

Multi-Platform Comparison

Programs can benefit from being active across multiple social media platforms, but knowing which platforms to combine and which strategies to implement can determine the value of those multiple accounts. Each social media platform’s distinct characteristics and users’ varying demographics and usage habits should inform this understanding. For instance, there are notable distinctions in user profiles and content preferences between Facebook and Twitter/X. Facebook boasts nearly seven times the number of active users on Twitter/X; in January 2022, Facebook reported 2.91 billion monthly active users while Twitter/X has 436 million. Nearly 99% of all Twitter/X users also utilize Facebook. Facebook emphasizes personal identity, whereas Twitter/X prioritizes shared content (Jha & Verma, 2023).

The environment of the social media platform shapes users’ behavior on programs’ pages. When comparing Facebook and Instagram, two widely used platforms, users on Instagram tend to engage more passively—by “liking” posts—whereas on Facebook, commenting is a more prevalent form of active engagement. This suggests that Facebook fosters an environment conducive to active engagement, prompting users to comment more frequently than on Instagram. Instagram’s app-based design and visually appealing platform—where users can “double-tap” to like posts—encourage higher passive engagement rates. This difference could be because Facebook is often accessed via desktop computers, and typing comments on a desktop keyboard tends to be easier than typing on a phone keypad. If the objective of social media content is to collect comprehensive feedback through comments and discussions, Facebook is likely better. Additionally, research indicates that Instagram cultivates a more positive atmosphere and therefore leads to more positive comments than Facebook’s more rational environment (Shahbaznezhad et al., 2022).

Facebook is the most-used social media platform among Extension programs (Table 1). Agribusiness, for example, uses Facebook to share upcoming events, recap programs in the area, and share fun facts. Rural Health and Nutrition also uses Facebook via nine individual county pages, posting CDC HOP content two to three times a week as part of a grant cycle and weekly content in conjunction with the College of Behavioral Health and CAFLS.

Program managers should consider the following critical implications (Jha & Verma, 2023):

• Programs ought to categorize their communication content according to their primary agenda.
• Each content category requires thorough market research across various social media platforms to gauge user appreciation.
• Programs should tailor their content-platform alignment accordingly.
• In addition to aligning content with user preferences, programs should consistently monitor and adapt to engagement feedback from platform users to ensure a continuously effective communication strategy.

Overall, program managers should plan to evaluate and identify the appropriate platform(s) based on their program objectives, the type of content they intend to create, the informational focus, and the level of engagement they want to achieve with their audience.

Implementing Social Media Marketing

Once program leaders choose a social media platform(s), developing and implementing strategies to make a program’s presence successful are key to driving public interest and audience engagement. Parsons and Lepkowska-White (2018) break down social media marketing into four dimensions: messaging and projecting, monitoring, assessing, and responding.

• Messaging and projecting refers to the idea that interactivity between the program and the audience is more positively received than marketer-generated content. Content with a conversational and personal tone can increase social currency more than hard-selling content. Determining the frequency of posts that keeps messaging relevant but not overdone deters audience members from unfollowing the program’s account.
• Monitoring means keeping track of audience responses and reviews to content as well as returning communication to those audience members in a timely manner. Observing comments and engagement on posts helps program managers understand how content resonates, what type of content is successful, and how to further increase public interest.
• Assessing means analyzing information derived from the social media account activity. Most social media platforms provide in-house analytics, but there are also third-party sites that both provide and explain insights (e.g., Hootsuite).
• Responding refers to the importance of both external and internal responses to users. Externally, program leaders should respond directly to public and private messages. Internally, they can change services or marketing strategies based on audience feedback. This shows audience members that their voices are respected, which could, in turn, increase word-of-mouth references and public interest and enhance audience engagement.

Platform vs. Content Strategy

Suitable platform strategies boost customer engagement with brands across social media platforms more effectively than multiple content strategies (Shen, 2023). The present research is constrained by its narrow focus on content type rather than consideration of content format (such as images and videos), as well as the connection between the choice of social media platforms (such as Facebook and Twitter/X) and its impact on customer engagement with a brand. These earlier studies indicate that content strategies can effectively drive consumer traffic and aid programs in influencing consumer behavior. Current research suggests that program directors can leverage diverse, program-specific blog content across social media platforms to enhance customer engagement; consequently, programs need help distinguishing themselves on social media through varied content strategies, as branded blog content often replicates past templates of media communication messages. The multitude of social media platforms exacerbates this challenge, necessitating considerable effort from program managers (particularly for smaller programs; Shen, 2023).

There is a strong correlation between how programs are portrayed and customers’ perceptions of them on social media. Social media significantly influences customer engagement with programs, subsequently shaping brand trust and purchase intent.There has yet to be a consensus on the influence of platform features on customer and program engagement, particularly concerning how various platforms can foster improved interactions between customers and programs (Shen, 2023).

Improving User Engagement Behavior

The rise of social media platforms has significantly transformed the role of users from mere observers of content to active participants that act as co-producers and co-creators of content through their online interactions and behaviors. Engagement levels vary from basic, such as “liking” a post on Instagram, to more substantial user engagement activities like posting reviews. User engagement encompasses diverse focal points, including product or service offerings, activities and events, and media (Shahbaznezhad et al., 2022). The interactive nature of engagement behaviors results in varying degrees of involvement. There are two proposed typologies that encompass six behavior groups: creating, contributing, and destructing are referred to as active engagement behaviors, while consuming, dormancy, and detaching are referred to as passive and more individualized forms of engagement. Some argue that engagement can be categorized as passive (low) or active (high) as well as positive or negative. Passive engagement involves members browsing an online group and utilizing available benefits without participating in community activities. In contrast, active engagement involves members showing a high interest in engaging with an online community by participating in activities, generating messages, sharing information, and offering emotional support to others (Shahbaznezhad et al., 2022). Agribusiness implements Facebook stories and consistent posting to improve audience engagement. Rural Health and Nutrition calls users to action at least once a week to increase interaction. Their grant cycle with the CDC HOP provides two to three weekly content graphics to share, including links for users to activate.

There is a highlighted difference in program strategies for engaging users on each platform. However, research has uncovered discrepancies between programs’ varied strategies and user engagement behavior (Jha & Verma, 2023). While evidence suggests differing engagement patterns across social media platforms, program managers need to pay more attention to this aspect in their decisions regarding sustainability communication on social media. For example, Twitter/X users prefer content-driven messaging with a predominantly positive sentiment and show less interest in relevant program messages. Conversely, many programs demonstrate a more assertive approach to delivering pertinent posts on Facebook than on Twitter/X. Given the nature of Twitter/X, programs often use the platform to communicate regularly with users and address their posts and inquiries. Moreover, the character limit on Twitter/X prompts many programs to rely heavily on images to convey their messages. While users exhibit higher engagement with relevant posts on Twitter/X, program managers allocate more of their Facebook posts to relevant content (Jha & Varma, 2023).

Experts now understand user engagement as dyadic interactions between customers and organizations and intricate relationships involving diverse networks (Shawky et al., 2020). Customers exert influence, both directly and indirectly, on the behaviors of others (customers, non-customers, organizations, and stakeholders) while simultaneously being influenced by them. Despite this understanding, empirical evidence suggests that dyadic interactions between users and organizations continue to prevail in practice, with marketing efforts on social media often emphasizing one-way interactions from organizations to users (Shawky et al., 2020). In our highly interconnected society, social media has reshaped the traditional role of users, empowering them to contribute to the creation and dissemination of information, photos, reviews, and other marketing content. Users now fulfill diverse roles as enablers, innovators, coordinators, and differentiators, actively participating in product and service development, community building, customer engagement, interaction with non-customers, and discernment among competing offerings within the marketplace. Users “are pseudo-marketers, often with greater influence, lower costs, and more effective reach than their firm-based counterparts” (Harmeling, 2017). User engagement on social media platforms facilitates the acts of sharing personal experiences, influencing others, advocating for programs, and proposing methods for skill enhancement. Within program communities, user engagement represents a dynamic and interactive process encompassing learning, sharing, advocacy, socialization, and collaborative development. Leveraging social media for user engagement has significantly contributed to the success of social marketing initiatives, encouraging peer-to-peer discussions to cultivate supportive communities. Within these communities, users are empowered to address their issues, seek assistance, express creativity, and share personal experiences. These findings underscore the importance of nurturing user engagement through social media within diverse networks, highlighting users’ proactive role as exchange partners and co-creators of value.

Content Format

Content format plays a crucial role in influencing engagement behavior. Video posts can prompt users to more actively engage (by sharing their opinions and comments) than posts with photos (Shahbaznezhad et al., 2022). When presented as a photo, rational content elicits significantly more likes than comments, underscoring the influence of content format on engagement. Conversely, emotional content notably decreases likes. Still, the interaction of emotion and content format do not significantly affect users’ liking behavior. This suggests that content format does not affect emotional content’s ability to engage users through likes. However, emotional content significantly affects commenting behavior, particularly when considering the interaction with content format. Users only show interest in commenting on emotional content if it adheres to a specific format (Shahbaznezhad et al., 2022). Furthermore, when emotional content is presented in photo format, there is a reversal in its effect on liking behavior. In contrast, emotional content in video format prompts increased active engagement in the form of comments. This comparison suggests that emotional content may be better suited to more media-rich formats like video, which can convey more significant emotional stimuli than photo posts through music and movement.

The quantity and sentiment of comments on a post play a crucial role in stimulating the number of likes it receives. This underscores the importance of fostering positive, active engagement through comments to bolster the continuous virality of the post in terms of likes. Intriguingly, negative correlations often exist between overall sentiment and volume of comments, suggesting that fans are more inclined to voice opinions and leave comments expressing negative feelings than positive ones (Shahbaznezhad et al., 2022).

Take Instagram as an example of the moderating influence of a platform. Rational content on Instagram garners significantly more likes than comments, indicating a platform-specific sensitivity to rational content. Conversely, emotional content shows no significant interactions with the platform it’s presented on, suggesting that its impact on user engagement behavior transcends platform differences. Transactional content on Instagram tends to attract more likes but may deter comments. In essence, posting transactional content on Instagram may not effectively stimulate users’ commenting behavior, although it does encourage liking (Shahbaznezhad et al., 2022).

Platforms incorporating short video features can enhance engagement between customers and brands. These dynamic short videos typically garner considerable engagement, accumulating millions of customer likes. Furthermore, engagement with brand posts presented as short videos on Instagram and Twitter/X also tends to be elevated (Shen, 2023). Short videos created by brands are generally better received by customers than longer videos. Customers are more inclined to trust websites tailored to their interests. They often engage with products, brands, and posts by providing comments when the website incorporates video testimonials rather than text or picture testimonials. Notably, video content has the potential to enhance engagement between customers and brands on social media due to its credibility relative to text and images. Additionally, despite their shorter duration, short videos are informative, engaging, and easy to produce and distribute rapidly, enabling customers to grasp the brand’s core message swiftly (Shen, 2023).

Original Content vs. User-Generated Content

It is important for programs to generate content that provides users and potential customers with information on upcoming events and the benefits of attending. Programs can also utilize user-generated content for testimonials and community outreach. According to Santos (2021), user-generated content (UGC) is defined as:

Any kind of text, data or action performed by online digital systems users, published and disseminated by the same user through independent channels, that incur an expressive or communicative effect either on an individual manner or combined with other contributions from the same or other sources.

UGC encompasses all the ways people engage with social media. This perspective suggests broadening the definition of content to include small actions and interactions like following, liking, sharing, voting, and commenting. Business-to-consumer marketing is evolving into a user-driven peer-to-peer network where consumers increasingly depend on unfiltered, dynamic, and relevant information from their peers (Harmeling et al., 2017). One way to incorporate UGC into the promotion of Extension programs is via user reviews. Soliciting program participants to provide quantitative and qualitative feedback on attended events and programs via social media platforms can assist in expanding the audience and potential new customers. In summary, content in the context of UGC includes traditional media creation and collaborative contributions like metadata, ratings, and “thumbs up.” Even unintentional contributions to obscure databases can be significant in various ways for different individuals or organizations (Santos, 2021).⁹

Creative Commons

When creating content for a social media page, creators must understand how and when to use certain graphics and music, as licensing can affect shared content, the social media page, and the overall program. Programs should consider researching graphics and music licensed under the Creative Commons. A Creative Commons (CC) license is a public license that allows creators to share their work and adapt the work of others for free within the agreement’s terms, fostering a culture of legal sharing (Ekpe, 2023). Creative Commons, a nonprofit organization founded in 2001, provides a framework for sharing work. A CC license issued by the copyright owner permits anyone worldwide to use the copyrighted work in ways consistent with the license. It specifies how the public may use the work under the license terms. CC licenses are standard form agreements attached to a copyrighted work, allowing its use under certain conditions without needing to contact the author or negotiate terms. CC licenses are particularly useful for programs that want to share their content broadly across social media platforms. To better understand CC licenses and how to utilize CC-licensed media in social media content, the Creative Commons website provides more information; the link is listed in the Additional Resources section at the end of this article.

Summary

In conclusion, selecting the right social media platform(s) is just as important as applying appropriate marketing strategies in engaging audiences without coming across as too sell heavy or non-responsive. Clemson University provides resources on social media usage policies, guidelines, and brand awareness; programs should address this information before creating any social media page. Find these links in the Additional Resources section. Programs must also submit a Social Media Account Request form to create a new social media account. Finding the right platform, setting objectives, and designing engaging content takes time and analysis, but doing so can increase public interest and reach.

References Cited

dos Santos, M. L. B. (2021). The “so-called” UGC: An updated definition of user-generated content in the age of social media. Online Information Review, 46(1), 95–113. www.doi.org/10.1108/oir-06-2020-0258

Ekpe, D. M. (2023). Copyright trolling in use of Creative Commons licenses. American University Intellectual Property Brief, 14(2), 1–14. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/383876372_Copyright_Trolling_in_Use_of_Creative_Commons_Licenses

Harmeling, C. M., Moffett, J. W., Arnold, M. J., & Carlson, B. D. (2017, May). Toward a theory of customer engagement marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 45(3), 312–335. www.doi.org/10.1007/s11747-016-0509-2

Jha, A. K., & Verma, N. K. (2023). Social media platforms and user engagement: A multi-platform study on one-way firm sustainability communication. Information Systems Frontiers, 26, 177-194. www.doi.org/10.1007/s10796-023-10376-8

Parsons, A.L., & Lepkowska-White, E. (2018). Social media marketing management: A conceptual framework. Journal of Internet Commerce, 17(2), 81–95. www.doi.org/10.1080/15332861.2018.1433910

Shahbaznezhad, H., Dolan, R., & Rashidirad, M. (2022). The role of social media content format and platform in users’ engagement behavior. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 53(1), 47–65. www.doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2020.05.001

Shawky, S., Kubacki, K., Dietrich, T., & Weaven, S. (2020). A dynamic framework for managing customer engagement on social media. Journal of Business Research, 121(3), 567-577. www.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.03.030

Shen, Z. (2023). Platform or content strategy? Exploring engagement with brand posts on different social media platforms. Sage Open, 13(4). www.doi.org/10.1177/21582440231219096

Voorveld, H. A. M., van Noort, G., Muntinga, D. G., & Bronner, F. (2018). Engagement with social media and social media advertising: The differentiating role of platform type. Journal of Advertising, 47(1), 38–54. www.doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2017.1405754

West, C. &, Zote, J. (2024, March 20). Social media insights. Sprout Social. Retrieved August 2, 2024, from https://sproutsocial.com/insights/

Additional Resources

Burkett, K., Maxwell, C., & Herdon, C. (2021, June 2). 10 tips for farm social media. Land-Grant Press, article 1109. https://lgpress.clemson.edu/publication/10-tips-for-farm-social-media/.

Clemson University. (n.d.). Marketing and communications: Policies and resources. https://www.clemson.edu/marketing-and-communications/policies-and-resources/index.html.

Clemson University. (n.d.). Brand standards. https://www.clemson.edu/brand/index.html.

Creative Commons. (2019). About CC licenses. https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/cclicenses/