Unit 2: Platform strategy and engagement
Social Media, Content and Influencer Marketing notes · PTU syllabus (MBA 973-26)
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Unit summary
Each platform has its own audience, formats and rules of engagement. This unit covers strategic marketing through Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and X, content planning and calendars, sponsored advertisements, audience targeting, social listening and online reputation management, and engagement metrics.
After this unit you can
- Plan platform-specific strategies
- Build content plans and calendars
- Run sponsored ads with audience targeting
- Use social listening, manage reputation and measure engagement
PTU syllabus topics
- Strategic marketing through Facebook
- YouTube and X
- content planning and calendars
- sponsored advertisements
- audience targeting
- social listening and online reputation management
- engagement metrics
Visual brands, younger audiences
Reels, stories, carousels
B2B and employer brand
Insights, case studies
YouTube
Education and long-form
Videos, Shorts
X (Twitter)
News and real-time conversation
Short updates, threads
Broad reach, communities
Groups, events, video
Topic 1
Platform strategies
| Platform | Strengths | Best uses |
|---|---|---|
| Large, broad audience; groups; powerful ads | Community, local business, retargeting | |
| Visual, young audience; Reels, Stories, Shops | Lifestyle brands, fashion, food, influencers | |
| Professionals and decision makers | B2B marketing, employer branding, thought leadership | |
| YouTube | Long and short video; search engine for video | Tutorials, reviews, brand films, Shorts |
| X (Twitter) | Real-time news and conversation | Customer service, announcements, trending topics |
Topic 2
Content planning and calendars
- Content pillars: 3–5 themes aligned to brand and audience (education, inspiration, product, community, behind the scenes).
- Mix rules: e.g., 80% value-adding content, 20% promotional.
- 1
Set goals and KPIs
- 2
Choose pillars and formats
- 3
Map key dates
Festivals, launches, events
- 4
Assign platforms and frequency
- 5
Create and approve content
- 6
Schedule and publish (Meta Business Suite, Buffer, Hootsuite)
- 7
Review performance and adjust
Topic 3
Sponsored advertisements
- Objectives: awareness, traffic, engagement, leads, app installs, sales.
- Formats: image, video, carousel, collection, Stories and Reels ads, lead forms, sponsored InMail (LinkedIn), YouTube in-stream and bumper ads.
- Buying: auctions with bids and budgets; pay per impression, click or result; A/B test creatives.
Topic 4
Audience targeting
Core
Demographics, location, interests, behaviours
Custom audiences
Website visitors, customer lists, app users, video viewers
Lookalike audiences
Users similar to existing customers
Contextual and placement
Specific placements and content
LinkedIn
Job title, industry, company size, seniority
Topic 5
Social listening and online reputation management
- 1Monitor
Social listening, review sites, Google alerts
- 2Analyse
Sentiment, volume, sources
- 3Respond
Quick, empathetic, factual; move complaints to private channels
- 4Build positive presence
Encourage reviews, share content, PR
- 5Crisis management
Prepared protocols, transparent communication
- Tools: Brandwatch, Sprinklr, Talkwalker, Google Business Profile, platform insights.
Example
A food delivery app responds within an hour to a viral complaint about a late order, refunds the customer publicly and explains the fix — turning criticism into goodwill.
Topic 6
Engagement metrics
Engagement rate (by reach)
(Likes + comments + shares + saves) ÷ reach × 100
Amplification rate
Shares ÷ followers
Video completion rate
Completed views ÷ views
Click-through rate
Clicks ÷ impressions × 100
Example
A Reel reaches 40,000 people and gets 2,400 likes, 300 comments, 500 shares and 800 saves: engagement rate = 4,000 ÷ 40,000 = 10%.
Key terms
- Content pillar
- Core theme for content
- Content calendar
- Schedule of planned posts
- Custom audience
- Ad audience built from a brand's own data
- Lookalike audience
- Users resembling existing customers
- Engagement rate
- Interactions relative to reach
Quick revision
- Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, X — strengths and uses.
- Pillars, mix rules, calendar steps and tools.
- Ad objectives, formats, buying.
- Core, custom, lookalike targeting.
- Social listening, ORM; engagement metrics.
Important exam questions
Practice questions written to the PTU exam pattern for this unit's syllabus: short answers (Section A style) and long answers (Sections B and C style).
Short-answer questions
- Q1.Which platform suits B2B marketing and why?
- Q2.What is a content pillar?
- Q3.State the steps in building a content calendar.
- Q4.Name three social ad formats.
- Q5.What is a lookalike audience?
- Q6.Calculate engagement rate for 500 interactions and 10,000 reach.
Long-answer questions
- Q1.Explain platform-specific social media strategies.
- Q2.Discuss content planning and calendars.
- Q3.Explain sponsored advertising and audience targeting on social media.
- Q4.Discuss social listening, reputation management and engagement metrics.
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