• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

The Social Media Hat

Always On Top Of Social

  • Coaching & Consulting
  • Community
  • Speaking
  • Articles
    • Digital Marketing
      • Influencer Marketing
    • Social Media Articles
      • Facebook
      • Instagram
      • LinkedIn
      • Pinterest
      • Twitter
      • YouTube
    • Social Media Tools
    • Virtual Events
  • Newsletter
  • Search
  • Coaching & Consulting
  • Community
  • Speaking
  • Articles
    • Digital Marketing
      • Influencer Marketing
    • Social Media Articles
      • Facebook
      • Instagram
      • LinkedIn
      • Pinterest
      • Twitter
      • YouTube
    • Social Media Tools
    • Virtual Events
  • Newsletter
  • Search

This Lab Is Running Tests On Your Social Media And You Won’t Believe The Results

With burners and beakers, flasks and funnels, the Social Media Lab scientists set out to conduct experiments and get answers – even if those answers challenge our preconceptions.

You are here: Home / Social Media Articles / This Lab Is Running Tests On Your Social Media And You Won’t Believe The Results

September 8, 2017 //  by Mike Allton

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“The proper method for inquiring after the properties of things is to deduce them from experiments.”
Isaac Newton

 

Newton, arguably the greatest scientist the world has ever known, had very firm beliefs when it came to experiments and the scientific method.

 

Instead of guessing about why a thing is the way it is, the correct approach is to devise an experiment and allow data to mold your opinions.

 

Those of you familiar with my blog know that this is an approach I take frequently, leading to my manufactured title of Content Marketing Practitioner.

 

I thoroughly enjoy creating hypotheses and tests, analyzing and documenting, and implementing new strategies and tactics based on the results.

 

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that when I first learned about the Social Media Lab, I was immediately intrigued and wanted to dive in.

 

Social Media Lab is like a Doctor Who episode!

 

Constructing The Lab

 

“If the experiments which I urge be defective, it cannot be difficult to show the defects; but if valid, then by proving the theory, they must render all objections invalid.”
Isaac Newton

 

Emeric Ernoult, CEO of the highly recommended social media management tool Agorapulse, noticed that no one in the industry had been bold enough (or crazy enough) to significantly invest in the kind of social media experiments needed to draw significant conclusions.

 

Questions like, “Can I post to Facebook using 3rd Party Apps?” or “Should I use hashtags on Facebook?”

 

Questions that most bloggers and businesses simply cannot answer definitively on their own.

 

Questions like that require time, resources, scientific analysis, and the weight of an authoritative source to lend them credence.

 

On a mission to find answers, and provide the kind of resource no one else could, Ernoult hired two experienced bloggers and invested nearly $100,000 in salary, ad spend and other resources to get the lab started.

 

With burners and beakers, flasks and funnels, the Social Media Lab scientists set out to conduct experiments and get answers – even if those answers challenged their preconceptions.

 

With burners and beakers, flasks and funnels, the Social Media Lab scientists set out to conduct experiments and get answers - even if those answers challenged their preconceptions.

 

The Social Media Lab Experiments

 

“It is the weight, not numbers of experiments that is to be regarded.”
Isaac Newton

 

The beauty of these experiments is that the Agorapulse lab team is taking their time. Rather than try to churn out as many as they could, as fast as they could, they’re being deliberate and exact in their process.

 

This is a critical point to appreciate.

 

If you’ve ever ran a test of your own on social media, you know that nothing of significance can be determined in a day. Techniques need to be tested at different times with different audiences and so on, which means that, at best, you’d need a week to run a test that considers each day.

 

Two weeks if you want to reduce some of the noise and variables.

 

Which is why the Social Media Lab tends to spend two weeks on every experiment!

 

So far, they’ve run tests to address the following questions:

 

 

    • Does Posting with 3rd Party Apps Impact Facebook Reach?

 

    • Link Tweet with an Image vs. Tweet with Twitter Cards, Does it Matter?

 

    • Do Instagram Hashtags Really Lead to More Engagement?

 

    • Let’s See if Facebook Hashtags Get More Reach!

 

    • Can You Really Get 100 Instagram Followers (for Free) in 24 Hours?

 

 

They’ve also also launched the social media lab podcast on iTunes, Google Play and Stitcher.

 

The answers often surprised even me.

 

Take the question of whether or not to tweet an image or tweet a link, for example.

 

Initially one might not think it of import, unless you knew that on Facebook, if you post an image with a link in the text instead of just a link with a link preview, you can multiply your post reach by TEN TIMES.

 

What if the same were true on Twitter? Would that change how you set up your tweets and shares?

 

Would it shock you to learn that it’s actually not the case – that it’s actually better to use the link preview rather than tweet an image?

 

Would it shock you to learn that it’s actually not the case - that it’s actually better to use the link preview rather than tweet an image?

 

Read the full experiment to get all the details, and be sure to check out all the rest!

 

Have a pressing question you wish they’d answer? Let me know in the comments below, and be sure to share the lab’s experiments with your audience. (If you’re interested, here’s my full Agorapulse Review.)

Raw Image:

Want to save time with your social media activity and yet get even more results? Use the #1 rated social media management tool, Agorapulse, and as a friend of Mike Allton, you’re eligible to receive your first two months free after trial! Go to https://www.Agorapulse.com/Allton to learn more and get started.

Related

Category: Social Media ArticlesTag: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

About Mike Allton

Mike is an international keynote speaker, an award-winning blogger & author at The Social Media Hat, and Head of Strategic Partnerships at Agorapulse where he strengthens relationships with social media educators, influencers and partner brands. He has spent over a decade in digital marketing and brings an unparalleled level of experience and excitement to the fore, whether he's delivering a presentation or leading a workshop.

Join The Community!

34,720 savvy marketers have signed up to get the latest social media insights and ideas. Will you?


Previous Post: « How To Create Facebook Ads That Convert
Next Post: 16 Tried-and-True Ways to Grow & Engage Your Instagram Following »

Primary Sidebar

Work With Mike

Work with Mike Allton in a consulting capacity, or to speak at your next event.

Meet Mike

Mike Allton is an international keynote speaker & consultant, and an award-winning blogger and author at The Social Media Hat, where he has been educating businesses and organizations on the best use of content marketing for reaching and converting target audiences. Mike is proud to serve as the Head of Strategic Partnerships at Agorapulse, where he builds relationships with influencers and brands around the world.

Since 2012, Mike has worked with over a hundred brands and executives to help them identify and implement successful strategies. As a certified NLP Coach & Practitioner, he helps YOU achieve excellence. Work With Mike

Partnership Unpacked

Featured Posts

How To Develop Profitable Relationships With Big Brands w/ George Thomas

March 20, 2023 //  by Mike Allton

Partnership Unpacked, Episode 13, with George B. Thomas

Influencer Marketing Trends & Insights For CMOs w/ Gordon Glenister

Influencer Marketing Trends & Insights For CMOs w/ Gordon Glenister

March 13, 2023 //  by Mike Allton

Partnership Unpacked, Episode 12, with Gordon Glenister

How to Craft a Sponsorship Pitch No Brand Will Ignore w/ Justin Moore

How to Craft a Sponsorship Pitch No Brand Will Ignore w/ Justin Moore

March 6, 2023 //  by Mike Allton

Partnership Unpacked, Episode 11, with Justin Moore

More Like This

  • How Influencer Marketing Can Help You to Define the Best Content Marketing Strategy for Your E-Commerce Business in 2023
  • The State of Partnership Ops in 2023 w/ Asher Mathew & Kelly Sarabyn
  • 10 Reasons to Become a B2B Influencer

Footer

Recent Posts

  • How To Develop Profitable Relationships With Big Brands w/ George Thomas
  • Influencer Marketing Trends & Insights For CMOs w/ Gordon Glenister
  • How to Craft a Sponsorship Pitch No Brand Will Ignore w/ Justin Moore
  • How Influencer Marketing Can Help You to Define the Best Content Marketing Strategy for Your E-Commerce Business in 2023
  • The State of Partnership Ops in 2023 w/ Asher Mathew & Kelly Sarabyn
  • 10 Reasons to Become a B2B Influencer
  • Is Artificial Intelligence poised to do your job for you?
  • How SaaS Companies Can Leverage Affiliate Marketing in 2023

Marketing Resources

  • Marketing Hyperdrive Podcast
  • The Virtual Event Strategist Podcast
  • Partnership Unpacked Podcast (Coming soon!)
  • How To Craft Your Marketing Plan
  • The Ultimate Guide to the Perfect LinkedIn Profile
  • Social Media Spring Cleaning
  • Social Media Planner
  • Get The Newsletter
  • Home
  • Virtual Event Strategy
  • Mike Allton, Your Next Keynote Speaker
  • Mike Allton’s Newsletter
  • Work With Mike
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure

Site Footer

Partnership Unpacked Podcast

  • Listen on Amazon
  • Listen on Apple
  • Listen on Google
  • Listen on Spotify
  • Listen on Stitcher
  • Social Media Articles
  • Digital Marketing Articles
  • Social Media Tools & Resources
  • Virtual Events Articles
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2011–2023 The Social Media Hat · All Rights Reserved