Not all social media sites are produced equal, contrary to common opinion.
Despite the abundance of outlets available today, many marketers confine themselves when they consider “social.”
Do you believe that the current social media landscape is dominated by major players like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? Reconsider your place.
From the most well-known outlets to the less well-known, advertisers need to consider the best practices of as many social media channels as possible. We’ve broken down the five forms of social media that any marketer should be aware of, from micro-communities to household names.
Sites for Social Networking
While the big-picture definition extends to most prominent social networks, the word “social network” is synonymous with Facebook.
The aim of social networking is simple: to give users a way to communicate with one another. Networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are the bread and butter of modern advertisers among social media forms. After all, these sites place marketers on an equal footing with their companies, consumers, and leads when it comes to networking.
In a nutshell, social networking sites allow users to do the following:
-Share, like, and comment on each other’s content. Just about every type of material, from blog posts to infographics and beyond, is welcome.
-Connect with others directly.
-Form communities and share important news within those communities, whether as friends or fans; an active social following signifies clout for advertisers and brands alike.
Image Sharing and Messaging sites
We now live in a digital marketing age where visual content is king. Visual content on social media gets more engagement than written content, according to HubSpot. For modern brands, visual assets have now become a top priority.
As a result, new forms of social media have arisen that are largely image-based. In recent years, image-sharing sites like Instagram and visual messaging applications like Snapchat have grown in popularity. In reality, with Snapchat’s latest IPO dominating the tech world in 2017, Instagram is on a fast track to one billion users.
Instagram and Snapchat, as a side note, both have video capabilities. However, imagery is where they get the majority of their marketing force.
But why are image-based social media platforms so popular? For instance, consider the following websites:
-Assist in the curation and promotion of user-generated content using branded hashtags.
-Allow brands and consumers to display product images without coming off as used-car salespeople.
-Offer users a welcome respite from conventional blogs and long-form written material.
3. Websites for Video Sharing
Simply put, video outperforms all other types of marketing material in terms of shares and conversions. Video hubs like YouTube and Vimeo, like image-based social media, attract many visitors through visual content.
YouTube has well over one billion active users, establishing itself as a significant social media player. Although some may be skeptical of YouTube’s position as a social media site, its vast community of creators will argue otherwise.
What advantages do video sharing sites have over other forms of social media for marketers? To begin, consider the following:
-Viewers will consume video content with less effort. There is no reading or scrolling involved; only viewing is allowed.
-Thanks to new smartphones and computers, video production has a lower barrier to entry than ever before.
-Videos are the best way to educate the audience. The cornerstones of social video material are how-tos and tutorials.
Social Blogging Sites
Many critics may argue that traditional blogging has become extinct as a result of social networking. On the other hand, brands that blog earn more leads and SEO juice than those that do not. Despite the various styles of social media outlets available, blogging still has a lot of strength.
As a result, social blogging platforms such as Medium and Tumblr have sprung up to offer marketers new ways to reach their audiences through written content. The following are some of the advantages of such channels for marketers:
-Getting the most SEO performance out of your blog content.
-Reaching out to a larger audience than the current readership.
As those who frequently publish on Medium, Positioning power can establish themselves as experts in their field.
Social networking and discussion forums
Community and discussion sites, which have largely replaced conventional forums, are among the most common on the Internet today. These social media sites take advantage of the Internet’s insatiable appetite for questions and answers.
Marketers have a vested interest in having a presence on forums like Reddit, Quora, and Yahoo!
-Present themselves to their audiences as problem-solvers and resources
-Understand what their audience is thinking and use the information to create new content and goods.
-Keep an eye on the business as a whole.
What are the most important types of social media for marketers?
There are many outlets available for advertisers to sell themselves and reach out to new audiences on behalf of brands. While contrasting strategies for different forms of social media can be apples and oranges, this variety is good news for marketers.
What social media sites do you think advertisers will continue to rely on? Are there any sleeping colossi? Please let us know!
