Social Media Channels To Help Market Your Business
Social media offers companies, entrepreneurs, brands and individuals a superbly effective marketing tool. It is way more affordable than traditional marketing. It works for businesses of any shape and size and can be a powerful tool if used correctly. There are hundreds of social media channels that can be used in a myriad of ways.
Finding the right one for you can be a little difficult. You have so many possibilities that you need to sift through. We explore some of the most popular social media channels that offer you the best ways to do social media marketing that works.
You’ll learn a bit more about these channels and how they can be used to promote your brand or business. Some of them need no introduction and some of them may be completely foreign to you. Nevertheless, all of them offer something that social media marketers can use.
Without further ado, let’s get straight into it. (The list is in no particular order, we chose no favourites)
Top Social Media Channels Marketers Use For Promotion
Of course, no list about social media channels would be taken seriously if Facebook didn’t make the cut. Considered the king of the social media world, it has more than a billion users. Facebook is the number one must-have social media platform. Social media marketers will never exclude it from their campaigns.
Facebook has over 65 million businesses using it and that number is growing. It has about six million advertisers making use of its opportunities. If you haven’t started making the most of Facebook yet, you should get on the bandwagon, and soon.
Getting started on Facebook is really easy – all formats of content are allowed and used. Photos, text, images and advertisements all get their own special place on this platform.
Another giant in the social media world, Twitter is a micro-blogging site that is loved by millions of people globally. It is an ideal platform to share and photos and discuss the news. Users debate politics and send messages. The biggest attraction of Twitter is its real-time interaction.
Twitter is a fantastic way for customers and companies to communicate with each other. People have turned to Twitter to get in touch with companies many times, and this will continue to happen.
This platform is also great for marketing as it is easier to reach more potential customers. As long as you have a smart advertising campaign, Twitter would be a better bet than traditional advertising. With 145 million daily active users, reaching many people isn’t impossible.
Instagram doesn’t need any introduction either – it is one of the most popular image-sharing social media channels in the world. It is mainly used on mobile phones. Instagram allows users to share short videos and ephemeral ‘stories’. These disappear at the end of the day.
A marketing campaign with strong visuals would do really well on Instagram. Since the platform has more than 26 million users, images can go viral really quickly. The sooner you get started and learn how to use Instagram, the better for your company or brand.
Brands can have business profiles that offer rich analytics into posts performance. It also allows the scheduling of content -this is done with third-party tools. Scheduling is an effective way to tap a huge market on Instagram. SocialPlanner is one such tool and does a great job of boosting the effectiveness of any social media marketing campaign.
LinkedIn is a more professional and business-oriented social media channel. If your company or brand is focused on the more serious people that use social platforms, this is the place to go.
Reaching out to B2B clients and professional networks is made a whole lot easier with LinkedIn. Over the years, the platform and its users have gained a good reputation. It is easy to share content and connect with fellow professionals.
There are several advertising opportunities on LinkedIn such as sending personalised ads to users’ inboxes and boosting content.
Pinterest is also very image-driven and a superb place for sharing and discovering millions of interesting photos and images. It is a good opportunity for businesses to post photos of their products. Brands can also share creative blog posts.
The social media channel claims that more than 70% of its users find content on the site from brands useful. This is much higher than on other sites. This means brands get a better opportunity to introduce itself to customers.
YouTube
Marketers that have made videos part of their strategy have likely already made use of YouTube at least once. It is one of the most popular video-sharing sites in the world. Currently, YouTube has 2 billion users worldwide.
Creating content to share on this platform is definitely not a bad idea. However, you have to make it unique and interesting. Otherwise, it will get lost between the billions of videos already shared on the site.
Many users actually rope in YouTube’s help when they want to search for information. This could offer brands a brilliant opportunity to reach new audiences. Of course, there are the ads too, which are very common.
Less Popular Social Media Channels That Are Just As Effective In Marketing
Sina Weibo
This social media channel may not be as well-known in the Western world, but Sina Weibo is referred to as China’s Twitter. Twitter itself is banned in China. Many users have since started supporting other platforms, such as Sina Weibo.
The basic features of Sina Weibo are very similar to what is on offer from Twitter. It offers 140-character micro-blogging and the sharing of videos. Users also post photos and comment on matters that are important to them.
It is a useful platform to use if your brand needs to reach audiences beyond the basic scopes of popular networks.
Tumblr
If you’re looking for a mix between social media and blogging, that’s what you’ll get from Tumblr. Here, photos, videos and text posts are shared. It can be re-posted or liked by other users. A wide range of media is shared on this social media channel.
Incorporating Tumblr into your social media marketing plan is a good idea. There are many people you’d reach here that don’t hang out on the ‘big sites’. It has more than 300 million users and visitors, so not a bad bet for marketing.
Reddit is very popular in itself, but not everyone knows that it serves as a good place for marketing. It is affectionately called the ‘front page of the Internet’. Reddit has 430 million monthly active users.
There are many dedicated forums, called Subreddits, that deal with anything you can think of. Finding a place for your company could be easy. However, you may have to put in some effort to keep Redditors (Reddit users) happy – they can be a finicky bunch.
There are some advertising opportunities as well, so it is worth looking at this sharing social media channel.
WhatsApp is a popular mobile messaging platform and allows users to add friends and create groups to chat with. Communication happens through video, text and voice. Although WhatsApp started as a communication tool, it gradually grew into something more.
It allows businesses to have a decent profile and share updates with customers. You can also provide customer support. This came after many people used the platform to reach out to companies. The WhatsApp Business app tailors to companies and is a good tool for marketing.
This is also a mobile chat app that evolved into something more. It offers a web version and is now an all-in-one platform. Users can now use this social media channel to shop online and make payments. They can book taxis, make reservations, transfer money and more.
WeChat is more popular in Asia, most particularly China. If your target audience is there, it would make a fine tool in your social media marketing campaign.
Viber
Viber allows users to make calls, send texts and share images with each other. It offers public chats as well so celebrities and brands can reach their followers. It is similar to other messaging apps such as WhatsApp.
But, there is more than meets the eye here. Viber is a platform that can work well for businesses. It is possible to buy ads and engage with your own communities. Companies can also show off products, promote brands and offer customer care.
Some Obscure Social Media Channels That Are Awesome Marketing Platforms
Periscope
This is a mobile application that lets users connect with others easily. It also allows live-stream videos. It may not be as well-known but boasts with over 10 million registered users. Periscope offers brands a convenient way to reach out to and communicate with customers.
Ning
Another lesser-known social media platform that has potential for marketing is Ning. It is a platform for online communities. Ning allows users to share photos with other users. You can post in groups and publish blog posts. This could be a great place to reach niche audiences.
XING is a platform made for business networking specifically. Users can connect with other professionals and companies on this site. Here, you can read industry news and even discover relevant events.
Digg
This is a social media channel that is more focused on sharing the latest news. For companies that are dedicated to creating similar content or articles, Digg is ideal. Though not as popular, it has thousands of loyal users.
Foursquare
Foursquare is a more localised site and perfect for US-based companies. It is a search-and-discovery app that has been doing its thing for over 10 years. More than 50 million people use the recommended app and it’s a goldmine if you’re an American brand.
Scribd
Scribd is an open publishing platform that allows writers to share audiobooks and ebooks. Others share comics and similar texts. It is perfectly suited to brands focused on this kind of content. Not all companies will do well to use this social media channel, but it works for those it was made for.
Last.fm
Last.fm is a popular music-sharing site with many fans. It allows users to have personalised recommendations that are based on the kind of music they enjoy. It has more than 60 million users and is quite a powerful marketing tool for brands in the music industry.
Yelp
Yelp is most commonly known for being a site where people can complain about poor service. However, there is more to it than that. Companies can create profiles and interact with potential customers. Not as successful as our ‘top guys’ but still worth considering.
Tout
This is another mobile video-publishing platform that is a good way to share content. Tout is perfect for businesses that share the news with the world. You can also share sports and entertainment-related material with each other.
Lefora
Lefora is an online platform that is best-known for discussion boards in various interest groups. Users can create profiles and join various forums. Here, they discuss and share content that is related to their specific industries. This is a good place to find customers for more specific niche products.
Ryze
Ryze offers companies the chance to connect with fellow professionals. It is a site made specifically for business users. You can reach out to other businesses who are in the same industry. This isn’t a marketing tool per se, but still nice to add to your arsenal when focusing on the growth of your brand.
DeviantArt
DeviantArt is a very popular site for the arts and ideal for companies or brands in this industry. Photographers, illustrators and artists can share their content here. It is also possible to connect with these content creators.
SoundCloud
When it comes to music sharing social media channels, SoundCloud is a good option. It is a great way for companies to promote any podcasts they have on offer. Musicians also use this audio-sharing site to promote their music.
Final Thoughts on Social Media Channels
So there you have it – a roundup of all the most popular social media channels. Of course, there are many more channels out there. These are some that have the most users and get the most attention. Use the information you learned here to enhance your social media marketing strategy and see even better results for all your hard work.
Preview Image Source: Blogtrepreneur
