What’s the first thing that pops into your head when you think “social media?”
Chances are, it’s one of the big four social media networking sites: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok. (Or, since social media moves so fast, there might be a new kid on the block before we even publish this post.)
It makes sense that you’d think of these networks first.
A colossal social media network like Facebook attractsbillions of people every day. It’s an important part of the marketing strategy for many businesses.
But social media sites likeFacebookonly represent one of the many types of social networking platforms. We’ll show you the seven different types of social media and how each one can play an important role for you and your business.
(And when we’re done here, head over toBiteableto make an attention-grabbing video to post one those sites. Start your free trial today and make your first video in minutes.)
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1. Traditional social networking sites
Most of us are familiar with social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok. These platforms help us connect with friends, family, and brands. They encourage knowledge-sharing and are all about personal, human-to-human interaction.
A social networking site is a Jill of all trades. Users can share thoughts, curate content, upload photos and videos, form groups based on interests, and participate in lively discussions. They’re built around the user and everything that’s important to them and their social circles.
Also, they help us tomeasure the social media ROIwhich helps us in planning an effective marketing strategy.
So how can this type of traditional social networking site help your business?
Reach a target audience through ads
These platforms cultivate large, diverse communities. Advertisers can rent permission to interact with people based on specific targeting metrics. For instance, an advertiser who wants to reach a predominantly young crowd couldadvertise on an app like Snapchatwhile those who want to reach a professional user may find LinkedIn more appropriate.
Because these platforms are incredibly data-rich, you can reach a lot of the right people without blowing your entire ad budget.
Network
Engage with followers, find like-minded customers or potential business partners throughhashtagsand groups, and build connections.
Research
Social networking platforms are a great place for digging up customer research and using social listening tools to track conversations around specific terms. This can help you understand (and serve) your audience better.
2. Social review sites
What’s one of the first things you do when planning a trip or buying a new product? If you’re anything like us, you’ll head straight to the reviews.
Review sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor display reviews from community members for all sorts of locations and experiences. This eliminates a lot of the guesswork that goes into booking a restaurant or hotel. Not sure it’s the right thing for you? Check out the reviews and you’ll know.
Businesses can really benefit from studying their reviews, the good and the bad. It helps them:
Understand the customer’s perspective
Reviews tell you about thecustomer experiencefrom their own point of view. Use this to identify what’s working and discover areas with room for improvement.
Solve problems
Reviews are an opportunity to engage with reviewers and solve any potential challenges before they become a huge deal.
3. Image and video sharing sites
Visual content like images, infographics, and illustrations capture our hearts, eyes and imaginations. Social media platforms like Instagram, Imgur, and Snapchat are designed to amplify the power of image sharing. (Or these days, video sharing.)
Users create, curate, and share unique content that sparks conversation and speaks for itself. A picture or video can be worth a thousand words to your business. Use these sites to:
Encourage user-generated content
Content sharing sites are a gift for photogenic businesses. You can run campaigns encouraging users to snap and share a pic or video with your product and a unique hashtag.
Create inspiration
By creating, curating, and sharing your own content, you can inspire and engage users, bonding over a shared interest.
4. Video hosting sites
YouTube revolutionized the way we watch, create, and think about video. It transformed the medium into something accessible. Recent improvements in tech and connectivity helped video go the rest of the way.
Video hosting platforms like YouTube and Vimeo help creators put together content and share it to a platform optimized for streaming. This accessibility makes video a super important medium.
Use video hosting sites to:
Share phenomenal content
Yes. This point is a bit obvious, but creators can use YouTube to build communities and get their content out there.
Engage
YouTube’s comment section offers plenty of opportunities to get to know the people watching your content.
5. Community blogs
Sometimes an image or post isn’t complex enough for the message you’ve got to share, but not everyone on the internet wants to run a blog from a self-hosted website. That’s a lot of work.
Shared blogging platforms like Medium and Tumblr give people a space to express their thoughts and help connect them with readers.
These community blog sites provide an audience while allowing plenty of room for customization and self expression. Use them to:
Develop your voice
Starting a blog can be daunting. Use platforms like Medium and Tumblr to find your voice, get some readers, and get clear about your vision.
Syndicate content
If you do have a blog, you can use community blogging platforms to share, re-purpose, and re-post older content and expose it to a new audience.
6. Discussion sites
While most of us have seen many a heated discussion happen on Facebook, discussion sites like Reddit and Quora are specifically designed to spark a conversation.
Anyone is free to ask a question or make a statement, and this attracts people with shared interests and curiosities. However, unlike Facebook and Instagram, users tend to give out less identifiable information. Anonymity is powerful when it comes to people opening up and getting real.
So how can these platforms help your business?
Research
Reddit is made up of different sub-communities. With a bit of research, you can find and engage people in your field, discover what they’re asking, and use this as a starting point for your content marketing strategy.
Answer questions
Quora users ask all sorts of questions. Answering them can help establish you as a thought leader and drive more traffic to your site.
7. Sharing economy networks
Sites like Airbnb and Rover aren’t just a cool place to find cheap holiday rentals or a pet sitter. Sharing economy networks bring people who’ve got something they want to share together with the people who need it.
These communities provide opportunities that won’t exist otherwise by pooling resources on a large scale that wouldn’t be possible without tech.
Finding the type of social media network that’s right for you
Social mediacomes in many different flavors. You can use most of these types of social networking sites to help your business, one way or another.
Keep these points in mind as you decide which types of social networking to pursue:
- Before you post, get clear about what you want to achieve.
- Think creatively and don’t be afraid to step outside the box.
- Always keep it human.
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