Four up-and-coming social media platforms brands should know and watch
There are many business benefits for having a social media presence and being active on various platforms. While many business stakeholders are familiar with LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, there are other platforms emerging. As you plan your social media budget, you should know more about these and what they can deliver for your brand. Here’s some important insight.
Tik Tok
As more and more businesses utilize video in social media, Tik Tok is a platform that can be used as a key part of a marketing strategy. Formerly known as Musical.ly, this social media platform fuses together concepts like Vine’s short video format, Snapchat’s interactive filters, and Musical.ly’s lip-syncing option. Creating and sharing videos is pretty easy to do and special effects filters and stickers can be added.
As you might expect, it’s been a hit with teens. Thus, businesses targeting that audience should definitely take note. However, the popularity goes beyond youth with hundreds of millions of active users. This has motivated some big brands and ad agencies to start watching this platform and begin experimenting with campaigns.
It’s worth it for brands to also keep an eye on Tik Tok considering it shot to the number one spot for social media app downloads, surpassing YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook. It can become a great platform for creating original, short-form and engaging content.
Houseparty
Remember the chatroom and instant messaging craze of the early 2000s? Add video to that idea and you get Houseparty. This platform is a live group video chat that connects up to eight contacts at a time. It’s similar to Google Hangouts, but if the users are already connected, it’s not necessary to request to join a chat, simply jump in.
With more than a million active daily users (and growing), this is a good platform for businesses looking to reach a Gen-Z because 60 percent of users are under the age of 24 and spend 20 million minutes each day hanging out on Houseparty.
Created by the same team that launched the live-streaming app, Meerkat, the co-founders recognize and have learned from the problems that app faced and now are working for Houseparty succeed. While this platform is not the place for creating or posting new content, brands can leverage Houseparty to build existing relationships and join conversations with target audience members and influencers.
Vero
Launched back in 2015, Vero’s popularity grew exponentially in February 2018, when it added upwards of 500,000 users in a mere 24 hours to surpass one million registered users. (The rapid growth may be attributed to the issues Twitter and Facebook face regarding the elections).
Vero’s goal is to give users a more “authentic” social experience because it doesn’t use an algorithm to determine what users see. Additionally, the platform is currently ad-free. “This encourages us to only share the parts of our lives we think are the most interesting. When you can control who sees what, you can behave in a way that is more natural, which we believe ends up being better for you,” the Vero site notes.
Without an algorithm to get in the way, brands have a more organic platform for sharing content. It is expected that influencers will especially find this enticing because it will be easier for them to express themselves and do so more honestly and freely. Brands that go on Vero and create a profile might find it to be great tool for discovering more about their target customers and what they have to say.
Kik
During a time when many social media users are questioning their privacy, Kik Messenger (commonly called Kik) stands out. The Canadian-based instant messenger has a growing user base of more than 300 million registered users who appreciate not having to reveal a lot of personal information. The app does not require a phone number, only an email address, date of birth and chosen username.
Of interest to businesses is how it is possible to better target users by their location because the Kik algorithm logs users’ IP addresses. Thus, having data that includes ages and location helps brands streamline localization. This is especially handy as statistics show consumers want to find things close to them.
Kik also has its own cryptocurrency called Kin that users can earn for taking brand surveys, sharing content or participating in other activities on the platform. Additionally, the Kik Bot feature is currently being leveraged by some big brands to engage users.
Get social
At T.E. Digital, we not only keep on top of these platforms, we monitor trends to see what can be most beneficial for the future. If your business hasn’t yet ventured into social media or if your social media isn’t delivering the results you want, give us a call. We can help develop a strategy that is relevant to your target audience. Seize the opportunity and benefit from all social media has to offer.
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