Is Social Media Just Facebook, or Is There Something Else Out There?

While we’ve all heard about the social media giant, Facebook, and have been told countless times in recent years that it’s social media (Facebook) we want to turn to for our marketing, there are alternatives. In fact, it would make sense to market your business on a platform which best suits your purposes and best displays your product and your business’ strengths. Yes, Facebook has a large base to market to, but maybe you want to show potential customers prominent pictures of your product. Maybe you’re looking for a professional networking site more than a friendship sphere.

There are many different social media platforms on the internet, no few of them which are prominent and well-known. All of them offer different strengths to take advantage of when promoting your business and products. The following are only a few in a long list, but they are probably ones you’ve heard of. Hopefully we can share something new as well, maybe even an idea for how you can use them differently.

Pinterest: If you’ve heard of Pinterest, then you know it embodies the phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” and more. With Pinterest you can share, in a user-friendly and uncomplicated way, photos and links for what you want to market. Here you’re even able to sign up as a business, with other features that allow you to market even better.

Google +: The platform itself is similar to Facebook, but Google has connected many of its different services, allowing users to create an astonishingly complex circle, allowing you to reach many people with many different interests. Or to connect many different people, finding those with similar interests and connecting with them.

Linkedin: If you want a professional set-up where you’re able to connect and network online with the people you’re interested in getting attention from, and sharing your products and opinions with, Linkedin is for you.

Youtube: Remember how a picture is worth a thousand words? A video can be even more compelling, and with the way social media has been trending, it seems more and more people are going the route of the video. Videos are more popular and can go “viral” in hours.

Twitter: This is a platform allowing you to share links, videos, and short comments—be they clever, silly, pithy—the brevity of Twitter is what makes it fun. Yet another cliché fits here: “Short and sweet,” that’s how Twitter rolls. Here you are able to “follow” people, groups, institutions and see what they are doing.

Instagram: A place where you are able to take your own pictures and post them, showing your followers, making it interesting for them, giving them the low-down on your business and what you’re up to with it.

These are only a few of the more well-known social media platforms. They aren’t carbon copies of Facebook, and they each have unique characteristics that will allow you to promote your business and products in different ways. Try a new one out, or try them all, establishing a presence in different ways. Each platform enables you and your business in a unique and tailored way. Remember, also that the people you are trying to establish a connection with will have a presence on any sort of social media, and perhaps not every platform. Choose which platform suits your needs best.

Update from Tina Rawlins:

In 2016 the new channels to watch in social media include Periscope, Meerkat, Snapchat. Facebook now allows for livestreaming from an iOS device. Instagram rolled out an ad feature that includes live links for advertisers. Try these new features with your 2016 marketing messages.

Video is still on an rising trend for 2016. You can push a video to most social media channels. If individuals are not using video as a way to be seen then they often fade into the noise. To be more specific, the trend is to livestream. This is an effective marketing tool because it is basically free, creates authentic messaging, and can be re-purposed as video on demand content.

• Meerkat is a video streaming app that connects to twitter. You can put it into broadcast mode or into scheduled mode.
• Periscope is  a video streaming or broadcasting service from Twitter. When the broadcast is completed, the general public can replay it for 24 hours before it is deleted from the Periscope platform and app. As the one who recorded the initial broadcast, your videos are saved automatically to your phone. They are available to you so that you can republish them to other video platforms.

Long form content in social media is also a big trend. posts used to be 250-500 words on average. Now brands are making a change and posting rich content up to 1000 to 1500 words.

• Facebook notes is a module on the “more” dropdown that has gotten a facelift recently. Now your note can put a large photo at the top and more updates on look are expected.
• Linkedin Publisher is a way for you to get into the pulse newsfeed.