Jessica Bowers
A Look at the New Kids on the Social Block
It’s clear that social media isn’t just a passing trend. You know that you need to integrate major social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube into your brand’s marketing strategy. However, Facebook is now a little over 10 years old, YouTube just celebrated its 10th birthday, and Twitter is close behind at 9 years old.
Those well-known social platforms don’t have the pull they used to and they aren’t the only ones you should be using. In recent years, it’s become clear that young people are using sites like Facebook less and less in favor of newer social networks. Here’s a glimpse at some of the increasingly popular social media that you should work into your marketing plan:
Snapchat
With more the 400 million messages sent and received every day, Snapchat is one of the best ways to reach the 13-25 demographic. When you send a picture or video to another Snapchat user, the message is available for 1 to 10 seconds once it has been opened. This short message duration helps to create a sense of urgency around your call to action. Taco Bell was the first major brand to adopt Snapchat in order to reach customers back in 2013. Earlier this year Snapchat launched a feature called Discover, which functions like an online magazine where companies can publish their content for the Snapchat community providing a place for major advertisers to promote their brand.
FireChat
Becoming popular for its role in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests when it was downloaded more than 500,000 times in one week, FireChat is messaging app that allows phones to communicate via Bluetooth without the need for cell service or a Wi-Fi connection. This app is a great way to reach people at conventions or events when networks become saturated and sluggish, and can help you reach consumers when poor Internet and cell service don’t allow other applications and social channels to get the message out.
Kik
With brands such as Burger King and the Washington Post joining the Kik community and over 200 million registered users, Kik has been growing in popularity for advertisers and media outlets. Kik is an instant messaging app that allows users to share photos, sketches, mobile webpages and other digital content. The app’s one-on-one style messaging allows brands to have more intimate conversations with consumers because they can tailor the message directly to the user’s interests and needs. This provides incredible value for marketers, as the perception of the brand begins to shift toward a relationship similar to a family member or friend, rather than a faceless corporate entity.
Yik Yak
This location-based social application allows users to anonymously post text messages, or yaks, which will appear in the app for users within a ten-mile radius. Once a yak is posted, other users have the opportunity to add an upvote or downvote (liking or disliking) similar to Reddit, or leave a comment on the yak. Created in 2013 the app is young and marketing strategies are still in the experimental stages, but with this anonymous bulletin board app having been adopted by the students at over 1,000 college campuses with no signs of slowing down, it’s turning out to be a very effective way to reach the younger generation.
What are your favorite social media platforms for use in 2015?
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