Our essential list of social media platforms
Written by Samantha Sherer on 10 minute read
If you’re a business looking to reach your audience, then it’s essential you become social media savvy.
What is social media used for?
By definition, any platform that allows a user to socialize can be called social media. But social media is about more than just liking a post or sharing a photo. With user interaction at the heart of these sites and apps, different types of social media allow you to reach your audience in different ways. So, from selling products or services to brand awareness, secret sales to customer service, social media should absolutely be a tool that all brands use.
It’s not only about reaching people directly, but about having an authentic presence. Affiliate marketers and influencers are more likely to want to collaborate with reliable and real brands with a strong online presence that proves it. Being social media savvy in your own right will also attract marketers who want to be associated with digitally proficient brands. Plus, with many platforms offering business tools, you can get great analytics to help guide your every post.
What are social media platforms?
Social media isn’t just about photo sharing like Instagram or status updates like Twitter, a huge range of apps and sites can be classified as social media. This includes:
- Forums
- Business networks
- Product reviews
- Video sharing
- Photo sharing platforms
- Social/online gaming
- Virtual reality communities
Of course, your brand doesn’t have to be present on all of them, but you should carefully select the best ones for you. A main channel on one of the big names like Twitter is a good idea, but more specific interactions on Pinterest, Discord or Reddit can help bring a real human feel to an otherwise faceless brand.
List of social media platforms
There are different types of social media to consider before you make a profile for your brand. Here are some of the leading names you might want to get started with.
Social networks
The type of social media most people immediately think of. In short, these are sites that allow you to follow and connect with other users.
The giant. Facebook was one of the first names in social media and it continues to dominate. Facebook allows you to have a business profile, as well as start private groups, promote products and create event pages where customers can RSVP to any events you have planned.
The home of the hashtag, Twitter is one of the best places to see what’s trending in the world. Prizing short and sweet posts and interactions with others, Twitter is a great place to manage customer interactions.
Of course, there’s no reason your business shouldn’t use social media for your business admin end of things. Whether you’re looking for new recruits or just posting about your latest win, LinkedIn is a great way to professionally network.
Media sharing platforms
User generated content is huge, it's an industry worth over $18 billion, and it wouldn’t be possible without sites to host it all.
YouTube
The go-to place for videos online. YouTube allows users to upload videos and open them to viewer comments and likes. Being successful on YouTube can lead to huge gains for your business, but it’s also a fantastic place to find influencers to work with. Even micro-influencers on YouTube can help boost your brand through collaboration, allowing you to reach their subscribers with original content.
For a more visual medium, Instagram is the place to go. Aesthetic is king here, so if you have products that look particularly lovely then it's a natural match. Instagram also favors an app-first user experience, meaning minimal distraction compared to viewing a site in a browser. The result is a sense of stepping into a whole new world of perfectly styled and polished posts and products that are easy to buy with a tap of your phone.
TikTok
Leading the way in short form video content, TikTok is a booming platform that has introduced the world to a new wave of content creators, internet personalities, and brands. Its competitors have taken notice and been inspired enough to follow suit with platforms such as YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. This is great for creators and advertisers as short videos originally created for one platform could be shared as TikToks, Reels and Shorts, and end up reaching a far wider audience.
Forums
A more old school and text-heavy way to connect, forums are far less visual than networking sites, and more about sharing valuable, longer answers.
If something’s big on the internet, there’s a good chance it’s passed through Reddit. Reddit isn’t the curated and polished platform like Pinterest or Instagram — its value comes from real answers given by real people in user-made communities called subreddits. Because of this, your brand can reach a ready-made audience of people who are already engaged in subreddits. The sense of trust is also higher because the onus is on real users, not brand accounts, as claimed by the platform’s founder.
Quora
The platform where people ask questions in the hopes that a knowledgeable user will respond. And there’s no reason that can’t be you. Depending on your brand, Quora might be a fantastic choice. For example, if your business relies on expertise, say in car care, then you can prove you really know your stuff by answering relevant questions on Quora. It may not be the biggest platform, but Quora has a dedicated community who reward the most reliable users with sizable followings.
Customer reviews
While this may not be top of mind when it comes to social media, product reviews rely on user interaction to be valuable.
Yelp
A go-to site for unbiased, independent reviews of local businesses. Encouraging users to leave you reviews on Yelp helps boost your brand’s trustworthiness.
Interest-led communities
While these sites aren’t primarily used for straightforward product pushing, they certainly can help you understand what’s on trend and what isn’t, all while showing off your own skills.
Houzz
Like Instagram but with a more functional edge, Houzz is the go-to location for home interiors — as well as a publisher on the Awin network. You can see what’s popular with audiences right now, and show off your own creations in an online portfolio that anyone can access, admire and favorite.
Discord
A huge name in the gaming community, Discord gives a sense of ‘always-on’ — because there is almost always someone online to discuss shared interests with. Marketers have an audience that's always live and that can be a great thing for brand collaboration.
How can businesses use social media?
Social media gives you an unbeatable way to directly talk to your audience and that means it allows for engagement that other communication channels can’t achieve, including:
- Tapping into trends (hashtags, challenges, etc.)
Raise brand awareness by getting involved in the latest trend or challenge — by being involved, you can get new eyes on your brand.
- Getting the inside track on what’s hot
Social media isn’t all about your contribution, it’s about keeping a close eye on the posts of others. You can get an easy view into what everyone is talking about and adjust your own posts and products accordingly, whether that’s supporting social issues or just getting in on the latest online joke.
- Cross-brand interaction
You don’t always need a planned and polished collaboration to have brand
interactions that boost both your follower counts. The secret here? Social media lets you prove you’re not just a brand, you’re real people running a business that wants to bring value to others.
- Advertising new products/ announcing sales and deals
Mailing lists are great for keeping customers up to date, but social media is your own platform to talk about your best offers and deals. Best of all, your posts are less likely to be ignored than in an inbox, as they pop up on user feeds.
- Amping up hype for upcoming events and releases
Hints to your latest pop up on your Instagram Stories, secret advanced access given on Twitter, exclusive user communities run on WhatsApp — social media lets you guide users through all your channels with exciting offers giving them the inside scoop.
- Working with influencers
One of the biggest advantages of social media is getting to show off your brand through other users. Working with influencers is a big deal — it’s an industry worth over $16 billion, after all. User generated content allows influencers to talk about your brand on their own terms, as real people, helping to build trust and give an authentic feel to your business.
Which is best on this list of social media?
It’s important to remember that any social media platform examples you see mentioned will always be time sensitive. The world wide web is changing all the time, and while Facebook, Twitter and Instagram probably aren’t in danger of going anywhere, new disruptors are emerging all the time. With that in mind, your brand’s list of social media profiles is something you’ll want to keep a close eye on — remember a few years ago when Instagram was all you needed to reach a young audience? Fast forward to 2022 and TikTok marketing rules the roost as the youth platform of today.
Social media isn’t always global media
Another thing to bear in mind is location. If you’re marketing to the west, you’re unlikely to go wrong with a solid presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. However, social media preferences change around the world. Even between the UK and US which are often treated as identical due to a shared language, social media differences are clear. This is most noticeable in areas such as instant messengers where Europe favors WhatsApp over Facebook Messenger. In Asia, things become a bit more patriotic, with South Korea and Japan preferring their own home-grown platforms (many of which serve as contactless payment, gaming and shopping platforms, as well). So, if you’re looking to target a specific market, make sure you’re aiming for the correct social media.
Get social
Looking to start on social media, reach a new audience and build your brand through influencer marketing? Awin can help you get there, connecting you with affiliate marketers looking to work with reputable brands to help them bring value to their audiences. Get started today.
