If social media was a high school, which club would you join first?
We imagine the artsy kids would be drawn to Instagram.
The jocks are swapping sports scores on Twitter.
The popular kids are creating new filters on SnapChat.
Science Olympiads are recording their experiments on YouTube.
The debate team would spend most of its time on LinkedIn.
Gamers are on Reddit.
Theatre kids are on your page on TikTok.
The yearbook staff is on Facebook.
Home ec is all over Pinterest.
Geeks like us at mConnexions, well, we’re in all the clubs!
Just like high school clubs have the perfect social media platform (or two), businesses also have platforms that make sense for marketing. You just need to find your perfect match.
We put a lot of our business marketing focus on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. While they may be the most frequently named in terms of marketing potential, they’re by no means the only ones that you should be considering.
We’re here to break down the reasons why you may want to consider joining the Pinterest, Reddit, and TikTok clubs, along with providing our top tips for making the most of them (and don’t worry, we’ll explain what they actually are, too!).
Should you invest time into these platforms? With a combination of over a BILLION users, what do you have to lose?! Here are some of the marketing highlights:
How it’s used: Image and video sharing of creative information in the form of pinboards
Who uses it: 76% of Pinterest users are female
If you like to cook, you probably like to pin. But early adopters of Pinterest have seen the expansion of the platform from predominantly recipes to all sorts of subjects, crafty ideas, and tempting products. Pinterest users are automatically engaged and actively searching for ideas, life tips, and things to buy. There’s a higher click-through rate and acceptability for sales, opening the door for your business and services. How can you best use Pinterest?
Build Your Authority
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: without trust in your brand, consumers won’t do business with you. You can build and grow your brand authority by creating boards with relevant, informative content. Seek out your target audience by following their boards and by creating your own niche boards. Respond to comments or referrals so that your followers advocate for your brand. You can also add credibility by having relevant links from your pin source and description content that go to your website or blog, boosting your traffic effortlessly!
Create Captivating Content
Unsurprisingly, visuals are key for Pinterest. In fact, 85% of Pinners place more importance on visuals than text. One of the wisest tricks to make the most of a visual is by making it vertical. By using a high quality, narrow photo, you’re taking up more space than the average Pinterest pin, which means you’re more likely to capture someone’s eye and attention! Maximize your pin by having a strong description, relevant text on the photos, and your discreet logo in a corner.
Strategic Planning
Users can attest that Pinterest does get pretty addicting. But for your business, pin with purpose! Pinterest’s search capabilities are strong, so you can help people find your company with the right keywords in your board titles and in your pins’ descriptions. Use each to spread your ideas, products, and brand. This can help with Pinterest recommending your board for users who are searching for something that relates to your business.
How it’s used: Reddit is an American social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website. Members submit content to the site such as links, text posts, and images, which are then voted up or down by other members.
Who uses it: Reddit use in the United States is more prevalent among younger online audiences, with 22% of users aged 18 to 29, and 14% of users aged 30 to 49
Reddit may seem like the Alice in Wonderland of platforms (a confusing rabbit hole of conversations), but it’s a community used by 430 million monthly users. The collection of thousands of subreddits are devoted to specific, searchable topics, with their own rules, moderators, and vibes (just be thankful you don’t have to explain this to your grandmother. Isn’t she still trying to figure out texting?). Reddit is well worth the exploration and use, as long as you follow a few important tips.
Tread Lightly
Trolls, trolls everywhere! Be careful, because Reddit users will not tolerate any blatant marketing moves. There’s a suspicion and instant dislike towards promoting products or plugging services that results in virtual shaming. That’s because Reddit considers itself superior to other platforms where advertisements are everywhere (take that, Facebook!). The users are savvy and quick to judge. Take time to observe before hopping into a conversation. Patience and understanding is better than posting prematurely. It’s better to say nothing than say something irrelevant or isolating from the users. If your content is smart, it’ll impress others and be shared.
Find Your Subreddit
Reddit is all about having content for everyone and their hobbies, but you have to search for it. This is where Reddit can be a maze, but one with a very satisfactory conclusion. Once you find your appropriate subreddit, you can reach niche audiences where the content is directly related to the audience’s peak interest. Seek, and you shall find. It just may take time to become familiar with the hunting process.
Post Quality Content
Obvious, right? Well, on Reddit, your every post is actually competing against everyone else’s for a higher position. If you post something that flops on an active subreddit, it’ll soon be lost and gone forever. Product plugging will sink like the Titanic, whereas clever and creative content can fly. Reddit posts are competing in the ultimate popularity contest. Make your content worthy!
TikTok
How it’s used: This video-sharing social networking service is used to create short music, lip-syncs, dance, comedy and talent videos of 3 to 15 seconds, and looping videos of 3 to 60 seconds
Who uses it: TikTok is most popular with people between the age of 16 and 24, making up 41% of the total user-base
“What on earth is TikTok?” asks nearly every person over the age of forty. Users would call it a self-expression app that’s focused on creativity and communication with others. It’s insanely engaging, and some of the top influencers boast over 34 million subscribers. It presents an opportunity to connect with audiences in new and fun ways.
Establish Yourself
As a TikTok user, you first have to create your brand’s own channel. Upload your own videos relevant to your business, comment and post regularly, and try to gather comments on your posts. TikToks are trends, so things go out of fashion quickly, but can make massive waves before the users move onto the next exciting TikTok. Be active and establish your presence.
Challenges / Hashtag Campaign
TikTok is meant to be active! Think of the Water Bucket Challenge and how it went viral, and you’ll see how TikTok is essentially millions of endless challenges. Creating a challenge is a great way to spread brand awareness and inspire sharing. Think about a fun way someone can interact with your brand. But not just any challenge will take flight. TikTok users want a challenge that’s difficult (but not impossible), and that allows for creativity. The challenges should encourage participation and be open enough for interpretation, so users get to put their own spin on the challenge and show off. And for Generation Z, that’s their favorite thing to do!
Invite the Influencers In
It’s called Influence Marketing, and the reach is incredible. If an influencer shares your content, millions of users will see it. Reach out to relevant influencers who can help promote your campaign or may be interested in your products or services. These people are the trendsetters who countless people listen to and trust, like the Regina Georges of the internet. Building relationships with people who can influence possible customers brings significant benefits.
Whether you find your new target market on Pinterest, Reddit, TikTok, or a combination of the three, each platform boasts millions of users and opportunities and can bring unlimited rewards. If you’re interested in developing a social media marketing plan for one of the more traditional platforms, we’ve got you covered there, too. Take a look at some of our other blogs and presentations to help you get started, and reach out to our experts for more support.
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Julie Holton is the Founder and Principal Strategist of mConnexions, a full-service marketing and communications agency. Prior to launching her agency, Julie spent more than ten years working in top television newsrooms across the country, as an Emmy award-winning writer, producer, and executive producer. Julie coached reporters, producers, writers, and videographers. She also worked with her news teams to develop digital and social media strategies. Julie currently hosts two podcasts and is a featured author in numerous blogs and publications. Follow her directly on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
