PR AGENCY DIARIES: 5 SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS YOUR BRAND SHOULD BE USING
Whether you’re launching a killer social advertising campaign, dipping your toes into influencer marketing, or embarking on a multi-platform digital deluge, Meta (Instagram/Facebook) is probably your first stop – but it shouldn’t be your last.
First, there was MySpace, then there was Bebo – but Meta swiftly got us in a chokehold, and we’ve been stuck ever since. While you can’t deny its strength, it isn’t the be-all and end-all.
Check out the below for better ROAS (return on ad spend), higher engagement, and a direct line to the niche you’re wanting to reach.
TikTok
We’ll get the elephant out of the room first, ‘cause you’d have to live under a rock not to note the power that this platform holds. With a staggering audience of all ages (not just Gen Z!) TikTok presents a huge opportunity for marketers.
Our best advice is to know the platform well – trust your influencers with the kind of content their audience likes (TikTok’s algorithm doesn’t reward variety), become familiar with trending verticals, and don’t re-use your Reel content here. It may look similar, but the vibe is way off.
Ah, Pinterest. The underdog of the social world. You may not check it every morning like you do your newsfeed, but when you use Pinterest, you’re usually on a mission. Pinterest users are already on the decision-making journey looking for a solution, and that intentionality gives you the perfect opportunity to introduce your brand.
Weddings, birthdays, school holiday activities, recipes, travel plans – these are just some of the things people use Pinterest to find, and they’re also all search terms that savvy marketers can plug their products into.
Twitch
Not just for gamers, Twitch is home to all sorts. Artists, comedians, musicians – you’ll even find grandmothers reading books and 24-hour live streams of rescue kittens. Great streamers tend to have hugely captive audiences. These are people who tune in to every stream, rain or shine, a bit like watching every episode of Love Island (Unseen Bits excluded) – except viewers have a direct line to the host via chat.
While this is the perfect environment for influencer marketing, it’s also a great way to broadcast your brand’s voice with your own live video content – or just chime in with a clever pre-roll ad.
Little Red Book (Xiaohogshu)
With over 300 million users (and counting), Little Red Book is a force to be reckoned with. Hugely popular with Chinese women (and a few men), it’s essentially a product search engine with a unique blend of social community, UGC, and product recommendations.
Trust and integrity are number one on the app, so make sure you’re partnering with influencers who fit and don’t try to get too commercial with it.
Twitter (aka the actual birthplace of most of the memes on Insta) serves a particular slice of the social world. 70% of Twitter’s audience are men, and 38.5% are aged 25-34 – so it’s a great place to engage with millennial fellas, and you’ll also find thriving communities in the tech space, gaggles of gamers, and minorities who may not feel heard elsewhere.
With Twitter content being text-based and easily screenshotable (read: holds potential to go viral on other platforms), it’s the perfect place to have a bit of fun with your brand, speak on matters that matter (with caution, of course), and build relationships with people who may not engage as much in the Meta world.
To sum up, there are lots of alternatives to the Zuckerworld. You don’t need to be (nor should you want to be) across every platform, but you should be making the most of the ones your customers are using, and knowing the ins and outs of what works.
Don’t know where to start? We can help with that.
