Aravind SundaramSocial media marketing is becoming the default marketing strategy for startups. Why? It is majorly due to the cost factor. Alike, print advertisements or TV commercials etc. for that matter, there is no cost involved. Not a big surprise, right?
But here is a surprising fact!
Cost is not the only factor!
It is not the cost factor alone that matters, but also the availability of your target audience. Yes, unlike the 1990s or even before that the concept of social media did not exist. And in the recent times, these platforms have matured and have now become the #1 hobby of almost everyone.
Think beyond the Big 4
Brands today leverage the top 3 platforms namely – Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. B2B folks leverage LinkedIn to a large extent along with the top 3. However, every industry is different and so are the audience. They consume content quite vividly. For example, retail and FMCG brands tend to leverage Facebook as the platform attracts almost everyone. And Instagram is the favourite for fashion brands as young girls and even middle aged women are attracted to the platform.
Therefore, depending upon the industry one has to identify social media platforms to ensure you possess the attention of the right audience. Here are top five platforms that every startup can leverage.
In fact, the most underrated and unknown social media platform for many. Contrary to this notion, it is actually the favourite for young women. According to reports, 80 per cent of the user base in Pinterest are women and they are actively engaging with the platforms. And the surprise fact is, ecommerce businesses are leveraging Pinterest because it influences buying behaviour among the audience (88 per cent of Pinterest users are said to purchase a product). In addition to this, Pinterest is a wonderful platform for SEO. That is the reason why some of the leading brands have Pinterest posts as their #1 marketing strategy.
Reddit and Quora
While Pinterest is for images, Reddit and Quora is for content. And this is not specific to ecommerce brands, but for all industries. A leading fintech company leveraged Quora to achieve 138 per cent of organic impressions per month. Similarly, healthcare brands are grasping the Reddit advantage to stay ahead of their competition.
On the other hand, we also see various B2B companies are passively running a brand awareness campaign in these platforms. If not lead generation, they at least quadruple their brand awareness numbers through Quora and Reddit.
YouTube
The pattern of content consumption has changed. People are keen on watching videos rather than watching TV shows. Some listen to TED Talks online and some listen to movie critiques or food bloggers. Some tend to learn through video tutorials. The good news is, all of them are in YouTube and that is why the platform has become the search engine of videos. Owing to the effectiveness of the presentation there is a good possibility of creating a community of audience. In the recent times, the rise of short video apps too has garnered a significant attention. However, even the majority of short video lovers are in YouTube.
Hubhopper Studios, and other Podcasting Platforms
Hubhopper Studios is a new age podcasting platform, and it is leveraged by more than a million creators. These creators also have massive followers. This is because people tend to listen more as through listening, they tend to learn more. Some of the startup entrepreneurs are promoting themselves as thought leaders through these podcasts and they are being loved by aspiring entrepreneurs.
Wrap Up
These are some of the platforms on a broader level. Apart from this, people also leverage Instagram Reels, Snapchat and tech entrepreneurs tend to leverage Github. Therefore, it comes down to the industry and the audience. The more we understand them, the more effective will be our strategy to possess their attention.
Aravind Sundaram
Guest Author
