4 Lesser-Known Social Platforms Effective For Marketing

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Ask someone to name a social media platform, and you’ll probably get the same answers: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and so on. But it’s easy to forget that there are other powerful social platforms out there carving out a niche for themselves.

For marketers, these present an untapped opportunity. Read on to discover four lesser-known social platforms that will be great for connecting with prospective customers in 2020.

Which emerging social platforms will win big this holiday season? Check out who to watch here.

Telegram: Share content with an intimate community

For many, Telegram is simply a popular messaging platform similar to WhatsApp. But for savvy marketers, Telegram is an effective content marketing and promotion tool.

Telegram provides its users with a dedicated channel. This is essentially a type of blog feed, letting you share posts and messages with your followers. As such, this makes it excellent for diffusing content to a closely knit follower list.

Plus, because channels are located in the same space as Telegram chats, your messages are delivered alongside your followers’ usual conversations, increasing visibility.

There are plenty of public channels, so you can source leads to include in your own private channels. This lets you build an online community by sharing a diverse array of content, including text, video, images, and audio.

Top tips for marketers

To succeed in marketing on Telegram, first create your own channel. This is where you’ll share your content to your followers. Bear in mind that these are communities, and as such, you need to maintain a friendly and genuine manner when communicating with your followers.

Telegram’s focus is on diverse, engaging content. Just as you’d create a content schedule for your other social channels, doing the same for Telegram ensures your followers don’t suffer from content fatigue and stay locked in — CoSchedule has some good templates to get you started. Focus on diversity. Telegram plays host to a variety of different content formats, so make the most of them.

TikTok: Connect with younger audiences on their level

While TikTok was founded in 2010 (as Musical.ly), it has only recently entered the national psyche, soaring in popularity to a whopping 800 million downloads worldwide.

The platform lets users upload 15-second videos and mix them with other clips, offering filters, music, special effects, stickers, and other creative features, too. Think Vine but with more space to flex your creative muscles.

This customization has turned TikTok from yet another video-sharing platform into a channel for self-expression. As such, it is hugely popular with younger audiences, making it perfect for Gen Z-targeted brands.

Top tips for marketers

The secret to an effective TikTok video is simplicity. Like Vine, TikTok relies on short videos that are concise and perfectly timed. While they might look effortless, creating a TikTok that actually works requires careful effort and an engaging narrative.

As these tips on plot structure from Jericho Writers attest, a compelling narrative doesn’t need to be fancy or elaborate — simplicity is key. It is what keeps people hooked. Anything long or complex will push them away.

In the same vein, strive for humorous videos. Humor drives more engagement and shares, even from branded videos. Edutainment-style videos are also worth exploring for delivering value while fostering engagement. Check out these brands on TikTok for some inspiration.

Reddit: Be specific and invite discussion

Describing itself as the “front page of the internet,” Reddit is a wildly popular but underused (for marketers) social platform that’s well worth a look.

Aggregating news from around the web and providing a forum for discussion, Reddit is the perfect opportunity for brands seeking to reach customers without going through the usual popular channels.

What sets Reddit apart for marketers is its diverse range of communities. Divided into subreddits, there are communities for virtually every niche audience of which you can think.

Naturally, for marketers, this means a high level of targeting. You can connect with relevant audiences with ease, pushing your products (and learning more about your target audience) at the same time.

Top tips for marketers

Reddit is all about discussion, and like every social media platform, that means offering something engaging to people — give them a reason to engage with you. The trick to getting this right is to find subreddits that are relevant to your niche. Customize your Reddit front page with subreddits related to your industry. Scour these for smaller, more specific threads. The more targeted you go, the more results you’ll see from your efforts.

Redditors are wary of poor-quality content, so make sure yours is on-point. Find something polarizing or contentious (without being aggressive) that will incite discussion.

Ello: a must-have platform for creative brands

Ello is a self-proclaimed “creator’s network,” emphasizing high-quality visual content over all else. Launched in 2014, it is similar to Pinterest in that it lets you select a number of interests to curate your feed.

But it also lets you choose the type of content you see: for instance, written pieces, photos, and so on. If you choose more interests, you can choose more types of content.

Naturally, Ello is the perfect platform for brands selling creative or aesthetically pleasing products such as jewelry, t-shirts, or art. It’s free to use and ad-free, so it attracts a whole host of creative types looking for space to connect with like-minded people.

But most importantly for marketers, you can sell your products online with Ello. This means creative ecommerce brands can both market and sell their products on the same platform.

Top tips for marketers

Consider using Ello for marketing? First, think about your audience: Ello is about art and creativity, so if you sell tech gadgets, then it might not be for you.

Otherwise, set up a business profile and focus on creating content that is genuinely interesting and engaging. It’s a visual platform full of creativity, so you need to make your content eye-catching.

While social platforms like Facebook and Twitter still rule the roost in 2019, anything could happen next year. Reddit is already becoming more mainstream, and TikTok is growing rapidly. Keep an eye out for the next social platform in 2020, and stay on top of your social marketing game.

Rodney Laws is an e-commerce expert with over a decade of experience in building online businesses. Check out his reviews on EcommercePlatforms.io, and you’ll find practical tips that you can use to build the best online store for your business. Connect with him on Twitter @EcomPlatformsio.

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