While social media titans like Facebook and TikTok continue to dominate the digital marketing landscape, a shift is occurring. A Washington Post survey recently revealed that user trust is flagging significantly and audiences are exploring new social media platforms that offer fresh ways to connect and engage.
These emerging platforms may be smaller in scale, but their potential for marketers is substantial. They provide unique opportunities to reach target markets in innovative ways, offering an environment that can feel more personal and less saturated with overt advertising. This, in turn, can provide valuable insights into customer preferences, behaviors, and feedback, helping businesses tailor their marketing strategies accordingly.
GaleForce Digital Technologies monitors all emerging digital marketing trends, and our latest research has pegged these new social media platforms as ones to look out for:
Threads
Threads made a massive splash upon launching in July. The text-based platform is owned by Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The app allows users to share text updates and join public conversations with posts up to 500 characters long. These posts can include links, photos, and videos up to five minutes in length – including links to outside content – positioning it as a potential competitor to Twitter, or X as it is now called.
Threads’ focus on text-based conversations and the ability to include multimedia content could make it the next big tool for brand promotion and audience engagement. Meta says that within days of its launch, the new social media platform gained more than seventy million users, making it one of the fastest-growing apps of all time. The fervor has since died down, however, with around half of its users cutting loose from Threads already. Still, it remains to be seen what will become of the platform in the near future.
BeReal
As social media becomes more and more of an exercise in presenting the not-so-real side of people’s lives, BeReal stands out among other new social media platforms for its dedication to filter-free, non-staged content. A daily prompt has some twenty million users snapping shots of whatever they happen to be up to at the moment. This spontaneous capture of daily life moments fosters a sense of genuine connection and community among users.
For marketers, BeReal offers an exciting new social media platform to connect with audiences in a more personal way. Unlike traditional platforms where content is carefully edited, BeReal encourages more authentic communications. Brands have an opportunity to humanize their online presence, build trust, and foster deeper relationships with their audience. Marketers have to employ some creativity in making the most of this new model. Chipotle, for example, garnered a huge response when they posted a photo of a slightly crumpled bag with a usable QR code printed on the front.
Perhaps most importantly, BeReal’s unique format can help businesses stand out in a crowded digital space. By embracing spontaneity and showcasing behind-the-scenes moments, brands can offer a unique perspective that piques user interest and engagement.
Post
Even during beta testing, Post had over 600,000 people on its waitlist. Users searching for alternatives to the (sometimes volatile) world of X (Twitter) have taken to this more even-keeled news feed. Post was conceived to discourage extremist content by forgoing ads, instead opting to monetize high quality and highly-engaged users with “micro-payments” for content. Post has proven to be an invaluable feature for marketers aiming to connect with new audiences and enhance their brand’s online presence, helping brands tell their stories in unique and compelling ways.
In essence, Post allows users to share photos, videos, and text-based updates directly onto their feed. Unlike ephemeral content that disappears after a short period, posts on this platform are permanently visible on your page, offering long-term value. This feature enables businesses to create a robust and dynamic digital portfolio that showcases their brand identity, products, or services.
What sets Post apart is its versatility. It offers various options for customization, including filters, captions, and geotags, among others. This variety of tools helps businesses craft content that resonates with their audience, making it more engaging and shareable.
The comment options foster communication between businesses and their customers, encouraging interaction and engagement. This dialogue works as an adjunct to social media management software, providing valuable insights into customer preferences and behavior.
Reels
Reels, though still a part of Instagram, is enough of a feature to qualify as a new social media platform. Reels has emerged as a powerful tool for businesses and marketers looking to engage their audience and attract new customers. Instagram Reels are short-form videos that can span up to 90 seconds. The platform offers users the ability to record, edit, and clip together videos and photos, providing an interactive and dynamic way to convey a message or story.
But it’s not just about video editing. Reels also allows for the incorporation of various elements like sounds, filters, captions, interactive backgrounds, stickers, and more. This plethora of features provides marketers with endless opportunities for creativity and innovation in their content creation. Users can also share their reels with anyone on Instagram, significantly expanding their reach.
How Do You Manage Marketing Efforts with These New Social Media Platforms?
In short, you need access to the right software. As these and other new social media platforms shift away from ads and towards marketing rewards for quality engagement, social media management is more important than ever. Apps like BeReal demand timely posts and apps like Threads and Post are best leveraged with a variety of fresh content. GaleForce’s innovative software is the best solution. Here’s what you can do with SocialForce:
- Publish and schedule posts for all platforms months in advance
- Respond to questions and comments from your followers
- Maintain your appeal and reputation by monitoring your audience’s response
- Track the performance and success of active campaigns
- Collect data for company/client reports
If you’d like to learn more about SocialForce and the social media management revolution underway, call GaleForce Digital Technologies at 1-866-233-8499.
