Types of Social Media Marketing - What Type Should You Choose?
Published on 9th of April 2021Social media networks certainly solidify the fact that no man is an island. This is because nowadays, we are more connected as a society through these virtual platforms.
Not only are we able to communicate with more people, but we are also exposed to more perspectives and opportunities. For this reason, marketing slowly found its way in and made its mark on these networks.
Why is Social Media Marketing Important?
Almost everyone who has internet access pretty much relies on online communities for all of their concerns. With this in mind, you can easily offer people services and goods that they need.
Social media platforms also allow you to make connections without even having to leave your home. This potential has been utilized since the start of the pandemic, and if you have yet to learn how to use it, you’re in the right place.
If you have this much reach, interaction, and access to feedback, your chances of boosting your business are up by a couple of notches.
Still, you need to be able to navigate the terrain so you can determine the proper way. Now, let’s go over the different types to know how you can make the most out of them.
Main Types of Social Media Marketing
There are several types of social media platforms you can use for your marketing strategies. Each one of them will be explained in detail below.
1. Networking Socials
The most efficient and engaging social media marketing tactic involves networking social websites. With that said, these platforms allow people to connect for a variety of reasons. While some of these outright work like community networks, as does Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Plurk.
Professional networks allow you to set up portfolios, profiles, and resumes, including Linkedin and Behance. As its name indicates, this type of social media marketing helps you build a network of like-minded people to set up a market or supply a demand.
How it can help you:
Social media marketing through networking platforms connects you with people who are like you.
With this information, you can do more research on the market – your clients, your competition, and your business’s overall dynamic. You may even subscribe or link to other more extensive networks and get some valuable tips for yourself.
2. Content-Sharing Socials
The most common tactic for social media marketing is done through content-sharing platforms. Generally, these websites work on posts and commentaries using almost every form of media – image, video, voice, text, etc.
These websites include blogs, video streaming platforms like Twitch, Vimeo, Youtube, and other image catalog pages. They also include sites like Flickr, Shuttershock, Unsplash, and Instagram. Podcasts are also included under this category.
How it can help you:
Social media marketing through content sharing platforms is an excellent approach if your business needs an audience. If you have something to say that you know has value, these can allow you to discover people who are willing to listen.
This marketing strategy is quite effective as a supplementary platform, especially if you have a business and advocacy behind it.
3. Bookmarking Socials
These social websites offer the same goal as information hubs but work as a network. This means that they act as platforms where you can make bookmarked lists on any topic.
StumbleUpon is an excellent example for content bookmarking while Kaboodle and ThisNext are reliable for online shopping. Among the most famous social bookmarking websites include Pinterest, Reddit, Twitter, and even Instagram.
How it can help you:
Social media marketing is more common on these platforms than what is apparent. This is because these websites offer an accumulation of references that you can use anytime you want.
With this set-up, people are not as compelled to follow up their “bookmarking” with a course of action, so the engagement is natural and organic.
Still, it can put your name in the periphery. With enough people noticing, they are most likely to click on your pages on other platforms because of the familiarity.
4. Community-building Sites
These websites offer services that connect an exclusive group of people with a common goal or interest. This can work as a forum, an information hub, or a workspace.
Yahoo and Google groups are solid examples of these. On the other hand, Reddit and Quora make great forum pages while Wiki pages make for substantial info hubs.
How it can help you:
Social media marketing using these community-building platforms can range from professional templates to conversation. That said, you can let people know that your products and services exist in a variety of ways.
Usually, these websites are subdivided into interests, so you can easily slip into these communities and share. However, a good number of these websites will require a certain level of authenticity.
This also means that if you share information, it has to be factual.
5. Review Sites
Basically, these platforms work to solicit and accumulate feedback on various establishments. Among these include Yelp and TripAdvisor.
How it can help you:
Among the social media marketing approaches, this is the most effective when it comes to garnering feedback. If you have a brick-and-mortar store, you prepare your profile and posting.
Over time, you can accumulate enough good commentaries that can help you gain a ranking. However, this should also be the result of a course of action.
You can encourage satisfied customers to give you positive feedback after they commission your services or buy from your store.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, it’s safe to say that people tend to consult the internet before making their purchases. With that said, your name must be out there and that it has a neutral, if not positive, reputation.
It may seem difficult as a starting entrepreneur, but you can always take the natural route. That is to engage with people empathetically. Make them feel that you share their best interests, and things should go smoothly from there. Hopefully, this helped!
