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Vol. 41 No. 6 — Jul/Aug 2024

LET'S GET STRATEGIC

Still, the specter of the potential shutdown caused concern for many marketers who have come to rely on the site as a great way to connect with a broad—and demographically younger —audience than some of the other channels they have used. While the most active 25% of adult TikTok users in the U.S. produce 98% of the content, according to Pew Research Center, the inactive segment accesses TikTok for both news and entertainment. They may not be posting, but they’re paying attention to what others post.

The potential void that could be caused by a TikTok ban has marketers looking for other options—and there are some poised to fill it. Kevin Watts, founder and president of Raincross, a digital marketing agency, says he’s seen “the pivotal role social media plays in amplifying content marketing strategies.” He points to Reddit and Discord as two platforms that have emerged as “unique venues that resonate deeply with our nuanced approach to digital marketing.”

REDDIT

Reddit, says Watts, “offers a sprawling landscape of niche communities, known as subreddits, where specific content marketing strategies can be employed with surgical precision.” Leveraging Reddit for effective content marketing “involves a delicate balance of providing value, fostering discussions, and subtly incorporating promotional content that is relevant and genuinely interesting to the subreddit’s audience.” Reddit’s not really new—it was founded in 2005. But it’s been gaining traction recently and has enjoyed a bit of buzz since the company went public in early 2024, Bloomberg reports.

DISCORD

Discord’s initial release date was in 2015, and it gained popularity in the gaming community. Today, though, states Watts, Discord “has evolved into a valuable tool for real-time engagement and building brand communities.” Watts has implemented Discord into his agency strategy for clients, creating dedicated channels for them where exclusive content and direct support can be offered. “This not only enhanced brand loyalty, but also provided us with a direct line of communication to our most engaged users,” he says. “The intimate atmosphere of Discord channels offers a unique advantage for deepening customer relationships and personalizing the user experience.”

BEREAL

BeReal is a more-recent entrant into the social media mix—it’s a French messaging app that was released in 2020. Billed as “your daily dose of real life,” the app encourages users to share photos illustrating their daily lives after being provided with “a randomly selected two-minute window” to do so.

Stephanie Hood, lead editor at The CMO digital marketing firm, shares this: “While I’ll admit that I still use Instagram more than any other social media channel, I have found BeReal to have a really refreshing take on social sharing.” She continues: “With authenticity a growing trend—and with so many feeds very carefully curated to a certain aesthetic—the two-minute window to post a photo of yourself and your immediate surroundings makes it really hard to fake anything. Particularly with AI-produced content becoming more common, I wouldn’t be surprised to see models like this gain in popularity.”

THREADS

A new channel that isn’t resonating quite so much, Hood says, is Threads. “One of the platforms that I’ve nearly given up on is Threads, Meta’s new app where users can share text, images, and videos. I found it to be too similar to Twitter at the time, though it will be interesting to see if it becomes the ‘new Twitter’ as X appears to be declining, fast.”

Threads was introduced in 2023 by Meta in response to Twitter’s purchase by Elon Musk, the related controversy over its shift to being called X, and the resulting mass exodus of users. It’s tied to Instagram and operates similarly, except that while Instagram is image-based and video-based, Threads is discussion-focused. Although adoption was strong at first, interest and usage have declined, reports Social Media Today.

CLUBHOUSE

Another channel that enjoyed some initial buzz and adoption but has since seen a decline in interest—at least among the masses—is Clubhouse. Shubham Singh, an SEO and content head at Demandsage, says, “One of the new social media channels that excites me the most is Clubhouse. This audio-based platform offers a unique opportunity for real-time engagement and networking, fostering authentic conversations among users.” What resonates with Singh most about Clubhouse “is its ability to break down barriers to access, allowing users to connect with industry experts and thought leaders in a way that feels intimate and immersive.” Clubhouse was first introduced in 2020 and generated some initial buzz both due to its audio-only format and the fact that participation was exclusively by invitation. Since then, its allure has waned, but it’s “back, kinda,” according to The Verge. Social media channels, as we can see, tend to ebb and flow in terms of interest and adoption. That means marketers need to be continually alert to new opportunities while still embracing the tried-and-true options.

TRADITIONAL CHANNELS

Despite the availability of a variety of social media channels, Hootsuite reports that brands continue to be most confident in established platforms such as LinkedIn and Instagram, along with WhatsApp, for connecting with their audiences. Most organizations, it states, have a presence on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

The social media marketing mix isn’t a homogenous formula that can be consistently applied across marketers—or markets. The criteria used for evaluation is also not the same across all marketing applications. For instance, while access to a large audience might provide value for some, the ability to finely home in on a niche audience might be more important for others. While newer channels such as BeReal, Reddit, and Threads do show up in companies’ user data, others like Clubhouse don’t. That’s not necessarily a sign that you should exclude these channels from your consideration, though. In fact, the benefit of some lesser-used channels is still there if they resonate with your key audiences.

What works for others may or may not work for you. It’s important to take a dual approach to incorporating social media channels into your marketing communication mix. Continue to focus on channels that resonate with your audiences, and explore the potential of newly emerging channels. When channels such as TikTok are at risk of going away, it’s important to have other options to turn to. Fortunately, your own metrics can help you keep an eye on the activity and trends that will help you determine which channels work, which channels no longer work, and which channels might represent opportunity for the future.