How to broaden your reach is probably one of your top marketing priorities. One way to do it, especially if you’re a startup or solo entrepreneur, is to look outside the box. No doubt, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter still rule the social media world, but there are some new or overlooked kids on the block too. Here’s a look at some of them.
A TikTok Update
In a previous blog article, we spoke about TikTok. Since then, quite a few things have happened. Despite an ongoing threat to ban it in the US, TikTok was the most downloaded app this year. Its core user group continues to be those between 13-24, but major brands aren’t waiting for those demographics to change. They’re jumping on now. And it’s smart thinking. One proven way to broaden your reach is to find less crowded environments. Of course, if you’re marketing to this age group, you need to be on TikTok now.
Broaden Your Reach With Pinterest
Pinterest became one of the go-to social media platforms for millions of people looking for things to do during the quarantine. Visitors were searching for information and guidance on the pandemic. Spiritual, mental, and physical health emerged as the top search items. With restaurants closed, consumers took to Pinterest in search of creative meals to make at home. Remote workers searched for home office ideas, plus how to manage work and kids.
Pinterest is over-looked by many brands, but that’s a huge mistake. With more than 442 million active monthly users, this platform can broaden your reach to thousands of potential customers.
Similar to Instagram, Pinterest is visual. It’s a digital networking platform. Users can save your pins, which means that other Pinterest users who visit their boards will see your pins. Your content can quickly go viral.
- The way to succeed on Pinterest is to create personal pins.
- Post content that answers the questions consumers have.
- Talk about or demonstrate how your product or service helps them with the issues they face.
- Create several boards. Make one personal, such as with photos of you and your staff so your consumers can see the human side of your brand.
Tumblr
Tumblr had more than 321 million unique visitors in February 2020. This platform is about blogging. Like Pinterest, it’s a digital networking app. Blog articles are shared thousands of times. With the right strategy, your content can quickly go viral. Tumblr readers like short content. If you wrote a lengthy article on your website blog, summarize it, and put that text on your Tumblr blog. Include inspiring videos, sliders, and photos. Consumers who want to learn more, or read the full article, can be directed to your website.
Everyone knows about WhatsApp, but are you using it to broaden your reach and grow brand awareness? There were approximately 2 billion monthly users on WhatsApp as of March 2020. That’s a lot of potential customers.
WhatsApp allows you to open a business page. Once set up, you can begin a conversation with your customers via texts, audio, or video. Customers can ask you questions in real-time, and you can answer right away. You can create groups and send out a weekly update, similar to an email. However, your open rate will improve tremendously. According to Sumo, the average SMS text has a 98% open rate. If you aren’t using WhatsApp for business, you might want to add this channel to your social media marketing program.
Snapchat
Snapchat, launched in 2011, is a mobile app for iOS and Android. It pioneered the storytelling style of content, later replicated by Facebook and Instagram. Like Instagram Stories, your content on Snapchat disappears after 24 hours.
There are lots of reasons why you might want to use Snapchat to broaden your reach.
- Snapchat is one of the top 15 most-used social media apps.
- Its audience is not as large as Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube, so there’s space for you to make a name for yourself.
- As of January 2020, there were 229 million daily active users on Snapchat. This is an increase of 20.5% over 2019, so the platform is growing.
- 82% of Snapchat users are under the age of 35. If this is your target consumer audience, you might want to consider getting active on Snapchat.
- Surveys reveal that more than a third of Snapchat users are not on Instagram.
Photo credit to Lisa Fotios on Pexels
Use Nextdoor to Broaden Your Reach to Local Customers
Nextdoor is all about empowering local communities. It’s an excellent app for getting out the word about your business, like putting up a sign, but digitally. Nextdoor creators wanted to build neighborhoods, recreate the neighborhood coffee shop or bar. According to a NY Times article, Nextdoor represents 265,000 neighborhoods in 11 countries.
Nextdoor can help you broaden your reach, especially if you’re a startup or have a retail site. You can let your neighbors know you’re open for business.
The app allows two posts per month, so it won’t take too much time from your day to be active on this platform. You can create a free business page, announce openings or specials, and build a personal relationship with potential consumers in your community.
Quora
Have you heard about Quora? Are you marketing on Quora?
Quora has 300 million active monthly users. It’s the place to establish yourself as a thought leader or authority in a niche. The platform has a powerful potential to increase brand awareness and broaden your reach.
The secret to Quora is questions and answers. People go to the platform with questions, such as “how can I live on $100 a month?” Others answer.
Currently, approximately 400,000 topics are trending on Quora. Your visibility relies on a credit-based upvoting system. The more upvotes your answer gets, the more exposure you get. Quora is a fantastic platform for
- generating organic brand awareness
- building your reputation
- finding topics for blog articles
- learning about the needs, concerns, and questions of your consumer base, and
- driving traffic to your website.
Twitch
With almost 40 million monthly viewers, Twitch should not be ignored. Using this platform to increase brand awareness would be an out-of-the-box strategy.
Twitch is a live-streaming platform dominated by gamers, with around 5 million monthly broadcasters and growing. Even though it’s primarily a gaming platform, Twitch is quickly becoming the place of choice for live streaming content. Like TikTok, Twitch users are younger; 41% are between 16-24. If Gen Z is your audience, hop on now while there is virtually no competition.
Telegram
Millions of consumers have turned to Telegram because of its encrypted messages, security, and privacy features. It far outpaces other social media platforms. More than 400 million users are on Telegram today. While WhatsApp group sizes are limited, you can create a group with up to 200,000 members on Telegram. The app works on both iOS and Android devices and desktops. If you want to improve your open rates, Telegram could help you get there.
Bottom Line
Managing a digital marketing campaign is time-consuming. You have to prioritize. You can focus on traditional channels. But, depending on your audience, you might want to grab your space on one of the more cutting-edge platforms. You’ll establish your corner on the market before the rest of the competition shows up.
** Featured photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash