Social media enjoy a strong following. They are therefore a source of opportunities for companies. Indeed, marketers via the social media manager can use them to target and convert their audience.
Generally, the expression “social media” evokes Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram. Still, there are many types of social media to explore in marketing.
Social networks
Social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) allow individuals to connect and interact with other individuals or with brands.
Each user has a personal profile. Users interact by linking bilaterally or through thematic groups.
A distinction must be made between “mainstream” social networks, like Facebook, and professional social networks like LinkedIn. These are particularly used in B2B, with a view to personal branding, networking, or social selling.
Any social media can be used professionally to help build brand awareness, community building, lead generation, and conversion. This use can be done naturally or through the advertising networks of the networks, in the form of “social ads”.
Microblogging sites
As their name suggests, these services allow the user to post short speeches, limited in character. These publications are visible in the news feed of its subscribers or, possibly, via a system of hashtags.
The most popular microblogging site is, of course, Twitter. In marketing, Twitter is regularly used to engage a community around a brand or as part of an influence strategy.
Media sharing networks
Media sharing networks make it possible to find and share photos, videos, or other types of media on the web. In this category, we find YouTube, Instagram, or Snapchat.
In general, these services are also equipped with social features such as the addition of a user profile or the possibility of leaving comments on the content on the platform.
Discussion forums
These social media operate on a question-and-answer basis. Users connect to it to find and/or share information, points of view, or news.
The most popular are Quora, Reddit, and Digg. But in addition to generalist forums, there are a multitude of specialized forums, including on niche topics, for example, Doctissimo in the field of health or MagicMaman on parenting issues.
From a marketing point of view, forums are useful for understanding the questions that your audience is really asking. By intelligently answering questions related to their activity, brands can also redirect some of the forum users to the content of their website.
Social bookmarking and curation platforms
This type of social media offers users the possibility of registering and organizing web resources (media, content, etc.) that they deem relevant. In general, they integrate features for content search, commenting, and sharing.
Pinterest or content curation platforms like Scoop.it works on this model. Marketers often use them for a watch logic but also for sharing, to enhance their expertise by relying on third-party content.
Interest-based networks
This is social media where users connect around common areas of interest. For example, Last.FM connects music lovers. Babelio brings together a community around reading and literature.
These services bring together characteristics of other social media: the sharing of favorites, micro-reviews, or the possibility of following other users and interacting with them.
Blogs
The existence of blogs predates their massive use of incorporated content strategies.
Blogs are a form of an online journal in which the user posts content on the topic of their choice and invites their visitors to respond in the form of comments. They are hosted on blogging platforms like Blogger or WordPress.
In general, visitors can subscribe to the blog to automatically receive the latest posts. But it is above all the possibility of interacting with the publisher that makes it a social media in its own right.
Wikis
Wikis are knowledge bases fed and moderated by Internet users. Designed in a collaborative logic, they allow users to share their knowledge on a subject or find relevant information.
Social media is not just about social media. Multiple media bring together Internet users around common interests or around a specific way of consuming content. Each type of social media presents opportunities for businesses as part of a social media strategy.
