With so many different types of one spot social available, it can be difficult to know which would be most beneficial.
Sure, we all know that knowing how to use social media is essential when starting an online business. However, with so many different types of social media, it can be difficult to determine how many of them can be beneficial.
We all know that Facebook is great for connecting with customers and Instagram is great for showcasing products, but have you ever considered how Reddit could help your business? What about Yelp?
It may sound far-fetched, but bear with me because these slightly out-of-the-ordinary social media categories can be gold mines of information that can help elevate your business.
So, which social media platform is the best? As an online business owner, we believe there are seven types of social media categories to consider:
Sites for social networking
Sites for sharing photographs
Sites for sharing videos
Discussion boards Microblogs
However, before you can begin using these types of social media to improve your business, you must first understand what they are, who uses them, and how they can benefit you.
Table of Contents
1. Social Media Platforms: one spot social
When you think of social media, social networking sites are usually the first thing that comes to mind. Social networking sites, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, connect users to people and information of various kinds.
What Motivates People to Use Social Networking Sites?
Users of social networking sites have the impression that the platform is centred on them. They are the solar system’s sun, and the sites work to connect them with what they want to see: posts from friends and family, news and lifestyle content, or brand updates.
The spread of information on social networking sites is greatly aided by users interacting with content and sharing it with their circles. People can also create content through posts, status updates, and albums, and all forms of media, including video, text, and image posts, are welcome.
How Can I Make the Most of Social Networking Sites for My Online Business?
This is an excellent location for building a community and a brand. Creating a page for your business is an excellent way to reach out to potential customers, giving them a place to connect with others who share their interests while becoming acquainted with your brand.
Because social networking sites collect so much information about their users, they are also excellent places to advertise your products. You can use this data to target very specific audiences and determine who is most interested in what you’re selling.
2. Social Media Types: Image-Sharing Websites
The adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” certainly holds true for image-sharing websites. Platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, one spot social, and Imgur enable users to quickly access visual content curated from a variety of sources.
What Motivates People to Use Image-Sharing Websites?
Image-sharing sites easily capture people’s attention and imagination because they are so simple to use but so visually appealing. These websites provide users with insights into the lives of their friends and people they admire, as well as promoting brands, businesses, destinations, and events.
Many image-sharing sites have an endless scrolling feature, as well as filters that make it easy to find more content on topics of interest to users, effectively providing an infinite supply of new content.
How Can Image-Sharing Websites Help My Online Business?
These social media sites can be a great way to promote your products – or to have others promote them for you. Influencers play an important role on image-sharing sites, and those with large, engaged followings can be extremely beneficial in driving customers to your business.
Image-sharing platforms can also be a great way to see and show off your customers using your product after they’ve purchased it, which can provide valuable social proof. You can encourage this by creating a specific hashtag for customers to use, and you can even display the posts directly on your website.
Image-sharing websites can also be used to engage with potential customers by posting content relevant to your business as well as your audience’s lifestyle. If you have a large following, image-sharing sites can be an excellent place to test new products because users provide quick, candid feedback.
3. Different types of social media: Sites for Sharing Videos
In recent years, video-sharing websites have grown into thriving communities with millions of active users. YouTube, which was launched in 2007, remains the most well-known video-sharing site, but TikTok, Periscope, and Vimeo are also major players.
What Motivates People to Use Video-Sharing Websites?
People, understandably, use video-sharing sites to be entertained. There are even different sites based on how long you want to be entertained. In less than 60 seconds? Go to TikTok. Do you prefer long-form content? You want to be on YouTube.
People also use video-sharing websites to learn new skills and stay informed. This has given rise to video formats like review, tutorial, and unboxing. Users of video-sharing websites actively seek information from those they consider trustworthy and authoritative on specific topics or products.
How Can I Make the Most of Video-Sharing Sites for My Online Business?
A demonstration or review video is an excellent way to showcase your products. This is especially useful if you have a difficult-to-photograph item, something that needs instructions to use, or a feature that you want to highlight.
Engaging with video influencers, on the other hand, can be a great option. This can be especially effective if an influencer is well-liked and trusted by your target audience, as you can leverage their social proof.
Using the comment system on video-sharing sites, you can also learn about your audience and build a community and a good reputation. Comments on videos can reveal a lot, including any questions or concerns potential customers have about your product.
Microblogs are one type of social media.
Where do you go when you want to express yourself but don’t want to spend hours writing a long editorial or journal entry? Of course, microblogs! Websites such as Twitter and Tumblr allow users to quickly post short messages and connect with larger communities.
What Motivates People to Use Microblogs?
Microblogs allow users to not only express their opinions and thoughts, but also participate in conversations with other users – or simply observe them.
Users particularly enjoy the ability to share and bond with various communities, as well as the creativity of other members, on websites such as Tumblr. Its community is artistic and often has niche interests, making the platform ideal for meeting like-minded people.
Twitter users take advantage of the ease with which they can interact with brands and celebrities, as well as share and spread images and videos. The site is also useful for finding breaking news because it is simple to filter and search for updates.
How Can Microblogs Help My Online Business?
Microblogs can be a great place to interact with customers and learn more about your target audience. Many brands use microblogs to provide support and to provide updates.
Microblog users value authenticity and avoid appearing stiff and corporate. People are generally willing to interact with brands and businesses, but they also want to be entertained and informed.
Users will be more likely to like, share, and engage with your account if you cultivate a feed that shares useful and entertaining content that isn’t just self-promotion. You can also collaborate with influencers to leverage their following to promote your product.
5. Social Media Formats: Discussion Forums
Discussion forums, which evolved from bulletin boards and were used to discuss very specific topics, are one of the original forms of social media panel. Reddit is the most well-known discussion forum, with over a million different communities, though Quora and Digg are also very popular.
Why Do People Use Online Forums?
People seeking information and engaging in discussions about specific topics, questions, and ideas frequent discussion forums. Forums frequently provide a measure of anonymity, with users identified by usernames rather than real names.
Users enjoy discussion forums because they provide a sense of community and can provide knowledge that a user may not have found in their offline life.
How Can I Use Online Discussion Forums to Grow My Business?
Discussion forums are an excellent place to learn more about your target audience because they can be a goldmine of information. They are a place where you can easily discover your potential customers’ pain points and ensure that your product will adequately solve them.
Imgur, an image-hosting website, is one example of this. After noticing issues with other image hosting sites, Reddit user Alan Schaaf created Imgur as an alternative that resolved the issues users had with the other services. It was an instant hit.
