With every year that passes, you expect that social media will reach some form of plateau, with every niche, need and function catered for. However, it seems we’re not there yet, and may still be some distance from it, as a number of new names to the social-media sphere have drawn our attention in 2019. Here’s a brief lowdown on three that look set to stick around for a while – and what they can do for your business.
Vero
A user-friendly alternative to Instagram, Vero is also very image-focused and great for sharing information between friends and followers of your choosing. Right now, Vero is unique in that it doesn’t allow any advertising on its platform, ensuring that any content you see is what you’ve chosen to see, and not pushed on you in any way. In fact, Vero prides itself on featuring: “No Ads, No Data Mining, No Algorithms,” making it more like early social media platforms in design.
While this does sound as though it wouldn’t be of much use to business, it really depends on how you look at it. Yes, you can’t advertise, but you can research what people are posting, sharing and engaging with. Also, once you have a loyal following in place, it becomes a great platform for sharing influencer videos, which all recipients will know they are not being forced to watch in return for accessing the platform.
TikTok
Once known as Musical.ly, TikTok defines itself as “a destination for short-form mobile videos”. With video being the most effective, persuasive form of content in recent years, TikTok has become not only the most downloaded social media app but also the most frequently downloaded app of all on Apple’s App Store. Essentially, users can share 15-second videos and apply effects, filters, stickers and more.
Which does lead some to ask: “just what exactly is TikTok?”, as it sounds very similar to Snapchat. However, TikTok brings the social media element into sharing short videos, allowing users to search by hashtag, for instance – something you can’t do on Snapchat. Furthermore, what makes TikTok appealing to younger audiences is the natural feel and authenticity of the videos people upload.
Therefore, if you want to tap into the market of young people who have become sick of highly edited, unrealistic images on Instagram but still adore video, TikTok is a must.
Anchor
Alternatively, Anchor provides a new platform to share recorded audio messages – but share them widely. Anchor sells itself as: “The easiest way to make a podcast,” and there are no hidden surprises when you use Anchor either personally or for business. With only an external microphone, or the mic on your smartphone or tablet, you have everything you need to create, edit and publish a podcast – and you’re only ever one tap away from seeing it on Apple Podcasts.
While a podcast isn’t for all kinds of businesses, any company which already has an established audience may want to consider it as an extra way to keep customers informed and up to date with what’s going on. Also, if there are members of your team who aren’t entirely comfortable on video, the conversational element of podcasting does give you another way to show your audience this side of their personalities.