The social media landscape is constantly shifting, making it the last frontier where not even the companies we think of as the old guard are guaranteed safety. Facebook, once the titan of the social media industry, has seen a dip in the number of users aged 12 to 35 of close to 20 percent in just two years, meaning that a highly sought after demographic is pretty rapidly slipping away. What this means for you is that you need to get familiar with the new, hip generation of apps and platforms before the ones you’ve become accustomed to going the way of the dinosaur—or, more accurately, the way of MySpace.
Put simply, you aren’t going to want to market on Facebook if your core audience doesn’t use Facebook. In recent blogs, I talked about the dangers of trend-chasing, and how hopping on every latest “thing” can make your client’s brand reek of desperation. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be trend-watching, though. As the demographics change and users switch their allegiances, you need to at least have a plan for adapting your marketing strategy for new outlets.
New platforms of note: TikTok and Reddit. TikTok is a massively popular video app that caters to the much sought-after zoomer generation; Reddit is an online comment board that quietly overtook Facebook as the third most visited site in the United States. Neither have been typical venues for digital marketing, but as the user base expands, clients will want to start engaging with those potential customers.
Reddit is popular for a community feature called an “AMA”; “Ask Me Anything”. If your brand is you-centric or based around a particular personality or subculture, having this direct line to your audience will go a long way towards building authenticity. Your brand isn’t just an outlet for selling stuff, it’s personable and modern! Also worth noting is that Redditers are a different breed of social media users; they will show disdain if your brand is too obvious or overly promotional. It’s kind of a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” community—if you want to funnel Reddit traffic to your website, be prepared to offer an incentive. The subreddit r/Deals is the ideal place to offer exclusives for anyone willing to give your business traffic.
For TikTok, you might need to expand outside of the office in order to launch a successful marketing campaign. TikTok is the one avenue where you should ignore the rule about trend-chasing; memes sunrise and sunset fast, so hop on the latest lip-syncing or challenge craze and get some attention while you can. Participating in a viral meme is essential to survival on the platform, and these things go fast, so you need to be on the ball and have one eye on TikTok at all times. Also, like Twitter, there’s a healthy influencer community willing to partner with appealing brands. Using an experienced influencer as a proxy could help cut down on the “how do you do, fellow kids?” vibe of a brand diving headfirst into youth culture.
Ultimately, running a successful campaign on arising platforms is a lot like westward expansion; someone has to push forward and set the pace for other brands to follow. And that someone…well that could be you! At The Go! Agency, we strive to be at the forefront of social media technology, and craft campaigns that can be easily adapted to emerging platforms. Is your business looking for a helping hand to get started in the brave new world of TikTok, Reddit, and other up and coming platforms? Give us a call. We love pushing boundaries.
