Diana
CONTENT WRITER
You have three guesses to get this one right. And your hint involves the year 2022:
- It’s been a part of our lives for quite some time now and it’s here to stay.
- Some people love it. Some people hate it.
- It’s been of great aid in recent marketing efforts.
- Last, it’s helped us connect even more with those dearest to us.
So, what’s your answer? Did you think about the pandemic or did your first hunch lead you to social media?
Give us a drumroll and the answer is… social media. Did you get it right?
There are a few things that might come to your mind when the hint is the year 2022. But it’s all about social media in the end. Especially how important social media platforms are for businesses and ourselves.
There are many social media platforms out there: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube… and before you ask “is YouTube social media”, we’ll get back to that shortly.
Going back, you might know a lot of these platforms, but there might be some you have never given much credit to.
Regardless of the situation, your business can take advantage of social media. Each of the platforms presented in this article has at least millions of users. And having millions of users translates into a good customer opportunity, right?
We’ll cover in this article all major social media platforms you should know about and use in 2022. And we’ll also ask one burning question: is YouTube social media?
Let’s find out!
TL;DR
It happens sometimes, we’re all busy and we don’t have the time to read articles from top to bottom. This is why we’ve prepared a breakdown of all the platforms you should know about and use in 2022:
- YouTube
- TikTok
- Snapchat
- Clubhouse
Do you remember that time when Facebook appeared and the goal was to face a Facebook account? Everybody wanted to have it, and everybody talked about getting a Facebook account. What might’ve started in a shy way, ended up becoming a dominant social media platform in a matter of years.
The year might be 2022, but Facebook is still one of the most used social media platforms. If we’re looking at the number of monthly active users, we get 2.70 billion users. Add to that the fact that 60% of social media users have a Facebook account.
As a business, one of the first places where you start exposing yourself is Facebook. That is because of Facebook Pages. As a business, you want to be able to share different pieces of information about yourself. In this case, we’re talking about details such as contact details, an address, or a description of what you offer. It’s no secret that most users start their search in the online environment.
Facebook is more about having a community. And when you manage to reach a community (or more, depending on the case), you can build a wide audience.
And with a great case of Facebook Ads, you might’ve just found the perfect solution to market your products. You’ll reach millions of people by promoting your products through Facebook Ads.
YouTube
Question of the Day: Is YouTube Social Media or Not?
There’s a debate that has been going on for ages, and there are two sides. The first side is that YouTube is a social media platform. The other side is that YouTube isn’t a social media platform.
So, is YouTube social media? The short answer is yes.
Why is it like that? Why is YouTube social media? In theory, social media is a place where you have a network of people involved. You start making connections from there.
In practice, that’s also why we say yes to the “is YouTube social media?” question. First, you share and view videos on YouTube. Second, you get to connect with other people by commenting on posts.
YouTube has billions of users (at least 2). And think about it – what’s the first place you go to when you’re in need of a how-to or music video? The answer is YoTube.
If your business is more inclined towards videos, then you can make the most of what you have on YouTube. Behind-the-scenes, how-to, tutorials, unboxing products, reviewing – the possibilities are endless. Besides, videos are still one of the most engaging ways to promote a business.
This platform also allows you to upload content that will never die and that will get you to a very wide audience. Advertising is another thing you can do on YouTube, to increase your businesses’ reach.
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Tied to Facebook, Instagram is known to be the place where you go for visual content. Instagram Stories, Lives, or Reels, there’s something for every marketer.
We’re talking no less than 2 billion monthly users here. Users are usually younger adults and teenagers.
Why is Instagram such a powerful platform to use? It all goes down to how marketing a brand happens on Instagram. We’ve mentioned at the beginning that it’s the place for visual content. And videos and images have the biggest impact.
An appealing Instagram profile can help your followers connect more with your brand. A good connection can also help build trust. Not to mention, having your page tagged can put you on the Instagram map and bring you more followers. If someone reviews one of your products and the review is good, a tag on your page will become a digital “word of mouth”.
Instagram targeted ads are another piece of the success puzzle. Instagram-targeted ads can help boost your sales too. This is because of the link the platform has to Facebook.
If you’re also more drawn to influencer marketing, you’ll want to consider Instagram. There is a format on Instagram for anything you might think about.
TikTok
TikTok might not be as old as some of the platforms on this list, but it’s had an impact. With an initial release date in 2016, TikTok started gaining a lot of popularity in 2018. Since then, it has packed more than 600 million users. And it’s not planning to stop there.
You must’ve seen TikTok Videos at least on one other platform. TikTok Videos are usually known for different dance challenges or different lip-syncing challenges. But then again, as a platform concentrating on video, you will find any type of content on TikTok.
TikTok Videos have also had a strong influence on how we generally view videos. It’s come to the point where the shorter the video, the better. And it’s had some influence on other platforms like Instagram, for example.
As a business, you can create a channel on TikTok and upload any videos that are relevant to your business. Besides, having a bunch of TikTok videos ready to go viral can only help you win more users. In regards to the content to upload, you can go around about anything. Remember to use the right hashtags and you’re all set to go.
Like other platforms, TikTok also offers the possibility of inserting ads. TikTok ads can help you reach your target audience in a matter of hours. And all you need for that is catchy content.
Even though LinkedIn might not be viewed as your usual social media platform, it’s still a popular one. If you’re interested in something more business-oriented, then this is the platform to start with. Think about it this way – you use platforms such as Facebook and Instagram for sharing cute content. But you use LinkedIn to share more formal and career-oriented content.
And it’s the perfect platform for economic growth and opportunities.
Because in the end, that’s what LinkedIn is all about – making connections. Connections that will give you more collaboration and employment chances. It’s like the place where the information you share doesn’t include your birthday or city only. It includes all the relevant information about your professional path.
LinkedIn gives you all you need for your brand building. A strong presence on LinkedIn can also help you become a leader, especially in your field. And if you’re looking for leads that are more drawn to LinkedIn, you might’ve hit a jackpot. LinkedIn allows you to connect with groups and people of interest in a matter of seconds.
All you need for a good digital marketing strategy is some good networking – and LinkedIn has plenty of that!
Remember that time when Twitter was the trendiest platform? There was something there about those 140 characters you could use. Twitter is a platform that has changed the way of communicating. Add to that the way of connecting in the online world as well. Twitter has millions of monthly users and an important staple of social media.
So why should you use Twitter? Because it offers you the chance to share your opinion and connect to the thoughts of other people. Being active on Twitter also gives you a chance to go up a level when speaking about engagement. It’s also one of the most challenging platforms to share your opinion too. First, you can’t use a lot of words to express your opinion or thoughts. You are limited to build your persona or credibility in a specific number of characters.
And that’s where another interesting aspect comes out to play. You can transform Twitter into your little micro-blogging sandbox. These are Twitter threads, which means that you can add more Tweets to express your opinion. You can also have other users collaborate.
Snapchat
Snapchat still plays an important role in your digital marketing strategy. In this case, it’s safe to say that Generation Z still has a soft spot for Snapchat. Text messages have been replaced by more visual messages. Sometimes, images speak more than words and Snapchat seems to have caught on to that.
Snapchat can also become an important part of your business strategy. Snapchat for Business can help you connect even more with customers and engage your social media presence. Not to mention, the part where you can build brand awareness. Think about it this way, an active feed brings recognition. And you don’t need much for people to start associating with your brand.
Snapchat has recently released Snapchat Spotlight, a feature that looks promising. To put it in simple words, Snapchat Spotlight is a feature where you upload a vertical video. The vertical video is also attached to an already created channel. The videos cannot have more than 60 seconds and as a creator, you receive money for the views. And you can also use all the features Snapchat has to offer.
Another important thing to mention here is that no matter who you are, you can upload and make money on Snapchat. As long as your videos become popular, of course.
If your definition of being social is a discussion thread, then Reddit should be the platform to turn to. Although Reddit is not as visual as other platforms, it still brings together millions of users who want to share and discuss their thoughts with other people.
The mechanism in Reddit’s case is simple: as a user, you upload content and it gets voted up or voted down. If your content gets voted up, it becomes more visible and interesting for other users. If it gets voted down, it becomes less visible and uninteresting for the users. And this will only lead to less interaction.
So, how do you use Reddit as a brand that wants to promote itself? The trick, in this case, is to be as discussion-oriented as possible. Tie your products to a conversation without sounding too sales-oriented and you can win the hearts of Reddit users. The more people engage with your thread, the more chances you have to market yourself.
There are also YouTube channels where people read Reddit threads. And this can bring your brand more exposure.
Clubhouse
Launched in April 2020, Clubhouse, an iOS-only app, managed to quickly grab the attention of users. We all know that socializing has been affected by the pandemic, and live conversations are not that easy to have anymore. It’s true, text-based social media is still popular and used by many people, but some people prefer something else.
But this social networking app might’ve found the perfect solution for people who want more than a “text-based” conversation. Clubhouse uses audio, and people from all around the world can come together and just talk. Talk and listen to each other, all in real-time.
And the most important thing to mention is that this social networking app doesn’t rely on cameras. Not even one video or image sharing. You can be anywhere, doing anything, all while having an interesting conversation with someone on the app. And you just talk to people in what is called a “room”.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for a better reach and a better engagement game, then social media is the place to be. But your platform of choice should serve the needs of your business. This is one of the most important elements to keep in mind when choosing.
Social content is a great way to attract the attention of people. And choosing the right platform can give you the chance to connect to your target audience in an easier way.
But as the years pass, some platforms manage to stay on top of their game, while others not so much. This article comprises all the platforms you should take into consideration this year for your digital marketing strategies. Knowing these platforms will give you the direction you should follow. Looking at the trends set by these platforms might be another good place to start as well.
And here’s some food for thought: is YouTube social media in your view?
