February 11, 2021
There are many types of websites that fall under the umbrella term “social media” these days. In Volume 1, we looked at social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn. In the next edition, Volume 2, we reviewed photo and video sharing platforms like Pinterest and Instagram.
In the final volume on Social Media in 2020, interactive media takes the spotlight.
Social media platforms that go beyond posting and engagement are considered “interactive” as in they get the user to perform other actions. This can be anything from shopping to gaming to photo filters.
The two most popular forms of interactive social media include:
Apps like TikTok and Snapchat enable users to share photos and videos, as well as engage in a variety of interactive activities. This includes things like:
These types of features are highly experimental and change often. The audience bases for these sites are prominently Gen-Z and beyond.
Major brands like Buzzfeed and Vice News have become Snapchat Discover partners for a reason. The platform enables a user to publish and send temporary stories. In a business account, you can also purchase ad space.
TikTok is currently one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. Similar to Vine, it enables users to publish short videos that live on the platform (unlike Snapchat, which dies in 24 hours).
TikTok offers five types of advertising options for businesses. Smaller companies may lean more towards “In-Feed ads” which are 9-15 second clips that can be easily skipped by the user.
These types of social media require a lot of time and money to stay updated and relevant. Content doesn’t last very long and, in some cases, it lives only within a day.
Guess and Universal Pictures are both major brands that use interactive social media to create successful campaigns with trendy hashtags. However, both of these platforms require a younger demographic and consistent work.
Larger companies are just beginning to experiment with interactive social media applications. However, these should not take priority over other critical forms of social media like networking and video sharing platforms.
Companies that are successful in this space tend to produce high production-level content. Brands with larger followings also publish Snapchat Stories and/or videos curated from fans. If you don’t have a large budget or following, these strategies might be difficult to pull off.
Brands, advocates, and influencers on these apps always cater to a younger audience. The most successful forms of content include things like:
When it comes to using platforms like Snapchat and TikTok, there is clearly a benefit in some areas, and other ways in which it can drag you down. Here are a few examples:
Whether you are using social media for networking, advertising, engagement, or brand building, it’s clearly a place where everyone congregates. It’s simply a matter of finding where your audience gathers most.
Before you start signing up for a ton of social media accounts, consider some of these factors first:
Once you have a social page or two in place, be sure to take a baseline of metrics so you can measure progress as you go. This is, perhaps, the most important aspect of all.
After each quarter, check in with your numbers and tweak campaigns accordingly. Soon, you will have a well-oiled, social media marketing machine that runs itself.
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