Ask Auntie Social: What is the next big social media platform for bloggers?

As Bloggers, the CorkLike team are always looking for the next big social platform to showcase Cork lifestyle to our followers. What Social Media does CorkLike need to be on in 2016?

Aoife thank you for your great question. It is really exiting as we move into 2016 to see the volume of growth in employing social media as a key marketing tool for businesses. In addressing this question which can apply to all businesses, it is important to note that social media isn’t just a trend. It is, as Neil Patel of Kissmetrics states, an ‘enduring reality of online existence’.

What new or niche social media sites are right for me?

It is possible that some businesses are missing out on untapped potential and warm leads, because they are absent from new or niche sites.

The main benefit of engaging a new platform or niche site is not to have access to millions of followers but access to a targeted audience that is the right fit for your product. Here is a list of some of the promising sites for 2016:

Ello: regarded as an all-purpose social media network, allows you to create new connections, share written updates, photos, videos, or any other content that you feel like sharing.

Hyper: its principal function is to allow users to post and share photos with one another.

Similarly to Reddit, it features an upvote/downvote system that increases the visibility of popular posts. It also includes geographic tags that let users discover new things happening in their vicinity. Hyper is currently only available on iOS and has a small user base, however its functionality and unique position could see it grow strongly in 2016.

Other areas of growth are to be expected in platforms such as; This, Slideshare, Wanelo and Shots.

Equally, you may discover that an up and coming site has produced little return on investment for your business. Before devoting resources to a new platform, answer these questions from Neil Patel to determine if that site is the right one for you.

1. Where is my audience?

Go beyond your followers and uncover where the target audience is actually spending time and what social media outlets are they on.

In 2016 according to Jayson DeMers of Forbes, Facebook will continue to dominate due to their new innovative in-app functionality. However, their audience will be older, with trends indicating that generation Y and Z will move to platforms that provide them with more privacy, which is (in part) why Snapchat had such success.

To stay on top of social media isn’t always about embracing a new platform, it’s about using platforms more effectively to reach your target audience. In regards to Cork Like - leveraging Facebook’s new developments could help you engage with followers of a certain (target) demographic.

As a blogger it is really interesting to watch what space Facebook is moving into having launched Instant Articles earlier this year. The goal with this new development is to create interactive articles that load instantly, where video auto plays and even zooms into a map of where that picture was taken. In layering the information they create an exciting user experience. Keeping users on their app. Instant articles is expected to grow and become more accessible the end of 2016.

Equally Facebook testing live video for all users, expanding a feature once available only to public figures and celebrities, indicates that live stream video is something that could be here to stay.

Twitter, Instagram and others are also trying to expand and diversify their platforms with additional in-app functionality in an attempt to prevent users from ever leaving the app.

Instagram is now providing advertising opportunities to a wider circle of brands which we covered in an earlier Auntie Social article ‘Mastering the Art of Instagram’.

They recently celebrated the 400 million monthly active user mark, and 80 million photos are shared per day on the network. In October of this year EMarketer conducted a survey to uncover what platforms marketers would be interested in allocating ad budgets to, resulting in 72 percent selecting Instagram.

According to Ted Karczewski of Content Standard, Twitter is losing time share to Instagram in a survey published by Venture Beat people now spend an average of 31 minutes a day on Instagram which is a 10 minute increase on last year’s statistics. This growth is something to tap into.

2. Where is our targeted audience active?

A classic quality versus quantity debate - big social media numbers doesn’t mean big activity.

As an example, LinkedIn has approximately 400 million users but only 100 million of which are active. When looking to new sites it is interesting to uncover the engagement of those signed up to the site and whether those active members are a part of your targeted audience.

In focusing on where the active users are it can help you be more effective in your targeted approach.

3. Where is the target audience searching?

This question could be of benefit for Cork Like, as part of a continuing trend in 2016 Forbes have stated that people will use social media for searching in addition to socialising, skipping the conventional search engine step.

The rationale behind this behaviour is essentially based on the customer knowing that they are more likely to find visual content searching on social media, and to them, this content is far more trustworthy than text rich content.

Users value feedback from others, where they can find reviews and comments on social media content that will help them with their buying decision.

On what platform are people searching for events to attend in the city or what fun family activities to do in the country? The person searching for fun events in the city might use a different platform to the person looking for fun family activities. Identifying an audience and catering for this demand is therefore very important.

2016 is going to be a very exciting year for social media and digital marketing. We wish Cork Like the very best and hope the business grows from strength to strength in the New Year.