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Social Media Trends
10 New Social Media Platforms & Apps 1. TikTok TikTok has quickly become a major player with its detailed algorithms and unique content creation capabilities. In 2020 and 2021, TikTok was the fastest growing social media app in the U.S. Even though it was initially released in 2016, the stable release or production release (where most bugs were finally worked out) was in October of 2021. Within a matter of months, the app blew up. By the end of 2021, this up-and-coming app had 1 billion monthly users worldwide. If you’re not familiar with it, TikTok is a short-form video platform where people can create and share video content anywhere from 15 seconds to 10 minutes in length. These days, it’s not uncommon to hear someone say, “Hey, did you see that TikTok where…” It’s become an easily relatable platform where content often goes viral. For this reason, brands and influencers have capitalized on TikTok to market products and create brand followings. This has also given rise to TikTok shopping, which enables users to purchase products without having to leave the app. 2. Discord When it comes to community management and engagement, Discord is the newest platform catching people’s attention. Discord already has an astonishing 150 million monthly active users. A little like Zoom, users can communicate through voice chat or message and screen share. This platform is a community-powered voice-over IP (VoIP) application where users can create their own server to communicate with others and send out their own invite links to the chat. Discord also allows you to better control alert functions for people in your group, and assign people roles so no one is overwhelmed by notifications. Some people say it offers better chat functionality than Skype or Slack. Discord has slowly been transitioning from a gamer-centric platform to incorporating opportunities for businesses. One important thing to note for marketers and brands is that Discord allows first-party data tracking. These are also numerous features for collaboration and the potential to tag customers for events and during chats. 3. Twitch Twitch is a live streaming service that originally specialized in video gaming and esports. It has since expanded to offer creative content of all kinds. Owned by Amazon, many of the web’s top influencers depend on Twitch as a primary source of income. It has numerous monetization opportunities, such as advertising and monthly subscription revenue. With 140 million active monthly users, Twitch is another platform brands should pay attention to for marketing opportunities. To compete with Twitch, YouTube added new features similar to Twitch, such as membership milestones creating incentives for users. The content on Twitch spans numerous industries and topics such as games, music, sports, travel, food, drinks, and special events – creating a variety of ways for marketers to reach their target market. Brands have started collaborating with Twitch streamers to help promote products and share tips on their live stream. Another marketing strategy brands use on this platform is to run banner and in-video ads to help increase their brand awareness. 4. Instagram Reels Instagram is already an incredibly popular social media platform with over 1 billion monthly active users. But within the platform is a newer feature, Instagram Reels, which allows users to share 15–60 second multi-clip videos with audio and different effects – similar to TikTok. Brands and social media managers can easily share reels with followers on their profiles. These reels can be permanently featured on their Instagram profile. In addition, marketers can utilize Instagram Reels algorithms to enhance their Instagram content strategy. If you would like to find out the best ways to use Instagram Reels for business, then check out this how-to guide. 5. Patreon There are over 8 million monthly active users on Patreon. And even though Patreon has been around since 2013, it has risen to prominence in the past couple of years. This platform allows brands and creators to produce exclusive content for their followers. Through Patreon, creators offer monthly subscriptions that give people access to different kinds of content and bonuses, broken into different monthly membership tiers. Many freelancers and brands use Patreon to promote and manage their subscriptions for their podcasts and other content. This is a great platform to create a consistent income stream from subscribers and a simple way to monetize content. With straightforward navigation throughout the platform, creators can easily manage content and subscriptions. 6. Twitter Spaces As most know, Twitter is a widely used social media platform with over 229 million daily active users. But Twitter Spaces, which launched in 2020, is a new feature of the already beloved app that allows users to have live audio conversations on Twitter. For those brands and influencers with an active Twitter following, it’s a great way to interact with followers and share live updates, creating a broader discussion zone. Teams within a brand can even co-host a live event and add up to 10 additional speakers to create more engaging events. For Twitter Spaces, users can contribute by entering messages or sending emojis, establishing a more inclusive sense of community. In addition, Twitter Spaces is a great place to educate your followers about upcoming promotions or products. 7. Spotify Greenroom Spotify Greenroom was introduced back in 2021, adding a unique feature to the popular platform Spotify. Spotify has a massive active monthly user base of 422 million, making it a strong contender among rising platforms. Spotify Greenroom creates a space where followers can listen to music and podcasts live. It also creates an area for listeners to connect and chat. Spotify is an excellent and streamlined platform for brands to incorporate ads. In addition, Spotify Greenroom caters to listeners with various interests, which means there are opportunities for a wide range of brands. For example, Neutrogena, Pizza Hut, Samsung, and LinkedIn (to name a few) utilize Spotify for advertisements. But it’s not just for big brands. A mix of small and large brands have been using Spotify to market their services and products. 8. Caffeine Caffeine is a live streaming service for gaming, sports, and entertainment brands and enthusiasts. Founded in 2016, it slowly grew before its prerelease in 2018. Caffeine has gained popularity among entertainers like Offset and NFL player and gamer JuJu Smith-Schuster. This is a simple-to-use platform where users can watch programs live and chat about what’s happening. Additionally, users can watch major programs such as FOX Sports, ESPN, and college sports live on the platform. Since Caffeine has received $294 million in funding, it’s worth keeping the app on your radar as it develops further. As the platform develops, marketers will have more opportunities to grow their audience and promote their products. 9. Supernova Supernova is a social media platform with a charitable twist. It gives 60% of advertising income to charities chosen by users with the goal of creating an inclusive community. Supernova is one of the newer apps on the horizon, launched in December 2021. It is marketed as the ethical alternative to Facebook and Instagram, as it uses human moderators to maintain a positive and inclusive environment. Users on this platform can select charitable causes to support, such as mental health and climate change reform. When a user’s post receives a ‘Like’ on the platform, a portion of the “Supernova Action Fund” (which is funded by Supernova ad partners) is donated to their choice of charity. If giving back is vital to your brand, then you might consider how you can get involved with this new form of charitable social media. 10. Clubhouse Another new platform to pay attention to is Clubhouse, a social audio hangout app where you can meet new people and discuss your favorite topics. Clubhouse has 10 million weekly active users worldwide. Users can follow celebrities and entertainers such as Malcolm Gladwell, Oprah, Ashton Kutcher, and Drake. This platform is an excellent place for marketers to learn about social media and marketing tips and trends, and find new communities to connect with on the platform. Takeaways Staying on top of these up-and-coming platforms and apps can help your brand connect better with your existing communities, and find new ones. They are also a great way to market your brand and build brand awareness. Make sure to keep SEJ on your radar to stay on top of the newest marketing trends, helpful apps, and platforms on the market. More resources:
