When you're thinking near creating a social media strategy for your business organization, a few leading platforms probably come to mind correct abroad: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and maybe YouTube or Pinterest, depending on your manufacture.

However, there are many types of social media sites out there, with new platforms and formats popping up on the regular. Some of them are pretty niche, while others have the potential to become the next Instagram or TikTok.

Ane thing that'due south changed since the early on days of social media is that many platforms used to focus on one function, such as social networking or prototype sharing. Now, most established social media platforms have expanded to contain live streaming, augmented reality, shopping, social audio, and more.

So, instead of giving you high level descriptions of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn (you can observe that anywhere!), we grouped a wide diverseness of platforms into 9 general categories that focus on specific utilize cases and what businesses can attain by using them.

Bonus: Read the step-by-step social media strategy guide with pro tips on how to grow your social media presence.

With the e'er-growing number of social media platforms, it tin be overwhelming to constantly wonder whether each of them is worth your time.

To avert spending likewise much of your time learning the ropes of every new platform, let your social media marketing strategy guide your decisions, and but join the networks that support your goals.

Follow these 3 tips to build your own criteria that will assistance y'all evaluate any new social media platform, no matter what it is or how it works.

Know your audience

The kickoff question you should enquire before joining a new social media platform is: where is your audition?

Information technology makes more sense to get where your audience is already hanging out than to bring together a new platform and attract your audience to it.

The 2d thing to understand is how your audition is using that platform. What type of content are they looking for? Which types of accounts exercise they follow? Are they passive consumers or content creators?

For detailed insights into how people use different social media platforms, swoop into our Country of Digital 2021 written report.

Facebook leads on use of social platforms as news source

Source: Digital 2021 report

Keep up to date with social media statistics

Whenever a new social media platform emerges, it's essential to know the difference between a shiny new object and a fast-growing platform that has the potential to stick.

Although no one can tell the time to come, one manner to know if a platform has staying ability is to compare its statistics to established social media platforms.

If you're not certain where to find recent stats, we've got y'all covered:

  • Instagram Statistics
  • Facebook Statistics
  • Twitter Statistics
  • YouTube Statistics
  • Pinterest Statistics
  • TikTok Statistics

Align to your key business concern goals

Ask yourself: which platforms match my business organization goals all-time?

For example, if one of your goals is to increment awareness about a new product or service that could benefit from video tutorials, you should focus on video-only platforms (similar YouTube and Vimeo) or video formats available on the sites you lot're already active on (like Instagram Stories and Reels, Facebook Live, etc.).

Types of social media platforms and formats you should know in 2021

1. Social audio platforms and formats

Examples: Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces, Spotify

Used for: Listening to live conversations on specific topics.

How your business can use them: New social sound platforms (similar Clubhouse) and formats (similar Twitter Spaces) have thrived during COVID-xix lockdowns while people accept been at home with more than time to bring together alive conversations.

The most significant advantage of audio social media platforms and formats is the high attending and engagement you're likely to get from opt-in listeners.

Lively, engaging conversations can help you build your image as a leader in your niche and innovate your business or products to valuable audiences already interested in topics related to your niche (otherwise, they wouldn't exist tuning in).

Here are some idea starters for using audio social media platforms:

  • Host industry panels.
  • Broadcast news and big announcements.
  • Host interactive sessions (such as AMAs) with your audition.
  • Record interviews during a live Clubhouse/Twitter Spaces chat and upload them equally a podcast (example: The Social Media Geekout testify).
  • Build your business' idea leadership through a 30-sixty minute show.

Matt Navarra does a great job of combining Twitter Spaces AND podcasts:

2. Video social media platforms and formats

Examples: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Stories and Reels, Facebook Watch

Used for: Watching videos in curt and long formats.

How your business can apply them: Video social media platforms are great for capturing attending, driving make awareness, and bringing products to life in a way that still photos tin't.

Any video content that you publish should exist designed to entertain, brainwash, and/or inspire your audience. Videos made purely to sell aren't going to engage viewers.

Some of the all-time examples of businesses using video social media platforms are:

  • Ryanair on TikTok — highly entertaining, show a adept understanding of the humor and nuances of TikTok users.
  • Notion on YouTube — creates educational content that'south both helpful and inspiring for its users.
  • Beautiful Destinations on Instagram Reels — provides travel inspiration through short, professionally shot clips.

3. Disappearing content formats

Examples: Snapchat, Instagram Stories, Facebook Stories, LinkedIn Stories

Used for: Sending imperceptible messages privately and publishing timely, in-the-moment content for all of your followers to view for up to 24 hours.

How your business tin use them: Ephemeral formats similar Stories are well-suited for posting timely content, such as announcements, limited edition items, or alive events.

Most Stories and Snapchat content likewise feels more than genuine and less polished due to the 24-hour shelf life. Every bit such, information technology allows businesses to show a more homo side.

Here are some ideas for how your business organisation can use disappearing content:

  • Polls, voting (using interactive Stories stickers)
  • Teasers/countdowns to production launches
  • Behind-the-scenes content
  • Fourth dimension-sensitive announcements

A not bad example is from 1 of my favorite local bakers, who posts their weekly specials on their Instagram Stories.

Instagram Story screenshots showcasing bakery's daily menu

Source: Instagram

4. Discussion forums

Examples: Reddit, Quora

Used for: Asking and answering questions, networking, forming communities effectually niche- and involvement-based topics.

How your business can utilize them: Exist genuinely helpful to your customers by lending your business' subject area matter expertise and answering questions related to your industry. Bonus points if you tin can share data about your brand and products in your answers, but that shouldn't be your main goal of participating in discussion forums.

1 thing to note: On Reddit, information technology'southward highly frowned upon to insert any self-promotion into answers. If you're posting as a concern, make sure to respond the original question and only add links to your products if they're genuinely helpful. Before posting in a subreddit, check the rules to verify if including links to your own business concern is allowed.

While Microsoft didn't create the /r/XboxOne subreddit, in one case they saw how pop it was, they started engaging with Redditors past hosting AMA sessions with game developers.

/r/XboxOne subreddit

Source: Reddit

5. Shoppable social media platforms and features

Examples: Pinterest Product Pins, Facebook Shops, Instagram Shops, TikTok, Shopify, Douyin, Taobao

Used for: Researching and purchasing products from brands straight through social media platforms.

How your business tin use them: Take advantage of born mobile-friendly features to let your audience to buy from you without having to leave a social media app.

Features similar Pinterest Product Pins, Instagram Shops, and TikTok's in-app shopping allow you to connect your production itemize straight to your profile on each app.

Even if your followers don't similar to make purchases on social media platforms or have longer buyer journeys, shopping features can allow yous to tag products, add additional production info and drive traffic to your website.

Some great means to use shopping social media platforms:

  • Express edition drops, e.grand., announcing an exclusive product launch on social media and linking or tagging the production via your production catalog
  • Social selling
  • Due east-commerce (many social media platforms have e-commerce integrations, such as Shopify, which you can access straight from your Hootsuite dashboard)
  • Retargeting, e.1000., creating custom audiences based on who has engaged with your Facebook/Instagram Shops

Y'all can also host live shopping events on social media. Livestream shopping has become a huge market in China, encouraging platforms similar Instagram to introduce Live Shopping.

Instagram Live shopping

Source: Instagram

6. Social media live streams

Examples: Twitch, YouTube, Instagram Live Rooms, Facebook Live, TikTok

Used for: Broadcasting alive video to many viewers. Live video streams tin range from 1 person showing themselves and what they're doing on their screen to professionally organized panels with multiple speakers.

How your business tin use them: Livestreaming's popularity exploded during the pandemic when people were stuck at abode during lockdowns with aught to exercise.

However, you don't demand a global pandemic to become viewers to lookout man your live streams. At that place are many ways to make tune-in-worthy streams, from interviewing well-known guests through doing exclusive product reveals to hosting AMA sessions with your business executives.

Livestreams too offer the opportunity for users to interact live with the hosts, and then information technology's vital to monitor and appoint with comments during the stream. Read more tips in our guide to social media live streaming.

When COVID-19 put Formula i races on concur during 2020, several drivers started streaming themselves playing driving simulators on Twitch, which became hugely popular with fans.

7. Business social media platforms

Examples: LinkedIn, Twitter

Used for: Connecting with professionals in your industry or potential clients.

How your business can use them: Business organization social media platforms offer many potential uses: recruiting and hiring talent, edifice B2B relationships, and connecting with professionals in your niche.

Platforms like LinkedIn are ideal for B2B purposes, because they allow brands to connect with new audiences, coming together them where they become to network and exercise business.

Just LinkedIn is not the only business-forrard social media site out there. Twitter offers businesses the take chances to find relevant conversations, and add to them in meaningful ways. A great example of this is Adweek, which hosts a weekly chat for digital marketers called #AdweekChat.

There are also communities built around industry-specific hashtags on Twitter, like #MarketingTwitter and #FreelanceTwitter.

Pro tip: Prepare upward a keyword-based column using your industry's hashtag in Hootsuite to monitor for appropriate conversations to participate in.

8. Airtight/private customs social media platforms

Examples: Discourse, Slack, Facebook Groups

Used for: Creating communities, with the possibility of requiring registration or other screening measures for new members.

How your business can use them: Businesses tin can employ private groups to bring members of their community together to bond over shared challenges, help answer each other'southward questions, and feel a sense of professional belonging.

As the group admin, your business organisation has the correct to set rules about things like self-promotion. Many groups (especially on Facebook) require members to answer a few questions before joining to screen out spammers, but you can also use these fields to ask members to opt-in to your email marketing list.

A slap-up example is the Instant Pot Facebook Group, started by the brand in 2015 and has grown to over iii million members who love sharing recipes and product tips.

Instant Pot Facebook Group

Source: Facebook

nine. Inspirational social media platforms

Examples: Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, blogs

Used for: Searching for data and finding inspiration for annihilation from cooking to travel to decorating to shopping and more.

How your business can use them: Curate visuals and inspire your target audition with content tailored to their preferences, and weave in your own products where relevant. Use collections, playlists, tags, and guides to group your content and create themes that match your audience's interests.

Inspirational social media platforms like Pinterest and YouTube are well-optimized for search, which ways your posts should include keywords, hashtags, and images that align with what your audience ordinarily searches for.

Travel bloggers ofttimes practise a great task of optimizing their blog posts and YouTube videos for searches like "What to do in [Destination]" and "[Destination] Travel Guide."

Hungry Passport YouTube travel guide

Source: Hungry Passport on YouTube

Whether you're edifice a community or evaluating new platforms for your business to join, at that place are many types of social media yous can use. Some are pretty much mandatory for any business, while others only make sense if they marshal with your specific niches or use cases.

Whatever your needs and goals, it's a safe bet y'all'll notice a way to use social media to do good your business.

Hands manage all your social media profiles using Hootsuite. From a single dashboard, you can schedule and publish posts, appoint your followers, monitor relevant conversations, measure results, manage your ads, and much more.

Get Started