Types Of Social Media And How Each Of Them Can Benefit Your Business?

Today almost everyone is using all the popular social networking sites and media sharing sites. But you know what? Social media is not restricted to only those handfuls of popular social media and media sharing networks. It is much bigger than these. If we expand our reach in the world of social media we will see that there are ample of hyper-focused niche social networks available like jet setting, green living and knitting.

In the past we have witnessed that networks were categorized or chosen as per their functional capabilities. For instance, twitter for writing short content, YouTube for video. But, now a days because of the high competition, networks keep adding various rich features, therefore now there is hardly any differences when we talk about feature sets of various networks.

So rather than distinguishing the networks based on their hyper-specific user interests or shifting technology features it is recommended to think like smart marketers and we can group these networks in such a way that will focus on what people desire to achieve by using them.

So today in this digital marketing blog we will check out the various types of social media and how they can benefit your business.

The popular social networking sites are Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. These social networking sites help in establishing the connection with people and with various brands through online.

Social Networks Benefits Business:

They are also known as relationship networks. As it aids people and organizations to connect with each other for sharing the information and ideas. Also previously they had restricted functions. For instance, Facebook was only to make friends and to update the relationship status and Twitter was designed to answer the questions. But now these social networking sites offers so many features, like you can read the latest news, you can share your photos, you can even sell your products, and many more. So start including these core networks in your social media marketing plans which will not only give you more visibility but it will also provide you with lot of usable information.

Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube are the most preferred media sharing networks. People use them to find and share photos, video, live video etc.

Media Sharing Networks Benefits Business:

They help in achieving the major social marketing goals like brand awareness, lead generation, audience engagement and many more. Both brands and users can share their photos, videos and live video. There is a cut throat competition between social networks and media sharing networks, as they offer similar feature sets. But, then sharing media is the primary function in media sharing network, therefore it has upper hand when compared to social networks. If we look at relationship networks majority of the post will consist of text, posts etc. Whereas, Instagram and Snapchat provides attractive filters. So, if your business wants to reap the benefits from media sharing networks, then it is possible provided that you have done an exhaustive planning and you have meticulously designed media assets.

Reddit, Quora, Digg are the popular forums for discussion. Here, people can discuss, can ask questions, they find answers to their doubts, they share their opinion, and they share current news & relevant information.

Discussion Forums Benefits Business:

They are oldest type of social media. They are the best resources for conducting market research. Through these forums you can receive and spread lot of information. Also they make you aware about the current trends. Businesses can get benefits by conducting deep customer research and by receiving honest reviews and opinions. If you are diligent enough to keep ads and posts separate, then it is a great place to do advertising.

The best examples for bookmarking and content curation network are Pinterest & Flipboard.
People love using these networks, as they can discover, save, share, and discuss new and trending content and media.

Bookmarking and Content Curation Benefits Business:

It is one of the highly effective networks for doing brand awareness, customer engagement, and for managing & attracting website traffic. It enables people to discover, save, share, and discuss new and trending content and media. These networks are very much in demand among those who are looking out for creative ideas that can add up to their social media marketing plan which would eventually open up new channels that will not only build brand awareness but it will also lead to audience engagement.

Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor are consumer review networks. People use these networks to locate, review, and share information about brands, products, and services, as well as restaurants, travel destinations, and many more.

Consumer Review Network Benefits Business:

The positive reviews build your business goodwill. Unsatisfied customers issues can be tackled and we can convert them into satisfied customers. Over here, people can find true review about brands, businesses, products, services, travel spots etc. These reviews become a very valuable content which can do brand awareness and can attract new consumers. You can reap benefits from consumer review networks; provided that you can successfully attract more positive reviews and you should be capable enough to handle negative ones. In this way, it will help you in establishing good reputation for your business.

WordPress, Tumblr, and Medium are some blogging and publishing networks. These networks are used by people to publish, discover, and comment on content online.

Blogging and Publishing Networks Benefits Business:

If you want to engage with your audience in an effective way and wants to generate leads and sales, then you must include content marketing in your social media marketing strategy. Blogging and publishing networks enables people and brands to publish valuable content online in such a format which motivates discovery, sharing, and commenting. If content marketing is a part of your promotion strategy then your business will achieve huge visibility. Because a blog will not only lead to more brand awareness but it will also carve out a niche for your brand.

Each and every Social Media mentioned above are very beneficial, but again we would recommend rather than choosing any one it is always better to use them in combination which will give your business more visibility and you will be able to attract new audience.