Social Media Marketing is an effective strategy for building brand recognition and expanding reach. Furthermore, it can also be utilized to promote special offers or events.
However, with algorithms restricting organic reach and authentic interactions between brands and their followers, many are seeking alternative platforms.
1. TikTok
TikTok is an app that allows users to make videos that are 60 seconds or shorter in duration, adding text overlays, effects, music and more for an engaging viewing experience. TikTok has become increasingly popular among social media influencers and businesses looking to boost engagement with their audiences.
Businesses using TikTok as an advertising medium can take advantage of its various advertising options to reach a targeted audience. Businesses can utilize videos featuring new products or services with Call-to-Action buttons (CTAs) that drive website traffic or sales leads, or utilize catalog ads which allow companies to showcase an entire catalog with tailored videos created specifically for each item in the collection.
TikTok provides businesses with another opportunity to connect with its audience: Spark Ads. These ads allow brands to sponsor organic social content instead of creating their own videos, saving time and effort while reaching more diverse audiences than other ad formats.
Entertainment being the key draw of TikTok, many companies are turning to posting videos with comedic or educational elements – such as humor videos featuring trending dances or skits – as their main form of content on TikTok. But other types of videos focusing on social activism and aspirational messages have also become increasingly popular, providing young people a forum in which to express their opinions on social issues.
TikTok has shown its willingness to listen to its user base despite recent controversy by altering its algorithm multiple times based on feedback from users. Furthermore, TikTok promoted #BlackLivesMatter as a trend to engage young users in fighting racism and join the fight.
2. Dribbble
Dribbble is an online platform where designers can showcase their work, collaborate with other creatives, and find inspiration. Many designers rely on it as an essential tool in landing their next job or finding design jobs.
Dribbble was initially launched in 2009 by Dan Cederholm and Rich Thornett as an invite-only community for designers; later it became open access. Today it attracts over 16 million monthly visitors and is considered an invaluable source for design inspiration.
Dribbble offers a diverse array of design concepts ranging from web design and typography to illustrations and typography. Additionally, this platform provides search features to help narrow your focus: for instance what’s trendy or new or even specific colors with their exact hex codes so it is easy to find similar shades and see how they complement each other.
Dribbble provides an accessible resource to find design inspiration no matter your background or expertise, be it tech businesses seeking branding for their new app to bloggers searching for visual prompts to accompany their latest post. As Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Lyft use Dribbble as part of their talent acquisition strategies it comes as no surprise that many use Dribbble in order to hire top talent for their teams.
Dribbble can be an invaluable source of creative inspiration, but it’s important to keep in mind that not all the work featured there is of high-quality. Some designs may look attractive without actually meeting user needs or being usable – which is why it is wise to combine your Dribbble browsing with other resources like the Design Kit website and freebies specifically created for designers.
3. Vero
Vero, a social media platform that has rapidly gained traction, is rapidly growing in popularity thanks to influencers tagging images on Instagram with #verosocial, encouraging others to download the app and join.
Vero stands apart from major social platforms in that it does not feature any advertisements or use algorithms to determine what users see; you have full control of what content you see!
This platform is divided into three tiers: Close Friends (represented by an image of a diamond), Friends (3 people) and Acquaintances (image of a handshake). You can select which group(s) to share something with when posting something – similar to how people divide up their friendships into categories like close, acquaintance and friend of friend relationships in real life.
Vero requires you to verify your identity when creating an account, either by entering your phone number or scanning a code provided by the app. After verifying your identity, Vero allows you to customize a profile picture and tag other accounts within posts as well as add bios, links to social media profiles and locations where you’re active.
Vero’s main feed features posts shared by those you follow and connect with. Like other social media platforms, Vero allows users to like or comment on posts shared from those they are connected with; unfortunately however, due to its recent surge in popularity it seems to have experienced some technical issues, including slow servers and glitches which users have complained about via Twitter.
4. Ello
Ello is a newly launched social network and all eyes are upon it, but don’t be mislead by its name: it isn’t named for an alien from Labyrinth; rather it provides artists and designers a platform with media attention like an influential fashion friend with velvet rope access.
Ello, unlike Google+, Facebook and Twitter which all attempt to disrupt the market by selling advertisements (Google+, Facebook, Twitter), was designed from its conception as an ad-free social network with no plans of ever having ads. Its minimalist design and promise not to sell data make it attractive for some users; yet its revenue model remains unclear; all seven founders, all artists and designers, don’t hold conventional business roles and their manifesto declares they “aren’t here to sell you anything,” however Fortune reports that Ello may begin selling “special features” that can be added onto profiles for a small fee at some point down the line.
Ello’s survival remains unknown. Should it make it, it will be fascinating to watch its evolution; but at present, it seems like a platform which appeals to a niche crowd of users and artists, enough for it to make the effort worthwhile for some users who have grown tired of family memes and ads on Facebook. So if that describes you too, why not give Ello a try – although don’t be too surprised if some posts seem odd; remembering the site is currently invite only and you must know someone with access before being granted entry.
5. Parler
Launched in 2018, Parler presented itself as an alternative to Twitter and Facebook that supported free speech. Following the 2020 US elections, its popularity skyrocketed – many conservatives and right-wing media personalities promoted it as a refuge from what they saw as biased content moderation policies on larger sites such as Twitter or Facebook.
Parler was created to mimic Twitter in terms of functionality, enabling users to follow accounts and post text posts, photos, GIFs and GIFs into an orderly newsfeed. Furthermore, users may “echo” other user’s content – an equivalent to retweeting in Twitter terms. Parler claims only two rules for its usage: no unlawful material and no spam.
Community guidelines of this platform prohibit hate speech, terrorism, bullying and promotion of conspiracy theories such as QAnon; however despite its pro-free speech stance there have been concerns that it’s becoming a platform for far-right voices. Some users have been banned for using racist or antisemitic language while other reports indicate their posts have been flagged or taken down by moderators. Furthermore, its growth has been severely limited due to challenging market conditions for social media platforms other than Twitter or Facebook.
Google and Apple’s decision to pull Parler from their app stores means new users won’t be able to download it to mobile devices. Though still accessible via web browsers, this decision could signal an increasingly strict stance taken against apps that support political controversy or have links with violence – especially after January 6’s attack on US Capitol blamed on President Trump supporters and subsequent bomb scares at Democratic offices.
