Marketers are turning to new tools to make sure the content is seen.
How Snapchat, Medium and LIFE IN HI-FI are emerging as key social marketing platforms
With the current emphasis on content, marketers are faced with pressure to create engaging content that is shareable and discoverable. For years, Facebook has been viewed as the mecca for digital marketers. The network provides the tools necessary to measure campaign success while targeting specific audiences and engaging users.
However, one vital component is lacking in Facebook campaigns. With the increase of paid advertising on the network, it is harder for organic content to stand out. If organic reach is not possible on Facebook, what tools can marketers use to reach their audiences and ensure that their brand’s content is seen?
Snapchat: Brands now creating ultra-short visual stories
The first step to reaching customers is making sure the content you’re creating connects with the right audience. By providing discoverable content, marketers increase the likelihood of having their message heard. Snapchat Discover provides brands with a place to house engaging videos that are easily searchable through the Discover tab. Through Snapchat Stories, brands can create catchy content that emphasizes their message.
Traditional social media pushes messaging to viewers. Snapchat has flipped this method on its head by creating a curated source of information where users can search and select exactly what they would like to consume. If, for example, a user is looking for culinary inspiration, he can select The Food Network channel and watch relevant clips. All channels on Discover are equally visible, putting users in charge of the content they consume.
Medium: Share your message through a writing platform
The ability to easily share content determines the reach of a campaign. Medium provides content marketers with a great platform to showcase content. By creating a space where anyone can post content, Medium has leveled the playing field for web content. Instead of posting on smaller individual blogs, anyone from Secret’s CEO to a budding poet can share their message.
For a message to be heard, it essential for posts to be shared; Medium hubs Backchannel and The Message are writing collectives that share curated tech information on the platform. Using the platforms, Backchannel selects unique content, which it shares and pushes, ensuring that information is not swallowed by the mass of information on the web.
Bringing hashtags to life with LIFE IN HI-FI, the mobile lifestyle network.
LIFE IN HI-FI: A new way to find & share content
Along with sharable and accessible content, consumers must engage with the brand’s material. LIFE IN HI-FI (disclosure: LIFE IN HI-FI is a Blonde 2.0 client) is an interest-based social media network where users share content through private and public hashtags. Today it is essential to separate content into subject specific platforms, this allows users to easily consume and engage with information they are interested in. Through hashtags HI-FI separates content into focused channels. Imagine your TV only had one channel, with sci-fi shows, foreign films and sports coverage on one network. With this mix of content it would be impossible to find what you are looking for. This is what most social feeds look like. HI-FI offers a refreshing change. Through hashtags users select their interests and focus on relevant content, resulting in higher engagement.
HI-FI users can now invite friends to follow hashtags through text messages, making it easier for a brand to increase its reach. The app’s native sharing function also ensures a message can be found and spread organically. With HI-FI’s sharing function, content is shared and searched within the app, insuring the content does not drown in a news feed or within paid advertising.
At first glance it feels like it’s impossible to have your message stand out in the sea of content available on the Web. However, when using the right tools, it is possible to not only reach your audience but use their networks to reach your goals. Grassroots marketing has always held a strong weight because consumers put trust in the experiences of people they know. With a well thought-out content strategy, marketers can capitalize on social connections and have users discover and share their message.
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