According to Techopedia, a social platform is a web-based technology that enables the development, deployment and management of social media solutions and services.
Types of Social Media Platforms
Community Platforms
Platforms where users can pose questions and receive answers, or start conversations with
groups of people with similar interests. (Quora,
Reddit)
Interactive Social Media
Platforms that are more interactive and use
experimental features such as augmented and virtual reality, interactive games and music overlays. (Snapchat, TikTok)
Photo Sharing
Allows users to post images to visual feeds and interact with other users content. (Instagram,
Pinterest)
Microblogging
Allows users to share short snippets of information that other users can interact with.
(Twitter, Tumblr)
Social Networking
The most traditional form of social media - allows users to interact with each other in
different ways. (Facebook, LinkedIn)
Video Sharing
Allows users to post videos to a feed that other users are able to watch and interact with.
(YouTube, Facebook Live, IGTV, Vimeo)
Fun Fact
DID YOU KNOW: That there are thousands of social media platforms, but not all of them are being actively used.Wikipedia has a running list of the active social media sites which currently stands at around 212! This a huge number of social media sites that you could potentially use. If you go onto the wikipedia list you can also view social media platforms that target extremely niche markets that might be worth investigating. Check it out!
Pros and Cons of Social Networking Platforms
Social Networking Pros
Facebook (B2C) and LinkedIn (B2B) are the most prominently used social networking platforms.Social networking sites mostly integrate with scheduling tools.Capabilities of the platform extend to photo and video sharing as well.
Social Networking Cons
Posting only links without the use of images or video may not gain as much engagement.Platforms such as Facebook - as we discussed in lesson 1 - prioritise individual posts higher than
business posts in news feeds.
Pros and Cons of Photo Sharing Platforms
Photo Sharing Pros
Help with brand awareness as images attract attention much more than text.Provides an outlet for showing off highly visual content - such as for restaurants and product shots.
Photo Sharing Cons
Content upkeep may require a photo budget or dedicated production time.Some platforms, like Instagram, are limited to mobile devices only.
Pros and Cons of Video Sharing Platforms
Video Sharing Pros
Rising video trends will keep your brand relevantHelpful to a wide range of industries - how to videos, product explanation videos, demo videos, etc.
Video Sharing Cons
Content can be time-consuming to create and produce.
Video production can become costly.
Pros and Cons of Microblogging Platforms
Microblogging Pros
Microblogging allows you to share short, quick thoughts and ideas that attract attention.Allows you to drive conversation and engagement.
Microblogging Cons
You are limited to the number of characters that you can post.
There is a huge chance of misinterpretation online, which means that you could start a social media shit storm around your brand. There is an old adage that says: all publicity is good publicity - the same is not true for social media.
Pros and Cons of Community
Platforms Community Pros
As a business you can answer users questions or comment on a discussion topic to place yourself as
a thought leader within your industry.Start your own community groups which can drive brand awareness as well an industry authority figure.
Community Cons
Getting downvoted may mean that your posts go unseen.
Your audience may be too niche or too small to build a community around.
Pros and Cons of Interactive Social Media Platforms
Interactive Social Media Pros
These platforms are creative and experimental - attracting young audiences.They are great for storytelling, which will attract people to your brand.
Interactive Social Media Cons
Regular content production can end up being time consuming and costly.These platforms generally prioritise user content over business content.
How to choose a Social Media Platform
1. What industry are you in? A law firm is not necessarily going to use Instagram for their social media.
2. Who is your target audience and what platforms are they on?
3. What resources are at your disposal? Remember that you have to ideate and create all the content that you want to post to each platform - do you have the tools, time and man-power to do it?
4. What kind of budget do you have?
General Platform Guidelines for your Business
If you are a start-up look at 1 or 2 platforms maximum. If you are a medium to large company you can look at 2 to 3 platforms.
If you are an enterprise you can use about 3 to 6 platforms.
