by Valeria Beussink
Social media provides companies and brands with numerous opportunities to connect with their target audiences emphasizing personal touch. Even though this does not mean all PR and marketing pros should jump on the social media “bandwagon” just for the sake of having a Facebook page or Twitter account, staying abreast of the latest social media trends and emerging channels and expanding your horizons is essential in times of the changing landscape of public relations.
In this post, we walk through 3 questions about 3 emerging social media channels and mobile apps that, for certain audiences, might already be taking precedence over standard channels such as Facebook and Twitter. And for those who like experimenting, do give some of them a try and let us know what you think!
Vine
- Why is Vine popular?
Vine is a mobile app that allows you to create and share short, six-second looping videos directly from your mobile device. The clips could be posted on Twitter and Facebook and users can search trending hashtags and videos as well as embed these videos on the web.
Not sure how this works? Check out this first clip from McDonald’s on Vine: http://vine.co/v/bnBLqVBg6Kv.
- Why should you care to pay attention to Vine?
Vine`s popularity has been on the rise since its launch in January 2013 and some of the early adopters include journalists: on February 1, 2013, a Turkish journalist used it to document the aftermath of a suicide bombing outside the U.S. embassy in Turkey.
Within three months of its launch, Vine had grown to be top free app on iTunes and still remains at the top of social networking category of apps, having surpassed Facebook Messenger, Twitter and Pinterest. According to the new Mary Meeker internet trend study, Vine’s monthly active user base soared from 2% to nearly 8% of iPhone owners in the U.S. between January and April.
- How are brands and companies using Vine for social media marketing?
Many forward-thinking brands do not waste their time with trying Vine out and have come up with creative ways to embed Vine in social media strategies.
Lowes created a series of Vine clips about home improvement and life hack tips using the hashtag “lowesfixinsix.”
<iframe src=”https://vine.co/v/bETLlOxpiZU/embed/simple” width=”480″ height=”480″ frameborder=”0″></iframe><script async src=”//platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
You might not expect such company as General Electric to become creative on Vine, but the brand came up with some great ideas for short videos that do not necessarily promote its products, but are very engaging and popular.
<iframe src=”https://vine.co/v/bDY9O7xTllv/embed/simple” width=”480″ height=”480″ frameborder=”0″></iframe><script async src=”//platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
For more ways on using Vine for your business, read this great post from Kristi Hines on Social Media Examiner.
Snapchat
- Why is Snapchat popular?
Snapchat is a mobile app that allows users to send photo messages to their friends. Nothing new? Not so fast. The app allows you to set a timer for one to ten seconds when you send your image, which determines how long a recipient can see it. Once your friend views it for the predetermined time, it’s gone for good.
On the site, it’s described as “the allure of fleeting messages that reminds us about the beauty of friendship – we don’t need a reason to stay in touch. It’s about the moment, a connection between friends, and not just a pretty picture.”
- Why should you care to pay attention to Snapchat?
If people ages 13 to 25, which is the app`s primary users, are part of your target audience, you might have to consider including this channel into your social media efforts. According to Snapchat’s founder Evan Spiegel, 150 million photos are uploaded and shared through the service every day. Compare this data to Instagram claims of an average of 40 million photos that are uploaded a day on its service.
According to Social Media Today, SnapChat provides users with the ability to form a personal connection with their recipient, unlike Facebook or Twitter where the majority of posts and messages are public, and belong to the social network once they have been published.
- How are brands and companies using Snapchat for social media marketing?
TechCrunch recently reported that Taco Bell has been asking its Twitter followers to add the brand on Snapchat, and that Taco Bell has begun sending Snapchats to advertise some of its products.
Mashable reported that New York frozen yogurt chain 16 Handles used Snapchat as a way to give customers a coupon. If a customer snapped a picture eating their products and sent it to the company account, the chain would reply with a picture of a coupon for anywhere from 16% to 100% off on a purchase.
For more tips on how to use SnapChat as part of your marketing strategy, check out this post on Social Media Today.
Source: http://www.salesforcemarketingcloud.com/blog/2013/05/snapchat/
WANELO
- 1. Why is WANELO popular?
Wanelo (“wah-nee-lo,” from Want, Need, Love) functions as an online shopping catalog organized by its members. It aggregates and pulls in content from a variety of different online stores. In contrast to its most obvious competitor Pinterest, WANELO is filled with items that are 100 percent of the times available for purchase, attracting a strong female demographic. It also provides the opportunity for users to share items with friends on StumbleUpon, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, bringing even more attention to products.
WANELO has emerged as brands are trying to understand how to connect to the new generation of tech savvy social shoppers. In her interview to gigaom.com, WANELO CEO Deena Varshavskaya mentions that “brands shouldn’t think of marketing their products any differently than how media companies are thinking about content. Users are going to share your items everywhere, and the brands that make it easier will be the ones that succeed.”
- 2. Why should you care to pay attention to WANELO?
New York Times reported that “the company revealed it had six million registered users through its Web site and application, 70 percent of them visiting the site at least once a month. The service also said that it had a catalog of five million products, including items like printed tennis shoes and jeweled in-ear headphones, from 200,000 different online retailers and shops”.
- 3. How are brands using WANELO for social media marketing?
Companies that have online stores can find a great value in WANELO as users already come to their WANELO stores with the purchasing intent. Posting products on Wanelo and interacting with other users seems to be the most relevant way to engage tech savvy young female customers. A number of retail brands (Sephora, Target, Nike) have flocked to the site to create strong presence and interact with customers.