Alignable, Tumblr, Reddit, and Patreon are the last four social networks on our journey through alternatives to the historical big boys!
Although Facebook and Youtube are often the most prominent social networks that come to mind when thinking about thriving social networks, other growing platforms play host to millions of users.
But, they are hardly the end all and be all of the social networks. Let's dig a little further and explore four other players in the social media space, each distinctive from the others and positioned uniquely in their niches.
All four of these social platforms hold untold opportunities for business promotion, provided the marketers follow all rules and use the system in a manner that appeals to users.
Alignable aims at a relatively underserved market, local businesses. Although larger platforms also serve small business customers, it's not their primary focus, so it's easy for these enterprises to get lost in the shuffle. Alignable doesn't have any extra fluff, so it's easier to find and connect with others.
Alignable's tight focus on local businesses is what sets them apart from rivals, most of whom have much wider scopes.
The userbase of Alignable is exclusively local business owners and employees. Current members send invites to other connections they feel may benefit from joining, which also helps them grow their networks.
Alignable is straightforward when it comes to marketing by providing multiple tools to help local businesses build their following. That means direct participation and advertising, depending on your budget, will be sufficient. The site also helps small businesses network with others in their community, which is a straightforward way to find cross-promotional activities.
Tumblr has been online since 2007 and currently hosts almost five hundred million microblogs. In the early days, the site thrived due to its lenient policies regarding NSFW content. Verizon took over the company and followed stricter content management rules, removing much of the platform's offensive content.
Tumblr's audience is young and always has been. 66% of the users of the platform are under the age of thirty. In 2019 Automattic purchased the site and its userbase for bargain basement prices, and according to the New York Times, it planned to make it a "happy home for weirdos."
Marketers who are looking to target a young, hip audience will find Tumblr is the right venue. The site has always emphasized creativity and originality, so companies need to bring those qualities to any campaign.
Since it's a microblogging platform, consistent short-form updates are a direct way to build an audience. Naturally, posting on topics that are vital for Tumblr's audience will help grow the userbase even faster. Advertising on Tumblr may also be an option, especially for companies who want to reach under 35-year-old users. All campaigns should focus on unique audience traits and be compatible with the overall site gestalt.
Reddit, owned by Advance Publications, is a large news aggregator and social network where users comment on current events.
Reddit is a top-rated, heavily trafficked platform, with over 430 million unique visitors each month. The site is currently the seventh most visited site in the United States so that you can find large groups of people from all walks of life with every possible interest.
Reddit provides a way for viral content to make it to the home page, which results in massive exposure. Well-loved content can generate millions of views and a lot of exposure to new potential audience members. The competition is fierce to achieve front page dominance, but the rewards make an effort worth trying.
For marketers who have products with the potential to go viral, Reddit might be the place to focus. The key is to focus on and find an appropriate Subreddit to build your reputation. Making yourself into a valuable contributor, which takes time and effort, helps ensure your content gets viewed by others and sparks positive engagement. It could take regular practice to get things right, but a trusted presence in an active community is a fast way to launch your products to a broader group. If you struggle with marketing concepts on Reddit or lack the requisite time, you may outsource the task to a specialist.
Reddit sells advertising in multiple formats and also allows direct participation for marketers. Almost every company has some representation on Reddit, and many even have dedicated Subreddits for discussion.
Marketers who want to get business from Reddit will benefit significantly from research. All sub-Reddits have distinctive cultures, and the users tend to be aggressive about commercial messages they don't like. That's why it's a savvier move to be a member first before attempting to move to sell on the platform. That said, many companies do very well on Reddit because they have deep insights into the users they're targeting.
Patreon is a membership platform designed for the specific purpose of giving users a way to support their favorite content creators from around the web. Due to its intended purpose, the service hosts content from creators behind a paywall and provides social tools for users.
A broad range of creative types utilizes Patreon to help monetize their content production. You'll find YouTube videographers, bloggers, independent writers, webcomic artists, podcasters, musicians, and adult content creators are the primary people building audiences on Patreon. The site also hosts their fans, who come from various social platforms to support their favorites.
The creators on Patreon often provide members-only content that they publish to the site to entice contributions. Patreon provides a steady, growing revenue stream for an otherwise almost wholly unpredictable business model for those who excel at community building.
The best way to increase revenues on Patreon is through membership marketing. Building an audience and monetizing it through their system is straightforward and requires little more than standard community building and content marketing skills.
What do we recommend?
This was the final installment of a 3-part search and discovery of the top 20 social networks focusing on Marco Polo, Medium, MeWe, Alignable, Tumblr, Reddit, and Patreon. We confidently recommend adding Alignable, MeWe, and tumbler to your business' digital media assets. If you are planning on dumping your current profiles or if you feel the need to expand, these three alternatives can be easily managed and the time spent will produce new business. Click here for more information on our Facebook Alternative Management Packages.
Alignable, Tumblr, Reddit, and Patreon are the last four social networks on our journey through alternatives to the historical big boys!
Branded content marketing includes content creation, curation, distribution, monitoring, and analysis. A successful marketer will weave your branded content throughout all of your channels (website, social media, print media), creating a unified message that reaches your desired audience at the right time.
Think like the amazing Marvel character Spider-Man. His unique sense of style and personal brand both spring to mind instantly. He wears a skintight bodysuit, spins webs, and climbs walls effortlessly. When you consider Spidey, his message is quite clear. Spider-Man never leaps into action or spins a web without wearing his patented uniform. He knows that people won't attribute his accomplishments to him without his unique branding.
If you prefer not to do these tasks yourself, our agency would be happy to help! Meme creation is one of our favorite tasks! We do all the other digital marketing agency stuff, too. Check out our packages and extra services here.
The Social Media Lady is a constantly adapting social media agency that gets excited to exceed our clients' expectations. We serve the most value to those businesses without a social media professional on-staff. We enjoy the unusual but can make stodgy look stimulating. We want people to compliment your content. (C) 2020, Shreveport, Louisiana.
Contact Us: in**@th****************.biz, (318) 550-3687
If you want to take a crack at meme creation, we highly recommend Canva (link below.) It is easy to use, free cloud-based software with an app for your phone!
Several of the links provided on this page are Affiliate Links. That means that if you use them to complete a purchase or create a subscription, we receive a commission of some kind. Using this code does not cost you anything extra, and sometimes we can get you a discount or freebie for using our code. If we recommend a product, we use it and genuinely appreciate the product or service. We do not recommend products we do not like. We clearly label all products that we have not used yet and therefore have not yet been reviewed.
The Social Media Lady is a constantly adapting social media agency that gets excited to exceed our clients' expectations. We serve the most value to those businesses without a social media professional on-staff. We enjoy the unusual but can make stodgy look stimulating. We want people to compliment your content. (C) 2020, Shreveport, Louisiana.
Contact Us: in**@th****************.biz, (318) 550-3687
