The 5 Different Types of Social Media Networks and Their Advantages

 Discover the newest social media trends and how to apply them to your business.

The 5 Different Types of Social Media Networks and Their Advantages

People use social media to share photos and videos, keep up with friends and family, and engage with companies.

Similarly, companies utilize these social media networks to expand their audiences, undertake target market research, and boost platform engagement.

However, as social media changes, marketers may find it challenging to identify where to spend their attention. And who has the time to successfully participate on all social media sites and apps? No one.

So, which ones should your company employ to communicate with its target audience? That is dependent on a few elements.

Most companies lack the means or, to be honest, the desire to be present on all social media platforms, websites, and applications.

I'll go through the evolution of social media and the biggest social media networks in this tutorial. I'll also discuss the various brand benefits of each network type.

This will assist you in deciding where to focus your efforts, what to maintain in-house, and what to outsource.

Social Media Evolution

Social media platforms have become an essential component of today's marketing environment.

They play an important role in helping organizations interact with and engage existing and future consumers.

These platforms provide limitless options for anything from information exchange to friendship development.

When you think about social media, you usually think of the big names, like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter - and you probably bundle them all together.

There are, however, subgroups of these major social networking networks.

Learning about each platform's unique characteristics and possible prospects will assist companies in developing a more successful social media marketing plan.

So let's start with the traditional platforms. In 2003, LinkedIn and Facebook (formerly Facemash, but who remembers that?) were created.

Twitter quickly followed suit in 2006.

In 2010, the second wave delivered Instagram and Pinterest. Pinterest's growth began slowly before gaining pace; presently, the site has over 86 million followers in the United States alone.

Then, in 2013, Vine, which some regard to be the first TikTok iteration, was released.

Vine's prominence was brief, since the app was shut down in 2017. But that doesn't mean we didn't discover where people's attention is focused: short-form videos.

Today's Social Media

As we can see nowadays, social media networks have been vying with one another by providing more features to retain users on their platforms.

We witnessed this, for example, when Instagram debuted Instagram Reels to compete with TikTok.

More networks, such as Twitter, are increasingly providing chances for their users to go Live.

After discussing how platforms fight to grow and attract their users' attention, let me explain what I mean by a social network.

What Exactly Is A Social Network?

A social network is a subset or subset of a certain type of social media platform or app. There are more social network kinds and sub-types than you would assume.

I'm sure you've heard of some of the sites we've mentioned, such as Facebook and Instagram. But which group do these kinds belong to? And how can your brand interact with its target audience on each of these platforms?

Following that, I'll go over the many forms of social networks and their advantages:

  • Traditional Social Networking Sites.
  • Networks for Sharing Media.
  • Discussion Groups.
  • Networks of Social Blogging.
  • Examine Networks.

1. Traditional Social Networking Sites:

  • Examples include: Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

We spoke a lot about traditional social networks, so I won't go into detail.

However, as I previously stated, there are certain evolving patterns in how companies use conventional social networks.

On LinkedIn and Facebook, for example, we can observe that users frequently share articles and long-form postings.

This is not to imply that short-form messages have vanished; we see them on all traditional social networks.

Facebook has also grown to incorporate new alternatives for involvement, such as Facebook Marketplace for purchasing, Facebook Live, and Facebook Groups.

The site also functions as a directory for companies, allowing them to construct a storefront in the form of a Facebook Page to market their products, book services, message consumers, and leave a place for reviews.

Brands may use Facebook Pages and Groups to interact with their audience and reach new individuals.

LinkedIn, on the other hand, has emerged as a major player in the field of online professional networking.

These conventional social networks let marketers to target their audience with advertisements and do market research using Insights and analytics tools.

2. Networks for Sharing Media:

  • Examples include: Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok.

There are several types of visual information available on media sharing networks, including infographics, pictures, and short and long-form movies.

While this network type supports video and picture media exchange, the majority of networks currently include audio, video, and photographs.

There are many major ways brands utilize Instagram: video and image sharing on the brand's page, followed by Instagram Stories, IGTV, and Reels.

People visit these websites for pleasure, information, and, on occasion, shopping. This provides several options for your brand to reach its target demographic.

TikTok has lately gone popular for a variety of items. When customers can quickly buy using an app, they have a straightforward means to buy without second-guessing.

Brands also utilize these platforms to provide product how-tos, partner with influencers, advertise discounts, and more.

When it comes to Pinterest, you may utilize a variety of marketing methods to help your business develop.

Visual content is an interesting approach to interact with customers and get them to follow, learn more about, and finally purchase your items.

Ads perform well on these platforms, as they do on traditional social networks, especially when marketers employ insights and data to back up their strategy.

3. Discussion Groups:

  • Examples include: Discord, Reddit, and Quora.

When individuals have particular questions or want to debate a topic, sites such as Facebook or Instagram aren't always the best place to go.

People may browse and publish content across platforms for a variety of reasons.

Users on sites like Discord or Reddit, on the other hand, are often looking for answers and connecting with groups of individuals who have similar interests.

People also use these sites for study.

Brands may use Discussion Networks to answer inquiries and engage with their communities.

Discord alone allows for the creation of customer community groups, events, and live streaming.

Jumping into a debate about your business or industry may help clarify topics and demonstrate your willingness to connect with your audience.

Your efforts to reach your audience where they like to communicate will help you gain long-term consumers.

4. Networks of Social Blogging:

  • Examples include: Medium, Tumblr, Blog Meets Brand.

When an image or video isn't the best method to convey information to your audience, a blog might be a fantastic alternative.

A blog is sometimes the best way to distribute information. It may, for example, better clarify a subject and assist readers in understanding more difficult themes.

Blogs are useful for thought-leader content. They can elaborate on critical information or news.

Through social blogging networks, your brand may also repurpose, build on, or share what it generates on its website.

It's a terrific approach for newer companies to establish their voice and increase their following.

These are extra forums for companies to express their ideas on what important to them and their target audience, in addition to their websites.

5. Examine Networks:

  • Examples include: Yelp, Glassdoor, Google Business Profile, Trip Advisor.
The most significant aspect of review networks for brands is online reputation management.

Responding quickly to both good and negative reviews in a kind and empathic manner is critical for maintaining a strong online reputation.

Reading internet reviews has become an important part of the customer experience, and your company should not disregard them.

Claiming listings on multiple review networks and developing a strategy to manage them might benefit your brand's reputation. It may also demonstrate to future and current consumers how your company responds to criticism.

It can also point up areas for improvement. As a result, it's a fantastic, though occasionally underused, resource.

Check out these Yelp tips for ideas on how to improve your listing.

Reviews are also an important aspect of local SEO since when people search locally, they like to look at the reviews for local companies before making a purchase.

People frequently use a combination of Google and Google Maps to locate companies near them. It is critical to optimize your Google Business Profile for local search in order to reach more prospective consumers.

Last Thoughts

For companies, social media has become an intimidating yet extremely useful marketing component.

However, classifying social media networks and determining which ones your company wishes to participate with might help to simplify things.

Then, your company may devote the necessary resources, personnel, and time to developing a social media strategy.

Some companies may outsource social media management components such as online reputation management, blog authoring, social media post development, ad design, and cross-platform customer assistance.

After examining your brand's goals, it will be easy to determine which platforms to focus on and which to avoid for the time being.

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