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What Are The Different Types Of Social Media?

Writer's picture: Terry WilliamsTerry Williams

Social media consists of many types of networks for people who engage in a variety of different interests. Marketing and advertising on social media are economical and effective, helping you to connect with a wider audience. Learning about the popular types of social media can help you create more specific, meaningfully targeted marketing campaigns.


In this post, we explain the reasons social media is important for promoting your brand's goods or services and discuss the different types of social media used today.


Brand awareness and social media


Social media platforms help you build brand awareness, communicate with customers, build a niche audience and increase sales without spending excessive amounts of your marketing budget. Useful content can attract more prospective customers, helping them to remember your brand.


Building a consistent brand on multiple social media websites allows you to create a successful presence while engaging with customers. You can use social media to answer customers' questions, troubleshoot issues and inform them of any upcoming special events or sales.


10 types of social media


Knowing the differences between types of social media and how users interact with them can help you engage more effectively with prospective customers. Here are some of the most popular types of social media:


1. Social networks


Social networking sites help people connect with each other and offer a multitude of ways for different brands to attract individuals. Users can share their thoughts, form groups based on their interests, curate content, upload photos and videos and participate in group discussions.


You can reach wide and diverse audiences with advertisements and persuade influential people with the right targeting metrics. You can also build connections between your brand and those individuals, research user preferences and monitor online conversations about your business.


Learning what people post about your brand on social networks can help you use that information to create a positive presence and boost brand awareness. Examples of social networking platforms:



2. Discussion forums


Discussion forums encourage people to answer each other's questions and share ideas and news. Many of these social media sites focus on posing questions to solicit the best answer. Answering them correctly and honestly can increase your credibility on the forum.


That credibility and respect could lead to an increase in visits to your business or product website. You can also use discussion forums to do market research by asking people what they think of your products and brand. This can help you create more focused marketing campaigns. Examples of discussion forums:



3. Image-sharing networks


These social media sites let people share photos and related content. They offer a platform to start conversations, inspire creativity, make products seem more appealing and encourage customers to talk about your brand.


For example, a clothing company could give everyone who posts a picture of their gear on the image-sharing network a chance to win a gift certificate. Examples of image-sharing networks:



4. Bookmarking networks


Bookmarking networks are platforms where users save different ideas, articles, posts and other content for later use. Many people also share links to lists of online resources. The purpose of these websites is to discover new content based on shared interests and to discuss trends.


You can use these networks to direct people to your website and engage with and influence their opinion by sharing your own content to bookmark. Examples of bookmarking networks:



5. Blogging and publishing networks


These social media networks give you a place to publish your thoughts on your job, current events, hobbies and more. You can enjoy many of the benefits of having your own blog without having to host it on your own website.


You can also attract new readers from the pool of people who visit the network looking for interesting content. Consider writing blog posts about how to use your product in creative ways or post news about your industry to drive more traffic to your account. Examples of blogging and publishing networks:



6. Consumer review networks


These sites display customers' reviews of businesses, giving users a full perspective of the type of services and products offered and the overall satisfaction rate. Customer reviews can help you identify any common problems that many people share and allow you to improve their experiences over time.


Promoting positive reviews and thoughtfully handling negative ones can make your business more popular and boost brand awareness. Examples of consumer review networks:



7. Interest-based networks


Use these specialized networks to share your hobbies and unique interests with others. Sites and apps related to your industry can help you network by shared interest as well.


For example, an interest-based site could allow people to discuss their favorite books and get recommendations about what to read next. Authors could create profile pages to promote their work and answer questions from readers. Examples of interest-based networks:



8. Sharing economy networks


These sites give people access to resources by encouraging them to share goods and services. For example, a sharing economy site focused on pets could help a user find someone willing to take care of their dog while on vacation.


It would be less costly than a kennel and more comfortable for the pet. If your company sells pet toys or food, you could gain new customers by advertising, perhaps by offering promotions of your products or services for users to try. Examples of sharing economy networks:



9. Social shopping networks


These networks help people spot trends, share great finds, make purchases and follow their favorite brands. They focus on e-commerce, and the social element makes it engaging and entertaining. These social shopping sites are ideal for building awareness about your brand and selling to a wider audience.


Many of them let hobbyists and small business owners sell their art, jewelry, crafts and other items. Sellers are able to reach customers who are looking for unique, handmade products. Other social shopping networks offer home-related products along with content about home improvement, making them interest-based networks as well.


Many social networks now also include social shopping elements. People can sell items to their friends, followers and other buyers near them, making it much easier to get rid of old appliances and furniture. Examples of social shopping networks:



10. Video hosting platforms


Video hosting platforms give independent filmmakers, journalists and other creators a way for their audiences to stream videos quickly and easily. Brands can use paid ads to reach new customers, they can ask influencers to use and talk about their products or they can film their own video content. Examples of video hosting platforms:




What Are The Different Types Of Social Media?

















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