SocMed Channels

Socmed channels have different categories, changing the marketing world entirely. As a huge part of online marketing, a socmed channel allows one to connect, share, and create various content. Because it’s so groundbreaking, traditional media has to adapt to keep up with the audiences. 

As an example, newspapers publish content traditionally and online for the best of both worlds. While they reach certain markets through print publications, they get instant feedback from readers online. Their interactions with the online content serve as the basis for their editorial decisions. Online content not only includes text and images but also videos and links.

There are four kinds of socmed channels. These include social networks, location, content creation, and bookmarking and aggregating. 

Social Networking as a socmed Channel

Social networking sites are highly used socmed channels for building communities. An online community refers to the connection being shared online. It’s built through common activities and interests. Software, then, is necessary when considering this socmed channel.

When social networking, you need to use Internet tools to connect. Some sites include MySpace, LinkedIn, and Facebook. They require you to produce your personal profile and interact with people through messages, blog posts, and other media being shared. With this socmed channel, you may extend far beyond your personal network. 

Beware of the information you share on social networking sites. Make sure you are not anonymous to build a brand. But also guarantee that you don’t overshare. Other users’ information is also optimized for targeted advertising. Aside from basic demographics, the likes and dislikes of the users are also gathered.

Facebook is one of the most common social networking sites out there. Some terms to remember for using Facebook for your brand include:

• Page. This alludes to the profile of your business. It’s similar to the term profile, which is used for personal accounts.
• Application. Games, contests, photo uploaded, and other tools are the third-party applications you can utilize on Facebook.
• Facebook Connect. This is Facebook’s feature that lets you open an account somewhere else with your Facebook login details. 
• News Feed. This is like the “homepage” where the content of your friends or liked pages appear. Your content also appears on other people’s news feeds. Consider the algorithm every time you create content so that you get more chances of appearing on the news feed.

Unlike content creation, location services, and bookmarking, social networking heavily relies on ads. To generate revenue, they design and implement targeted advertisements based on psychographic and demographic information that is readily available. 

Content Creation as a socmed Channel

One of the most prominent sites for content sharing is YouTube. As a socmed channel, the content being created, uploaded, and shared here are purely videos. But many brands tap into other socmed channels for content creation. Images and audio are becoming relevant now. Instagram and Podcasts are some sites used. 

What makes these channels famous is that they are free. Everyone can join, whether you are the creator or the viewer of the content. This means they are ideal platforms for building relationships with potential customers. Another reason to use content creation sites is that they are easily embedded into other sites. For example, if you have a personal or business blog, you can attach your brand’s YouTube video to your posts. The audience will find it easy to talk about your content to their connections!

Here are the most famous types of content creation:

• Image sharing
• Video sharing
• Blogging
• Microblogging
• Podcasting

Twitter is a microblogging site worth noting. Lately, it has become popular as an online marketing tool for brands, individuals, and organizations. But it’s not purely for advertising or marketing. Some use it for instant customer service. Others use it for news updates, live broadcasts, and opinion-sharing within fandoms. 

Location and socmed

Another socmed channel to utilize is the location service of sites like Facebook Places and Foursquare. Users can “check-in” at any location that they visit using their mobile devices. Sharing one’s location with others also allies them to look for others who also checked in. They can send messages, leave reviews, or upload photos of the place. To increase the fun, one can become “mayor” of a location they have visited more than other users on Foursquare.

Digital marketers find location-based services appealing because they acquire information and engage with customers better. They can also retain their people by leveraging interactions in time and space. If someone shares online that they have recently checked in at this salon, their friends get interested and would want to try it as well. This becomes even more effective when the friend posts positive reviews of the place.

If you want to encourage customers to check-in and leave positive reviews, you may offer deals and rewards to those who do. Produce a service where you incentivize them for sharing your location online. This will surely generate a huge return on investment. 

Bookmarking and Aggregating for Marketing

Bookmarking online traditionally refers to keeping the page or site which you might use in the future. It allows you to save the URL so you can come back to it later on. But social bookmarking sites are a unique form of socmed channel. Not only are you able to save links, but you can also utilize tags for describing and sharing with other users. With some sites, you can send links that other people vote on. Meanwhile, some let you use tags to explore other lists created.

Chiclets are used by websites to let individuals submit content to be aggregated or bookmarked. The chiclets are located around the content for easier submission and sharing. 

Bookmarking sites let you know what online users find interesting, funny, and beneficial. With these tools, you’ll be able to reach users with the same hobbies, interests, and preferences as yours. 

Stumbleupon was a famous site that allows users to explore various content and pages depending on their likes. Categories are selected for the service to randomly present relevant websites.

© Image credits to Jot