TikTok, Clubhouse, Instagram, oh my! What social site should your brand use?
If you’re not personally on TikTok…what are you doing with all that free time? I don’t know about you, but I will be the first to admit that I could spend hours on that app. It somehow sucks me in and time seems to stand still. Also, have you heard of Clubhouse? You probably have because it started the craze of hosting events with just voice, no video. An introvert’s dream. The year 2020 brought us plenty of crummy situations, but it also brought us the booming popularity of new social media apps such as TikTok and Clubhouse. Take a deeper look into these two emerging platforms.
With the introduction of a new social media platform, you will always have brands flocking to be the first on the bandwagon. But, not all social media sites are for all kinds of brands. It’s important to remember to do your due diligence in researching the site before jumping right on, and join the site if it makes sense for your brand. Let’s talk about the pros and cons of jumping right into a new social media platform and the rise of TikTok.
Pros of Joining New Social Media Platforms
Brands always want to be the first on any new social media platforms because they think it will keep them fresh and up-to-date with consumers. The truth is, not all brands need to be on every social media platform. For example, imagine the beloved Southern grocery store, Publix, on Clubhouse. It wouldn’t make much sense for the brand, and people may think it’s just a “money grab” type of situation. But, there are other sides to this as well. A brand that might do well on Clubhouse would be Nike. They could include motivational speakers, meditation sessions, and more.
When social media platforms first come out, there are some pros to joining them first. These pros include:
- Leader in your industry with trends
- Ability to start viral content on the platform while people are still joining
- Reaching a new customer base
Make sure you truly understand what social media platforms are best for your brand, especially when it comes to video content. We all know that video content is the future.
Cons of Joining New Social Media Platforms
It’s always a toss-up on if new social media platforms are going to make it in the ever-changing digital world. We have seen the quick rise and fall of many social media platforms over the years (rip Vine). Here are the top cons of joining a new social media platform when it first comes out:
- More expense to your business to hire someone who knows the platform
- Potential waste of resources and energy
- Risk of confusion to the audience
Here’s a more in-depth look at why you should not join every social media platform for your brand:
Is TikTok Here to Stay?
Unlike Vine, TikTok is here to stay. Consumers are constantly craving smaller and shorter bits of content to consume. The attention span of the average social media user is getting shorter and shorter, so content needs to shorten to stay relevant. TikTok is the perfect platform for this because it promotes the sharing of short clips of content that ranges from humor to education.
In recent years, individuals have been more vocal about the negative impacts social media has on our younger generations. It promotes unrealistic beauty standards and “fake lives” that people are striving to have for themselves. I find that TikTok shies away from this type of content. Also, you are able to follow and see more people outside of just the people you know, so you are exposed to a variety of different viewpoints on popular topics.
In the end, it’s completely up to your brand if they enter into a new social media platform. There are pros and cons to every situation, and it needs to be carefully considered for every brand. It’s important to keep up to date on the future of marketing and understand where your brand best fits in.
