Different Social Media Platforms for Different Niches
When the word “social media” strikes our ears, all we can think of is Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Messenger, Twitter, and LinkedIn. But did you know that there are ways to connect with smaller groups of people around a common interest or lesser-known topic? There are platforms that are lesser known yet, that are interestingly beneficial for individuals and companies working in a particular niche. Here are some of the niche-specific social networking platforms. And, as we’ll see, there appears to be a social networking platform for just about any interest.
Twitch is a gaming community’s live streaming platform. Twitch, which launched in June 2011, is where you can watch live-streamed video game competitions, individual gamer streams, and instructional. Twitch has two distinct user groups due to the platform’s design. It has 3.8 million unique broadcasters and a total viewership of 144 million people. The streamer and viewers participate in a live chat on the screen to make it even more dynamic. Twitch is now expanding beyond its gaming roots to incorporate user-generated content on a variety of themes. Businesses can place advertisements on the site or sponsor competitions.
DeviantArt is a social media website for visual artists that has been around since August 2000. DeviantArt is the world’s largest art community, with 48 million users worldwide. It offers a platform for artists to share their work. And it has 370 million pieces on its site to date. From paintings to sculptures to pixel art and anime, there’s something for everyone. Members can like or comment on various items, as well as track artists and their work. Businesses can leverage their branding by creating creative challenges or collaborating with influencers.
Tumblr is a blogging platform that allows users to build blogs using a variety of media, including images, GIFs, links, memes, cartoons, fan art, and more. Users can reblog posts, like or comment on them, and subscribe to other people’s blogs. Tumblr was launched in 2007 and now hosts more than 50 million blogs. Businesses can buy sponsored postings, similar to how they can on Twitter and Pinterest, and they can also buy platform takeovers.
Medium is another blogging platform that caters to readers, writers, and the insatiably curious, as the name implies. Medium is an online magazine that was created in 2012 that allows readers to post short and long-form pieces on a variety of themes including marketing, personal finance, travel, science, and more. No-name writers to well-known influences like Barack Obama are among the medium contributors. The number of readers has risen to 120 million. Writers can also participate in a partner program that pays them when readers read their articles.
Medium has proven to be a wonderful platform for businesses to post their blogs, which may then drive traffic to their websites.
GitHub
GitHub is a platform for coders, developers, and engineers that was launched in 2008. GitHub is an interactive arena where its 50,000,000 developers share their work, may help each other write code, and cooperate on each other’s projects. It focuses less on the social component of social media and more on connecting over projects and initiatives. GitHub is also used by 2.9 million businesses to recruit coders to help them launch new initiatives. While GitHub does not allow corporations to advertise, it does allow them to collaborate with developers.
Stack Overflow, which was launched in 2008 and is part of the stack exchange network, is similar to GitHub. Stack Overflow is a developer and programmer community that focuses on questions and answers. It has approximately 100 million users who ask questions that are answered by other users, and answers can be upvoted based on their usefulness. For their efforts, users can earn badges. By providing answers or advertisements, businesses can increase their authority and competence. Businesses can also post job openings in the community for developers and programmers.
Quora, created in 2009, is another question-and-answer social media platform. Quora offers a wide range of topics, including business, science, writing, and travel.
And it has over 300 million users who ask questions about the topics or responds to those who have asked queries. Users can customize their feed to view topics that interest them and participate in the discussion boards with their knowledge. The best responses can also be upvoted by users. Businesses can participate as well, either by answering questions to establish credibility or by sponsoring postings.
Reddit, which was launched in 2005, is probably the most well-known site that acts in a question and answer format. Its 430 million monthly active users, known as Redditors, can join one of over 130,000 community forums and post questions, observations, stories, or films to which other users can comment.
Users can upvote responses, and better answers earn higher ratings. Businesses can participate by sponsoring ads or participating in debates.
Product Hunt is another site that focuses on the tech community. In 2014, a tech E-Commerce site/discussion board startup was launched. Users can post products or services to Product Hunt, and other members can like or upvote them. Pitch decks, Chrome extensions, websites, and applications are all examples of products. It is used by businesses, particularly startups, to raise awareness of their new products.
Then there’s Goodreads, a reader-focused social media platform where people can bond over books they’ve read.
Goodreads, which was founded in 2007, has over 90 million members who keep track of their reading on a virtual bookshelf, post book reviews, create reading lists, and discuss their favorite books with other members. The Goodreads network now has 2.6 billion books, and users can follow other users’ accounts to get book recommendations. Publishers use the site to give away advanced reader copies and communicate with audiences around upcoming releases, while authors use it to connect with readers.
Letterboxd, a social website for movies similar to Goodreads, was created in 2012. Letterboxd allows users to keep track of and review the movies they’ve seen, as well as follow other users for movie recommendations, build watchlists, and talk about the movies they’ve seen. Letterboxd also tells you where you may watch movies on Netflix and other streaming services. Letterboxd is a social media website with 1.5 million subscribers. Businesses can advertise on the site if they wish to reach out to movie fans.
Now, let’s look at a social media platform based around people wanting to get healthier.
MyFitnessPal is a calorie and fitness tracker that was founded in 2005 to assist people in losing weight, eating better, and living a healthier lifestyle. MyFitnessPal, which has 180 million users, also has a community forum where users may follow and comment on each other’s progress. Group discussions, recipe sharing, and fitness challenges are all available. On MyFitnessPal, businesses wishing to target the health and fitness market will discover a suitable audience.
You wouldn’t think of using a social media platform to connect with real-life individuals in your neighborhood, but Nextdoor does just that. Nextdoor is a social media website for neighbors that was founded in 2011. It is divided into communities where neighbors may get to know one another, post about community events, connect through volunteer activities, report neighborhood issues, and even advertise stuff for sale. Local and state government entities can now submit notifications to the Nextdoor news stream. Because Nextdoor has over 260,000 communities, businesses may target highly specific demographics with their advertising.
Finally, we’ll look at one of the first large-scale social networking platforms. From 2005 to 2008, Myspace, which was created in 2003, was the most popular social networking site in the world, until it was overtaken by Facebook’s popularity. Since then, Myspace has evolved into a platform for musicians, with its own record label. It has 7.5 million users today and is still going strong.
Aside from these social media platforms, many businesses are increasingly incorporating the concept of connection and personal interaction into their operations.
Discord is a free audio, video, and text chat service used by tens of millions of individuals aged 13 and above to communicate and socialize with their friends and communities. People use Discord on a daily basis to talk about everything from art projects to family trips to homework and mental health support. It’s a gathering place for individuals of all sizes, but it’s especially popular among small, active groups of people who contact on a daily basis.
The great majority of servers are private, invite-only locations where friends and communities can communicate and spend time together. There are also larger, more open groups based on certain topics like popular video games like Minecraft and Fortnite. Users have complete control over who they interact with and how they use Discord because all chats are opt-in.
People adore Discord because it serves as a hub for all of their online networks and social groupings. It’s a safe haven where they can be themselves while socializing with others who share their interests and pastimes. There is no algorithm that determines what they should view, no continuous scrolling, and no news feed. Conversations in Discord are powered by shared interests.
TripAdvisor, Inc. is a US-based online travel company that provides a user-generated content website and mobile app, as well as a website for comparing prices. It also takes online reservations for transportation, lodging, vacation activities, and restaurants. TripAdvisor is a great area to interact with guests and to improve a hotel’s reputation.
Providing excellent customer service is, of course, one of the best ways to ensure that a hotel receives positive TripAdvisor reviews.
The blog is compiled and written by Ms. Vidhi Thakar who is a content contributor on our website. If you have any questions or feedback, kindly please write back to us.
