When you think of creating a communication strategy for your business, a few of the best forums are likely to come to mind immediately: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and maybe YouTube or Pinterest, depending on your industry.

However, there are many types of social networking sites out there, with new platforms and formats appearing regularly. Some of them are great Social media marketing services in London while others have the potential to be the next Instagram or TikTok.

One thing that has changed since the early days of social media is that many platforms are used to focus on a single activity, such as social media or photo sharing. Now, many of the established social media platforms have been expanded to include live streaming, virtual reality that unpopular taxpayers see, purchases, public audio, and more.

So, instead of providing you with high-quality descriptions of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn (you can find that anywhere!), We have compiled a variety of platforms into nine standard sections that focus on specific usage situations and what businesses can achieve by using them.

● Public audio forums and formats

Examples: Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces, Spotify

Used: Listening to live chats on specific topics.

How your business can use it: New social media platforms (such as Clubhouse) and formats (like Twitter Spaces) have improved during the closure of COVID-19 while homeowners have more time to join live chats.

The most important benefit of audio forums and formats is the high attention and engagement you can get from the audience who choose to log in.

Live, engaging conversations can help you build your image as a leader in your niche and present your business or products to an important audience that is already interested in topics related to your niche (otherwise, they would not be relevant).

● Video communication forums and formats

Examples: YouTube

Used: Watch videos in short and long formats.

How your business can use it: Video social media forums are great at capturing attention, driving brand awareness, and making products come to life in the way that still images can.

Any video content you publish should be designed to entertain, educate, and/or inspire your audience. Videos for sale will not engage viewers.

● Disappearing content formats

Examples: Snapchat

Used: Sending temporary messages privately and published on time, content currently for all your fans to watch for up to 24 hours.

How your business can use it: Ephemeral formats as news are well suited to deliver timely content, such as announcements, limited edition items, or live events.

Lots of Snapchat news and content also sounds very authentic and slightly tainted due to the 24-hour shelf life. Therefore, it allows businesses to show the human side.

● Discus Forums

Examples: Reddit, Quora

Used: Asking and answering questions, networking, building communities around niche-based topics and interests.

How your business can use it: Be a real help to your customers by borrowing information about your business topic and answering questions related to your industry. Bonus points if you can share information about your product and products in your responses, but that should not be your main goal of participating in forums.

One thing to note: In Reddit, it is very bad to put any ads in responses. If you are posting as a business, be sure to answer the first question and add links to your products only if they are really useful. Before posting to the subreddit, check the rules to make sure including links for your business is allowed.

● Purchased contact forums and features

Examples: Pinterest Product Anchors, Facebook Stores, Instagram Stores, TikTok, Shopify, Douyin, Taobao

Used: Researching and purchasing products from brands directly through social media.

How your business can use it: Take advantage of the built-in features that use your mobile phone to allow your audience to buy from you without leaving the social media app.

Features such as Pinterest product anchors, Instagram stores, and in-app purchases by TikTok allow you to link your product catalog directly to your profile in each app.

Even if your fans are not interested in shopping on social media or have a long customer tour, shopping features can allow you to tag products, add more product information and drive traffic to your website.

● Live streaming forums

Examples: Twitch, YouTube, Instagram Live Rooms, Facebook Live, TikTok

Used: Streaming live video to multiple viewers. Live video streams can range from one person who shows up and what he does on his screen to professionally edited panels with multiple speakers.

How your business can use it: The Livestreaming thunderstorm erupted during a violent time when people were trapped in a home when it was closed and there was nothing they could do.

● Business communication forums

Examples: LinkedIn, Twitter

Used: Communicating with professionals in your industry or potential customers. How to use your business: Business communication forums offer many potential uses: hiring and hiring talent, building B2B relationships, and connecting with professionals in your niche.

Platforms like LinkedIn are ideal for B2B purposes, as they allow products to connect with new audiences, meet them on their network and do business.

● Closed / private-public forums

Examples: Talk, Slack, Facebook Groups.

Used: To create communities, which may require registration or other means of evaluating new members.

How your business can use it: Businesses can use independent groups to bring together members of their community to meet shared challenges, help answer each other's questions, and feel like part of an expert.

As a team manager, your business has the right to set rules about things like promotions. Most groups (especially on Facebook) require members to answer a few questions before joining to check out spam senders, but you can use these sites to ask members to opt-in to your email marketing list.

● Encouraging social media platforms

Examples: Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, blogs

Used: Search for information and find inspiration for anything from cooking to travel to decorating to shopping and more.