Posting and interacting with your followers on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, and other social media platforms can be a lot of work. But if you’re a brand in e-commerce, maybe there are other social networks that might be able to give you an edge against your competitors.
Case in point: If you haven’t heard of Wanelo or Polyvore, or you’re not active on Instagram and Snapchat, you might want to start there.
In a post for The Next Web, Joey Kotkins, founder and CMO at Inside Social, gives an overview of what the next big social network might be – and whether it makes sense to jump on a new platform, instead of limiting your brand to the usual suspects.
Here’s what you need to know:
- There are a lot of pros in trying out new platforms. Your existing fans can share some of your specific products on the platforms of their choice, and people who haven’t heard of you yet might find you through new platforms. New platforms can fit into one of two categories – social commerce (think Polyvore, Wanelo, and Fancy) and visual sharing (along the lines of Vine, Snapchat, and Instagram).
- Sounds good, but here’s the downside: because a lot of these platforms are so new, they might not have as many opportunities for data analytics or advertising, unlike their more established social counterparts.
- For example, Polyvore, Wanelo, and Fancy might be social platforms to watch. According to Silverbean, a digital marketing agency, Polyvore has contributed to 20 per cent of conversions. The site allows users to put their own outfits together, based on apparel and accessories from different sources. There’s also Wanelo, which features online stores for brands like Free People. These are great ways of reaching millennials and youth in Generation Z, so if your brand’s target market is this demographic, it might be good to become an early adopter.
- However, before you jump on a social commerce platform, make sure your product really fits these social platforms. For example, brands that tend to do well on these platforms include fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. What’s interesting is that your brand won’t get to do a ton of messaging – on Wanelo, brands can create “stories,” while on Polyvore, you can create “sets” or “collections,” but those are mostly for consumers to browse through. The real engagement is between consumers, so ensure your products align well with these social platforms and the types of users that are engaging with them.
- Even so, putting your best and latest products on these social platforms might be a good move, as they can help boost your sales. If your customers are here, and your products fit with the platforms, it might be worth trying it out.