Overlooked Social Media Platforms You Should be Using

You’re probably familiar with the most common social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. However, there even more out there that don’t get enough attention. These overlooked social media platforms are still very popular and have unique features that make them useful. In this post, we’ll talk about Google+, LinkedIn, Reddit, and Tumblr.

Google+

Google+ is a social media platform run through your Google account. It therefore can be linked to your Gmail, as well as other aspects of your Google life. Although there are a decent amount of users, it is an often overlooked social media platforms when it comes to business.

Personal vs. Branded Accounts

You can create a personal account based on your Gmail account. For example, I have one run through my personal email. However, I also have a Branded Account for Open Prospects. This can then be used as a business account. From here, you can have your posts, communities, and collections separated, but still managed. You should brand this account the same way you want to brand the rest of your social media accounts.

People

You can follow people or have people follow you. This allows them to get updates when they post. In addition, you can add people to specific circles. These circles include friends, family, acquaintances, and allow you to group you connections better.

Communities

When you first join Google+, you’ll be asked to join some communities. These communities are groups of people that are focused on a common topic. You can find communities based on almost any interest. Join those that will benefit from your posts and where you can learn from too.

Collections

Collections are boards where you can group posts. These collections can be themed or can be random-you choose. However, usually, they are themed around certain topics (similar to Pinterest boards). These collections show up on your profile and your followers receive notifications about them.

Posts

You can add posts to your Google+ profile. These can be text posts, links, whatever you want. The catch here is you have options about where to post them. The default option is to post them publicly to your profile. However, you can also post within a community or in a collection. This allows you to target your audience more.

LinkedIn is a professional networking platform. Users create a profile that highlights their experiences. From here, they can make connections with people they know. LinkedIn sometimes makes people verify that they know another user unless they already have mutual connections.

Personal and Business Profiles

Users on LinkedIn are actual people. However, businesses can also have profiles. Users who work for these businesses can connect with them, though anyone is also able to follow them. Businesses can then post content for users to connect with.

Business Uses

LinkedIn is primarily know as a networking platform with an online resume function. This makes it ideal for the jobseeker. However, it can also be very useful for businesses to market themselves. Posting relevant content and facilitating discussions allows a business to show its value to users. If used in the appropriate way, businesses can also market on a B2B level as well.

Reddit is not as mainstream as the two platforms above. However, it has over 234 million unique users and is called the “Front Page of the Internet.” Users must create an account to post or comment, but their accounts are rarely connected to other personal sites.

Subreddits

Reddit is built on the concept of subreddits. These subreddits are like topical discussion threads that you can subscribe to. All of the subreddits that you follow then show up in your “frontpage.” Subreddits are indicated by “/r/…”

Link Posts & Text Posts

If you want to post on Reddit, you have two options: Links and Text Posts. In a link post, you submit a link as your post. There is nowhere to add additional text besides in the comments section. When someone clicks on your post, they are taken right to the link. Text posts are simply posts that only include text. While you can add links, their main purpose is usually discussion.

Upvotes, Downvotes, Comments

Redditors have the option of upvoting and downvoting. These show as two arrows, one facing up, one facing down. These votes are used by Reddit to see how popular a post or comment is, and to change visibility accordingly.

Just like many other social media platforms, users can comment on posts (even link posts). Comment threads can be quite long, as people both subscribed and not-subscribed can comment.

Rules

Before you decide to post in a subreddit that you think is relevant, you need to check the rules. Rules for individual subreddits can be found in the sidebar on the right. Many subreddits are pretty relaxed, but some have ones that may prevent you from posting. Common ones are that you need to have posted a certain number of comments, only text posts are allowed, or you cannot post self-promote (a business, etc.)

Tumblr

Tumblr is essentially a personal blogging platform, but is an overlooked social media platform when it comes to business uses. Users can share posts, pictures, quotes, etc. and follow other users that post desirable content. Many users post visual items, though text posts are still very common. Users follow other users’ blog. This is what then shows up in their feeds.

Many users are regular people who are sharing their thoughts. However, businesses can still have a presence on Tumblr. For example, Denny’s is well known for being quite active on Tumblr.

Reblogging

Reblogging reposts a post to a user’s followers. It is very simple to retweeting in Twitter. This feature is what makes posts spread around the site quite easily.

Like, Comments

In addition to reblogging, users can also like and comment on posts. The like button is a heart icon, while the comment button is a speech bubble. These are then also grouped under “notes” which is shown on the bottom left of the post.

Each of these overlooked social media platforms have their own unique features and audiences. This allows them to be perfect for some businesses and not so great for others. Be sure to investigate them and see what might be helpful for you. Let us know in the comments what you figure out!