Social sells: the top platforms to get onboard with

 Consumer behaviours are changing at warp speed and social media channels are becoming more fragmented and dispersed. The importance of engaging your customer at the right moment has never been more critical for a brand’s success. But what are the social media channels a brand should consider? Are there upcoming social media platforms you should be keeping a close eye on?Here are four social media platforms worthy of consideration to help your brand attract and engage your audience:TikTokTikTok is the fastest growing social media platform globally, with over 1 billion downloads. The Chinese owned app is seen as unique in that it allows users to create short videos with music and special effects. Skewed slightly towards females and attracting Gen Zs and younger millennials, TikTok is a highly effective method of reaching a youth audience. Social media analysts predict it currently has approximately 800 million monthly active users globally, who engage on the platform for 52 minutes each day. TikTok offers a range of options for brands to consider including brand takeover ads, hashtag challenges which encourage user-generated content around your brand and TikTok video ads. They can be used to build awareness and drive new leads, with brand advertising investment starting at US$15,000 per quarter. Leveraging TikTok influencers is seen as attractive for brands as it can cost considerably less than other platforms’ social media influencer charges for the same reach.Big international brands are already experimenting on the platform but there’s a big opportunity for Australian brands to put their toe in the water in 2020. The platform is looking at ways for brands to promote their products on its app, so I expect new opportunities to become available next year.Pinterest Pinterest is an underrated, powerful platform for brands wanting to drive traffic to their website and is fast gaining popularity in Australia. Since 2014, Pinterest’s Australian users have grown from 2.7 million to 7.4 million this year, with 2 million of Pinterest’s new Australian users occurring in the last two years alone. Interest in Pinterest has increased so significantly that they recently opened an office in Sydney, providing further support to brands.Pinterest’s appeal for brands is that it is known as a place of discovery, with 77 per cent of users having discovered a new product or brand on the platform. Attracting a higher household income consumer, Pinterest users are spread fairly evenly among Gen X, millennials and baby boomers, with Gen Zs not far behind. And if you thought Pinterest was for women, think again. Predictions are being made that 30 per cent of Pinterest users will be men by the end of 2020.Pinterest users are known for being impeccable planners and they will start searching twice as early as consumers on other platforms. Why? They use the platform to help determine where they shop. It is a key research platform for future spending. Pinterest is one of the platforms they will turn to when planning a holiday, looking for cooking inspiration or clothing, eyewear or hair styling, making it an attractive social media channel for brands in consumer goods, travel, beauty, food and clothing brands. Pinterest claims to drive 33 per cent more referral traffic to websites than Facebook, Snapchat or Twitter, making it great for e-commerce sites.Building a mobile-first experience is critical for brands, with 80 per cent of Pinterest users accessing via their mobile pins. A vertical pin will outperform a horizontal pin. Given consumers are there to discover new products, pins should focus on the product itself, paying particular attention to beautiful imagery. Tapping into key events including Chinese New Year, back to school, Christmas, Diwali, Mother’s Day and holidays will create strong interest.Twitch The rise of e-sports, also known as competitive video gaming, is indisputable. Twitch is the most popular video gaming platform, allowing fans to watch their favourite gamers play live. Launched in 2011 and purchased by Amazon in 2014, Twitch attracts a large niche audience of Gen Z and younger millennial males who enjoy gaming. They flock to watch their favourite gamers play live, with the most popular games watched being Fortnite, League of Legends, World of Warcraft and Grand Theft Auto.Twitch allows users to access the platform without logins or passwords, removing barriers to use. Users can enter via their website, app or using their gaming console (PlayStation, Xbox etc.). Initially launched as a streaming site, Twitch has evolved over time to resemble a social media platform with users having the ability to direct message each other as well as post status updates, with like and share of post functionality. If your brand seeks to appeal to the male youth audience then this platform is one to watch in 2020.Twitch is no longer limited to the gaming community, having launched Twitch Creative which enables artists, dancers, singers and designers to showcase their talents. IRL (in real life) is a non-gaming streaming offering by Twitch which competes against YouTube vloggers. This provides further opportunities to a growing number of brands.Twitch Influencer marketing is the best way for brands to engage with this audience. There are 2 million unique streamers every month, with top performing streamers having more than 7 million following them. It is particularly well suited to food and beverage brands and can be successfully used to increase brand awareness, distribute product samples, launch a new product or direct traffic to your website.A brand’s first step is to find an agency that really understands the Twitch medium and all its quirks and nuances. It’s critical that brands have a clear understanding of their brand’s alignment with a Twitch influencer and the games they engage in, as many games can be violent. Just like working with Instagram influencers, there are many micro influencers operating on the Twitch platform and this represents a great place for brands to start so they can gain learnings prior to making larger marketing investments. Brands wanting to reach a youth male audience will need to embrace this new platform sooner rather than later. Don’t delay!WeChatLaunched in 2011 by Tencent, WeChat is a messaging and social media super app facilitating both personal and business communications. Think Facebook on steroids. You can pay bills, make appointments, talk to friends, the app effectively serving as your digital assistant. One of its key functions is WeChat Pay, which replaces the need for a credit card. WeChat is a great tool to engage with the growing segment of Chinese Australians as well as the 1.3 million Chinese tourists who visit each year. WeChat represents a great opportunity to attract the growing middle-class Chinese consumer who seeks quality products with a strong heritage. It can also enable visibility for Australian brands in China and is critical in reaching daigous who are purchasing Australian products on behalf of their customers in China. Nielsen reported earlier this year that there are between 40,000 and 100,000 daigous operating in Australia, responsible for up to $100 billion annually in product sales.WeChat was initially popular among travel brands such as Qantas and Skybus, and is increasingly being used by retailers including David Jones. Having WeChat Pay is an important consideration in attracting Chinese tourists, who spend in excess of $8000 on their visits.Don’t think that WeChat is limited to the Chinese community. Of the 3 million Australian WeChat users more than a third are non-native users who don’t speak Cantonese or Mandarin. It seems WeChat is moving mainstream, a shift brands need to monitor.The 2020s will see new niche social media platforms rise in popularity. It is vital brands stay closely connected to their buyers and respond and adapt quickly to their social media behavioural changes. Critical to any brand’s future growth and success will be keeping up with the rise in popularity of lesser known social media platforms. Get in early and reap the rewards.