Social media has evolved in so many ways since its inception. The purpose of social media initially, was to connect with people, but now, it has gone far beyond that. Top platforms like Facebook, X (Formerly known as Twitter), and Instagram, contributed greatly to the evolution of social media.
Social media currently plays major roles for businesses, individuals and organizations. If you are looking to enhance your skills and knowledge, get meaningful opportunities, and generally increase your visibility as an individual, you can do that with the help of social media platforms.
Millions of businesses have experienced maximum growth due to the impact of social media marketing. They have been able to drive sales and connect with large numbers of potential customers globally
Telegram
Telegram is almost like WhatsApp, and it offers so many features. This app was created in 2013 and has since then garnered over 950 million active users. Telegram provides a high level of control over personal data and it comes with flexible features. Business owners will benefit a lot from the new marketing feature added to the app, that allows users to run ads on channels with over 1000 members.
Lemon8
Lemon8 was created in 2020 by the creators of TikTok but with a much different concept. The app supports social login for TikTok users. What this means is that you can sign up on Lemon8 with your TikTok credentials. The aim of using social login on Lemon8 is to save users from the stress of creating an account from scratch. You can learn more about social login online, for more insights on how it works.
Lemon8 is a unique social media app; it splits its contents into seven lifestyle tabs, and the aim of this is for users to easily explore their topic of interest. So rather than viewing random posts or content, users can view only what interests them. Lemon8 emphasises more photos than videos, and it allows longer captions. This gives room for detailed business/product descriptions for businesses or influencers.
Discord
Discord, like most social media apps, is a text chat, voice, and video app designed to make communication easier between friends and other communities. You can create groups or communities both large and small. Discord offers good marketing opportunities for business owners. Aside from advertising your business in groups, you can create your own space, a Discord server community. The goal is to create a community based on a topic that aligns with your brand. This will help you attract the attention of potential customers.
QQ is an instant messaging and social media platform created by Tencent, a Chinese tech company. If you are looking for a social media app that offers more than the usual instant messaging feature, QQ is a great option for you. The app was first launched as just a messaging app but has more features now, such as gaming, social networking, shopping, and entertainment. Business owners can also benefit from this app. QQ allows the creation of business pages where businesses can share promotional content and connect with customers easily.
Thread
Thread is one of the newest social media apps. It was launched in July 2023 and has since then experienced significant growth. Thread, like Lemon8, supports social login. Users with Instagram accounts can sign up with their existing credentials on Thread. Most of the users on Thread are from Instagram due to the integration of the two apps. Users can create content and engage their followers with ease on Thread. Business owners can gain potential customers by sharing engaging posts.
Nextdoor
Nextdoor is different from most social media apps. Rather than being in a general space, users exist only in groups. Nextdoor is, so far, available in 11 countries. Signing up for the app requires a correct name and address. The aim of this is to connect you with people in communities that align with your location and interest. Nextdoor is one of the best social media apps for brands/businesses. Brands can easily connect with potential clients or customers from communities
Conclusion
Using Popular social media apps is highly recommended, but you also need to widen your online presence by having a variety of options especially if you own a business. Using alternative social media platforms also serves as a backup in case something goes wrong with your other business pages. While the top social media apps are reliable, backups are necessary. All the alternative social media apps listed in this article are as efficient as the popular apps and worth giving a trial.
