While Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter may be the social media pinnacles all modern businesses have a presence on, you shouldn’t forget about a few of the more alternative social media sites. These alternatives may actually prove to be more effective as part of your larger marketing strategy. Keep in mind your audience, branded image, and costs as you go into any new site. Consider any of these four and see if you can make a bigger difference in your company's online outreach.
Tumblr
Tumblr is a blogging site that is especially popular with younger generations. Because of this, if your target audience skews younger, Tumblr might just be the place to be. Tumblr is especially useful for businesses in creative industries, such as photographers, writers, or artists. You can interact with others' posts by liking or reblogging them, and perhaps adding your own comments in the process. Be sure to use creative ads that catch the eye and draw in a particular crowd.
Giphy
A .GIF is a moving image that are largely used as reaction images. However, it also has great potential as a tool for promoting your business. .GIFs will catch your customers' attention, get them to interact with you more naturally, and persuade them to check out what you have to offer. The site GIPHY is one of the Internet's largest depositories of .GIFs and allows you to easily make your own. Create a page with moving images of your products, staff, or events. Having an account there also lets you interact with other creators by liking their .GIFs (eg. https://giphy.com/acninc).
Reddit is a social media website where users create and share social news and participate in discussions. Businesses can harness the marketing power of Reddit by finding and utilizing subreddits relevant to what they produce. Reddit is also well-suited to question and answer sessions that allow you to directly interact with your customers and listen to their suggestions.
You may view LinkedIn as a social media site that is used mostly by job seekers rather than companies, but LinkedIn can be very valuable to growing your business. A presence on LinkedIn is especially important for companies who provide B2B products and services, as it is now the single biggest lead generator in the niche. Even for businesses that don't sell to other businesses, being active on LinkedIn can help grow your business by finding and interacting with talent that can take your company to new heights.
When looking to build your company's social media presence, look beyond the standard sites. Other sites may have a userbase that is much closer to your target demographic. Certain social media sites also may deal in mediums that are more effective for selling your product, such as videos or photos. Consider your options so you can find the social media platforms that are best for your company's promotion.