Social media is the go-to space for promoting digital products or services. But while everyone battles for Facebook and Twitter domination, others go completely ignored.
Smaller, tighter communities can be a powerful space for connecting with users, and from your many options, three stand out as great places to start engaging new, digitally minded prospects.
Read on to learn what they are. Then go ahead and get involved. There’s no better time than now to start interacting.
This social sharing site’s popularity exploded over the last few years. In fact, President Obama used it to do an “AMA” (or an “Ask Me Anything”) for his campaign, in which users posted questions for the president to answer.
Reddit’s filled with thousands of categorized pages or “subreddits” specializing in the specific interests of its users. If your stuff falls into one of these niche categories, this could be the perfect spot to start promoting your product.
It’s important to note that Reddit despises any sort of attempts at “free advertising,” so if you’re already a participating member of the community, just be real with everyone: “Hey guys, I just made this new app. I’d love if you all told me what you thought.”
In other words, don’t make it a gimmick.
Pro tip: Avoid larger subreddits like “technology.” They’re saturated with so many posts and users that your app may go unnoticed.
It’s not just for arts and crafts. Like Reddit, Pinterest contains a diverse ecosystem of genres and interests that millions of users explore.
If you’re already a Pinterest user, then this could be just the space for you to do some serious promotion.
Take television, for example. If you already “pin” about TV shows and related news and pictures, you probably have a decent following of like-minded people. Now, say you’re ready to release a TV-related app that you update with news from GetDirectTV.org—the content is already perfect for your audience.
Pro tip: Pinterest is image-driven. If your app has a clean design, post plenty of screenshots to show it off.
Are you promoting a product that isn’t photographic, like a consulting or copywriting services? Find pictures that represent concepts you talk about with customers. Take pictures of events. Or pin pictures from your blog posts.
Get creative. There are plenty of opportunities here if you think outside the box.
This is the hardest space to crack, but it yields the biggest return.
If you haven’t been using LinkedIn for a while, this might be the most productive space. But keep in mind, those who are well-connected have a better opportunity to break some ground.
Since it’s a community for professionals, the people you connect and share information with will be more likely to at least take a look at your products compared to a network like Facebook or Twitter.
A study done by Social Media Today shows that, while Facebook’s user base is the largest of any social network in the world, it doesn’t necessarily correlate to user engagement—meaning, they’ll see a post about your stuff in their newsfeed but might not click on it.
Pro tip: Even if you’re well-connected, participate. Share articles and blog posts, and send recommendations to your peers and colleagues. When it’s time to promote your products, others will see it as less of a promotional gimmick.
The choice is yours
Ultimately, the social media sites that you choose to engage in depends on your business needs and where your community hangs out online. But it makes a big difference to go to less-known (or at least, less populated) channels.
Even if you don’t currently have a product to promote, if you think you might down the road, the time to get involved in now.
Why? It’s just good marketing. Let’s say, for instance, that you’re developing a new mobile app. If you’re already active on these sites, when your app finally launches, you’ll have a strong platform for promoting it.
After all, people like to buy from people they know, like and trust. Build relationships today, and they’ll pay off in dividends when you’re ready to promote your digital products tomorrow.
About the Author: Kelly Liu is a green living guru whose day job is developing mobile apps.
