Social media networks are perhaps one of the most powerful tools in digital marketing. Is there still a person without a Facebook or TikTok account? It is no wonder why the influencer marketplace is thriving since influencers play a crucial role in social media marketing.

It would be fruitless for brands to use an influencer marketing platform for creators if they don’t utilise different types of social media networks and platforms.

This article will discuss the different types of social media platforms digital marketers can use for marketing campaigns.

4 Types Of Social Media Platforms

Unlock your smartphone and take a look at your installed apps. Do you have Facebook? Instagram? YouTube? WeChat? LinkedIn? How many social media applications have you installed on your phone? Did you know that there are already more than four billion social media users in the world today?

Social media is a digital tool, such as an app or website, where people can communicate and share information through various mediums, including text, images, and videos. Many brands use these social media networks for their marketing campaign with the help of an influencer marketing platform.

Social media networks and platforms can be broken down into categories:

1. Social Networks

Social networks are online platforms where people specifically build connections and networks. These networks could be for social and professional relationships. The action of adding, connecting, following, or subscribing to a person builds the connection or network.

On social networking sites, people can share information in various formats, including text, images, and videos. People can also interact with each other by commenting or replying to a post and sharing the post.

Among the top social networking sites, today are:

●    Facebook

Facebook is a social networking site where all different kinds of people can connect to their friends, relatives, and colleagues, and share extensive content and information in multiple formats.

●    LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an employment-based social networking site where employment-oriented professionals can connect and build a network. Similar to Facebook, LinkedIn users can share content and information in various formats that are helpful to professionals and people alike.

Many brands use an influencer marketing platform to ramp up their marketing campaigns on these social networking sites, especially since these sites have billions of users globally. Facebook alone has nearly three billion active users today.

2. Media sharing networks

If social networks allow people to connect and produce content in text, images, and video formats, media sharing networks are more focused on audio-visual formats.

The primary content produced on these platforms is images and video content, although users can still add text captions and comments. But these are the least priority on the platforms.

Among the best examples of media sharing networks are:

●    YouTube

YouTube is an online video-sharing site where people can share videos for as long as 12 hours, depending on the type of user account. YouTube also allows users to upload pictures and live streaming videos. Users can also comment on posts but are limited to texts alone.

This platform is famous for professional and amateur vloggers or video bloggers. It is also a popular content marketing platform for brands. Influencers or people with a significant following and reach on this platform can pose promotional videos and reviews for brands.

●    TikTok

TikTok is an online short video-sharing site where people can share videos with a maximum length of 10 minutes. TikTok content is also music-focused, meaning most videos use popular background music.

It is also a popular platform for social media marketers. Many of them find TikTok influencers on social marketing platforms to promote their brand on TikTok.

●    Instagram

Unlike the first two platforms, Instagram is a photo and video sharing social site but focuses more on images. Instagram users post pictures which they can edit using built-in filters. They can also create photo albums on their feed.

Similar to YouTube, Instagram also allows live video streaming. Users can also post up to 10-minute long videos (60 minutes for certain accounts) and 15-second Instagram stories.

Many brands use an influencer marketing platform for creators to measure the marketing campaign performance of influencers on various platforms, including YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.

3. Discussion Forums

Discussion forums sites are platforms where people can discuss various topics and news. Unlike social networking sites, discussion forums are text-heavy, although some users post images and GIFs.

Usually, the discussion starts with a post asking a question or opinions. Users can share their answers and opinions to the original question and reply to those who have answered the original question.

There are various people in discussion forums, including professionals, enthusiasts, and experts. Topics vary; they could be business, politics, sports, social issues, technology, and so on.

Among the top discussion forums are:

●    Quora

Quora is a social question-and-answer website where people can ask questions and find answers to their questions. Quora can be considered a significant content marketing platform since the content on this website is deemed reliable.

4. Consumer Review Networks

Consumer Review Networks are platforms where people can share their reviews and experience on products, services, and travel locations. Using these platforms is easy.

For example, after eating in Restaurant A, the user can leave a review on Restaurant A on the review website. They can rate them by giving stars and sharing their experience by typing in their feedback and uploading pictures. Other users planning to eat at Restaurant A can see the reviews on the review website.

Among the popular consumer review networks are:

●    Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor is an online travel information and booking website where people can read and share reviews on travel-related products and services, such as hotel and accommodation, transportation, restaurants, and tourist activities.

Consumer review networks are a significant content marketing platform since positive and negative reviews can affect a potential buyer’s decision-making in purchasing a product.

Conclusion

You can ramp your social media marketing by utilising these social media platforms. With the help of an influencer marketing platform for creators, you can revamp your social media marketing campaigns for your brand’s benefit.

Search for the best influencer marketplace where you can find the right influencers and have the right tools to measure their social media marketing campaign performance on these types of social media platforms.