Look out Facebook, rising social media platforms are coming for you! Social media marketers should always be on the lookout for new and exciting social media sites and applications. Here is a list of 5 social media platforms we believe you should explore for the remainder of 2016 and consider implementing into your  social media marketing strategy:

1.   Snapchat

Snapchat has been dominating the social media world since its inception. The mobile platform now has over 150 million daily active users sending over 400 million snaps per day. It is one of the fastest-growing social networks out there, and shows no signs of slowing down. Snapchat has become a new form of communication for users and a platform for magazines, newspapers, popular social media sites, and celebrities to get their brand out there in a fun and interactive way. With Snapchat, you can increase community engagement and brand awareness through innovative marketing campaigns on your story. More brands and content creators are even using snapchat as an alternative to Instagram, to produce daily stories that excite their audiences. In 2016 and 2017, Snapchat is going to be a vital part of global marketing strategies.

2.   Shots

This photo-centric app is all about utilizing the selfie. It is a mobile social network through which you can snap and share selfies throughout your social community. You can utilize Shots for your business if you are promoting trade shows or if you would like your audience to see where the business is traveling or visiting. This is a great app if you want your audience to clearly understand what your service is all about.

3.   We Heart It

We Heart It is a leading photo and video sharing app targeted at millennial females, dedicated to increasing meaningful content contributions for its 40 million users. If your company is interested in advertising, We Heart It has seen great success with advertisers from the mainstream media including Smashbox Cosmetics, Macy’s, Coach, and more. We Heart It’s mission is to spread inspiration, expression, and creativity, making it a useful tool in a marketing strategy. If you are already on Pinterest, you may want to consider this platform as well!

4.   Medium

Founded by Twitter co-founder Evan Williams in 2012, the blog-publishing platform has evolved into a hybrid of professional and nonprofessional written contributions. Medium is a community of readers and writers offering diverse perspectives on ideas both large and small that captivate an audience. This microblogging platform assists companies in finding the right audience to get their message across, and allows that audience to respond to influence the discussion. It’s blogging to the next level that can easily be shared with its sister site, Twitter. Over the past year, Medium has been gaining momentum, and is continuing to grow in 2016 as a better blogging platform.

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Via Flickr

5.   Vine

For small businesses, Vine can be essential to your social media marketing plan in 2016 as it opens up new ways to engage with online audiences, and offers promotional opportunities. Vine allows users to create short video clips. The shortness of the clips can inspire creativity, and short clips are more likely to be shared and watched. You can even share your Vine creations on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to reach your larger audiences.

Explore these 5 social media platforms in 2016 and 2017 for a more effective and interactive social media marketing plan. Interested in increasing your social media presence and engagement? Learn more about how we can help!