In case you’re wondering, “online marketing” and “marketing online” may seem like they mean the same thing. They sort of do, but don’t be fooled: There’s a lot more to it than just marketing websites. Sometimes even the most excellent websites can fall prey to bad marketing.]
If you’re looking for ways to grow your business in the digital sphere, beyond just getting traffic to your site, you’ve come to the right place. Below we’ll discuss five other companies that are doing some pretty cool things in the online marketing sphere, and how you can get started on your own path to glory.
Wistia
If you’ve been paying attention to online media over the past few years, you’ll probably know that Youtube is king. This holds especially true when it comes to attracting and engaging an audience. Well now, youtube is the queen, and she’s choosing to reign over a new kingdom: virtual learning.
Wistia is one of the largest online video platforms that allows for educators to stream their classes for students and professors alike. What sets Wistia apart from other online video platforms is that they prioritize UX and UI over just getting great content. That means you can have a great-looking video with average content, and the experience will still be excellent.
Wistia’s UX team has done an amazing job of making the platform easy to use, regardless of whether you’re a college student or an experienced professor. The ability to seamlessly upload and view content is also something to be lauded. You can’t achieve that without first-class UX and UI, which Wistia certainly has in spades.
Hootsuite
Hootsuite is one of the most well-known social media platforms, and for good reason. The company focuses on three key areas to provide users with an excellent experience: analytics, social media and content. Let’s take a closer look at each of these components.
As we’ve established, Hootsuite is extremely popular, and that popularity shows in the quality of their offerings. One of the most prominent features of the platform is its analytics. Whether you’re a social media novice or an experienced user, you can start having fun with the analytics within Hootsuite. This feature provides a wealth of information about your target audience, the content they engage with and the language they use. In addition, you can use this feature to track the results of your efforts across social platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The other area Hootsuite excels in is content creation. The platform allows for anyone to create and curate content, whether that’s a blog post, an infographic or a video. This content is then organized into playlists, which allows for anyone to discover topics and content they might be interested in, regardless of their expertise level.
One of the areas Hootsuite really shines is in social media. This area of the platform allows for users to connect with others in their niche, discover content others have created and share their own thoughts and ideas. Hootsuite makes connecting with other users easy and fun, which is a rare quality in a social media app.
Buffer
Buffer is similar to Hootsuite in that it’s a social media platform focused on helping users create content and grow their audience. However, Buffer takes the concept of content creation a step further by making the process incredibly easy. All you have to do is connect your social media accounts, and then you’re ready to start creating content.
One of the great things about Buffer is how they design their app to make content creation easy. For example, if you’re an entrepreneur who’s never created content for social media platforms, getting started with Buffer will feel incredibly natural. The platform walks you through the process step by step, including providing helpful tips on what types of content perform best on what platforms. In addition, using the right hashtags and engaging with other users through quick and snappy responses will also become second nature to you, once you’ve used the platform a couple of times.
Quora
Quora is a question-and-answer platform that was founded in 2007 and now has hundreds of millions of monthly active users. What makes Quora so special is that the company behind the app focuses on creating an excellent user experience even if you have no prior knowledge of the subject area being discussed. This type of usability is extremely rare, even in platforms designed for novice users.
Quora has done an incredible job of making content discovery easy and fun. Simply by putting questions and answers into a topic area, the platform can then sort the results according to how relevant they are to your search criteria. In addition, you can also drill down into the results to find specific questions and answers you’re looking for, regardless of whether you have no idea what a podcast is in the first place.
Quora’s strengths in content curation and discovery come from their platform’s ability to organize information into clearly defined categories. This organizational structure allows for anyone to easily find content that’s relevant to them, regardless of their expertise level. In case you’re wondering, the strength of a platform’s categories ultimately determines the quality of information it can provide. Essentially, the more categories a platform has, the more information it offers.
Pinterest is one of the largest social media platforms, with over 500 million monthly active users as of September 2022. Like many other social media platforms, Pinterest is focused on helping users discover content that’s relevant to them, and encouraging them to engage with that content through sharing and commenting. The difference with Pinterest is that their service is completely free, and they don’t ask for any money at all during the sign-up process. In addition, you don’t need to have a personal account to use Pinterest, which makes it even more accessible.
If you’ve never been on this platform, the easiest way to get started is by creating a board for your business. Simply visit the Pinterest homepage and click on the button that says “Create a Board.” From there, you can start brainstorming ideas for your board, and eventually, you’ll end up with a board reflecting your brand’s personality. From there, you can start setting up pinned images and promoting your business online.
LinkedIn is a business-focused social media platform with over 500 million monthly active users as of September 2022. One of the defining features of LinkedIn is how easy it is for businesses to connect with potential customers. It’s also one of the most popular and trusted social media platforms when it comes to job search.
For the uninitiated, LinkedIn is a bit like Instagram but for professionals. That means it’s a place for people in hi-tech industries to connect with potential customers, and a place for businesses to promote their services and engage with others. In addition to helping you connect with prospective customers, LinkedIn also provides you with a hub for your professional network. It’s likely you’ll have an account on LinkedIn whether you’re looking for a job or not.
That’s a mouthful! Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a quick guide to help you start creating content for social media platforms, even if you have no idea where to begin.
Step 1: Create a list of the different platforms you might want to use
Before you dive into creating content, it’s important to make a list of the different platforms you might want to use. Remember: your goal is to grow your business and connect with potential customers. Platforms like LinkedIn and Pinterest are great for this, as they’re designed for individuals to connect with businesses. For smaller businesses, you might consider using TikTok or Instagram, as they’re the preferred platforms for individuals who want to share their passions and express their individuality.
Once you’ve made this list, you can narrow it down to what you think will be the most useful platforms. At this stage, you might want to consider joining relevant communities on the various platforms, and engaging with others through comments or sharing your own content.
Step 2: Research potential topic areas
Once you’ve made a shortlist of relevant platforms, it’s time to start researching topics. For each platform, you’ll want to find a few blog posts that cover the basics of what you need to know. By taking the time to learn about the platform, and how it functions, you’ll be able to create content that’s more likely to be engaging and valuable.