Lately, we’ve seen many big-name social media platforms begin to shift what they’re known for.
Exhibit A: Instagram, which traditionally has been a photo-sharing app is now becoming a short-form video platform.
When there is a pivot like this, what we often see is people seek out alternative platforms that offer what they’re looking for. And they’re plenty!
At Made Great, our team are always on the lookout for new apps and websites that are trending with users.
To show off some of the hot new contenders, here are three up-and-coming platforms that have caught our attention.
Not only do we think they’re really interesting, they also might be worth exploring when reviewing your internal and external communications/marketing strategy.
Let’s begin…
1. Sunroom
First up is this ray of sunshine, a new-ish female focussed / non-binary app called Sunroom.
The pay per use platform was set up by former Hinge product designer Lucy Mort and former Bumble marketer Michelle Battersby.
It’s designed especially for creators, thought-leaders and female-led brands who have value-based content to share with the world.
Their founding mission is all about empowerment, providing a safe space for women to express themselves freely, and receive renumeration from their community.
The best bit: there is a zero-tolerance policy for bullies, trolls and misogyny. And they have also developed an anti-screenshot technology ‘Sunblock’ to protect your gated content. Bravo!
Here are some of the essentials to join:
- you must be a cis woman, trans woman or non-binary person,
- have grown a following of at least 2500 accounts (presumably on another social platform) who would be willing to pay for your content
- you/your business would have something to educate/coach/share with your audience (value content)
- you are likely already monetising your audience
Sunroom seems pretty flexible with how you monetise your content – whether that’s through monthly subscriptions, micro transactions, paid DMs, tips etc.
Access to the platform is currently via application. Why not jump on there, have a look around and see what all the buzz is about!
2. Discord
The next on our list has been around for a while now, but over the last year interest has definitely accelerated in the business world.
Discord offers brands/teams/groups the opportunity to create an invite-only forum, aka a branded hub, which can be organised into channels where customers/your team can chat via voice, text, screen shares, and even stream and watch live events.
The VoIP platform has traditionally been a communication channel for gamers, but big brands are taking notice and including it in their communications and marketing roadmap.
For example, luxury Italian fashion house, Prada, recently announced it was starting its own Discord server ‘Prada Crypted’ to establish an online community for its NFT launches.
Fashion brands, such as Gucci, Adidas, Kenzo, and StockX, have also flocked to the platform.
According to its website, Discord currently has 150 million monthly users and this number is expected to explode.
While it may not be the right fit for every brand, we think Discord has great potential to build an engaged online community and share product updates and information – direct to source – without all the noise and advertising found on traditional forums.
It’s also another internal communications tool option for the team, with an interface similar to what you’d find on Slack.
3. Substack
The third on our list is Substack, an email newsletter platform, where subscribers pay a monthly fee of between $5-50 to receive your content.
Why should you be considering this for your strategy? Because Substack celebrates the notion of owned media and building a community that is yours and yours only.
“On Substack, you own your content, your IP, and your mailing list – forever. You can leave and take it all with you at any time,” its website states.
We think this is an important reminder, your Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn pages are not owned by your brand – they could be taken away at any moment – which means it’s essential to have a diversified marketing plan (and email database that you own).
The paid newsletter model, a favourite among freelance journalists and writers, can also be powerful for thought leaders, podcasts, and service-based brands with helpful content and resources to share.
In early 2022, the platform also announced it was beta testing video – even more of a reason to join.
Check it out here: https://substack.com/
Have you tried any of these platforms?
Let us know your experience!
Drop us a line at [email protected]
