Not the Usual Suspects: 4 Unconventional Social Media Platforms for Business

With the ever-changing landscape of social media it’s important to stay ahead of the curve and keep an eye out for any new or unconventional social media platforms that could possibly benefit your company.
Yes, we all know the benefits of utilizing networks like the big three: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. But there are hundreds of other social networks out there that could enhance your company’s online presence. The process of weeding through these social networks and finding the true gems is a tall task that most companies don’t have the time for. Therefore, I have listed four promising social media platforms that have tremendous potential for businesses.

4 Unconventional Social Media Platforms that Could Be the Next Big Thing for Your Company

1) Pinterest

When people think of Pinterest they tend to believe it’s only used for posting pretty pictures of dresses or tiramisu recipes. It is a fair assumption since Pinterest started out as a fun social platform mainly used for clothing, food and other non-business related topics.
However, Pinterest is now being used by a much more diverse crowd including various businesses who see a great deal of potential with the platform. Promoting blogs, sharing infographics, showcasing your product, and displaying your company’s culture are just some of the ways in which businesses are capitalizing on the site.
With the recent steam that Pinterest is gaining in the business world it could become a key component in your company’s social media campaign.

2) Paper.li

Paper.li, is an online curation service that lets people publish their own newspapers daily based on subjects they are interested in. Within Paper.li you select your sources from Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and RSS feeds. You can then customize your feeds and add filters to make sure you’re creating the type of news feed you seek. The finished product is a newspaper with personalized content delivered to you fresh everyday.
Businesses are using this service to stay up on their industry’s news, build relationships with influencers, and ultimately stay tuned in with their industry’s activity on social media. It’s a quick and efficient tool that allows you to stay updated in the social media world without that much effort.

3) Prollie

A social media analytics and user directory tool, Prollie measures your ability and passion for social media. Users connect their various social network accounts and Prollie uses this information to discover your passions by seeing what sort of topics you talk about the most online. You then get your own dashboard where you are given a performance grade on your various social media efforts and are presented with a list of your four major passions.
Prollie is an interesting tool that not only offers clever insight on your social media efforts but also allows you to connect with people with similar passions via its user directory tool. Prollie can be a great tool for companies to see what social media sites are booming and what sites are lacking content. Also, it can provide a great way to connect with similar-minded companies and individuals based on passions.
With Prollie still developing it will be interesting to see how it expands and how various companies utilize the platform.

4) Triberr

Triberr is a platform that allows bloggers to share, read, and discuss content in groups catered to their interests. These groups — referred to as Tribes — allow like-minded bloggers to connect with each other and share their posts. The end result is an increase in traffic to your blog as well as an increase in your social following.
For companies, it is a great way to publicize your blog and drive more traffic with minimal effort. Triberr still has some kinks to work out, but in the future it could definitely take off as a great tool in driving traffic.

Bottom Line: There’s More Out There, But Do Your Homework First

With new social networks popping up all the time, it is important to sift through them and see which ones are a good fit for your business before diving in. Haphazardly jumping on every social media site does not make your company any more tech savvy — it’s important to optimize and understand your current social media sites before creating new accounts.
Do you know any unconventional social media platforms that are under-appreciated in the business world? What are your thoughts on the list above?