Social Media Trends: LinkedIn, social listening, alternative platforms, and social audio

Business Victoria 20 May 2023

By Business Victoria

Small businesses can use the power of social media to build brand awareness, connect with customers, and drive growth. Whether it’s creating personalised content, using social listening, or exploring emerging platforms, staying informed and adapting to the evolving social media landscape is key.

Personalising LinkedIn

Previously just for career- and business-focused content, users on LinkedIn are starting to post more personal content. Personalising your LinkedIn can help build your personal brand, make you more approachable, and help increase engagement on your posts.

Try mixing it up and post personal content around your usual business posts. Be careful not to overshare as LinkedIn is still a professional app. Think about where it is appropriate for your personal life to become a part of your personal brand.

Using social listening

Social listening is monitoring your brand’s social media channels for customer feedback, mentions of your brand, or discussions of specific keywords, topics, competitors, or industries.

Social media listening gives you a better understanding of what current and potential customers think about you by analysing what they say on social platforms. It also provides you with the opportunity to:

track customer feelings and mentions of your brand
benchmark competitors
identify trends and customer pain points
make smarter, data-driven decisions
discover brand advocates

As social media continues to rise, using social listening can help you to reach your audience and provide a personalised experience. Social media listening tool, such as those by Sprout Social and Hootsuite, allow you to monitor online conversations.

Take time to analyse conversations and trends. This will give you an idea of how your brand is seen. It will also help you to refine your marketing strategy so you can run more effective campaigns.

Emerging social media platforms

As established social media platforms face challenges, new platforms are emerging as potential alternatives. Mastodon, Write.as, Hive Social, and Koo are among the platforms gaining attention. Understanding these emerging platforms and their unique features can help you identify new opportunities to connect with your audience.

Although a limited number of businesses is currently on Mastodon, this non-profit platform offers a space free from algorithms and ads. By joining relevant servers aligned with your brand’s interests, you can engage in conversation and build connections within niche communities. However, promotional posts may not receive as much engagement as on other platforms, Mastodon’s focus is mainly on conversations.

Consider exploring other emerging platforms like Write.as, Hive Social, and Koo. These platforms offer distinct features and user experiences that may suit your business. Even if you don’t actively engage on these platforms, securing your business name by creating an account can prevent competitors from using it and ensure potential customers can find you.

Using social audio

Social audio platforms like Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces, and Facebook Live Audio provide opportunities for real-time interaction and conversations with your audience. While social audio hasn’t witnessed the explosive growth initially anticipated, its benefits make it worth thinking about.

Evaluate the platforms available and choose the one that best aligns with your target audience. Analyse successful users within these platforms to understand which strategies work best.

Conclusion

Keeping in touch with the latest social media trends can help you to build brand awareness, connect with customers, and drive growth. Embrace the new opportunities offered by social media and position your business for success.