[dropcap]B[/dropcap]eing an early adopter of a social media platform has a ton of benefits. You establish an audience earlier than most, and there is less competition on the platform as a whole.
That being said, we all can’t be early adopters of every social media platform. However, while you may have ‘missed the boat’ on a platform, that doesn’t mean you can’t be an early adopter of a new feature on an existing platform.
Example of such features include Facebook Live on Facebook and Instagram Stories on Instagram.
New features within established social media platforms provide brands with rare and ripe opportunities to hop on a trend early.
Here are 6 examples of new social media features you can capitalize on today.
Native Video on LinkedIn
LinkedIn recently rolled out a feature that allows their users to take native videos directly on the LinkedIn mobile app.
The platform’s algorithm will inevitably be rewarding those who use the feature early to increase awareness for it.
This is a perfect time to start using native video on LinkedIn, and could very well increase the chances you’ll get noticed by potential clients, business partners, and more.
Fast Growing Medium Publications
From 2015 to 2016 alone, the amount of posts on Medium grew by 295 percent. The platform continues to gain momentum and has solidified itself as the ‘YouTube for written content’.
While some of the top publications may be overflowing with writers (thus, overly competitive), there is still immense opportunity within up-and-coming publications.
To find them, either search organically on the platform or visit Toppub.xyz.
Once you find your publication of choice, search their archive for submission guidelines and get in touch with their editors. Just be sure your article is already completed before you send it to them.
Medium Series
Medium released its mobile-friendly feature, Series, early on in March of 2017. The feature is the equivalent of Snapchat Stories or Instagram Stories for Medium.
Series in its beginning stages and could provide a big boost to your brand’s visibility given the lower volume of content when compared to typical Medium articles.
Lower volume equals less competition.
Try taking video and vivid photography to wow your audience within a Medium Series.
To get a better feel for Series, check out this article.
Disclaimer: You’ll only be able to view Medium Series on their mobile app, not on the desktop version.
Local Search on Facebook
This is more of a trend than it is a feature. Facebook is doubling down on community and local search. This is public knowledge.
If you are a local business, take some time to make sure all your ‘About’ information is completely filled out on your Facebook Business Page (Category, Story, Hours, Mission, etc.).
Also, encourage your customers to leave a Facebook review next time they visit your establishment.
“For the past decade, Facebook has focused on connecting friends and families. With that foundation, our next focus will be developing the social infrastructure for community.” – Mark Zuckerberg
By being proactive today, you’ll better position yourself for tomorrow when Facebook’s local search continues to close in on its rival, Google.
Instagram Live & Stories
Okay, Instagram Live and Stories aren’t that new, but there is still a tremendous opportunity for businesses of all kinds on the features.
Over the past year, Instagram and parent company Facebook have gone ‘all in’ on their war with Snapchat.
Because of this, using features like Instagram Live and Stories will automatically make you more discoverable to others on the platform.
Why? Well, in addition to incentives within the algorithm itself, Instagram Live and Stories are also front and center at the top of your feed when you open the app.
Here are some quick ideas for implementation: If you just published a blog post, tell your audience about it through an Instagram Story and include a link to the post within the Story.
You could also host an Instagram Live session asking your audience what they want to see for your next piece of content or next product.
Be sure to be active on these features every single day.