Wind the clock back to a few years ago and Facebook and Twitter were reining the social media landscape. But more recently with a surge of new app developers and tech geniuses all vying to be the next Facebook, Facebook and Twitter are sharing the social scape. Enter: Instagram, Snapchat, Vine and Pinterest, all of which have gained in popularity. But what else is gaining traction? Check out 2 social platforms that are gaining momentum in the Australian market.
Hyper
“It’s hard to believe you might ever love an app more than Instagram, but be open-minded for a sec about Hyper” -The Huffington Post
Hyper launched out of beta on 5 May 2015. Described as a hybrid of Instagram and Reddit, users post pictures which are then voted on by others. Instead of focusing on following a user, Hyper allows users to subscribe to their favourite hashtags.
Unlike Instagram, Hyper allows users to share multiple images in a single submission. Users can also isolate locations or events in each post, choose a pre-existing hashtag or create a new one and add a description to content.
And the differences don’t stop there. It’s not just for original content: search the web within the app, and share 3rd party content seamlessly.
Our take
Hyper levels the Instagram playing field, by removing the profile style features and shifting the focus towards the content from all users, and not individual posters.
During beta, Hyper users on average, opened the app five times a day, with over one million votes registered during the beta period. Over 60,000 images have already been shared, with posts being viewed 800,000 times each week. There aren’t any solid figures available on Hyper adoption in Australia however this platform would be best suited for businesses that have high quality, consistent content, but low brand awareness in a highly competitive environment (a common problem particularly for photographers, and designers)
Periscope
Periscope developed by friends Kayvon Beykpour and Joseph Bernstein, was purchased in March by Twitter. The duo first had the idea in 2013 when trying to decide whether they should visit Taksim Square in Istanbul after reports of riots. They wanted to be able to see what was going on in places in real time, through the eyes of people who were there. The app gained a million users in the first ten days after its iPhone launch, and gained more after its release on Android in May.
In short, Periscope enables users to share and view live video broadcasts from their mobile phones. It’s different from typical broadcasts because the experience isn’t just one-way; viewers can provide feedback in the moment by sending chats and hearts.
Our take
Periscope is a powerful social tool for brands. Brands looking to increase their engagement, loyalty and advocacy can forge a more personal relationship with their audience by using Periscope to give them real-time access to moments that matter, from big announcements to exclusive behind the scenes and sponsored events.
Check out this great guide from Twitter on how brands are leveraging the power of Periscope to engage their audience.
Want to engage your audience via social media?
See you next week
Darnelle
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