For the past few months, the headlines have been asking the same question: is Twitter dying? Whether it is or not, there has been a notable drop in users. Between October 27 and November 1, around the time Elon Musk first became CEO of Twitter, over 875,000 users deactivated their accounts and roughly 500,000 were suspended.
Mind you, Twitter does still have 450 million active users, with predictions that it will grow instead of peter out in the next couple years. But many marketers are looking for alternatives to Twitter, whether because of dissatisfaction with Musk’s management or because they’ve noticed their audience moving elsewhere. Which begs the question: what are some good alternatives to Twitter for social media marketing?
Mastodon
Mastodon quickly emerged as one of the first Twitter alternatives, and to many users, it was a new name. However, Mastodon has actually been in existence since 2016. The format is very different from Twitter. Mastodon involves creating your own server, which will be connected to the entire federation of Mastodon servers. Each server has its own rules. Don’t worry, though, you can still interact with users in other servers.
Otherwise, Mastodon offers much of what Twitter does: a text-based platform that allows you to share thoughts and insights, as well as follow other users. The different servers and community direction can make Mastodon a challenge for wide-net marketing, but it can be a good place to work with influencers.
Hive Social
Hive Social is a mobile-only social media platform that was first established in 2019. It looks very much like Twitter and functions in a similar way. You have a main feed, at the top of which you can create a short-form post and share it. You can like content and use hashtags to search for content, which is perfect for marketers shifting from Twitter.
Hive has more customization options when it comes to your profile, such as the choice of background colors and the ability to add music to your profile. Overall, however, the similarities to Twitter make for a seamless transition…almost. There are a few issues with Hive, mostly tied to the fact that it is run by a team of just three people. As the app’s user base grows, they are encountering more bugs and shutdowns that have proven frustrating for some.
Tumblr
Tumblr is a sort of informal blogging platform. You can post anything from short-form to long-form content, videos, photos, and gifs. Through customizable themes, you can make your page look however you want it to look. Some have even used their Tumblr to function as a website or main blog. But you can also follow others, like and “reblog” posts and search through hashtags like other social media platforms.
Tumblr has a largely creative userbase, as well as being a hub for fandoms, and it has been the birthplace of a number of memes. If you have a fun and creative marketing style, you may enjoy using tumblr for SMM.
CoHost
CoHost is a web only social media platform. You can create posts, like and share them, and follow accounts you like just like Twitter. The unique factor of CoHost is that it allows multiple people to co-own or “co-host” a social media page. This is perfect for podcast hosts or co-creators, but it’s also great for a business marketing team.
With CoHost, you can be more collaborative in your marketing. You can also share a page with an influencer for big collaborations.
Clubhouse
Clubhouse is an audio-only social media platform. By joining Clubhouse, you can host group chats through audio only. The result sounds like an unfiltered podcast. Tabletop RPG players also often host games over Clubhouse.
A marketer can use Clubhouse to start a chat about a new feature of their brand, or even just to get feedback on the brand. This is an exciting social media platform that allows you to hear from your customers voice-to-voice.
Reddit has over 1.5 billion active users, which means you’re sure to find your target audience there. You can search through hyper-specific Reddit forums or create your own. You can post links that users can upvote or downvote. The more upvotes, the higher ranking the post is. You can also start an AMA in order to speak directly to your audience. There are often local and regional Reddits, too, for local marketing.
The main problem with Reddit is oversaturation. With so many users, you have to make sure your marketing content truly stands out. If it does, you’ll get the upvotes to stay at the top for some time. If not, your posts may quickly fall into obscurity.
