With TikTok's future uncertain in the United States, parent company ByteDance is aggressively pushing another digital lifestyle platform. Although the platform isn't new, Americans are just starting to catch on to Lemon8 as a creative outlet and, potentially, a social media marketing tool.
So, what exactly is Lemon8?
On the surface, Lemon8 looks a lot like Instagram. A grid layout displays images and videos posted by its users; followers can interact and engage. But that's where the platform departs from past social media trends.
On Lemon8, users post "Microzines," consisting of 3-5 photographic slides (sometimes more, sometimes with video) on trending topics. Lemon8 is attempting to offer a more editorialized and templated approach to social media than any other platform (think Pinterest but with a bit more panache).
Instead of an endless vertical scroll, as with Instagram and TikTok, Lemon8 clusters content by categories and interests. Want to browse beauty supplies? Click the beauty tab. Want to see what new albums are out? Check out the music tab. The categories are a shortcut to finding niche content faster than with a search bar (or waiting for the FYP algorithmic gods to serve you the right video).
Marketing & Monetizing on Lemon8
By shifting the focus to polished content, it seems as though Lemon8 will be an ideal place for influencers to monetize their audiences and for the digital marketing industry, in turn, to do business with creators.
But as of right now, it's unclear how the moneymaking portion of Lemon8 will operate. Will creators receive donations? Will Lemon8 sell user data to advertisers running sponsored posts? Or will it become a subscription service? Will it become flooded with advertising and lose users looking for a more organic experience? All of these questions will be answered in time.
It's early days yet, but with some sources reporting 6.3 million worldwide downloads in the last 6 months, Lemon8 marketing is definitely a tactic to consider in your next social marketing plan -- especially if your target audience is Gen Z or Gen Zennial.
Speaking of Gen Zennial...
Exverus Media recently published original market research into the microgeneration between millennials and Gen Z, Generation Zennials. They have some surprising consumer & media habits -- (did you know they listen to AM/FM radio significantly more than their millennial counterparts?) Download our free whitepaper below and get an edge over the marketers approaching this cohort all wrong.
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