Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have grown to be some of the largest marketing channels for businesses today. They can reach a lot of people quickly and efficiently for relatively low cost. However, those same marketing channels are starting to get crowded with users and many marketers are looking for new and more ad-free options. One such option is MeWe, a privacy-focused alternative. It has no ads and claims to have 20 million members as of late. It also claims to not manipulate news feeds or sell user information.
MeWe is currently experiencing a growth spurt as it gains traction as a replacement for other popular social media networks. The company claims it gained 2.5 million new members in the week of January alone. It is being credited to people disaffected with Facebookâs recent crackdown on vaccine misinformation and other conservative groups. It is a platform that supports free speech but has a firm stance on privacy. CEO Jeffrey Edell says they have hired more content moderators and tightened up content moderation policies. They are also adding AI that tracks and removes hate speech and language calling for violence.
The app has a similar user interface to Facebook with thumbs up, hearts and smiley faces as well as the ability for people to create pages, groups and share posts. It also features a chat function that can be accessed through the browser or the mobile app. While it does have its faults, the MeWe site is a breath of fresh air from social media companies that seem to be making every effort to turn their platforms into advertising machines.
Aside from being ad-free, it also has a number of other features that could be useful to business owners. It has calendars for meetings and events and integrates with Microsoft Office 365 to make collaboration easier. MeWe also has a version for enterprises called MeWePRO that is more robust and includes a secret chat feature that can be set up for individual teams or departments.
While the platform is still new, it has a few features that are very attractive to business owners. For example, MeWe offers analytics for page and group activity similar to what Google Analytics provides for websites. There are a variety of reports that can be generated and the site allows for the ability to add custom filters to narrow down the results.
In addition, the MeWe website has a blog that covers topics such as digital marketing trends and MeWe tips and tricks. The blog is an excellent resource for marketers who are interested in learning more about the platform. However, building a presence on any social media platform will take time and will not happen overnight. It is important that any business that decides to invest in MeWe Marketing does so with a plan and a budget. Ultimately, the platform will need to prove its value and earn its keep by creating a strong community of users and business owners who want to stay away from the pitfalls of the big social media marketing platforms.