Gab.ai is a new social media platform that is designed to battle the clamp down on “free speech” on the mainstream social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. However, it is a direct competition for Twitter. Many people in the social media world say it is just an echo chamber for America’s “alt right” but the way the platform has grown since launch in August 2016 suggests it is much more than that.
Is there a place for businesses on Gab.ai? Certainly. As is the case with all social media platforms, businesses can leverage on Gab.ai to share marketing messages and communicate with their target audience IF their target demographic falls within the typical Gab.ai user base.
Should your business get on board Gab.ai now? As any business should be prepared to implement social media strategy, it’s definitely something that you should be looking into. This is completely dependent on your brand goals and objectives. For starters, Gab.ai is still not open to the public. There are over a 100,000 users approved on the platform but everyone else signing up has to join a wait list. Businesses and influencers can contact the company directly for an account.
However, the fact that the user base is still in its infancy suggests that the average business will be better served waiting for the platform to grow a bit more before channelling resources towards it. When it fully takes off, businesses can certainly use Gab in the way they have used Twitter: marketing and engagement.
Why Businesses should keep an eye on Gab
Four months after Twitter launched, there were just 12,000 users on the platform. Four months after launch, Gab had already crossed the 100,000 users mark. The comparison may be flawed because Gab could have posted similar numbers to Twitter’s if it launched in 2006. A decade ago, internet users were not spending 118 minutes per day on social media. However, the user base growth suggests that the platform should not be ignored.
Is it just a fad that will pass?
The problem with social media platforms is that it is near impossible to know what would be a fad and what would go on to become a massive hit. When Facebook launched, many people counted it as a fad. Today, there are almost 2 billion users on Facebook. Snapchat is an even more recent example of how attention can switch pretty quickly on social media. Just 5 years ago, it was a fad that nobody took seriously but today, over 150 million people use Snapchat.
Gab.ai may not present a valuable proposition for businesses today but it will be a mistake to ignore it completely. For businesses to be successful in the internet age, attention has to be given to every innovation that enters the market place. To simply ignore potential business assets is a short sighted thing to do, and keeping on top of things that might benefit your fledgling business should be seen as part of your own growth and development.
