Instagram shows your whole network how much fun you’re having. Twitter announces your thoughts or whereabouts to your followers. Facebook shows your “likes” and highlights to all your friends. But what if we took away the name attached to your information – what if there was an app that simply allowed you to speak your mind, anonymously? The newest social media app does just that.
Rightly named “Secret” takes a different approach to sharing. Instead of posting updates with your name attached, this app allows you to publish your stories “semi-anonymously,” meaning your name is not included but the post only goes to your contact’s feeds. Your contacts can see that one of their friends posted it – just not which friend it was. The main idea is to get people to be more “real” online.
Founders of the app, Chrys Bader and David Byttow, believe that anonymity may be the answer to making that happen. Under a thin layer of anonymity, they think people will be more likely to share what’s on their mind.
The app also has a feature that allows your thoughts to spread. When your friends “love” a secret, it will appear on the newsfeeds of their friends, and so on. In this way, the secrets that many people identify with could end up spreading far and wide.
The idea of the secrets spreading is interesting. If this gains popularity, it could be a subtle tool for social media marketers to post secrets pertaining to their demographic, their products or their services and monitor how far it spreads and how many people contribute to the spreading.
Of course, with anonymity comes a risk of misuse. The creators are working to prevent this app from being shut down like other anonymous apps before it. The app is designed to be a safe place for thoughts, and the “semi-anonymous” nature is intended to provide a buffer from the app getting out of control.
Using Secret for Marketing
There are several things your brand can do to avoid misusing this app. Avoid mentioning individuals and competitors and do not promote any potentially inappropriate or harmful secrets. Though the app is anonymous, your email address and phone number are attached to your account. Maintaining integrity is always your priority, so do not promote or post anything that you would not post with your name attached.
Rather, to use the app successfully, you can post facts, tips or anecdotes related to the interests of your demographic or to your product. Keep a watch on how far the “secret” spreads and use this information to gauge your public’s interest. This app has powerful potential, and it will be intriguing to see how useful – or harmful – it can be.