Alright, we already know all about Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram and Vine – they’ve been doing their thing for a while. The excitement surrounding social hasn’t slowed, however, so here are a few up-and-coming social companies to watch this year.

Banjo

What is it?
This mobile app allows users to experience events and breaking news in real-time, directly from the people who are there. Banjo pulls in public and geotagged posts from platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Foursquare then indexes them by location, time and content type. 

Why is it cool?
If Twitter could be a catalyst for revolution (as it was in 2011), then imagine what a real-time, location-specific application could do? The company is attempting to pioneer “visual listening” and “image classification” capabilities. It’s a complicated field, but the gist of it revolves around using analytics to depict the entire scene in a photograph. 

Downsides?
An emphasis on “visual listening” begs the question, “Who’s listening?” Every time Facebook updates it’s privacy policy, there’s always a flurry of backlash from users. Banjo will need to develop trust with its users regarding privacy.

Kenshoo Social

What is it?
Kenshoo lets users create and manage targeted social media marketing campaigns. Tailor-made algorithms, automated scheduling and a campaign creation wizard give businesses the ability to grow.

Why is it cool?
Companies have gone back-and-forth on how to monetize social media for years. The heavy influx of brands using social diluted the organic reach previously enjoyed by companies. Facebook Ads have since promised to increase brand visibility, but a tool like Kenshoo that employs metrics, analyzes data, measures performance and manages budgets may give Facebook a run for its money. 

Downsides?
“What works” in terms of social media marketing changes quickly. Kenshoo Social will need to constantly update its offerings in order to stay relevant in the long-term. 

Learnist

What is it?
As you probably guessed from the name, Learnist deals with the sharing of knowledge. It’s like Pinterest for education, where thought leaders create boards on a wide variety of subjects and share their knowledge with the world. 

Why is it cool?
Wikipedia has had the online information market cornered forever, but with an assortment of content types (like video and text), and the added bonus of that content being created by experts in their fields, Learnist could achieve the equivalent of Wikipedia, eHow and Instructables combined. 

Downsides?
Content is king with this platform. Its success depends on a robust selection. 

Line

What is it?
This smartphone app delivers free messaging, group chats, video calling, sticker-sharing and more. Line’s main point of differentiation is that it also connects users with brands, celebs and media outlets to receive special promotions. 

Why is it cool?
Line strives to deliver a “one-stop shop” social media experience. Think of it as Twitter, Groupon and Snapchat rolled into one.  

Downsides?
Line is up against a lot of steep competition from a lot of more established social media providers. The coupons and special offers are Line’s main selling point and they need to get behind that in a big way.

So there you have it, 4 emerging companies that are looking to shake up the world of social media. One more company to keep in mind is MuseThemes, which offers an assortment of social media tools and widgets that help designers create amazing websites without having to code. 

Check out some powerful social integration widgets from MuseThemes.