The social media panorama is more and more fragmented, a results of each regulatory modifications and evolving algorithms. That is fueling a race amongst manufacturers to ascertain fairness and relevance in rising digital areas, a prospect that understandably worries social entrepreneurs. For many of them, their largest concern is their audiences migrating to non-public, closed, or area of interest platforms.
These fears are well-founded, as practically 40% of entrepreneurs report that their viewers has already begun to shift extra of their time in the direction of rising platforms like Threads, Bluesky, Lemon8, and Mastodon, per the Q1 2025 Sprout Social Pulse Survey. And 51% of shoppers plan to spend extra time on community-driven platforms like Reddit over the subsequent six months, in response to our Q2 2025 Pulse survey.
This shift has been a very long time coming, so why are so many manufacturers nonetheless struggling to adapt? Having labored in digital and social media for 20 years, I’ve seen a lot change on this area — apart from one arduous reality. Social entrepreneurs aren’t getting the assist they should take huge swings on new platforms.
Investing in rising platforms
Staying related on this business requires manufacturers to have a continuing pulse on the place their viewers is most engaged and the place they could be heading subsequent.
Manufacturers focusing solely on established or legacy platforms danger being left behind as new networks emerge. Being an early adopter of rising platforms provides a major benefit, permitting your model to face out amongst opponents and business friends.
I am not saying it is best to divest from established social media platforms, however diversifying your methods will let you join along with your viewers in quite a lot of areas.
Our 2024 Social Media Content material Technique Report discovered that, when shoppers had been requested the place they wished manufacturers to cease exhibiting up, their reply was considerably stunning: nowhere. Each social media community presents distinctive alternatives for manufacturers to seek out and develop their neighborhood. It’s because social media customers use completely different platforms to satisfy completely different connection and content material consumption wants.
However figuring out you’ll be able to’t merely transfer your model to each new area, success lies in understanding that at present’s shoppers worth genuine, connection-driven engagement over simply having a presence. Even dipping your toes into one or two experimental platforms can be sufficient to diversify your investments and canopy your bases. However this is the kicker: You will have to make a robust case to your management workforce that it is well worth the effort.
Find out how to advocate for platform experimentation
Let’s be sincere: So many social groups nonetheless wrestle to construct belief with their management and make the case for easier content material approval processes or extra manufacturing assets. Efficiently advocating for investing in a brand new community begins with capturing the suitable information and defining a concrete plan.
Use viewers information to tell the place you need to check
Essentially the most refined groups already faucet social information to remain attuned to cultural tendencies and make smarter selections about what content material they create. These insights may be potent alerts to assist decide the place your model wants to begin exhibiting up.
For instance, are you or your opponents seeing viewers dimension declines on legacy networks? Are folks beginning to discuss your model or business in locations the place you don’t have a proper presence at present? Or are creators related to your business efficiently migrating to new areas?
Collect any out there insights to indicate (not simply inform) the place and why you need to experiment. And bear in mind: Nothing spurs leaders on like figuring out they’re being outpaced by different manufacturers. Don’t hesitate to floor examples of different corporations which have already diversified their method.
Set concrete objectives to maintain your efforts in scope
Exploring new platforms will probably require reevaluating the place your workforce’s time is spent. And that is okay! The secret is to be upfront in regards to the bandwidth you may have to reallocate — maybe 20% — and the way which may regulate your regular content material output.
Your strongest argument for this transfer can be a transparent, contained experiment with concrete objectives. As an illustration, you might suggest, “Over the subsequent three months, we’ll use this new platform to develop our neighborhood by X%.” Keep in mind, metrics like viewers engagement and progress are likely to seize the eye of selling leaders.
Must you face pushback, encourage leaders to replicate on how rather more progress your model can really obtain on networks the place you are already well-established. Whereas new platforms do not assure on the spot viewers enlargement, they do open doorways to untapped potential. You may also suggest leaning extra on user-generated content material and influencer partnerships in your present channels to handle any dips in efficiency proactively.
Manufacturers staking a declare on rising networks
The excellent news for risk-averse manufacturers is that this: There are companies setting a platform experimentation precedent (and thriving).
For over a yr, luxurious trend home Louis Vuitton has maintained an energetic Discord server. They invite greater than 10,000 neighborhood members to take part in numerous dialog threads — from digital actuality, know-how, and humanities and tradition — whereas sharing unique model content material and, most just lately, an immersive gaming expertise.
Louis Vuitton’s success is an instance of a wider development we’ve noticed: Model accounts are popping up on community-driven networks. From Sephora internet hosting Reddit AMAs with their magnificence administrators to Tory Burch’s new Substack, manufacturers are creating areas for genuine neighborhood and forging stronger parasocial relationships with their audiences.
Given how unpredictable social networks may be, doubling down on neighborhood administration simply is sensible. Platforms come and go, however a vibrant, engaged neighborhood is one thing that lasts (and might even thrive!) regardless of how a lot the social media panorama modifications.
In the event you’re undecided which new platforms to discover, a very good start line is to search for locations the place persons are already speaking about your model. For instance, right here at Sprout, we have discovered success by actively constructing our neighborhood on Reddit, which is house to the second-largest viewers of B2B decision-makers, with three out of 4 saying they plan to make use of it to tell future purchases.
Success on Reddit lies in understanding its distinct, member-centric method. As a substitute of blatant self-promotion, entrepreneurs should present real worth and turn into energetic and contributing members inside related subreddits to foster significant conversations. The platform provides nice perception for manufacturers to higher perceive their shoppers and inform proactive methods.
For Sprout, Reddit customers discuss their MarTech stacks and supply unfiltered suggestions about our product. Not exhibiting up was a possibility value we couldn’t afford.
Embrace change, construct resilience
We perceive: It will probably really feel overwhelming to carve out time to experiment with new platforms, and there is danger in stepping away out of your predominant networks. Nevertheless, doing nothing is a larger one.
The social media panorama is consistently evolving, and types ought to view instances of change as alternatives to construct extra resilient ecosystems targeted on long-term progress. Social entrepreneurs have already got many abilities wanted to reach these new areas. Leaders want to offer them the assist and suppleness to cook dinner.
Nobody can say for positive which social media platforms will stick round, however one factor’s for sure: placing effort into constructing sturdy, engaged communities will at all times repay.
Comply with Layla Revis for insights on model storytelling and her award-winning work main social technique for Fortune 500 corporations.
Edited by Jigmee Bhutia
