The social media panorama is more and more fragmented, a results of each regulatory adjustments 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 personal, closed, or area of interest platforms.
These fears are well-founded, as almost 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 customers plan to spend extra time on community-driven platforms like Reddit over the subsequent six months, in accordance with 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 — aside from one laborious fact. Social entrepreneurs aren’t getting the assist they should take huge swings on new platforms.
Investing in rising platforms
Staying related on this trade requires manufacturers to have a continuing pulse on the place their viewers is most engaged and the place they might be heading subsequent.
Manufacturers focusing solely on established or legacy platforms threat being left behind as new networks emerge. Being an early adopter of rising platforms affords a major benefit, permitting your model to face out amongst opponents and trade friends.
I am not saying you need to divest from established social media platforms, however diversifying your methods will will let you join together with your viewers in a wide range of areas.
Our 2024 Social Media Content material Technique Report discovered that, when customers had been requested the place they wished manufacturers to cease exhibiting up, their reply was considerably shocking: nowhere. Each social media community presents distinctive alternatives for manufacturers to search out and develop their group. It is because social media customers use totally different platforms to satisfy totally different connection and content material consumption wants.
However understanding you possibly can’t merely transfer your model to each new area, success lies in understanding that at this time’s customers worth genuine, connection-driven engagement over simply having a presence. Even dipping your toes into one or two experimental platforms could 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 crew that it is definitely worth the effort.
Methods to advocate for platform experimentation
Let’s be trustworthy: So many social groups nonetheless battle to construct belief with their management and make the case for easier content material approval processes or extra manufacturing sources. Efficiently advocating for investing in a brand new community begins with capturing the precise knowledge and defining a concrete plan.
Use viewers knowledge to tell the place you wish to take a look at
Probably the most refined groups already faucet social knowledge to remain attuned to cultural traits and make smarter choices about what content material they create. These insights will be potent indicators to assist decide the place your model wants to begin exhibiting up.
For instance, are you or your opponents seeing viewers measurement declines on legacy networks? Are individuals beginning to discuss your model or trade in locations the place you don’t have a proper presence at this time? Or are creators related to your trade efficiently migrating to new areas?
Collect any obtainable insights to point out (not simply inform) the place and why you wish to experiment. And keep in mind: Nothing spurs leaders on like understanding they’re being outpaced by different manufacturers. Don’t hesitate to floor examples of different firms which have already diversified their strategy.
Set concrete objectives to maintain your efforts in scope
Exploring new platforms will seemingly require reevaluating the place your crew’s time is spent. And that is okay! The hot button is to be upfront in regards to the bandwidth you will have to reallocate — maybe 20% — and the way which may regulate your typical content material output.
Your strongest argument for this transfer might be a transparent, contained experiment with concrete objectives. As an example, you possibly can suggest, “Over the subsequent three months, we’ll use this new platform to develop our group by X%.” Bear in mind, metrics like viewers engagement and development are likely to seize the eye of selling leaders.
Do you have to face pushback, encourage leaders to replicate on how rather more development your model can really obtain on networks the place you are already well-established. Whereas new platforms do not assure on the spot viewers growth, they do open doorways to untapped potential. You may additionally 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 12 months, luxurious vogue home Louis Vuitton has maintained an lively Discord server. They invite greater than 10,000 group members to take part in varied 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 group and forging stronger parasocial relationships with their audiences.
Given how unpredictable social networks will be, doubling down on group administration simply is smart. Platforms come and go, however a vibrant, engaged group is one thing that lasts (and may even thrive!) regardless of how a lot the social media panorama adjustments.
For those who’re undecided which new platforms to discover, an excellent place to begin is to search for locations the place individuals are already speaking about your model. For instance, right here at Sprout, we have discovered success by actively constructing our group on Reddit, which is dwelling 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 strategy. As an alternative of blatant self-promotion, entrepreneurs should present real worth and grow to be lively and contributing members inside related subreddits to foster significant conversations. The platform affords nice perception for manufacturers to higher perceive their customers and inform proactive methods.
For Sprout, Reddit customers discuss their MarTech stacks and provide unfiltered suggestions about our product. Not exhibiting up was a chance price we couldn’t afford.
Embrace change, construct resilience
We perceive: It could really feel overwhelming to carve out time to experiment with new platforms, and there is threat in stepping away out of your essential networks. Nonetheless, 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 centered on long-term development. Social entrepreneurs have already got many expertise wanted to reach these new areas. Leaders want to offer them the assist and adaptability to prepare dinner.
Nobody can say for positive which social media platforms will stick round, however one factor’s for sure: placing effort into constructing robust, engaged communities will all the time repay.
Comply with Layla Revis for insights on model storytelling and her award-winning work main social technique for Fortune 500 firms.
Edited by Jigmee Bhutia
