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 determine fairness and relevance in rising digital areas, a prospect that understandably worries social entrepreneurs. For many of them, their largest worry is their audiences migrating to non-public, 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 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 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 house — aside from one onerous reality. Social entrepreneurs aren’t getting the help 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 presents a big benefit, permitting your model to face out amongst rivals and business friends.
I am not saying you need to divest from established social media platforms, however diversifying your methods will will let you join along with your viewers in a wide range of areas.
Our 2024 Social Media Content material Technique Report discovered that, when shoppers have been requested the place they needed manufacturers to cease displaying up, their reply was considerably shocking: nowhere. Each social media community presents distinctive alternatives for manufacturers to seek out and develop their group. It is because social media customers use totally different platforms to meet totally different connection and content material consumption wants.
However realizing you possibly can’t merely transfer your model to each new house, success lies in understanding that immediately’s shoppers 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 may have to make a powerful case to your management workforce that it is definitely worth the effort.
How you can 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 less complicated content material approval processes or extra manufacturing assets. Efficiently advocating for investing in a brand new community begins with capturing the fitting 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 might be potent indicators to assist decide the place your model wants to start out displaying up.
For instance, are you or your rivals seeing viewers measurement declines on legacy networks? Are folks beginning to speak about your model or business in locations the place you don’t have a proper presence immediately? Or are creators related to your business efficiently migrating to new areas?
Collect any obtainable insights to point out (not simply inform) the place and why you wish to experiment. And bear in mind: Nothing spurs leaders on like realizing 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 possible require reevaluating the place your workforce’s time is spent. And that is okay! The bottom line is to be upfront concerning the bandwidth you may have to reallocate — maybe 20% — and the way that may modify your common content material output.
Your strongest argument for this transfer will probably be a transparent, contained experiment with concrete objectives. For example, you might suggest, “Over the subsequent three months, we’ll use this new platform to develop our group by X%.” Keep in mind, metrics like viewers engagement and development are likely to seize the eye of selling leaders.
Must you face pushback, encourage leaders to mirror on how way more development your model can actually 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 deal with 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 style home Louis Vuitton has maintained an lively Discord server. They invite greater than 10,000 group 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 not too long ago, 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 might be, doubling down on group administration simply is smart. Platforms come and go, however a vibrant, engaged group is one thing that lasts (and might even thrive!) irrespective of how a lot the social media panorama modifications.
Should you’re unsure which new platforms to discover, a superb place to begin 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 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 presents nice perception for manufacturers to raised perceive their shoppers and inform proactive methods.
For Sprout, Reddit customers speak about their MarTech stacks and provide unfiltered suggestions about our product. Not displaying up was a chance price 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 foremost 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 development. Social entrepreneurs have already got many expertise wanted to reach these new areas. Leaders want to offer them the help 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 robust, 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 firms.
Edited by Jigmee Bhutia
