We all know that social media strikes quick. And admittedly, entrepreneurs don’t have time to devour the identical watered down, not-so-takes concerning the state of the business. That’s why we’re launching this new collection, @MeNextTime, the place we’ll invite Workforce Sprout and a few of our favourite social consultants to share how they actually really feel concerning the newest developments. Our first order of enterprise? Digging into the place manufacturers ought to present up today.
Nothing is assured—it’s a lesson we relearn on a regular basis within the social media business.
Between bans, boycotts and algorithm adjustments, the social media panorama is fragmenting even additional in 2025. The race to win model fairness and relevance in new areas is on.
Which makes social entrepreneurs (understandably) uneasy. Most say their biggest concern is their viewers transferring to non-public, closed or in any other case area of interest platforms, in response to The 2025 Sprout Social Index™.
The fears are justified—it isn’t simply all in our heads. Nearly 40% of entrepreneurs say their viewers is already beginning to spend extra time on rising platforms like Threads, Bluesky, Lemon8 and Mastodon, per the Q1 2025 Sprout Pulse Survey.
This seismic shift has been a long-time coming, with clear alerts alongside the best way. So, why are so many manufacturers caught on their heels? Social entrepreneurs aren’t getting the assist they should take massive swings on new platforms.
Betting on rising platforms
What works right this moment received’t be the ticket to relevance tomorrow. If a social marketer instructed you their model’s technique was constructed round Vine, you’d in all probability assume you teleported again to 2013 (#DoItForTheVine).
In right this moment’s social media panorama, you must preserve a relentless pulse on the place your viewers is exhibiting up. Solely investing in legacy or established platforms will make it onerous to interrupt by means of on new networks. Being an early adopter offers your model an edge over your rivals and business friends.
Don’t get me mistaken: I’m not advocating for nixing all widespread platforms. Your prospects are wanting to work together together with your model in a wide range of areas.
However the identical report discovered that when customers had been requested the place they wished manufacturers to cease exhibiting up, their reply was considerably stunning: nowhere. Each community affords alternatives for locating and rising your group, as a result of social customers use each platform to satisfy completely different wants for connection and consumption.
With a brand new platform coming onto the scene seemingly each week, that makes issues difficult. It’s unrealistic for social groups to construct a presence on every rising community. Even folding one or two experimental platforms into your 2025 technique would nonetheless be sufficient to diversify your investments and hedge your bets. However your leaders will want convincing that it’s value doing.
Making the case for platform experimentation to your leaders
We not too long ago requested manufacturers experimenting on Bluesky how they plan to gasoline their content material pipeline. Nearly 60% say their present technique is reposting content material from different platforms, in response to the Q1 2025 Sprout Pulse Survey.
Whereas repurposing content material will help fill manufacturing gaps, each platform and algorithm are completely different and efficiency varies drastically. Plus, many new networks require social groups to hone completely different expertise and put money into internet new content material creation. Even repackaging takes time—whether or not you’re repurposing a video right into a long-form textual content put up, or translating a static picture right into a filter.
Testing the waters on new platforms will in all probability require slicing again elsewhere to accommodate your bandwidth. That’s okay. You simply must be clear about how a lot time you will want to reallocate (e.g., 20%) and the anticipated affect to your publishing cadence.
One of the best ways to make your case is by proposing a managed, outlined experiment with extraordinarily particular targets in thoughts. For instance, “Over the subsequent three months, we’ll use this new platform to develop our group by X%.” Understand that metrics like viewers engagement and progress are almost definitely to resonate with advertising and marketing leaders, per the Index.
In case you meet resistance, ask leaders to think about how a lot progress continues to be potential on your model on networks the place you have already got a stronghold. The restrict does exist. That doesn’t imply new platforms assure viewers enlargement, however they do provide potential. It’s also possible to recommend leaning on user-generated and influencer content material on established channels to get forward of efficiency headwinds.
Do not forget that nothing spurs leaders on like understanding they’re being outpaced by different manufacturers. Level them within the course of different firms who’ve already diversified their strategy.
Manufacturers charting a brand new path on rising networks
For the previous three years, L.L.Bean has gone “off the grid” throughout your complete month of Could in honor of psychological well being consciousness. The model utterly stops posting on all conventional social channels—giving their workforce and followers an opportunity to get exterior. Their group engagement really will increase throughout these months, because of their outdoor-focused challenges on apps like Strava and NatureDose. The model has additionally reported elevated YoY impressions, better consciousness of their mission and no detrimental affect on gross sales—insights that helped persuade their leaders their strategy labored.
L.L.Bean’s success is an instance of a wider pattern we’ve noticed: Manufacturers accounts are popping up on community-driven networks (particularly retail manufacturers). From Louis Vuitton’s Discord server to The RealReal’s new Substack, manufacturers are creating areas for genuine group and forging stronger parasocial relationships with their audiences.
Within the face of a lot community volatility, doubling down on group administration makes a whole lot of sense. Platforms come and go, however a powerful group can face up to (and even prosper in) an period of community diversification.
In case you’re not sure which various platforms you need to put money into, begin the place conversations about your model are already taking place. For instance, at Sprout, we’ve been fostering group engagement on Reddit. On the platform, customers speak about their martech stacks and provide unfiltered suggestions about our product. Not exhibiting up was a chance value we couldn’t afford.
Stand out within the social media panorama for the correct causes
We get it—discovering the bandwidth to experiment on rising platforms feels overwhelming, and divesting from core networks is a danger. However sustaining the established order is a much bigger one.
Social groups have already got the group administration and viewers engagement expertise to reach these different areas. They only want the buy-in to make it occur.
Whereas nobody can predict which platforms will stand the check of time, one factor is definite—constructing robust, engaged communities will all the time be a worthwhile funding. By experimenting with rising networks and assembly audiences the place they already are, manufacturers can future-proof their social methods in opposition to platform volatility. The hot button is to remain adaptable, hearken to your group and embrace change as a chance somewhat than a menace.
In search of extra on what social groups ought to prioritize in 2025? Learn the most recent version of The Sprout Social Index™.
