Social Media’s New Nomadic Norm
Thinking Big
As marketers, we’re going to have to adapt to users treating social media platforms like alliances on the new era of Survivor. No longer is it about a long-term alliance, but a series of moment-based alliances that you trade along the way.
✅ The way millions of long-time users abandoned Twitter (yes, I still call it the Sears Tower, too) over frustration due to its continued direction.
✅ The rise of Bluesky and Threads in the wake of that exodus.
✅ Or almost as quickly, with Threads users beginning to trade in their new home for those bluer skies as an act of their disapproval for Zuck’s decision this week (January 2025) to modify Meta’s fact-checking stance.
✅ To the pivots from Instagram to TikTok with younger (and even the young at heart) audiences … and depending on court rulings later this month (January 2025), possibly another move.
Pack your social media bags lightly for a quick getaway. Digitally, we live on the go, now. And you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. We are becoming digital nomads for numerous reasons.
As marketers, we must acknowledge and pivot our digital strategies, accordingly. We have to be where audiences are, when they are. Which means the days of relying solely on strong, deeply rooted social or digital communities that we’ve fostered over time are fading—if they weren’t already gone a while ago. We need to be ready, willing and able to follow users where they are and where they are going. Roots that can quickly adapt and take hold to ever-changing soil. Our content, our messages (if you don’t like the word Ads), they all need to be developed and delivered with this in mind.
One could argue that never has it been more important to carefully start testing those key platforms your brand hasn’t been active on. Carelessly jumping in on every new platform isn’t the way to go, moving forward. But there are key platform opportunities beyond the “Big 3” depending on your industry, goals, etc.
If you’re a healthcare brand and you’ve held an active presence on Twitter over the years to reach other medical professionals or to share news and alerts, for example, Bluesky has separated itself from Threads in these areas. While there’s no ads component yet, via organic posts, we’re still seeing solid reach through smart use of hashtags and keywords, and good “old fashioned” (ahem) virality. And if reaching local-centric audiences are important, Bluesky has excelled in that area as well.
If you’re a brand where research and more involved decision-making searches and conversations are happening, Reddit has quickly become a key advertising opportunity. Whether we’re talking bigger personal decisions like healthcare or higher ed, to another form of big decisions such as travel, Reddit has continued to grow in usage as more people trade Twitter for Reddit in discussing these things. Meanwhile, TikTok has usurped some of Google’s stranglehold on search, with it actually becoming the go-to search and discovery platform for key demographics. And did you realize that on the ads side, you don’t to think video-only on TikTok? Static assets in many cases are outperforming video within TikTok ad units, making this even more accessible to brands (should TikTok not get shut down).
Often, it’s easy to get caught up in what we personally use and let that familiarity or lack thereof cloud our judgement on where our audience actually is or will be. It’s exponentially important to keep a finger on the pulse of your audiences, knowing they’re finding it’s easier and easier to just leave one platform for another much like they’re canceling a Netflix subscription because they don’t like the programming or decision to cancel their favorite series.
By testing key platforms now that are starting—or likely—to trend more and more with your audience, you’ll already be prepared when the next community shift occurs. In doing so, your brand will be better positioned to adapt to each of these in ways your competitors won’t be.
