Blake Michael is an entrepreneur, creator and chief evangelist at lumanuthe company that simplifies business for the creative economy.
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When was the last time you used MySpace, Vine, or Google+? What were once social media giants is now largely or completely defunct, and it’s almost guaranteed that with enough time the same will happen to today’s social media favorites.
That’s just one of the many reasons why savvy creators and companies are diversifying their social media strategy, adopting multiple platforms, and taking their audience off the platform completely in preparation for a future without TikTok.
If you’re clinging to one or two platforms, whether you’re afraid of change or unwilling to learn the features of a new site, consider these key reasons why you need to diversify your social media channels to boost your brand’s digital success. to ensure the long term.
1. Don’t let one algorithm determine your stats.
Anyone who has dipped their toe into the world of social media marketing has heard the word ‘algorithm’. Sometimes it is whispered in agony, and sometimes it is shouted to heaven, but rarely is the word used with affection.
The algorithm is essentially a defined set of data that sorts a user’s posts based on relevance. At their core, all social media channels try to provide users with the most relevant content so that they stay on the app longer. However, algorithms aren’t always successful or popular with users, so learning new algorithms for additional apps may be the last thing anyone wants to do.
But that frustration with the fickle nature of the algorithm is exactly why you should be using more apps (and decoding more algorithms). One Instagram update can kill your engagement and reduce your views, but that same piece of content can go viral on TikTok because it serves content differently than Instagram. The ever-evolving nature of social media is a double-edged sword, but diversifying your social media presence can help you make the platforms work for you and maximize your chances of success on at least one of them.
2. Use new and different engagement features.
While they all feel the same at times, different social media platforms have different engagement features and different functionalities. Instagram has Reels, Twitter has Spaces, Facebook has Live, and the list goes on. In a competitive market, social media companies are constantly introducing new features to keep users engaged and relevant. And to push their new features, those platforms often reward users who use their latest technology.
For example, Instagram is known to reward users who post roles. Users who consistently post Reels report getting more views and engagement than those who post static image posts or non-Reels videos. This is believed to be because Instagram prioritizes roles on users’ home feeds, serving this type of content when users first open the app.
By diversifying your social media channels and doubling down on their newest features, you can quickly increase your audience and engagement with minimal effort. Short video is clearly king in today’s digital landscape, so one 30-second video can increase your audience on Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts, extending your brand’s reach far beyond repetitive posts on a single platform.
3. Own your community.
Staying on top of trends can help boost numbers, but delivering value to your audience is ultimately the best way to build a community. At the end of the day, you’re not just trying to build a social media following; you are trying to build a loyal audience.
Diversifying your social media platforms is important, but thinking about ways to keep your audience off the platform is just as important, if not more important. Not only does this guarantee that you have a direct connection to your audience if a social media platform goes down, but it also allows you to cut out the middleman and engage with them directly.
Direct engagement is more profitable in the short and long term. Consider using tools like fan subscription services to give “super fans” access to gated content and community forums. This will not only bring your audience together, amplify effectiveness and reach, but also make them feel more connected to you, increasing brand loyalty and conversions.
If you don’t have the resources to use a fan subscription service, or if your brand is more focused on a product/service than a persona, building email lists can be immensely valuable. Email marketing works in a similar way to social media marketing: getting the attention of an audience so that you can eventually offer them promotions or new products and drive sales. And many studies (although mostly conducted by email marketing companies) argue in favor of email’s unique effectiveness, claiming that ROI of 36:1 to discover that people are more likely to make a purchase based on an email than to buy on social media.
Enter a call-to-action anywhere on your website — the header, main slider, or popup — and offer a free download or promotion if the user enters their email address. You’ve probably seen this before when shopping online or visiting a blogger’s site. Building an email list is a common marketing tactic, and it’s an incredibly powerful one that shouldn’t be forgotten. Email marketing is not dead.
Final Thoughts
Putting all your eggs in one basket and being committed to a single private company can backfire seriously, and you may wake up one day to find that your social media profile is gone. To truly own your community and set yourself up for success well into the future, it’s critical that you diversify your social media channels and interact with your audience beyond social media.
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