Remember QR codes? Google+? Ello?
All of these were “the next big thing in marketing” where marketers started investing their time and $$ in new social networks ahead of user adoption.
Marketers seem to believe that there is a first-mover advantage – if they get on the network first they’ll have an advantage and grow their audience bigger faster. So they jump in and invest their time and effort – even before people actually use the network.
Meet your Customers Don’t Beat Them
Unless your goal is to show innovation (which only really matters for tech or social media companies) you don’t need to beat your customers to using something. Meet them. Be where your customers are.
Wait for Some Significant User Adoption
Wait until you see that a significant number of people in your target audience is using something before you jump in and invest your time and effort. People started slapping QR codes on everything despite the fact that most people didn’t have the slightest clue how to use them.
QR codes had faster marketing adoption than user adoption and were ultimately a huge flop.
Optimize vs. Expand
You have limited time, money and resources. Use them wisely. Expanding into new and largely unproven networks takes your valuable resources. Instead of jumping in to something new, consider the results you could achieve from doing what you already do better. Evaluate the pros and cons of each.
Most New Networks Fail
Sorry to burst your bubble, but the reality is that most shiny new objects never reach mass adoption. Wait until you see real traction on a network – most of them will fail and you’ll waste lots of time.
It Takes Time to Get Big
Social networks don’t suddenly explode – they grow over time. Pinterest, which still seems like a new network was founded in 2011. It didn’t get big out of nowhere. There was a slow steady climb to reach mass adoption.
Get Over Your FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
You won’t miss anything if you aren’t the first on something new. You’ll actually save yourself time and effort by waiting until there are some established best practices and case studies. Let other people experiment and learn from them.
You don’t need to be on the next big thing in social media. You need to be strategic and be where your customers are.
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