Remember 2014, early social media? Instagram was just taking off, where people shared pictures. Facebook was how friends and acquaintances stayed in touch. Twitter was for hot takes and LinkedIn was there to help get you a job. It was simple. Platforms were introducing features such as “likes,” “stories” and “shares.” Each platform would check in on the others, make copycat features and life went on.

Then TikTok came along.

The short video platform exploded in 2020, thanks to the pandemic, leaving the rest of the platforms scrambling to figure out their own competing version. Instagram has “Reels,” while YouTube and Netflix are cooking up bite-sized alternatives to their longer-form content.

So, what are marketers supposed to make of all this? Who is on which app? Which apps are potential customers using? Where is your marketing cash best spent? Here are some tips on how to wade through the ever-changing swamp of social media.

Resist the Urge to go With Whatever is Most Popular

Everyone is raving about TikTok. Better get on it and start pumping it full of content, right? Nope. TikTok might be the best home for your content but do your homework first. Don’t just glom on to something you don’t yet understand because that’s where everyone else is. It might not be a fit for your brand.

If you’re a small business, looking to grow, odds are, there isn’t a great TikTok video for you to make, but there might be some interesting things for you to do on Twitter or Clubhouse to create some discourse around your business and broader industry. If you offer visual-heavy products or services, then sure, get a TikTok up on your channel to show your product in action, but don’t put excess effort into something that doesn’t serve your brand’s bottom line. The influencers you partner with will likely have some great input on whether or not your business is a good fit for a particular platform.

Always keep in mind that you may be putting a lot of effort into something that ends up being nothing more than a fad. In 2013 it was impossible to imagine anything being more popular than Vine or Flappy Bird, and yet, a year later, they were practically nonexistent. Take a moment to assess a platform’s potential longevity before you put your eggs in that basket.

Be Careful Not to Spread Yourself too Thin

There are a bunch of social media platforms out there, so the best strategy is to put a little bit of money in each one, right? Wrong. When you try to appeal to everyone all at once, you end up appealing to no one. Keep your efforts focused and strategic. Make a calendar; your campaigns on a given platform should be planned out, targeted, and coordinated with one another. Should you maintain a presence on Twitter amid a sponsored, timely Instagram campaign? Of course, but make sure your priorities are in the right places.

A great way to figure out where your focus should be is to go directly to the people with their finger on the pulse of the social media landscape. Talk to the influencers you partner with and get their insight. Influencers are hip. Influencers know what resonates best with their audience but, more importantly, where their content resonates and why. Liaise with them before you dive into a particular campaign headfirst.

Is there a direct science to knowing which platform is the best fit for your content? Not really. But doing your homework, talking with your influencers, and exercising caution before plowing ahead could make the difference between a successful campaign and becoming a meme.

Justin Kline is Co-founder of Markerly, an influencer marketing technology partner and platform working with some of the largest consumer brands in the world.