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11 Things To Consider Before Adopting A New Social Media Platform

Forbes Technology Council
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Forbes Technology Council

Social media platforms pop up so often that it can be a challenge to keep up with them all. In a world where we all seek to get more connected, joining another social media platform seems like a smart move.

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However, for a company, knowing when to jump in can be pretty tricky. After all, you're eager to connect with more potential customers but you also don't want to alienate them before you've had a chance to engage them. Vero, a new-ish social media platform seeks to offer a new kind of experience to social media users. What should you consider before adopting a new social media platform? We asked members of our Forbes Technology Council to see if they could shine some light on the subject.

1. It Depends On Your Business 

My marketing team believes that if your business is centered on being trendy or socially active, or your work is focused on social media channels, then you will want to be an early adopter of new social platforms. For the rest of us, it is best to wait a while before investing time in a new platform — typically when a clear value of the channel can be established. - Marcus Turner, Enola Labs 

2. The 80/20 Strategy Can Help Make The Decision 

This is a special case of a more general question: when to exploit and when to explore? One answer is to have a policy of investing 80% of your resources in proven tactics and 20% in new tactics with potential. So if you're not already investing 80% in channels that work, start there. If you are, add Vero to a list of ideas, and prioritize versus other ideas using an impact/effort matrix. - Simon Smith, BenchSci 

3. Target Audience Members Can Lead The Way 

It's important and test the social media platform yourself for awhile and see who else is on there and how they are using it before you add it to your company. Many have already come and gone so you want to make sure it's worth the time and effort.  - Chalmers Brown, Due 

4. After Testing and Researching, Consider It 

Vero is still in beta so it would be best to try it out personally for awhile and see where they go with the platform first. With social media, being an early adopter is not always good because it may turn out not to be a platform widely used.  - Muhammed Othman, Calendar 

5. Your Target Audience Must Be There 

There are many social platforms out there, and if your target audience happens to be prevalent on an unusual one like Vero, it may be an excellent one to focus on. In other words, there's no one-size-fits-all — find where your target audience goes and target any social media platforms where you can reach them. That will be your best path to profit from your efforts. - David Murray, Doctor.com 

6. "Wait And See" (But Register First) 

It's never "too soon" to register your brand on a new social media network; timely registration prevents your name from being claimed by someone else and prevents the headache of filing trademark complaints. Registering early doesn't mean that you should start posting immediately. Waiting until users feel okay with brands in their new space helps prevent a negative brand image on the platform. - Jason Gill, The HOTH 

7. Who Is Leading The Change Matters 

The current trend (Slack, Blind, Vero etc.) is to start a grassroots movement amongst employees, then charge the company. This pits one against the other. The best platforms benefit both: They help senior leaders to be better informed and allow employees to feel heard and recognized. This use of culture tech builds a real connection and trust over time. - Doug Claffey, Energage 

8. Social Platform Brand Is Important 

The success of any social media platform is dependent on the quality of the content generated by its users and the number of consumers on it. Before moving onto a new platform, a company must determine if the audience and conversations are relevant to its brand and consider how this new medium fits within the overall marketing strategy. - Shweta Saraf, Digitalocean 

9. Return On Investment (ROI) Must Be A Factor 

Even after all this time, the ROI of social media for most businesses is negative. Focus on making your customers happy and communicate with them where they want to. If (and given the number of social media platforms that have risen and fallen over the years, that's a big if) Vero or anything else becomes a platform your customers use to communicate, then hop on at that point. - Timothy Chaves, ZipBooks Accounting Software 

10. The Appropriate Support Makes a Difference 

With any social platform, once you’ve identified it’s right for your business, it’s important to have the narrative and appropriate structured in place to genuinely support that platform. “Social” is expected to be two-way communication; one of the worst things is to join a social platform but not be ready to communicate back to your followers’ interactions with your company’s presence. - Peter Kuang, Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness 

11. The Scientific Method Can Help 

If you have the resources to make small experiments, it never hurts to invest some time into exploring new marketing channels. You can track the performance of a new channel like Vero against your existing channels, if it performs better than existing channels you can spend more time on it, if it doesn't you should find something that converts better. - Danilo Stern-Sapad, FabFitFun, Inc.