Digital marketers can’t predict when the next big social platform will take off – or go bust.
We’ve had Twitter becoming X, Clubhouse coming and going (remember that?), YouTube Shorts, the very complicated Mastodon, and Threads. Then there was a mass exodus from X to BlueSky (which added one million users a day after the November 2024 U.S. presidential election). Most recently, there’s been the banned-but-not-yet-banned TikTok drama.
All this goes to show that your marketing strategy can’t pin itself to a single social platform. If a platform suddenly goes dark, so do content creators – and your brand’s audience. Here’s a cautionary tale. In 2020, India banned TikTok due to a border skirmish with China. If the Indian border between Pakistan at a place called Wagha is anything to go by, things can get a bit tense.
At the time, India was the Chinese app’s biggest market, but India said, “Hold my beer.” After the border altercation, the Indian government banned TikTok on 29 June 2020. It was gone almost overnight, yet Indian TikToks are still online, minus their creators, like ghosts haunting a digital purgatory.
Read about the Power of TikTok: From viral dances to a business goldmine
Hedge your bets and adapt where needed
As platforms like TikTok face uncertainty, brands must stay on top of trends and know where their audience is.
While the TikTok U.S. ban isn’t happening just yet, the frenzy around it highlights an important lesson for digital marketers: platforms evolve, audiences shift, and trends drive behaviour.
We live in weird times, and marketers must consider the possibly of a platform disappearing (literally, as in, it’s gone tomorrow). Relying too heavily on a single platform can come back to bite you, and your collaborators.
Digital diversification is key, so make sure your brand has owned digital properties and not just one very active Instagram page. It may sound like we’re coming at you from the 2010s, but there’s a reason why websites, mailing lists, and blogs are still around. They’re not subject to the whims of algorithms, border fights, and whomever happens to be in charge.
Read how we consume content has changed (and why that matters for marketers)
The power of global – and local
International creators have blurred geographical boundaries, making global trends take off in your backyard.
Think about TikTok challenges and viral trends that originate overseas but take on unique twists locally. Or even the other way round (like the "Jerusalema" challenge that originated in South Africa but went viral all over the world).
Apps and platforms shape trends, and influencers are often at the centre of this. However, if their main platform is suddenly shut down, they also lose their audience. This has a knock-on effect on brands, who can no longer use these influencers to drive engagement and sales.
Here, it can be useful to partner with homegrown influencers so brands can tap into what really resonates with their audience, instead of overly relying on global voices or social media advertising. Collaborating with influencers who are present on multiple platforms also helps.
Read about how influencer marketing has transformed from a trend to brand advocacy
Weather any social shake up or switch off
The digital landscape is unpredictable, and no platform is immune to someone flipping the ‘off’ switch.
Whether due to political shifts, algorithm changes, or everyone hating Elon Musk, marketers must stay ahead so they’re not caught with their pants down. Relying too heavily on a single social network is as risky as playing with matches next to a truckload of polystyrene.
By diversifying digital strategies, investing in owned media, and building strategic influencer partnerships, brands can weather any platform shake-up and stay connected with their audience – no matter where they migrate to next.
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