ICYMI: When To Adopt and When to Abandon a Channel

With Jenny Li Fowler | Expert Series

The ICYMI series of trusted industry voices continues with Jenny Li Fowler, who is MIT’s head of social strategy, podcast host and author of Organic Social Media: How to Build Flourishing Online Communities.

Today, she’s breaking down her process for deciding when to adopt and when to abandon a channel — plus, a list of how to leave the major platforms if you're ready to delete or deactivate a social account.

This is part of an exclusive series for paid subscribers. I invited industry leaders to write about their specific area of expertise — with an emphasis on tactical advice you can immediately put into action.

When To Adopt and When to Abandon a Channel

Any time I hear of a new social media app, one of the first things I do is download it onto my phone and open an account.

I like to play around with it, learn what it is, how it's used and if it could be a potential fit for my organization. Usually the answer is, "No, at least not right now." But it's important to have a baseline understanding of how all the different social media platforms function.

It's one thing to be aware of and familiarize yourself with new platforms; it's another thing to devise a strategy, create content, and maintain a platform.

I’ve found that there are essentially two approaches to adopting a channel. You can be reactive, or you can be strategic, and the former is not ideal.

Reactive method

Many social media managers will feel pressured to adopt a new platform, whether it’s from a supervisor, peers, or self-inflicted. I realize the pressures can be very real.

When the news media grabs hold of a new social media platform and your company president happens to read about it in their periodical of choice and asks the social media manager, “why aren’t we on so-and-so,” it takes a lot of self-assurance and support from the right people to answer.

Often, the response is to open a new account and start posting content immediately with little or no thought. And I’m not talking about grabbing your brand’s handle when a new social media app starts to gain a little traction.

If you feel compelled to start an account on every new platform that gains a little buzz, chances are you’re posting content to just have a presence on the platform. And just being on a platform should not be the end goal.

Thing is, there will always be a new platform. Chasing every shiny new social media app without proper resources and strategy is unsustainable and counterproductive. If you’re a solo social media manager or part of a small team, taking on too much can lead to burnout, reduced content quality, and mental health concerns.

Strategic method

When starting a new social media channel, hitting “create account” shouldn’t be the first thing you do. It should be the last. Strategic decisions focus on aligning platform choices with organizational goals, audience needs, and available resources. I think it’s important to ask yourself a series of questions before taking on another channel:

• Understand Your Goals. Does the platform help achieve your goals? Will it fit into your current strategy and align with your objectives?

• Know the Audience. Platforms often develop distinct user communities. Spend time as an observer to understand the culture and preferences of users before joining. This helps tailor content that resonates instead of repurposing posts from other channels.

• Content Fit. Does your content work on the platform? Or are you shoe-horning your existing content into a new platform?

• Examine your resources. Are you able to create new content for the channel and how frequently? Do you have the right people and equipment? If not, are you willing to invest into this effort to do it properly?

• Evaluate Competitors and Peers Are your competitors or industry leaders using the platform successfully? Analyze their approach and results to determine if the space is worth exploring.

• Develop a Content Management Plan Having a robust system to create, schedule, and analyze content ensures sustainable growth. Without a plan, even the best intentions can lead to inconsistent posting or disengagement.

• Track Progress Regularly evaluate whether your efforts on a platform are yielding the desired results. If not, consider reallocating resources to areas with more potential impact.

When to Say Good-bye