Is your content out there but not delivering the results you want? You might have had a good run on a platform like Facebook for several years. Yet lately, it seems to be fizzling out, and the audience you want to target isn’t really there anymore.
When you see these signs, it’s time to change direction. This could involve a new strategy, a different format, or even exploring a new channel. Recognizing the right time to try a new social media channel can revitalize your campaigns, expand your reach, and help your content strategy hit a home run. Here’s how to know when it’s time to make a move.
The Data Shows An Opportunity
Metrics can be seen as the holy grail in content marketing. You’re constantly looking at the number of impressions, likes, and shares. The number of users on each platform might be another concern—specifically, the number of users in the demographics and lifestyle categories you’re targeting.
But what about the channels with the most opportunity for growth? Say you’re a smaller company or a less visible brand. Your social media accounts are growing, but you haven’t amassed what’s considered a large following. Looking at macro data and trends can help a smaller brand with a growing audience spot opportunities for more seamless growth on specific channels.
A 2025 social media study by Metricool identifies Instagram and YouTube as the top channels for strategies focused on achieving rapid growth with smaller accounts, closely followed by TikTok. Metricool, a social media management software designed to track and measure organic and paid campaign performance, emphasizes that interactions are central to growth. A business wanting to expand its audience should be present on channels with strong engagement, making YouTube a key platform to consider.
Performance Doesn’t Align With Your Goals
Perhaps the most glaring sign is a consistent decline in your numbers, regardless of how many times you post. People don’t seem to be engaging with your content, and your impressions are down. With these kinds of results, you’re lucky to get any conversions.
While lackluster metrics can signal problems with the content itself, this isn’t always the case. Sometimes your posts are spot on, but they’re not reaching the right audience. A Social Media Strategies Summit blog reiterates the importance of focusing on the channels that deliver the most impact for your organization.
Discovering the optimal platforms for your goals means looking at a range of variables. Audit your current pages, doing a deep dive into each account’s performance, while also taking into consideration posting schedules and the effort current and potential channels require. It could be more advantageous to streamline your focus by ending your run on underperforming platforms and concentrating on those with more promise.
The Competition Is Crushing It
While you should take a competitor’s results with a grain of salt, rising success on a different channel can signal opportunity. Do a competitive analysis to discover where your rivals might be gaining ground. You’ll also want to dig into the why behind those results.
Understanding a competitor’s success on a particular platform will help you discern whether the same channel is an ideal place to get your feet wet. Although your audiences are likely similar, consider where your goals may differ and whether the channel’s main content format is a good fit. For instance, a video-heavy platform might present challenges if your content team isn’t skilled in this format.
Beyond format, consider the resources required. Will it be worth the effort to reskill a few members of the group, or is outsourcing video content more efficient? Furthermore, is your specific audience receptive to the format(s) on the new channel? There may be slight nuances between your competitor’s share of the market and yours. Also, determine whether there is room on the platform for success amongst similar brands.
Your Audience Changes
For years, your core audience has gravitated toward Facebook and Instagram, where your posts perform well, driving engagement and conversions. However, growth within this core group is slowing, prompting you to target a different demographic—perhaps a younger one—to expand your market share.
You’ve done your homework and know this younger demo isn’t hanging out on Facebook and Instagram; they’re on YouTube and TikTok, platforms you’re less familiar with and where you don’t yet have accounts, but understand the general appeal.
It’s time to experiment to see where you can get the most leverage. Have your content team determine the differences between the available platforms and identify which one is more ideal for your group’s skills and audience’s needs. Create a few posts, measure results, and adapt your approach. As your team learns what works, they can scale up their strategies and posts.
Changing The Channel
Your social media and content strategy may stagnate if you’re unwilling to depart from what you already know. Exploring different platforms can be a way to revitalize stale results, achieve new objectives, and grow your brand. Start with the data to determine where the best opportunities lie. Then, concentrate on the channels with the most promise while letting go of those that no longer align with your goals.
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