Any of this sound familiar? Big flashy & sexy headlines seem to announce new outlets you have to join every week.

With so many shiny new objects coming at us all the time, it’s a wonder how we marketers don’t go blind. Most marketers find it hard enough just to keep up with their current flow of tasks; how in the world can we continue to perform on our task list and also keep up with the latest new social networks around?
We can’t. And it’s okay; you don’t need to. Breaking social media headlines and new networks can easily get you off track from your current marketing strategy, but resist the urge to stray.
Yes, social media is an amazing way to reach targeted customers in a very personal way. But that doesn’t mean that you and your brand need to have a presence in every corner of the Internet. Just because there is a new network with new features getting all of the tech press, that doesn’t always mean it makes sense for your brand to jump in right away.

In most cases, the early adopters of social networks skew male, usually from the tech sector or other marketers. If that’s your target customer demographic, then jump right in. If not, then don’t overwhelm yourself trying to get active in networks and communities your target audience isn’t in yet.

Listen to your customer base and your target customers. Are they joining these new networks in droves? Are you seeing a dramatic drop off in your current networks? If not, then your strategy is still relevant.

Focus on what is working and choose to dominate a smaller group of social channels, rather than spreading your efforts too thin and doing several activities with no success. Stay on course. If your marketing initiatives are working with only Facebook, or LinkedIn, or a few combinations between YouTube and Twitter, then what is the harm in focusing on those efforts and continuing to build more brand ambassadors in networks you know already work?

Spreading your marketing efforts too thin, by being everywhere at once, won’t spread more awareness to more people. It will only allow you to fail in more locations. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t monitor what new opportunities are available; just don’t get burnt by a hot trend.