In the early days of social media marketing, the mantra was “be everywhere.” In 2025, that is a recipe for mediocrity and burnout. The social media landscape is more fragmented and platform-specific than ever. A successful strategy is no longer about having a presence on every channel; it’s about dominating the one or two platforms where your target audience is most engaged.
The key is to understand that each platform has its own unique language, culture, and user intent. A piece of content that performs brilliantly on one platform will almost certainly fail on another. Consider the strategic difference between two popular platforms:
- LinkedIn: This is the undisputed king of B2B (business-to-business) networking and professional content. The audience here is in a business mindset. They are looking for industry insights, career advice, and professional development. The content that works here is text-heavy posts with thoughtful analysis, professional articles, case studies, and polished video interviews. It’s a platform for building thought leadership and professional authority.
- TikTok: This is a B2C (business-to-consumer) entertainment powerhouse. The audience is here to be entertained, learn something quickly, or discover new trends. The content must be short, visually engaging, and authentic. Successful content includes behind-the-scenes looks at a business, quick tutorials, user-generated content challenges, and participation in trending sounds and memes. It’s a platform for building brand personality and cultural relevance.
A law firm trying to attract corporate clients has no business trying to master a TikTok dance. A direct-to-consumer fashion brand will likely get a far greater return from investing in TikTok and Instagram than from writing long-form articles on LinkedIn. The first step in any modern social media strategy is not to create content, but to conduct deep research into your ideal customer. Where do they spend their time online? What kind of content do they engage with? The answer to these questions will tell you where to focus your efforts and allow you to create content that feels native and valuable to that specific community.