Invest in original content

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“Back in the day, your brand definitely had a Facebook portugal b2b leads and Instagram [account], probably a Twitter, and now it feels like those pillars are a lot less sure than they used to be. Now communities are segmented across different, smaller platforms,” says Allebach.

The last few years alone have seen the emergence (and quick decline) of platforms like BeReal, along with steady growth of alternatives like Threads, Bluesky and Mastodon. For many marketers, it’s no longer a question of how to be everywhere all at once—but how to choose the right places to show up for your target audience. With each platform prioritizing slightly different content formats, it also raises questions around whether short-form video is still the best investment, or if teams should reallocate their focus to more text and static image posts.

How to overcome social media saturation
The challenge of social media saturation isn’t going anywhere. AI technologies will continue their ascent and the platform landscape will continue to diversify, regardless of whether marketers are ready. What social teams can do, however, is adopt new rituals to improve their odds of cutting through the noise.

Nearly four in 10 consumers say the most memorable brands on social prioritize original content over jumping on trends, according to The Sprout Social Index™. Even changes to the Instagram algorithm to crack down on aggregator accounts signal a platform push toward unique IP. While capitalizing on certain trends will always be an aspect of social, trends alone are not a long-term strategy for achieving brand reach or relevance.

“I have found that a mix of original and trend-driven content tends to be the right combination. The trend content brings the audience in, keeps them engaged, tagging friends, etc. This then tells the algorithm to keep showing them content, so when you do have a more product-heavy piece of content, that gets served too,” says Cohen.