Why Marketers Aren’t Rushing To This Up-and-Coming Social Platform (Yet)

If it feels like social media is always changing, well, that’s because it is. 

As the number of social media users in the US continues to grow—reaching an estimated total of over 308 million people by the end of 2023—brands want to create more features and platforms to meet the growing demand. In order to make this happen, these companies and platforms have to be constantly updated, honing in on crowd-favorite features. 

Now, there’s a new social media platform on the block from one of the leading tech companies. Let’s explore the newest social platform—and why marketers aren’t rushing to it (just yet, anyway). 

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What is Lemon8? 

According to Digiday, you should, “Think of [Lemon8] like Instagram and Pinterest, for a Gen Z-type audience, merged together: the polished photos that you’d find on Instagram, alongside the focus on products and categorization features from Pinterest with a sprinkle of the lifestyle topics including fashion and food that have helped set the platform apart from its peers.” 

And maybe the best part? The same report says the platform’s algorithm is similar to TikTok’s, driving hyper-relevance on the platform with the tagline, “Fresh discoveries everyday.”  

The platform is already flourishing in other parts of the world but hasn’t become a topic of conversation in the US until the last few weeks, since it hasn’t officially launched yet. Even though it’s pre-launch, the app is already popular in the Lifestyle section of Apple’s app store. 

My First Experiences on Lemon8 

After reading about it, I decided to check out the platform for myself and report back. 

When I first opened up the platform on my browser, I noticed the sections (listed on both the top and side menus) are: For You, Fashion, Beauty, Food, Wellness, Travel, and Home. All things I enjoy, so we’re off to a good start. 

I haven’t given the algorithm any information about myself, so it seems like the focus is on lifestyle content. The first post for me revolves around how to use Lemon8. Helpful, since it’s my first time here. Next, we’ve got a post about cute finds at Target. Also, right up my alley. As I keep scrolling, I see a pattern of Lemon8 tips, shopping finds, drink recommendations, and similar posts.

Photos seem to be the most popular content type at the moment, but video is already making its way into the platform (indicated with a play icon in the top right corner). 

Overall, it seems like a fun lifestyle content platform, where users are focused on showcasing products, tips, and more. As influencers and brand marketers continue to make their way to the platform, I’m eager to see the changes that will come in terms of monetization for content makers (one of the biggest concerns about the platform) and digital advertising for marketing teams. 

Marketers and Lemon8 

You might notice marketers aren’t rushing to Lemon8—and, based on the description above, you might find this odd. Well, Lemon8 is owned by ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. Makes more sense now, right?

As the conversation continues by the US government (and other governing entities around the globe) about the future of the app, marketers are keeping a bit of a distance. These teams don’t want to find themselves in a situation where they have to abandon their plans after they’ve reallocated a significant amount of time and money building brand-new strategies around this platform. 

According to ZDNET, “Lemon8 won’t formally launch in the US until May. The Lemon8 app is currently available for download, but maybe top makers are gearing up for the official launch.” As more makers make their way to the platform, marketers might be close behind. 

As more information surrounding the conversation about ByteDance continues, marketers will make adjustments as necessary. Until then, teams will likely continue their TikTok strategies (some are even increasing their spending), but hold off on adding Lemon8. 

Staying Agile in Today’s Social Media Landscape 

This is just one example of how platforms are evolving to meet the needs of consumers and marketers alike. So, what does this mean for your team? 

Mainly, it means you need to stay agile. On your toes. Ready to move, shift, and reassess your strategies at any given moment. (Great, right?) 

While this might not be ideal, you can prepare for it. Overall, it’s critical to keep up with the latest social media trends, but there are some other steps you can take to stay agile. 

Diversify Your Channels 

Don’t put all of your eggs in the same social media basket.

While we don’t know what changes will take place, we do know they will happen—and some of these might include platform shifts. Of course, you don’t need to be on every digital marketing platform, but it’s still important to keep a diversified marketing mix to maintain your strategy through these challenges. 

Plan for (and Embrace) Changes 

Especially today, social media is changing rapidly, so you need to build flexibility into your plans. 

While your individual platform strategies should be agile, your overall strategy needs to be ready to change, too. In the situation we’re currently in, many strategies might need to be adjusted to add an entirely new platform. This would, like we mentioned above, mean reallocating time, money, and other resources previously reserved for something else. 

Not every situation will be the same, but we can prepare with general marketing agility. These changes are inevitable, but we can plan ahead to make them as smooth as possible. 

Create More Video Content 

Content seems to be everywhere, but we also seem to have more ad fatigue happening faster than ever before. So, why is this happening? 

With so many platforms to publish on today, brands are often reutilizing content across platforms. (Don’t get us wrong; we love repurposing content. But, there comes a point where you’ve squeezed everything out of the lemon and it’s time to get some fresh fruit content.)

Imagine you open up Facebook and see an ad. And then, later in the day, you open up Instagram and see the exact same ad. Not a similar one from the same campaign, but the exact same ad. And, then, when you’re sitting down and ready to watch your favorite streaming content, you open up your favorite newly ad-supported account and find—yep! You guessed it—the same exact ad. 

As you can guess, this drives ad fatigue quicker than normal, causing consumers to tune your ads out or, worse, begin associating them with being annoyed. With a wider variety of video content, your brand can stand out on several different channels (hello, again, channel diversification!) and drive a significant impact for your brand.