Even when I don't like them, I try out new platforms. 

It's mainly because of my job. Helping lead social strategy for DeMoss requires it (at least in my eyes). I'm tasked with helping keep our agency up-to-date on what is new so we know how to best serve our clients with the best advice possible. 

It's easy to let personal bias get in the way and not take the time to invest time into something because the appeal doesn't make sense at first. I wasn't totally thrilled with Snapchat when it came out. Yik Yak seemed a little "eh" to me out of the gate. But I still downloaded it. I played around with both apps for a bit. And I even grew to like them. 

Now, when clients ask me "what do you think about ________?" I can give them an educated answer. Not an answer gleaned from me skimming a few tech blogs. An answer from experience. 

Why Most PR/Marketing Pros Should Too

It's interesting how every platform, from a user perspective, comes along with its own tone and conversation style. They also come with their own nuances.  The type of content that looks cool on Snapchat is different than Instagram and is different than Twitter. 

Thanks Captain Obvious.

Yeah, it is obvious - unless you don't take a few moments to get "in the weeds" with the new platform of the day. Taking a few moments every day to observe (and even try to create) content being pushed on various platforms by users (brands aren't as interesting) can help you learn a LOT. And make more effective recommendations down the road. Without giving these new "hot" platforms a shot, it's easy to get behind. 

Should we waste a lot of time on them? Especially ones that fizzle out (looking at you Ello and Path...)? Certainly not.

However, I'd encourage you to budget your time like a client would budget money. Set a few minutes of your day or week to invest in learning about new platforms. Even check back in on "old" ones like Facebook and Twitter to see how they've changed.

Ten minutes a day a few days a week could save you from getting years behind. 

So what about you? How do you keep from falling behind?