It seems as though every day there is a new social media site or type of technology in the news. How do you know what you need to be involved in? How long should you wait to invest time and money into something new?

When to Adopt New Technology

As a brand, it’s important that we can be found where our customers expect to find us. If a crafter searches Pinterest to find the latest scrapbooking trends, and they don’t find your scrapbooking products, you’ve lost a potential sale. But, how do you know when to adopt new technology? It’s impossible to be everywhere, on every site, for everyone. At the very least, it can be a waste of time and money.

New social media sites, wearable technology, and robotics are all examples of new ways brands are becoming larger parts of our lives. One of the questions you need to ask yourself is whether or not your customers will be drawn to this technology or social media site. Here are just a few examples:

• Teens and younger people are traditional early adopters. If your target market is teenagers, then Snapchat may be part of your marketing plan.
• Targeting the over 60 crowd? Having a vine account may not be necessary for your brand.
• Food and creative companies should have Pinterest accounts. If your client is an accounting software, it may not be a need.

Adopting the latest and newest technology can be tempting. However, only 10-15% of consumers are early adopters. Of this 10-15%, you need to consider how many of these early adopters are in your target market. Focusing time and money on a new technology that your customers have no use for won’t help you. The key to capturing new users is to analyze their needs and then look for technology that will solve this need.

What technology is the most important for your brand?