With recent confirmation from Facebook that teens “may” be spending less time on the site than ever before, brand marketers may start reconsidering how and where their budgets are spent on social media.

But haven’t we seen this trend before? Despite the ubiquitous presence Facebook has in the lives of the majority of Canadians, the relics of early social media fame (has anyone updated their Friendster account lately?) should have taught us that there is always the risk of a mass online migration.

For brands who have invested heavily into Facebook, without necessarily thinking about LAF (Life after Facebook), there’s never been a better time to take a closer look at where specific audiences are growing and which new social media platforms may start to become even more relevant in the future. There’s no reason to panic, Facebook isn’t dead or dying – but isn’t it always better to not have all those digital eggs in one basket?

Of course, before setting up new pages and profiles everywhere, time must first be spent evaluating how much of an investment – in both dollars and hours – will be required for each new digital presence. Even more important than this is going back to the basics by making sure those digital assets a brand actually owns outside of social media (i.e. website, mobile apps) are up-to-date and optimized.

Keeping up with social media trends —especially knowing when and where to invest time and money — is one of the biggest challenges brands face today. A little extra planning and some thoughtful forward thinking can help ensure a brand’s social media presence effectively evolves as people move around and migrate online.