Should You Do Marketing on Mastodon?

Twitter is a dumpster fire and people are flocking (pun intended) to another social site called Mastodon. Every marketer worth their salt is asking one question: Should I market on Mastodon?

 

I’ve only been using Mastodon for a few days, but here’s what I’ve learned so far. (BTW, you can follow me on Mastodon at @[email protected])

Wait, What Is Mastodon?

Mastodon is a small and little-known social media platform that resembles Twitter in many ways. Well, little-known until now. When Elon Musk announced the $8 blue mark, the media promoted Mastodon as an alternative Twitter, and thousands of users per day have been leaving Twitter and signing up at Mastodon.

 

Mastodon is like Twitter, but it’s also not like Twitter. Like Twitter, you can post short “toots” about anything you like. You have a home page with a feed, and you can engage with others in pretty much the same way as Twitter.

 

Unlike Twitter, Mastodon is an open-source application that exists on many different servers, or “instances.” Each server is run independently and has its own rules to abide by. Think of it like living in a small town with lots of neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has its own culture and an HOA with a set of rules, but the town itself has ordinances to live by as well. You can be friends with your neighbors and friends with people in other neighborhoods, but you can only live in one place.

 

Mastodon has a unique set of values that you won’t find on Twitter, and that has implications for marketers. For example, you won’t find sponsored ads or promoted posts. The platform is free (for now, at least), and users are there to escape the capitalistic algorithms of other social media platforms.

 

The community is run on mutual respect, self-censoring (believe it or not!), authenticity, and personal expression. There’s no SEO, no algorithm to boost your posts, and no capability of targeting specific audiences.

Can You Do Marketing on Mastodon?

Mastodon isn’t Twitter. Life is different there. Before you try to do any marketing on the social site, make sure you understand the unique values of this platform. Otherwise, things could go poorly for your brand. Here’s what you need to know about marketing on Mastodon.

 

Yes, you can do marketing on Mastodon. But it should be done very carefully. Mastodon isn’t about turning followers into customers, it’s about people. That doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities for marketers, if you’re willing to play the long game.

 

Treat people like people, not marketing targets, and you’ll do fine. And never send unsolicited marketing messages.

 

As far as I can tell, there’s great opportunity for building relationships that could lead to business opportunities. But you won’t get far if you see those relationships as a means to an end. And you’ll have to be patient. Because there’s no audience-building algorithm, it will take more time to gain traction.

 

Since the pandemic, customers have valued authentic and human brands. Mastodon is a community that seems to be built for that kind of brand.

The Verdict on Maketing on Mastodon

So, yes, this growing social media platform could be a great marketing opportunity for certain kinds of brands. But not in the way that Twitter is.

 

Check it out! Have fun with it. Get to know people, and see what comes of it. Just don’t treat Mastodon like Twitter.

 

And when you get there, come find me at @[email protected].