Competing online simply meant establishing a compelling presence that would spread organically. Choosing your channels involved only a handful of popular options. Creating “media” mostly meant writing posts and designing images.

New players are crowding the scene as it gets harder to tell the difference between Snapchat and Instagram. Brands are now paying just to compete for a few seconds of their audience’s attention. And the content they're pushing now includes live video and augmented reality (e.g. Snapchat's video lenses).

So, I asked nine social media savvy folks who understand the landscape for their thoughts on the current state of social media marketing, where it’s headed, and how entrepreneurs should approach their social media strategy today.

What is the biggest change/challenge you foresee in the near future of social media marketing?

Standing out from the crowd, amidst an increasingly noisy, competitive field. People only have so much time in their day to consume media and content, and social channels are fast becoming overwhelmed.

The deficit of attention means content creators and social marketers will need to be massively more unique, more valuable, and earn more loyalty from their audiences in order to maintain or grow their presences.

What channel should entrepreneurs be keeping their eyes on and why?

Facebook’s organic (and even paid) reach is getting much tougher. Video is working a little better, but everything else is working less well. Instagram is finally seeing some decline in participation/reach as well, after years of being the outlier. I’m also suspicious of whether Snapchat can maintain its reach and engagement numbers long term, especially for brands rather than individuals.

On the upswing side, podcasts look like they’re continuing to grow and be a remarkable channel for attention. I think that’s got a lot of growth, perhaps up until self-driving cars take over.

What’s your #1 piece of advice for entrepreneurs who are starting from scratch with their social media marketing plan?

Find the intersection of three things:

1. Channels where your customers and their influencers are actually active and paying attention
2. Channels where you can provide unique value beyond what anyone else is doing
3. Channels where you have personal passion and interest.

If you meet those criteria, you can have a real shot at great social marketing. If not, it might pay to pursue other investments and leave social until you can find those intersects or hire folks who can.

What social network do you spend the most time on and what social media marketing tool could you not live without?

Twitter! I love the variety of content, the freedom of interaction, the character limit, and the quality of people you can find there. As for tools,  It’s an amazing source of discovery and inspiration for me.