| I have a dog; other than my girlfriend, my dog is the love of my life. Problem is, my dog gets distracted super easy. Throw something shiny or squeaky down the hall and my dog is lost for hours. Marketers and e-commerce pros can be like distracted dogs. Every year or two the shiny new toy comes out and everyone gets distracted. People forget about ROI, forget about real value, forget about what works and all of a sudden, some magical new platform will cure their problem. I preach value, day and night, value, value, value. Facebook is a much more sophisticated tool, and while it has serious issues of its own, we can gauge what does and does not work. Native ads are on the rise because of targeting and cost. These might not sound as sexy as some random media buyer claiming s/he can create a star-spangled TikTok campaign for $40,000 that’ll wow 16-22-year-olds, but when the retailer looks at results, it’ll be severely disappointed. Ignore the shiny new toy and remember what matters. No one in the 12th century could fathom indoor plumbing let alone the internet, but basic business principles still apply. Buy for a dollar, sell for two. However, you promote, make sure it makes cents and dollars. Snapchat is practically a forgotten relic, but it has broad appeal, followers and a measurable algorithm. Let’s not crown TikTok just yet. – Nick Shackelford is the co-founder of Structured Social and Geek Out Education | 