New research from Forrester has confirmed what many social media pros have known for some time now: We’re spinning our proverbial wheels with Facebook and Twitter.
Forrester’s report, titled “Social Relationship Strategies That Work,” confirms that because so few people see organic (i.e. not sponsored or promoted) posts on Facebook, it’s a waste of time, money and resources.

The study comes on the heels of Facebook’s latest announcement that it will start cutting reach on “overly promotional” brand posts in 2015. Forrester VP and principal analyst Nate Elliot writes in a blog post marketers couldn’t “count on much organic reach or engagement anyway” and points to an Ogilvy report which stated large brands’ Facebook posts reached only 2 percent of fans.

“It’s clear that Facebook and Twitter don’t offer the relationships that marketing leaders crave,” says Elliott. “Yet most brands still use these sites as the centerpiece of their social efforts — thereby wasting significant financial, technological, and human resources on social networks that don’t deliver value.”

What should brands managers do instead?

The study suggests a couple of alternatives, giving examples of brands that have created their own communities. Sony, for example, saw success with GreatnessAwaits.com while B2B manufacturer Analog Devices created its own EngineerZone community.

Brands should also look to platforms like Instagram and Pinterest The Forrester report reveals Instagram posts receive a per-follower engagement rate 58 times higher than Facebook and 120 times higher than Twitter for top brands.