Whenever a new technology or tech-related service comes out, you can hold your breath for the amount of time before you see an article explaining how marketers should use it, or how this is a great new opportunity for your business. Usually such articles are rather silly.

Fortunately, sometimes there are also some sensible articles. Like this one: No, publishers can’t learn anything from Pokémon Go

[Pokemon Go is an] augmented reality game based on a decades-old video game franchise, propelled to ridiculous early success on a wave of ’90s nostalgia by people of my own age who grew up with Pokémon and now have the disposable income to buy smartphones? Good luck replicating that situation, publishers.

Right. It’s not that they caught a wave you can ride as well. They caught a laser beam.

But also, and more importantly, just because people are spending a lot of time on something does not mean that it’s an opportunity to get some of that attention. That is a very common error.

“Everybody’s on X, so you should be on X.”

No, not really. Not unless it fits with your market.

I haven’t played the game, but I know some people who do, and when they’re out looking for Pokemon they’re not in the mood to purchase a magazine subscription. Or … whatever you’re selling — unless that’s Pokemon t-shirts.

Think of it in terms of list selection. If you want to send out a million pieces of mail, you want to find lists of people who are like your people. You may want readers in a certain demographic group who have recently shown interest in a publication like yours.

The same thing applies to time. Just because everybody’s on Facebook doesn’t mean they want to buy your thing while they’re there.

You should apply the same sort of critical thinking to these social media and technology services that you apply to lists. Don’t chase the crowd just because it’s a crowd. Find the right people in the right place in a buying mood.