Social Media Marketing

I think brands gotta stop posting daily on social. Seriously. Content calendars shouldn't be full. I really believe the biggest reason most brands can't go viral & can't drive more customers through content is an expectation on volume over individual post effectiveness. More often than not, daily content leads to weaker content, not better results. Why? 3 Big Reasons. 1. POTENCY > PERPETUITY. I’d rather your brand post 10 great pieces of content than 30 forgettable ones. Social is a potency game. One incredible post can outperform a month of calendar fillers. I'll bet if you cut your cal in half and spend twice as long per post, you'll more than double your per-post metrics & outswing your current monthly averages 2. YOUR BRAND NEEDS BIGGER SWINGS. “Safe, fine, decent” content dies instantly in today’s feeds. You're competing on the For Your Page, and you'll need better ideas + better hooks to beat out all the other content. That type of creativity needs space, and breathing room, and time to get weird, and to rewrite and rethink. 3. YOU CAN'T WIN SOCIAL WITHOUT VIDEO, AND VIDEO TAKES TIME. Short-form vertical video is the only format universally pushed by TikTok, Reels, and Shorts, but most teams don’t have enough time, budget, staff, or creative energy to produce daily video that’s actually good. And bad video is worse than no video. So here's your new posting strategy: 1. Post less. 2. Make each post hit harder. 3. More time on brainstorming, less time on production. No one remembers a brand because they posted every day. They remember the really great one off posts.

Everytime anyone asks "How did you grow to 250k followers on LinkedIn", these are the 11 tips I give them that will remain evergreen: 1) Quality = Revenue, Quantity = Growth When starting out, post 5-6 times a week. Once you build an audience, switch to 3-4 high-quality posts. 2) 2) Trust me on this: Stop overthinking Most posts that did well were written in 15 minutes. The ones I spent hours on? Got average traction. 3) Stop making these content excuses: "I have nothing unique to say" "Everything's been said before" "I'm not an expert yet" Just document your journey. That's enough. 4) Content batching saves your sanity I batch create content for my profiles both Instagram and LinkedIn. Takes 2-4 hours but saves me from daily stress. 5) Find your unique voice, not just your niche Your unique style is your strongest differentiator. 6) DMs > Comments > Likes Prioritize meaningful conversations over vanity metrics. 7) The 24-hour rule If a post idea excites you for more than 24 hours, it's worth writing about. 8) Be consistent or be invisible The algorithm rewards regular posters. Pick a schedule you can maintain. 9) Focus on one platform I see people trying to be everywhere. Master one platform first. 10) Lead with value, not promotion Give 90% value, sell 10% of the time. 11) The best growth hack? Show up every single day for 365 days. That's it. I went from 0 to 240k+ followers using these principles. Which one resonates with you the most?

During the past two decades #socialmedia has fundamentally changed the way we communicate and interact. Now it is radically changing the way we shop. With huge repercussions. Let’s take a look. From the early days of MySpace in 2003 to Facebook’s launch in 2004, social media has come a long way. What started as a digital means of communication has evolved into a dominant #marketing tool that is indispensable for any brand. The pandemic has accelerated (and reinforced) a new trend that was already emerging: social media moving out of their typical marketing boundaries and becoming integrated into peoples’ shopping experiences and habits under the umbrella term that we call #socialcommerce. In other words, social commerce is where hyper-personalization meets entertainment and shopping by means of immersive experiences that excite. Accenture estimates that the global social #commerce opportunity will nearly triple by 2025, reaching $1.2 trillion (from $492 billion in 2021), whereas Statista puts the figure at $2 trillion. To understand the momentum and size, the total e-commerce market globally is $7 trillion. Here are a couple of developments pointing to the #future: — In China Alibaba’s (China’s equivalent of Amazon) on-line shopping platform Taobao introduced in 2016 what we now call live commerce: the combination of real-time broadcasting with e-commerce so that customers (or viewers if you like) can browse and shop via chat functionalities without ever leaving the platform. The new business model has been so successful that it now accounts for 10% of all #ecommerce sales in China, having grown from a mere $3 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2017 to over $400 billion in 2022, according to Mckinsey! — According to TikTok, e-commerce is no longer the future of shopping; it is shopping itself. As a result, TikTok has been repositioning itself at the center of shoppertainment with the goal to transform how brands connect with their audiences. The idea is to meet consumers directly where they want to be (and meet), instead of trying to generate sales via the traditional vertical sales funnel. Of course, western markets have different cultural norms and shopping habits, and nobody says that the future globally will evolve in a similar (linear) fashion, as it has done in Asia. But it provides a useful glimpse into how social media will (increasingly) mix with day-to-day life events and how this can revolutionize the shopping experience. Going forward, social commerce can re-shape how customers interact with brands, going far beyond shopping. In this transformational journey three trends stand out: 1) millions of individuals and mid-sized businesses (can) now compete head-to-head with larger players 2) different social media usage and habits mean visible geographical variations 3) capturing the opportunity will go through changing formats and purchasing patterns. Opinions: my own, Graphic source: Citi GPS

AI is creating new challenges for marketers but IMHO the biggest opportunity in years to differentiate. AI overviews are intercepting clicks. LLMs are answering questions before customers ever reach your site. And Google’s AI mode is just getting started. This is the biggest shift we've seen in marketing in 20 years. So, how should marketers respond? Here are 3 things to know about marketing beyond search: High-quality content matters more than ever. Traffic is down — but your customers are still around. They’re just somewhere else. And you still need high-quality content to pull them in – the more specific, the better. It will help you show up in AI Overviews but also LLM chats, social and communities. You need to scale across every channel. Your audience is on YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, podcasts. (Sometimes all at once if my kids are anything to go by 🙃) Before, you needed big teams and budgets to be everywhere. Now? AI lets you repurpose your best ideas into video, audio, and social — fast. Fewer clicks. Way more reach. AI can match content to intent to drive up conversion. AI doesn’t just create content — it reads the intent signal. It knows what your buyer needs right now, and serves the most relevant message, in the right channel, at the perfect time. That’s personal. And it drives results. For 20 years, traffic volume was the north star. Now that it's declining, it's tempting to think AI makes marketing harder. But what AI really does is create new opportunities for marketers. New places to be found. New ways to reach more people. New opportunities to connect with customers. Honestly? I’ve never been more excited to help our customers navigate what’s next. #Marketing #AI #LLM #Search #HubSpot #DigitalMarketing

Too many brands/founders/marketers ask: “Can we go viral?” or “How do we get more engagement?” But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. What the world sees: - Virality - Followers - Brand Awareness - Revenue Growth (Sales) What actually drives it: - Customer research - Funnel strategy - Brand messaging - Systems, psychology & planning Most teams skip the foundation. They chase trends instead of building marketing engines. So what happens? - Inconsistent results - Disconnected campaigns - High reach but Low conversions The truth? Traffic isn’t the problem in 2025. Lack of strategy is. Want sustainable growth? Start with what doesn’t show up on social: Value proposition clarity Positioning that resonates Consistent execution A toolstack that supports it all Because marketing isn’t magic. It’s deep work, done well. Here’s your 3-part fix: Build systems → not just content Create clarity → not just noise Focus on conversion → not just reach Marketing without depth is decoration. Marketing with structure drives growth. Let’s go below the surface. That’s where the real growth lives. ♻️ Repost if you’ve ever smiled through “Can you make it viral?” Follow me Madhav Mistry for insights on marketing Tool-Stack: Semrush, Canva, Lately.AI, Google, Pictory, Hootsuite, Notion, Miro, Brand24, Zapier, Brandwatch, Cision, Intuit Mailchimp, Lovable, OpusClip, VEED.IO, Substack... more (Let me know urs too)

My first communications hot take of 2025! 🔥 Traditional PR metrics are dead. Stop counting press releases. Stop tracking AVE. Stop chasing meaningless numbers that don't tell you anything or move the needle. These metrics are a relic of the past. If you're still using them, your strategy is falling behind. (And if your agency is serving up these metrics as proof of their impact, then it's time for a hard conversation.) 🤨 Here's what needs to go: ❌ "Number of press releases" is just vanity. Nope, press releases aren't a strategy—they're a tactic. Publishing isn't the same as reaching. ❌ "Volume of coverage" tells you nothing. A hundred mentions in low-tier outlets don’t compare to one strategic feature that influences decision-makers. ❌ AVE (Advertising Value Equivalency) is meaningless. This was never a meaningful metric. Did you spend that budget on ads? No? Then why measure it like one? It doesn’t capture influence or impact. ❌ "Total impressions" lacks context. Reaching the wrong audience 1M times = wasted effort. Context is important here. If it’s 1M impressions with your target audience that drives some meaningful outcomes—that’s your metric. ❌ "Social follower count" is shallow. Having 50K silent followers is cool and all, but give me 5K engaged people any day. Social is shifting from brand followers to people, making follower count even less relevant. . Here's what (I think) actually matters in 2025: ✴️ Narrative Share (think thought leadership, elevated) → Are you shaping how people think about key issues? → What percentage of relevant conversations include your POV? → Are you leading the narrative—or playing catch-up? ✴️ Share of Voice *Quality* (not just mentions) Focus on: → Authority & Impact: Topic leadership and decision-maker credibility → Message Effectiveness: Perception shifts and resonance → Business Value: Lead quality and customer story impact → Stakeholder Engagement: How key audiences interact and respond ✴️ Audience Journey → What happens *after* someone sees your message? → Do your efforts drive real behavior change? → How are stakeholders engaging, retaining messages, changing behavior, or taking action? ✴️ Community-Driven Influence (beyond basic engagement) → Are you building advocates or just awareness? → What's happening organically in your networks? → Is your community telling your story for you? 🤔 I'll be the first to admit that measuring these isn't "easy" or as simple as open rates. Measuring the metrics that actually matter in PR requires a *mix* of qualitative and quantitative approaches, and it means leaning into tools, methodologies, and frameworks that go beyond surface-level data. 🗣️ Bottom line (and something I've been saying for years): PR isn’t just about getting your name out there. It’s about influencing how people think, feel, and act—to drive business OUTCOMES. If your metrics don’t reflect that, it’s time to rethink them. 📈 What PR metrics are you focusing on in 2025?

My INS and OUTS for Marketing in 2025... OUT: ❌ Advertising on Twitter - in an era where brand safety and alignment matter more than ever. Twitter’s unpredictable landscape makes it a no-go for many marketers. The risk of your content appearing next to controversial or divisive material is too high. ❌ Brands in comment sections - what was once a clever way to engage has now become overdone. People will start to find comment sections flooded with brands disingenuous. Scale it back and engage only when you have a unique, ownable point of view to share. ❌Hashtags have lost their relevance - audiences don’t search or engage with them the way they used to. ❌ Cable TV is struggling to reach audiences that brands actually care about. Streaming services have taken over. IN: ✅ TikTok and Reddit as search engines - who else is adding “Reddit” after every search? If your brand isn’t tapping into these search-driven spaces you’re missing out on organic visibility where audiences are already searching. ✅ Long-form content will make a return. Audiences are craving depth and are hungry for content that adds real value and tells a story. ✅ Community building is more important than ever. Brands using community-first strategies, like Discord, are connecting directly with customers and creating spaces for fans to engage, building loyal, supportive followings. ✅ Brutal honesty is a great hook - “We spent our entire marketing budget on this ad. Please buy something so we can do it again next year” - I’d click just out of curiosity. Being upfront and real about your brands journey adds authenticity. There's my 2 cents.. would love to hear more thoughts!

How to Start Posting on LinkedIn (Even if You Feel Like You Have Nothing to Say) A lot of people tell me they want to start posting but feel nervous. They worry they only have a few ideas, or that they won’t be able to keep up a regular rhythm. They wonder if posting even matters for their career (spoiler: it definitely can). The truth is, you already have plenty to say, and LinkedIn is one of the easiest places to share it. Here are some practical ways to begin: 1. Share what you’re learning Talk about a course you’re taking, a podcast that gave you an “aha” moment, or a new tool you just tried. People like hearing about things they can use themselves. 2. Reflect on your work Did your team hit a small win? Did you face a challenge and learn from it? Even the behind-the-scenes of your day can be interesting. 3. Offer practical advice Post a tip that makes your job easier, or a mistake you made that others can avoid. Quick, actionable insights resonate. 4. Highlight people and relationships Celebrate a colleague, thank a mentor, or share wisdom you picked up from a recent conversation. Recognition posts build goodwill. 5. Comment on your industry React to a news story, event, or trend in your field. Share your perspective on why it matters. 6. Share your personal story How did you get into your career? What pivot shaped you? Lessons from your first job are often more relatable than you think. 7. Ask questions Invite discussion with prompts like: “What’s the tool you can’t live without at work?” or “What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone starting out?” 8. Reuse and remix Turn a slide deck into a few posts, pull takeaways from a talk, or repost an old note with an update. You don’t always need something brand new. 9. Just have fun Tell a story about your kids, share a game you love, post about a hobby outside of work, or even something zany that made you smile. People connect with the human side of you just as much as the professional side. A lot of people say, “Posting on LinkedIn won’t get me a job.” I understand the skepticism, but here’s what I’ve seen: posting helps you get visible. Visibility leads to connections. Connections lead to opportunities. The majority of jobs are filled through networks, not cold applications, which are deadweight in this environment. Posting is not the only step, but it is a proven way to stay top of mind, alongside commenting, calls, events, and more. You don’t need to post daily. Even starting with once a week is enough. Collect ideas in a notes app as they come to you, then pick one to share. It doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to be real. It helps me to imagine every post is just for a single close friend or loved one rather than hundreds of thousands reading it. If you post weekly, that’s 52 chances a year for people to see your voice, your ideas, and your story. That is worth it. So here’s my question: What’s one idea from this list you could turn into a post this week?

You can have 100,000 followers. But if they don't know exactly what you do... You'll get zero business from LinkedIn. Most CEOs build backwards. Valuing followers over positioning creates the biggest problems I see this mistake constantly: → Generic headlines like "CEO at XYZ Company" → About sections that read like resumes → No clear value proposition anywhere Then they wonder why their content doesn't convert. Your positioning comes first. Content comes second. When someone visits your profile, they should know within 5 seconds: → Who you help → What problem you solve → Why they should care Only then does your content make sense. I've helped CEOs with 500 followers get more clients than "influencers" with 50,000. The difference? Crystal clear positioning. Does your LinkedIn profile pass the 5-second test?

In retail, many chase the next big thing—a new style, a new way to reach consumers—triggering a frantic race to adopt. But most trends fade as fast as they appear. The real game-changers are curated habits that prove they can stand the test of time. I’ve championed social commerce as the future of retail for over a decade. In hindsight, that barely scratches the surface. It’s now a deeply ingrained consumer behavior. The imperative isn’t just to adopt it, but to evolve with it—constantly and intentionally. At HSN, social commerce was core to our strategy. We pioneered the blend of shopping and entertainment. That’s the essence: finding the sweet spot where entertainment, connection, and commerce converge. Soon after, platforms like Twitch began enabling users to both game and shop in real time, blending entertainment with commerce. Fanatics has successfully leaned into this model as well, immersing fans in live experiences while showcasing gear in action, often worn by their favorite athletes and community, turning fandom into a powerful trust signal. More recently, TikTok Shop collapsed the purchase funnel into a single scroll. It's no longer discover, then buy. Now, it’s see it, want it, buy it—seamlessly, in-platform. So, as we look ahead, how do I see this "social commerce habit" evolving? Here's what I expect: 🔹 Creator Integration is Non-Negotiable. For Gen Z, in particular, TikTok Shop has become a primary discovery engine. They trust their favorite creators to genuinely try products and offer honest feedback. The more brands lean into authentic partnerships with creators, the more trust they build in this integrated shopping experience. It’s about relationship-driven commerce. 🔹 Embrace a Zero-Click World. Speed and simplicity are paramount. Consumers need to be able to see, buy, and receive as fast as humanly possible. This means minimal clicks, minimal friction, and no moments for reconsideration. It's about instant gratification and removing all barriers between desire and ownership. 🔹 Elevate Live Shopping. This is a powerful return to the personal connection and real-time interaction that defined the best of traditional retail. Shoppable videos and live sessions transform social media into a personalized shopping aisle. Imagine experts demonstrating products, showing how they fit or can be styled, all in real-time, tailored to your interests. It brings humanity back to digital retail. 🔹 Unlock the Power of Virtual Try-Ons. A longstanding hurdle in e-commerce is "try before you buy." AI-enabled virtual try-on features solves that, making online shopping more immersive and convenient. This translates directly into higher conversion rates, deeper engagement, and customers spending more valuable time interacting with your brand digitally. It’s time to stop treating social commerce like a trend. This is commerce, full stop. It’s a fundamental consumer behavior that belongs at the center of every modern retail strategy.