Think of Social Media Marketing only this way or that. I havs decided to share three best ways of approaching this growing marketing channel.

 

My next goal is teach myself more stuff about ML & AI because we need to bridge the gap between socialising & machine learning. And I want to start with how everyone should think about social media. There are three ways to think about social media and then there are infinite no. of biased ways.

 

First way to think is called “The next dollar”.

 

 

What’s that? Most social media companies are basic businesses with high pressure from investors and media. Even if they are at a billion dollar stage, they have the same mentality as every business owner. That’s confirming where the next dollar comes from. And since the beginning this mentality controls future of social apps causing them to develop machine learning models that track everything, then use those systems to predict the next step for a user. Humans aren’t spending more Time on social because better content or better connectivity. They are getting hijacked so that Facebook or TikTok don’t go out of business.

 

When you think like this, the only right way to use social media is by understanding the objectives of the social media updates. An update or advise in terms of paid media isn’t mean for a marketer, that update benefits the app at core. So, if an Ad format or model works for you, don’t give up in a second. Wait and understand the intent. On other hand, an update to organic social media is most of the time to benefit creators and marketers. Because that feature was launched to hijack attention of an audience. In Organic social media, marketers are also FB, TikTok & google employees.

 

Until there is a payback. BTW, this newsletter exists to help you understand the intent, ask yourself so many updates but why? You should always care about why algorithms exist & social media updates happen.

 

Second way to think is called “The NGO”.

 

 

The idea of giving away value for free and the audience will comeback. And 70-80% marketers tend to agree with this statement. But they forget that what user wants is what the platform seeks to deliver. I will explain. Yes the audience wants something valuable but what form of value they seek is still determined by the platform. A great example is threads app, Why is the engagement falling? The NGOs (creator & brands) came, the needy was there. Still a failure? The reason is the platform didn’t create an environment for the needy to stay longer on the app. The truth is nobody needs more and more value if they need it. They search.

 

You as a business or creator sell dopamine to users on social media, when they can’t survive and feel the need. They join you personally through email, slack or In-person.

Threads App failed because NGOs came to serve the needy in the time of happiness. Meta should have created an environment first like Pinterest did with shuffles app. It was invite only, those needy users took their time and became employees created shopping & eye catching content. And then NGOs came in to distribute more value. What’s the lesson?

 

You don’t show up at Beverly Hills to donate money. And you never go to a different country donating food from 5-star restaurants, that small amount is not filling up the need. Meaning if you care about value, show up where needy users deserve it and in a way(content format) those users like it.

 

Update: Was finishing the newsletter up and before scheduling I received newsletter from legendary Rishad Tobaccowala mentioning:

 

The ordinary becomes extra-ordinary when we pay attention, and we find poetry in the crevices of every day.

 

And that is what formats, placements and positioning does on social media.

 

 

Third Way to think is called “Just Don’t”.

 

I know I also talk about strategies behind some big creators & businesses but we need to stop putting a majority of creators on marketing stages knowing they never had a strategy. What occurs is you put them in a room and start praising them. Now, What can they do? The usual output they have is a self-entered realisation of what they did. Even they don’t know why it worked. Most of them focused on what spoke to them and the audiences came. Not everyone is like MrBeast. If you think of other big creators like Pewdiepie, Casey Neistat, Emma chamberlain and many more. They were into art of everything creation and had patience.

 

Listen: Sustainability is the key, If you are someone managing a business or a business owner on social media. I know it might be herd for you to give social media time. But that’s the reality. Don’t market, instead live in this world. You don’t just stop living because X or Y didn’t work. You do it for what works and makes you happy. You sustain a happy life. You have to do the same, social media marketing shouldn’t be a hassle if you chose this third way.

 

 

Infinite Biased Ways.

 

 

Only three are mainstream ways, alternative biased ways are thousands. Be funny, filter the audience; boom SALES. Go Paid Media, bring audience back; boom Community. Be Education, manipulate about limited knowledge; Boom Course sales. Be Story oriented, bring random faces; Boom sympathy growth. To be continued. Not to generalise these different ways. Those working on different journeys, I respect and adore you.

 

What should you pursue? Pursue Openness.

 

That’s why I wrote this, for you to understand there are multiple ways of social media marketing. Don’t stress out.

 

Start thinking about social media like an alternative life. Learning about how social media works is schooling & the marketers that you trust are parents. They are available to you for a period, but to achieve success and better life on social for your business. You need yourself.