A Guide For CMOs, Event Planners & Speakers

How Social Media Marketing Works: A Simple Breakdown

By James Robinson

The #1 takeaway from the hours of research I did is this : Stop marketing for yourself. Market for the audience.

Having browsed through a ton of marketing videos by the titans of online marketing, it's clear that social media is the most powerful tool out there. If you don't know much about effective marketing, or have lackluster results, here’s a detailed explanation of the key points:

1. AI and Social Media Algorithms

The AI running social media platforms is the most important AI in the world for marketers. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and others use algorithms that decide which posts get seen by users. These platforms analyze both quantitative data (like how many people interact with a post) and qualitative data (like which colors and words grab attention) to determine which posts are more likely to engage users.

2. Creative Strategy

In this process, the thumbnail (the image people see before clicking on a video or post) and the first three seconds of content are critical. If these aren’t attention-grabbing, users scroll past quickly. Marketers are constantly testing different approaches to find out what works best on each platform. For instance, right now, images tend to attract more new users than videos.

3. Social Media vs. Traditional Advertising

Social media holds more attention from consumers than traditional media like TV, radio, or podcasts. The key difference is that social media ads blend in with regular content, so users don’t feel like they’re being interrupted by advertisements. On the other hand, traditional ads, like TV commercials, are seen as more disruptive because they interrupt the content people are watching or listening to.

4. Platform-Specific Marketing

A common mistake businesses make is posting the same content on every social media platform. Each platform has its own style, user behavior, and best practices. For example, the way content is received on TikTok (popular with younger users) is very different from LinkedIn (which is used by professionals). Gary Vaynerchuk says marketing on social media should be platform-native, meaning the content should be customized for each platform to get the best results.

5. Organic Social Media: A Testing Ground

Use social media for a testing ground for marketing campaigns. When a business posts something organically (without paying for promotion), they can see how well it performs before deciding whether to spend money on promoting it further. If a post works well, companies can amplify it by investing in ads. This allows businesses to test their creative ideas and adjust their campaigns in real-time, unlike traditional media, where you don’t get that flexibility.

6. The Shift in Consumer Behavior

Consumer attention has shifted entirely to social media. People no longer watch TV commercials the way they used to, even during events like sports games. Instead, they engage with content on social platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram, which means companies need to adapt their marketing strategies accordingly.

7. The Importance of Relevance

Businesses should aim to be relevant to all potential customers, not just their “target audience.” Brands can’t rely on outdated strategies from the past, where they would only focus on a narrow group of consumers. In today’s landscape, relevance at scale is key.

By understanding the fundamentals, businesses can better leverage social media as a powerful marketing tool, testing their ideas and maximizing their reach.

Here's a detailed action plan and summary:

1. AI-Driven Algorithms Are Key to Success

• Every social media platform uses AI algorithms to decide what content appears in users’ feeds. These algorithms look at engagement data (likes, comments, shares) to decide which posts should be promoted more widely. Posts that perform well in terms of early engagement get boosted by the algorithm, reaching more people organically.
• Why this matters: To succeed, marketers need to create content that grabs attention instantly—within the first few seconds. If the AI sees that people are engaging with your post (whether it's a video, image, or text), it will continue to push it to more users. Conversely, if the post doesn’t perform well initially, it can disappear quickly from users' feeds.

2. Creative Testing is Critical

• Social media allows businesses to test different creative approaches—such as different types of images, videos, or captions—without spending money on ads right away. Marketers can see how each post performs organically and use that data to refine their strategy before committing ad dollars to boost the content.
• Why this matters: Testing lets businesses fine-tune their messages, ensuring they are only spending money on content that has already been proven to work. This is a huge advantage over traditional advertising, where you often have to commit large budgets without knowing how well a campaign will perform.

3. Platform-Specific Content: LinkedIn vs. Instagram

LinkedIn:

• Target Audience: LinkedIn is a professional networking platform. Its users are there for career-building, industry news, and professional content. This means posts on LinkedIn tend to focus on business insights, industry trends, thought leadership, and company culture.
• Best Practices:
• What Not to Do: Don’t post informal, overly promotional content that feels like an advertisement. LinkedIn users value professional insight and authenticity over flashy marketing.
• Why it’s different: LinkedIn is about building relationships and establishing expertise. Ads and organic posts need to be more subtle, focusing on adding value to the audience rather than directly selling products.

Instagram:

• Target Audience: Instagram is visual-first and appeals to a wide range of users—from teenagers to older adults—who are there to consume beautiful, inspiring, or entertaining content. Instagram users want to see compelling visuals, whether through photos, videos, or Stories.
• Best Practices:
• What Not to Do: Avoid posting overly polished or impersonal content. Instagram users expect authenticity, so brands that feel too corporate or disconnected from their audience won’t see much engagement.
• Why it’s different: Instagram is about immediacy and emotion. Brands need to focus on visual storytelling and quickly capturing the viewer’s attention with aesthetically pleasing or emotionally resonant content.

Why Customization is Key: Many businesses make the mistake of posting the same content across all platforms, but LinkedIn and Instagram audiences expect different things. What works on LinkedIn (in-depth, professional insights) won’t resonate on Instagram (where fast, eye-catching visuals and personal stories are more effective). By tailoring content to fit the platform’s specific audience, brands can significantly increase engagement and reach.

4. Social Media is More Effective than Traditional Ads

• Traditional advertising formats like TV commercials, radio ads, and podcast sponsorships are seen as disruptive because they interrupt the content the viewer or listener is enjoying. In contrast, social media ads appear as part of a user’s feed, seamlessly blending in with regular content.
• Why this matters: Because social media ads don’t feel as intrusive, users are more likely to engage with them—if they’re well-crafted and grab attention. Brands need to focus on creating ads that feel like authentic content, rather than blatant promotions.

5. Relevance at Scale: Winning Over All Audiences

• One of the most important insights from the video is that brands shouldn’t focus too narrowly on a specific target audience. Social media allows companies to win on relevance at scale, meaning they can appeal to a broad range of consumers, across different age groups, geographies, and interests.
• Why this matters: Social media gives brands a unique opportunity to reach different types of consumers with different types of content. An 18-year-old on TikTok or Instagram might engage with the brand differently than a 40-year-old on Facebook, but both can be reached with the right platform-native content. Brands that create customized content for each platform can expand their reach and relevance to new audiences.

Social media is the most powerful marketing tool available today, but success depends on understanding the unique algorithms and best practices for each platform. LinkedIn and Instagram, for example, require very different types of content and strategies to capture attention. Creative testing on social media offers a huge advantage, allowing businesses to refine their marketing efforts before investing in paid campaigns. Ultimately, to win in social media marketing, brands need to be authentic, platform-specific, and constantly testing and adapting their content.

By mastering these strategies, businesses can not only increase their reach but also keep up with the rapidly changing digital landscape, staying relevant in the eyes of their audience.