Social is shifting...what actually works?

From LinkedIn spilling its engagement secrets to Bluesky's quiet takeover of the social scene, we're tracking the shifts that matter. Plus, AI's getting street smart and YouTube's serving fresh creative inspiration.

Let's dive in.

Social Media Insights

Bluesky's having a moment

X (formerly Twitter) is grappling with a trust crisis, with concerns about brand safety driving advertisers away and raising questions about its viability for B2B brands.?

While it still offers reach, its increasingly polarizing content makes it a challenging space for meaningful engagement, prompting many to explore alternatives like Threads and Bluesky.

Why Bluesky Matters:

• Bluesky’s community-driven model fosters authentic engagement, making it an ideal space for early adopters.
• With no paid promotional features, building visibility requires active participation. This is an opportunity for founders and C-suite executives to demonstrate their thought leadership and expertise.
• Bluesky’s smaller, more attentive audience (around 15 million users today) encourages genuine conversations, a stark contrast to X’s chaotic ecosystem.

The B2B Reality:

• LinkedIn remains the go-to platform for B2B conversations, and that’s unlikely to change soon. Its focus on professional networking and thought leadership keeps it at the top for organic and paid strategies.
• Threads, with its alignment to Instagram/Meta, is still more consumer-focused but could evolve into a useful channel for targeted paid campaigns.

Our Take:

• Focus your B2B efforts on LinkedIn—it’s the dominant platform for a reason.
• Keep an eye on Bluesky and Threads. Sign up, experiment, and position your brand for early adoption if these platforms grow.
• Bluesky is currently better suited for building the profiles of executives and thought leaders rather than organizational accounts.

The bottom line: LinkedIn is still the cornerstone of B2B social strategy, but platforms like Bluesky may represent the next frontier for brands willing to invest in building genuine, community-driven engagement.

LinkedIn's Post Playbook

The professional network just revealed their engagement formula, and it’s refreshingly simple: value first, promo second. Share what you know, talk shop about industry trends, and offer your real-world experience. And don’t forget to jump into the comments.

??? FREE Resource: Lead with Confidence

Let’s face it, building a presence as a thought leader isn’t always easy—especially if you’re battling self-doubt. Confidence Coach Scott Ballard 's free guide, The 5 Steps to Remove Impostor Syndrome for Leaders, is a powerful resource to help you show up with authenticity and confidence. Because when you feel like a leader, it’s easier to post like one.

P.S. Scott's guide is in high demand, and we're not sure how long it will be available. Don't miss out—grab it before it's gone.

Artificial Intelligence Updates

YouTube's creative wingman

YouTube's new Inspiration Tab is like having a brainstorm buddy who never runs out of coffee. ?It's serving up custom thumbnails, title suggestions, and an "Idea Playground" that helps creators riff on trending topics. ?It won't write your scripts... yet. But it'll transform your brainstorming into video strategies that actually resonate with your target audience.

AI gets street smart

OpenAI's new RFT system represents a shift from data dumping to learning through trial and error. Reinforcement Fine-Tuning (RFT) is redefining how AI models learn by:

• Moving away from massive datasets to more intuitive learning.
• Rewarding correct responses and penalizing incorrect ones for smarter problem-solving.
• Making AI faster, more accurate, and better suited for specific tasks with minimal data.

This shift makes AI models not just tools but strategic assets, capable of tackling nuanced challenges with a level of adaptability unseen in traditional AI systems.

SEO News

What Google’s Latest Update Means for Your Website

Google just rolled out an update to how it processes website data, called the HTTP caching update. Here’s why it matters:

• Faster websites - the update helps reduce unnecessary data requests, making your site load faster for users.
• Better search performance - Google’s search engine will now interact more efficiently with sites that are updated frequently, improving the chances of your content being indexed and ranked.
• Smarter crawling - this change streamlines how Google analyzes your website, ensuring it doesn’t waste time re-checking content that hasn’t changed.?

What should you do?

• Review your site’s caching setup to make sure it’s optimized for this update.?
• Keep an eye on your site’s loading speed and search rankings to see if the update benefits your site.

A faster site isn’t just good for Google—it’s great for your users, too.?

If you need help optimizing your website, Top Fox Marketing offers website development, SEO, and hosting services to ensure your site's performance is in tip-top shape. Reach out.

Top Fox Spotlight

How to build a scalable marketing strategy using Bullseye ??

When it comes to marketing strategy, at Top Fox Marketing, we don't just throw darts at the board. Our team leverages the Bullseye Framework to solve common B2B challenges like lead generation, customer retention, and scalable growth.?

Wondering how we align focus with outcomes? Discover how we utilize the Bullseye Framework to transform strategies into results.