Effective marketing is not a cure for a flawed product; it's an accelerant. It amplifies a product's weaknesses to a wider audience much more quickly, hastening its demise. A strong product must be the foundation before scaling marketing efforts.
Large companies cling to outdated models, measuring the "potential" reach of ads on billboards or TV. They fail to see that social media delivers "actualized" reach by capturing guaranteed user attention, which is far more effective and measurable.
Community isn't an abstract strategy; it's the relentless, tactical work of engaging directly with your audience. Failing to reply to every comment and DM, no matter how few, is a massive missed opportunity to build loyalty and create superfans.
After securing a Shark Tank deal, Poppy halted operations for nine months to conduct a deep brand exercise. This counterintuitive move prioritized brand foundation and emotional connection over immediate momentum, proving essential for long-term, scalable success.
When businesses claim social media "doesn't work," it's an execution failure, not a platform failure. The problem is a lack of skill and an unwillingness to learn what makes content effective. The channel's ROI is proven; the variable is your ability to use it.
Platform strategy must match the business model. LinkedIn marketing for B2B requires consistent, disciplined posting over time to build momentum and trust. In contrast, B2C brands on TikTok can experience explosive, business-altering growth from a single viral post.
The shift from follower-based to interest-based algorithms means you no longer need an existing audience to get reach. Gary Vee advises posting 1-3 times daily on LinkedIn, as this high volume allows the algorithm to find your audience, making it a viable B2B lead generation tactic.
To reach a male audience without alienating its core female base, beverage brand Poppy ran male-centric partnerships (Lakers, gamers) but intentionally kept that content off its primary social media feeds. This segmented approach allowed for audience expansion while preserving its core brand identity.