In this article, I'll explain why we are diving deep into a dark age for marketing reputation, where the demand for quick solutions, shortage of authenticity, and lack of knowledge is causing many misunderstandings in the digital market.
A magic cupcake recipe that is ending digital marketing innovation and authenticity
While our feeds are flooded with magical recipes that explain the golden paths to gaining the first million followers, desecrated by the newly titled online marketing "gurus," what I see are distorted visions of this science.
Digital marketing strategy is misestimated to satisfy social media algorithms – especially on Instagram and TicTok, inducing people to enter a misinformation replication loop. A storm of tips with variations of the same recipe as the algorithm's magic cupcake disseminated virally and followed faithfully by those who believe in magical portions and shortcuts to success.
I don't want to criticize the "social celebrities" who have suddenly gained millions of followers, many of them just replicating dances or participating in a reality TV show. Still, it's not enough to gain followers quickly, you have to keep them engaged, and the time will come when to differentiate in the market; it will be necessary to seek the essence of value and innovate. Therefore to take advantage of this brand asset in the long term, it will be essential to create a well-founded strategic support plan.
I see many people obsessed with mass acceptance and unbridled conquest of followers, an attitude that deviates personality and leads to continued replication of the same thing, diverting them from their original purposes. This growing lack of creativity and innovation is transforming social networks into tedious and toxic environments for society.
Social networks play a crucial role in digital marketing and branding positioning strategies. However, they should be treated only as part of a larger cake. Posting three reels a week, having a feed harmonized with your favorite preset, and producing a content calendar, may even be part of your tactical plan for building a community around your brand – it's personal or not, but it can't be considered digital marketing.
Marketing strategy goes far beyond the social media profile and should be treated with seriousness, academic foundation, and above all, with much technical knowledge. Therefore, before "following the trend," it is necessary to understand the principles of marketing that replicate the digital world in order to create an omnichannel strategy designed especially to meet the needs and consumer desires of your brand persona.
Finally, it is necessary to understand that your profiles on social media should reflect your identity. And if you use these digital vehicles professionally, they should always meet your brand purpose by delivering quality and exciting content to your target audience. There is no magic recipe! Each individual or brand has one or more characteristics that require a unique and customized digital marketing strategy plan.
You can even seek to understand the algorithms that run behind the tools to improve delivery, but don't let that drive your creativity or stop your innovation. Instead, be an influencer of your own life before trying to influence your followers. This will always be your best recipe for success.
Andre Havro, MBA