The Marketing Millennials — Bathroom Break #84

Episode: "2026 Social Media Marketing Preview"

Host: Daniel Murray
Guest: Jay Schwedelson
Date: December 1, 2025

Episode Overview

Daniel Murray (The Marketing Millennials) and Jay Schwedelson (Do This, Not That; SubjectLine.com) team up for a dynamic "Bathroom Break" episode packed with fast, actionable marketing insights. With 2026 on the horizon, they reflect on the top five lessons and strategies for social media marketing, offering a sharp, pragmatic preview of what works now and what will matter most in the coming year. Their conversation is loaded with real-world tips, experiment stories, and lively banter—a must-listen for marketers who want the unvarnished truth and tools to take back to their teams.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Holiday Shopping Habits & Social Media Use

00:20–02:42

• Personal Stories: Daniel shares his Black Friday hunt for baby clothes, highlighting how social media groups (e.g., a password-only Facebook group) play into the modern shopping journey.
• Humor & Relatability: Both poke fun at the futility of buying baby clothes (“you buy it and then within like 60 days, your baby's too big for them” — Jay, 01:35).
• Adoption of Social Behaviors: Light touches on how shopping behaviors bleed into social media habits.

2. Five Social Media Lessons for 2026

I. The Power of a Thoughtful Commenting Strategy on LinkedIn

02:55–04:01

• Metric-Driven Insights: LinkedIn’s launch of impression metrics for comments signaled a strategic shift.
• Daniel’s Playbook: “I doubled down on commenting strategy ... that actually grew the Marketing Millennials LinkedIn page way more than if I just posted in-feed posts.” — Daniel (02:55)
• Tactical Advice:
  • Comment thoughtfully—entertain, add value, test ideas for future posts.
  • Mindless comments (“good job,” “thank you”) don’t cut it.

II. Micro Budgets for Social Media Boosting

04:01–05:18

• Jay’s Tip: Micro-budgets ($5–$50) can greatly amplify posts that are already performing well.
• Platform Dynamics: “These platforms are trying to onboard as many ad clients as they can ... they’re making it rip because they want you to come back again.” — Jay (04:46)
• Actionable Advice: Boost only top-performers—never losers. Small spend, big payoff during this platform gold rush.

III. Short-Form Video is Everything

05:18–06:23

• 2025 Trend, Exploding in 2026: TikTok, Reels, YouTube Shorts are king—and getting more important.
• Shareable Content: “Is this going to be shared in the DMs? ... in the Slack channels? ... in the group messages?” — Daniel (05:34)
• Creative Formula:
  • First 3 seconds: must hook.
  • Tell a story, include a strong call to action or loop.
  • Double down: Short-form isn’t going anywhere.

IV. Promote Social in Email—Not Just Email from Social

06:23–07:49

• Novel Tactic: Link your top social posts in email newsletters to funnel email subscribers back to your social channels.
• Jay’s Experience: “It’s bringing people from our email databases to then follow us on social. And it’s getting those social posts to do really, really well.” — Jay (07:19)
• Takeaway: Leverage cross-pollination. Don’t just evacuate social for your 'owned' audience; nurture both.

V. Using Instagram Stories & DMs to Drive Deeper Engagement

07:49–09:35

• Daniel’s “Off-Platform” Tactic: Use Stories to invite DMs (e.g., “DM me a word and I will get back at you”) instead of just dropping a link.
• Automation via Tools: ManyChat can help scale these one-on-one touchpoints.
• Algorithm Hack: “The more people reply to your Instagram story, the more people get fed your Instagram story and more people see it.” — Daniel (09:25)
• Nuanced Nurturing: Think about owning conversation, not just conversions.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Mindful Commenting:
  “It has to be a well-thought-out comment ... it’s basically testing for future posts.” — Daniel (03:13)

• On Boosting Winners, Not Losers:
  “Losers are losers for a reason, whether you like it or not. So amplifying winners is secret sauce stuff.” — Jay (06:35)

• On the Email–Social Loop:
  “As important as people getting off your list, it’s as important to nurture the community on the platforms you have.” — Daniel (08:08)

Fun & Human Moments

• Sock Confessions:
  Daniel admits “30% of my socks have a hole in them” — the struggle is real (02:29).
• Holiday Shopping Fails:
  Jay: “I need new socks. I’m gonna save $2. What am I doing?” (02:12)
• Black Friday Antics:
  Jay jokes, “If anybody wants to send me DMs ... that is the downfall of humanity ... and all for it.” (10:32)
• Self-Deprecating Banter:
  Jay calls himself a “cheesy loser” for referencing Gary V (06:23).

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:20 — Introduction and holiday shopping habits
• 02:55 — Top 5 social media lessons for 2026 intro
• 02:55–04:01 — LinkedIn commenting strategy (Daniel)
• 04:01–05:18 — $5 boosting and amplification (Jay)
• 05:18–06:23 — The short-form video boom (Daniel)
• 06:23–07:49 — Bringing email lists to social (Jay)
• 07:49–09:35 — Instagram Stories for off-platform engagement (Daniel)
• 09:35–11:03 — Black Friday chaos “content” and punchy wrap-up

Tone & Delivery

Highly conversational, punchy, and pragmatic, with frequent back-and-forth, humor, and practical “do this not that” energy. Both Daniel and Jay keep things grounded, busting old myths (e.g., email is only way to build audience), championing direct tactics, and dropping one-liners you’ll want to quote at your next marketing meeting.

Summary

This episode is a rapid-fire, actionable rundown of what actually works right now in social media marketing—and what will win in 2026. The hosts demonstrate that nuanced, intentional engagement (especially via comments, boosting winners, short-form video, smart cross-promotion, and DM-driven stories) is far more effective than brute force content pushes or tired “best practices.” You'll leave with at least five new tactics and a smile.