Why Social Media is More Important Than Ever | Bathroom Break #54 🚽

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Marketing Millennials – "Why Social Media is More Important Than Ever | Bathroom Break #54 🚽"

Episode Details:

• Title: Why Social Media is More Important Than Ever | Bathroom Break #54 🚽
• Host: Daniel Murray
• Guests: Jay Schwetelson (from Do This, Not That Podcast and Subjectline.com)
• Release Date: May 5, 2025

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1. Introduction to the Bathroom Break Series (00:00 - 01:05)

Daniel Murray kicks off the episode by introducing a special series called "Bathroom Break," designed to deliver quick yet insightful marketing tips suitable for those brief moments when listeners find themselves multitasking or taking a short break. He emphasizes the value of concise, actionable advice tailored for busy professionals.

Notable Quote:

• Daniel Murray (00:00): "That extra 10 minutes you either have to listen to marketing tips or use the bathroom. Or both. But I don't recommend both. But that's your choice."

2. Personal Anecdote: Jay’s Colonoscopy Experience (01:05 - 03:08)

The conversation takes a personal turn as Jay Schwetelson shares his recent experience undergoing a colonoscopy, humorously tying it into the episode's theme. He recounts an amusing incident overhearing a fellow patient's misunderstanding about Ozempic usage and anesthesia, highlighting the importance of clear communication—paralleling the need for clarity in marketing strategies.

Notable Quote:

• Jay Schwetelson (01:05): "I had a colonoscopy, which is the ultimate bathroom break. So first off, PSA. Everyone get one. It's not a big deal."

3. The Evolving Importance of Social Media in 2025 (03:08 - 07:38)

Daniel transitions the discussion to the core topic: the escalating significance of social media in contemporary marketing. He argues that many marketers are still underestimating social media's potential. Key points include:

• Algorithm Shift: Modern algorithms on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels prioritize content based on user intent and engagement rather than follower count. This democratizes content visibility, allowing posts to go viral regardless of the creator's existing audience.

• Content Quality Over Followers: Success hinges on producing high-quality, engaging content that resonates with the target audience's interests.

• Strategic Investment: Allocating budget towards creating compelling content ensures better performance within algorithms, providing a dual advantage of organic reach and effective paid promotion.

Notable Quotes:

• Daniel Murray (03:08): "You don't need a following to grow on social media. That's one of the biggest shifts that happened in social media."
• Daniel Murray (05:03): "If you're not investing budget on putting out good creative on social media, you are going to lose in the long run."

4. Strategies for Maximizing Social Media Impact (05:03 - 07:38)

Jay builds upon Daniel's insights by sharing practical strategies for leveraging social media effectively:

• Focus on Content Quality: Emphasizes the importance of producing content that aligns with platform-specific algorithms to maximize reach and engagement.

• Boost Budget Allocation: Recommends dedicating a portion of the marketing budget specifically for boosting high-performing organic content. This ensures that successful posts receive additional visibility, enhancing brand presence.

• Explore Alternative Platforms: Encourages experimenting with emerging platforms like Reddit and Pinterest, where advertising costs are currently lower, offering untapped potential for reaching diverse audiences.

Notable Quotes:

• Jay Schwetelson (05:59): "If you're not boosting your best organic stuff, I think you're really missing the boat."
• Jay Schwetelson (08:50): "If you don't have 10 to 20% of your budget in testing, there's something wrong. Like you're gonna fail."

5. Optimizing Marketing Budget for Testing and Scaling (07:38 - 09:51)

Daniel and Jay delve into budget management, stressing the necessity of allocating funds for testing marketing strategies:

• Testing Budget: Advocates for dedicating 10-20% of the marketing budget to testing new platforms and creative approaches. This experimentation phase is crucial for identifying effective strategies before scaling.

• Proven Success: Once a testing budget validates certain tactics or platforms, marketers should consider reallocating funds to these successful areas to amplify results.

• Finance Alignment: Presents the idea that framing testing expenditures as separate from primary marketing budgets can facilitate approval from financial stakeholders, ensuring sustained investment in effective strategies.

Notable Quotes:

• Daniel Murray (08:50): "If you don't have 10 to 20% of your budget in testing, there's something wrong. Like you're gonna fail."
• Daniel Murray (09:51): "Finance likes when you prove a test works."

6. Engaging with Alternative Advertising Platforms (07:38 - 09:51)

Further expanding on the theme of diversification, Jay discusses the benefits of advertising on platforms beyond the mainstream giants:

• Reddit Ads: Highlights Reddit’s lower advertising costs and engaged communities, presenting it as a fertile ground for targeted marketing.

• Pinterest Ads: Notes that Pinterest is effective not only for consumer marketers but also surprisingly potent for B2B marketing, broadening its appeal.

• Cost-Effective Inventory: Emphasizes that platforms like Reddit and Pinterest offer some of the most affordable ad inventory available, making them attractive options for budget-conscious marketers.

Notable Quotes:

• Jay Schwetelson (08:50): "If you're not doing stuff on Reddit and Pinterest, you're not testing. I think you're missing the boat on some of the cheapest inventory that exists."
• Jay Schwetelson (07:38): "Putting out really good content. And then, Daniel, what would you do?"

7. The Role of Creative Content in Paid Advertising (07:38 - 09:51)

Daniel outlines a systematic approach to leveraging successful organic content in paid advertising:

• Repurposing Content: Transform high-performing organic posts into various formats (e.g., static images, quotes, videos) to maximize their reach across different platforms.

• Ad Optimization: Suggests using insights from successful organic content to inform paid ad strategies, ensuring that paid campaigns resonate with the target audience.

• Consistency in Messaging: Ensures that the tone, messaging, and pain points addressed in organic content are maintained in paid advertisements to enhance effectiveness.

Notable Quotes:

• Daniel Murray (05:59): "Take the winning creatives, learn what the platform likes in formatting. But if the messaging and the tone and the pain point works, it's gonna work on ads more than just putting out random creative and just guessing."

8. Practical Tips and Community Engagement (09:51 - 12:59)

As the episode nears its conclusion, Jay and Daniel share additional practical advice and engage in light-hearted conversation:

• Audience Engagement: Encourage listeners to engage with their content on platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn for broader community interaction and feedback.

• Personal Touch: Share personal anecdotes to illustrate points and build rapport with the audience, making the content relatable and memorable.

• Closing Remarks: Remind listeners to follow their respective podcasts and participate in future discussions, fostering a sense of community among marketing professionals.

Notable Quotes:

• Jay Schwetelson (09:51): "We're doing two things. One is... just boosting successful organic"

• Daniel Murray (12:37): "We'll talk about it. Just give us a shout on LinkedIn and tell us what you want to hear. Peace out."

9. Lighthearted Conclusion and Future Episodes (12:37 - End)

The hosts conclude the episode with a humorous exchange about TikTok usage, reinforcing the episode's theme of engaging content and algorithm-driven platforms. They share personal stories, further humanizing the discussion and leaving listeners with a memorable takeaway.

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Key Takeaways:

1. Algorithm-Centric Strategies: Modern social media algorithms prioritize content engagement over follower count, enabling brands to achieve visibility without a massive following.

2. Investment in Creative Quality: Allocating resources towards high-quality, engaging content is essential for both organic growth and successful paid advertising.

3. Budget for Experimentation: Dedicating a portion of the marketing budget to testing new platforms and strategies is crucial for discovering effective marketing avenues.

4. Diversification with Alternative Platforms: Exploring platforms like Reddit and Pinterest can provide cost-effective advertising opportunities and access to engaged, niche audiences.

5. Repurposing Successful Content: Leveraging high-performing organic content across various formats and platforms can amplify reach and reinforce brand messaging.

6. Community Engagement: Actively engaging with the marketing community through social platforms enhances brand presence and fosters professional growth.

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Connect with The Marketing Millennials:

• LinkedIn: The Marketing Millennials
• Instagram: @the_marketing_millennials
• Newsletter: Sign Up Here

Follow Daniel Murray:

• Twitter: @Dmurr68
• LinkedIn: Daniel Murray

Check Out Jay Schwetelson:

• Podcast: Do This, Not That

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This episode of The Marketing Millennials provides valuable insights into the evolving landscape of social media marketing. By focusing on algorithmic trends, content quality, budget allocation for testing, and platform diversification, Daniel Murray and Jay Schwetelson equip marketers with strategies to thrive in 2025's dynamic digital environment.

Transcript

[Daniel Murray]

Foreign. Welcome to a new special series called the Bathroom break. That extra 10 minutes you either have to listen to marketing tips or use the bathroom. Or both. But I don't recommend both. But that's your choice.

[Jay Schwetelson]

This collab is going to be super fun. We have Daniel Murray from the Marketing Millennials and me, Jay Schwetelson from the do this, not that podcast and subjectline.com each episode in the series, we are going to go over quick tips about different marketing top topics. And if you want to be in the bathroom, fine, just don't tell us about it. Thanks for checking it out.

[Daniel Murray]

We are back with another episode of the Bathroom Break. I'm here with the J. Schweidlesen of do this, not that Podcast and Guru Events. And I'm Daniel Murray of the Marking Millennials podcast. And I want to start off because Jay had a procedure this week, and I want to ask how he's feeling. That's actually a good. Like, this procedure ties into our podcast episode.

[Jay Schwetelson]

Yeah, no, it does, because I had a colonoscopy, which is the ultimate bathroom break. So first off, psa. Everyone get one. It's not a big deal. But the funniest thing happened, it was yesterday. So I'm in the bed thing, the gurney thing, and there's like that. That sheet thing that separates you from the person next to you before you go in for the procedure. And I overhear the doctor walks over to the dude next to me, and they go, we understand you're taking Ozempic. And the guy's like, yeah, I am. And they said to him, but didn't you read all the stuff that you need to stop ozempic like 10 days prior or else it's a problem? He goes, no, I missed all that. And the doctor goes, well, here's the story. We can still do the colonoscopy, but we can't give you anesthesia. And the guy's like, what are you talking about? You gave me anesthesia. He's like, yeah, you can't do it if you're on Ozempic or any of those things. And the guy's like, so what does that mean? He's like, you know, you could do what we do for some people because they don't like anesthesia or whatever. And the guy's like, what? Like, is that. Is that okay? Is it hurt? And the doctor goes, it's like someone kicking you incredibly hard in your nuts. That's what he said. I'm saying they're losing it. And the guy goes, all right, scale 1 to 10, how much does it hurt? He's like a 4. And the guy just goes, let's do it, let's roll. I got this. So then I go into recovery afterwards and the guy comes out, he's like sitting next to me. I'm like, how was it? He goes, that was not a party. And I was like, I love this guy. Oh, my goodness. The best thing.

[Daniel Murray]

Yeah, actually that's a good psa. If you're on Ozempic, like you can have anesthesia because you could choke because.

[Jay Schwetelson]

Yeah, they actually said we're having this problem. People are coming in after their prep like so much now and they don't know about it. I'm like, why don't they call everybody and confirm it like two weeks prior? Because a lot of people are on this stuff anyway. That was amazing. I don't know what we're talking about, but we're going to get into this episode which is all about this idea of putting garbage out on social and what's the best way to run paid social and all of it. So, Daniel, what do you think about social media these days?

[Daniel Murray]

The biggest thing is I think people are still sleeping on social media in 2025. We're. We're in a era where you don't need a following to grow on social media. And that's one of the biggest shifts that happened in social media. So if you post things most algorithms now TikTok IG reels are intent algorithm so they, they will serve people content that they will like. So if they're tennis, they like tennis. They'll say tennis content. If you're marketing, those are marketing content. So if you're not investing budget on putting out good creative on social media, you are going to lose in the long run because people who are doing this can now put paid dollars around something that they know works in the algorithm. So it's basically a. A double bonus that you're boosting something that you know people will like and you're putting it in the algorithm. So I wanted to start kicking off there that you don't need like the, the new strategy. People are going out on social media right now and you, you see some brands do this, ClickUp's doing this. Lot of brands are doing this where they have multiple social media accounts now on TikTok multiple on IG because they know that, that they could put a video on a 0:10 person following account and it will go viral because the algorithm doesn't care. The algorithm just wants to serve Content to people who will stay on the platform. So that's where the biggest thing is, that you don't need a following. But where I'm going through this is you need to invest in creative that is successful and learn algorithms and learn how to make creative that has a hook that tells a story that keeps people on the platform. But I wanted to start off with that and then, Jay, you can add on to it.

[Jay Schwetelson]

Yeah, I think it's really important. I would not be surprised in the years to come if actually some of the platforms even eliminate showing follower counts because to Daniel's point, the algorithm is everything. I'll give you a real time example. So I just started a YouTube channel. I've told nobody about it, I have like 10 subscribers. But we're gonna make it big or whatever. So we put out our first few videos and each of our first few videos got over, got like 1500 views. Now that's not a lot, but when you have 10 followers, that's a ridiculous amount. And it's only because the algorithm picked up on the content. It's no longer about how big is your follower count. And that's what's gonna get you the circulation. So what you really need to be thinking about is spending some money on your creative, putting out really good content. And then, Daniel, what, what would you do? So you put out IG reels, you put out LinkedIn posts, you put out stuff on TikTok and then you see some that are starting to pick up the pace, are starting to do well. What do you do with the ones that are doing well?

[Daniel Murray]

Yeah, so there's a couple of things I do. One, I'll go the organic route first. The organic route is, One is you see the things that are working, making them another format. So now that AI is here, you can go to ChatGPT and make an image and with a quote of what you just said, you can remix it into a static post, you can make a video about it. So whatever content you see is picking up in the algorithm, double down on that. Two, this is a strategy I heard from my friend who he owns a hat company called dad Gang and what he does to boosts the most successful posts that he sees on ig. So what he'll do is just put ad dollars to optimize for profile visits because he knows if he builds these falling of intent for people who care about his content, he will. One, it's good social proof, and two, he's getting more and more eyeballs on his name and his product. So that's the third thing. Fourth thing is I will, I would figure out how to make that into the messaging, the same type of video into creative for your paid ads. So your meta ads, your Pinterest ads, your TikTok ads, take the winning creatives, learn what the platform like likes in formatting. But if the messaging and the tone and the pain point works, it's gonna work on ads more than just putting out random creative and just guessing and just spending money to guess that this messaging is going to work.

[Jay Schwetelson]

You know, and, and something we're doing with our agency clients, we're doing two things. One is, with almost every client that we have now, we're having them have a boost budget, like a weekly boost budget, which means that there's a line item now in their marketing budget just for boosting successful organic contact, the content that's being posted on the different platforms. And I think more and more companies should be having a boost budget because boosting of successful paid, boosting of successful organic content is the absolute best way to really have things take off. So if you're not boosting your best organic stuff, I think you're really missing the boat. And then the other thing is having budget for alternative platforms, and they're not even alternative, but we are seeing a lot of success with Reddit ads and with Pinterest ads. And the reason that we're seeing so much success and that's for business marketers and consumer marketers, even on Pinterest, business is working B2B, believe it or not. But, but especially on Reddit, the ad cost there is a fraction of meta, it's a fraction of LinkedIn, it's a fraction of everything else. Because they're trying desperately to get market share as they're trying to ramp up. If you're not doing stuff on Reddit and Pinterest, you're not testing. I think you're missing the boat on some of the cheapest inventory that exists.

[Daniel Murray]

Yeah. And going on that point is, I think every single marketer, if you don't have 10 to 20% of your budget in testing, there's something wrong. Like you're, you're gonna, it's, you're gonna fail. Because even with the, if you go to finance and say, hey, 10% of my marketing budget or 20% of my marketing budget is testing budget, they're gonna consider it testing budget. And if you say 100% of my budget's going to meta, they're gonna expect that to perform. So you could take, once you see testing budget is successful, then you could start moving it into like that, at that 80% budget, like testing Pinterest, testing Reddit. If it's going to work. If it starts being successful, then you could start putting more ad dollars because you prove this test has worked. Finance likes when you prove a test works. And then you move it into your 80% of your budget that you have for marketing.

[Jay Schwetelson]

All right, before we wrap up here, I want to ask you Randomness. So you're on TikTok more than I am because I'm an old loser. Give us some TikTok accounts that you like to follow, that are fun to follow, that are whatever. It can be random. I want to know the Daniel Murray Favorite TikTok accounts.

[Daniel Murray]

This is a bad answer because I don't. TikTok has such an intent. And this is actually. You set this question up. Well, because Tech Talk is such a tent based platform that I watch the content for whatever is on my algorithm. I'm. I'm watching. I don't go and look and say this person. I need to go see what they're. They're following. I forget who I'm looking at. And I bet most of you forget if you're on Tick Tock who the actual account was. Unless it's like Alex Earl or something like that. You probably are forgetting that that's account. But I do get fed a lot of like Tennis channel, like Wimbledon, F1. Like those accounts. I do get fed, fed those. And I'll go scroll on like, But I don't look at who I'm following on TikTok. I just wait for the algorithm to.

[Jay Schwetelson]

Only time I really am on TikTok when there are stupid trends. Like, I'm so hungry I could eat Jon Hamm. That trend where I'm so hungry, I like going whenever there's something really stupid. I like going on and watching all the videos. And then I got lost, I got sucked in and I.

[Daniel Murray]

Wait, wait, wait. You got to tell the story about what your daughter did to you.

[Jay Schwetelson]

Oh, yeah, my daughter walks into the room. I didn't know about this I'm so hungry trend. And she walks in with my wife and she goes, oh, you know what? What's for dinner? I'm so hungry I could eat Steve Marder. And Steve Marder is like a fraternity brother of mine from a gazillion years ago. If you're out there, Steve, what up, my guy? And I was like, what the. What the F are you talking about? Like, like, what, what? And she's like, videoing the whole thing. She goes, yeah, Steve Marder. I'm so hungry I could eat him. I'm like, what? Like, what actually just came out of your mouth? And I. I had no idea. I was so confused. And that's why I love that trend is so.

[Daniel Murray]

And then he tried to pull it on me. Like, I didn't know. And then I was like. I was like, I know the trend. And he said, a random person. We both know I'm not going to mention it on here, but yeah. Well, thank you for listening to our ridiculous show. I really appreciate it. And please, if you like this show, go tag us on Instagram and we'll share it. Or go give Jay do this, not that podcast a review. And this is going well.

[Jay Schwetelson]

Later, Daniel. Come on, man, I gotta get back to work. Get out of there. All right, while he's still in there. This is Jay. Check out my podcast, do this, not that for marketers. Each week we share really quick tips on stuff that can improve your marketing and hope you give it a try. Oh, here's Daniel. He's finally out.

[Daniel Murray]

Back from my bathroom break. This is Daniel. Go follow the Market Millennials podcast, but also tune into the this series. It's once a week, the Bathroom Break. We talk about marketing tips that we just spew out. And it could be anything from email, subject line to any marking tips in the world. We'll talk about it. Just give us a shout on LinkedIn and tell us what you want to hear. Peace out.

[Jay Schwetelson]

Later.