Earned First, Conceptual Thinking

by Connie Cermak | Apr 15, 2025 | Content Marketing, Creativity and Execution, Marketing Strategy, Social Media Marketing

Why Earned First Conceptual Thinking Matters So Much

In a world where social feeds are oversaturated, algorithms are smarter, and attention spans are shorter than ever, earned-first conceptual thinking isn’t just a creative flex—it’s a strategic necessity. It’s also a strategy that’s been around for well over a decade!

What Is Earned-First Conceptual Thinking?

Earned-first conceptual thinking, also called “social first” is the art of crafting bold, social-first ideas that don’t rely on paid media to gain traction. These are ideas so strategic, culturally relevant, or emotionally resonant that they connect with your audience and earn attention organically—through shares, comments, press coverage, memes, or DMs.

Think of it as the creative sweet spot where big ideas meet internet instincts. You don’t shout into the void with an ad. You spark a movement, a trend, a moment. And people pay attention—not because you paid them to, but because it’s genuinely worth their time.

In 2025, marketing trends are turning back time to earned-first marketing to get an edge, build loyalty, amplify brand voice, and stretch budgets without sacrificing reach.

For Small businesses, you’re going to want to spend a little time thinking about what really sets you apart from your competition, and create fresh ideas instead of quick posts.

Why It Matters in Today’s Social Media Landscape

Paid media still has its place, but the landscape has shifted significantly

Trust in traditional advertising is at an all-time low.
Users are curating their feeds and tuning out anything that feels overly promotional.
Platforms reward content that drives engagement and conversation.
So if your content doesn’t earn attention naturally, it gets buried in the noise.

Earned-first thinking aligns with how people consume and share content in 2025—quickly, emotionally, and socially. It gives your brand the power to break through without buying your way in.

5 Brilliant Examples of Earned-First, Conceptual Thinking

Dove – “Real Beauty Sketches” (yes, it’s from 2011—and it’s still memorable!)

Concept: Explore the contrast between how women see themselves vs. how others see them, using a forensic artist.

Why It Worked: This emotionally driven piece challenged beauty standards and sparked massive online dialogue. No hard sell—just a powerful, heartfelt concept that naturally went viral.

Check it out here.

Aviation Gin – “The Peloton Ad Response”

Concept: Within days of Peloton’s controversial holiday ad, Aviation Gin responded with a tongue-in-cheek sequel featuring the same actress.

Why It Worked: It rode the cultural wave with perfect timing and self-aware humor. No paid campaign needed—it was picked up by every major outlet and dominated feeds everywhere.

Spotify Wrapped – “Your Year in Music”

Concept: Personalized, visually engaging recaps of each user’s listening habits.

Why It Worked: People couldn’t wait to share their results. Spotify didn’t promote it—users did the work for them. It’s become a December tradition, earning massive social buzz every year.

Check it our here.

Oatly – “Wow, No Cow” + Billboard Rollouts

Concept: Cringe-worthy music videos. Billboards that say almost nothing. A self-aware, anti-advertising tone.

Why It Worked: By leaning into awkwardness and simplicity, Oatly gave the internet something weirdly wonderful to talk about. It didn’t just advertise—it created a vibe.

Check it out here.

Duolingo – The TikTok Owl Goes Wild

Concept: Let the owl mascot take on Gen Z humor and chaos, completely in tune with platform culture.

Why It Worked: Irreverent and unhinged in all the right ways, Duolingo earned a cult following by not taking itself too seriously. Proof that embracing weird can win big.

Check it out here.

How to Think Earned-First in Your Own Strategy

You don’t need a Super Bowl budget. You need big ideas with internet energy. Here’s how:

Start with culture, not campaigns. What’s trending? What’s funny? What’s making people feel something?
Make the audience the hero. Think user-generated content, personalization, or community-driven storytelling.
Design content for screenshottability, shareability, and saveability. That’s what performs.
Be brave. Earned-first content usually involves a little risk. You might need to go there—emotionally, humorously, or culturally.
Act fast. Especially with reactive or real-time content, speed wins.

Social First Ideas for Small Businesses

Go Live with Purpose

Go live once or twice a month:

Tour new arrivals
Host Q&A with a staff member
Share styling or gift tips
Do giveaways with a local biz bestie

Cross-Promote with Local Collaborators and Tap into shared audiences by teaming up with:

Nearby coffee shops, gyms, or salons
Local influencers or stylists
Other retailers for seasonal bundles or giveaways

Make it Interactive

If you want to see results, engage your people:

Use Polls in Stories
Ask Me Anything boxes (e.g. “Need a gift idea? Ask us!”)
“This or That” product comparisons
UGC prompts: “Tag us in your ____ and we’ll share it!”

Offer Social-Only ExclusivesCreate urgency and reward followers:

“Only on Insta” flash sales
Secret Story-only discount codes
Limited edition pre-orders

Weekly Call to Action (CTA)

Don’t post just to post! Instead, each week, rotate between CTAs like:

Visit in-store
DM for a personal styling tip
Share their purchase
Tag a friend
Sign up for a local event

Measure What Matters. Monthly, track:

Engagement rate (likes, comments, shares, saves)
Follower growth
Website clicks / link in bio actions
In-store “heard from Instagram” mentions

Final Thoughts

Earned-first conceptual thinking isn’t about ditching strategy—it’s about supercharging it with bold, sticky, social-first ideas. When you create something people genuinely want to talk about, you don’t just get views. You get traction, loyalty, and momentum.

So the next time you’re planning your content strategy, ask:

“Would anyone share this if we didn’t boost it?”

If the answer is no—it’s time to think “earned-first.”

Next up, while we’re on the topic of focusing on customers, read about the customer journey right here.

Why Isn’t My Content Converting?

by Connie Cermak | Mar 30, 2025 | Marketing Strategy, Most Read

It’s so frustrating! You’re doing everything right and your content still isn’t converting!

You’re posting consistently. You’re checking all the boxes. You’ve got the Canva templates, the clever captions, maybe even the occasional Instagram Reel. But still…crickets. The content is out there—but it’s not bringing in leads, sales, or real engagement.

So what gives?

Here’s the truth: content that looks good isn’t always content that works. And content that doesn’t convert usually suffers from one (or more) of these common issues.

Let’s break it down.

The Risky Gamble of Buying Backlinks

by Connie Cermak | Mar 6, 2025 | Content Marketing, Marketing Strategy

Don’t Get Stung Buying Backlinks

I recently had a rather eye-opening experience with a client whose obsession with their Google ranking sent me down a rabbit hole to uncover the cause of their declining rank, and consequently their domain authority. It didn’t take long to spot the culprit—an abundance of bad, spammy backlinks that were actively dragging their business down in search results.

Backlinks are a Great SEO Strategy

Backlinks have long been a crucial component of SEO strategy, acting as digital votes of confidence that tell search engines, “Hey, this content is valuable!” But in the competitive world of online visibility, many businesses find themselves weighing the pros and cons of paying for backlinks. Is it a shortcut to higher rankings, or a one-way ticket to Google penalties? Let’s break it down.

The Pros of Buying Backlinks—Kind of…

Speedy Results – Building backlinks organically takes time. Paid services promise a quicker route to improving your site’s authority and rankings.

Hands-Off Approach – If you don’t have time to run outreach campaigns, backlink services handle everything for you.

Potential Boost in Rankings – In the short term, a well-placed backlink from a high-authority site can give your website a ranking push.

Increased Referral Traffic – If the backlinks are placed on reputable sites, they can drive real visitors to your content.

The Cons of Buying Backlinks—Can be Very Costly

Google’s Strict Policies – Google explicitly warns against manipulative link-building schemes. If the search engine catches wind of paid backlinks that violate their guidelines, your site could face penalties, including de-indexing.

Low-Quality Links Can Harm You – Not all backlinks are created equal. Many paid services generate spammy, irrelevant links that can do more harm than good.

Unnatural Link Profiles – Google’s algorithm is smart. If your site suddenly gains a flood of links from unrelated or low-authority sources, it raises red flags.

Wasted Money – Many backlink services promise the moon but deliver links from dubious, low-value websites that won’t help your rankings.

Will Google De-Rank You for Buying Backlinks?

Yes, it’s a possibility. Google’s algorithm is designed to detect unnatural link-building patterns, and if your site is flagged, you could see a drop in rankings—or worse, a manual penalty. Google’s webspam team has been known to crack down on sites engaging in link schemes, and recovering from a penalty can be a long, painful process.

Several websites have suffered significant harm due to bad backlinks. One example is an unnamed e-commerce platform that experienced a 35% drop in traffic due to toxic links from spammy directories. This was several years ago, and it was one of the first enterprise businesses to experience ranking penalties, loss of organic traffic, and a need for urgent backlink cleanup efforts.

Another case involves Kinsta, a managed WordPress hosting provider, which was hit by a negative SEO attack where many spammy backlinks flooded its profile. Yes, spam can get in there and create havoc! Kinsta had to identify and disavow these bad backlinks to prevent a search engine penalty.

A more severe example is a business website that received a manual penalty from Google due to unnatural backlinks. These links were either artificially built or from low-quality sources, which led to a sharp decline in search engine rankings. The company had to undergo a structured recovery process, which included cleaning up backlinks and rebuilding trust with Google.

How to Check Your Backlinks

I use Ahref’s to check my clients’ backlink status, which is how I discovered the nasty spam that had de-ranked my clients’ site. You can use the same tool to check your website’s backlinks right here. And it’s free!

If your website has bad backlinks, your first course of action is to contact the referring site’s administrator and request removal. The referring site will be noted in your Ahref report. If that proves unsuccessful, you can submit a disavow request to Google to prevent the links from impacting your rankings. Semrush wrote a good article on why and how to do that which you can read right here.

Best Practices for Earning High-Quality Backlinks

Rather than risking penalties, focus on legitimate backlink strategies that build your site’s authority naturally:

Guest Blogging – Writing insightful, valuable content for industry-relevant websites can earn you high-quality backlinks.

Trade Publications & Industry Websites – Pitch articles to respected trade journals or industry news sites.

Use HARO (Help a Reporter Out) – Journalists and bloggers constantly seek expert sources. Responding to queries can land you high-authority backlinks from news sites.

Podcast Guest Spots – Appear on relevant podcasts and often, hosts will include a backlink to your site.

Create Link-Worthy Content – High-value resources, data-driven studies, and in-depth guides attract natural backlinks from other content creators.

Leverage Strategic Partnerships – Work with industry peers to exchange guest posts or get mentions in their content.

Get Featured in Local & Industry Directories – Many high-quality directories provide legitimate backlinks.

Final Verdict: Should You Pay for Backlinks?

If you’re looking for sustainable, long-term SEO success, paying for backlinks is a risky gamble. While some services may provide temporary gains, the potential for penalties and wasted investment outweighs the benefits. Instead, focus on ethical, high-value backlink strategies that position your site as an authoritative, trustworthy resource in your industry. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint—build credibility the right way, and your rankings will thank you.

Looking to strengthen your SEO game with real, lasting results? Focus on strategies that build authority organically, and let Google reward you the right way.

What’s the Difference Between Backlinks, Inbound Links, and Internal Links?

So many links, so little time. Once you understand the significance all these links—and how easy they are to introduce to your website, you’ll want to start adding them throughout your website, too. Learn everything you need to know by reading my simple guide, right here.

How to Get More Leads!

by Connie Cermak | Feb 13, 2025 | Funnel Marketing, Lead Generation, Marketing Strategy, Most Read

What’s the Quick Fix to Get More Leads?

Ah yes, the million-dollar question. If I had a dollar for every time a client asked me how to get more leads, I’d be sipping something fizzy in a hammock somewhere. But here I am, still in the trenches with you—and honestly? I love it here. But here’s the deal: There’s no quick fix to get more leads!

The truth is, lead generation isn’t a single tactic. It’s a layered, strategic process that depends on your brand, your offer, your ideal client, and yes—your follow-through. So if you’re here hoping for a magic wand or a one-size-fits-all answer, sorry friend. But if you’re ready for a clear, creative strategy backed by data and a little marketing muscle? Let’s talk. In the meantime, follow this clear list of steps you can take and if you stick to it – you should get new leads!

Step One: Want More Leads? You’ve Got to Know Who You’re Talking To!

You can’t attract what you haven’t defined. Getting more leads starts with getting crystal clear on your ideal client—what they need, what they value, and what keeps them up at night. Your content, your offers, even the colors you use—everything should speak directly to them. When that connection is dialed in, leads come easier. Promise.

Step Two: To Get More Leads, Your Website Needs to Work Harder Than You Do!

Your website isn’t a digital brochure. It’s your 24/7 salesperson. It should tell your story, answer questions, build trust, and offer something of value before someone ever books a call. Whether it’s a free download, a quiz, or simply clear, compelling copy—your site should be doing the heavy lifting. If it’s not? Let’s fix that.

Step Three: Show Up Where It Matters

You don’t need to be everywhere. You need to be in the right places. That might mean finally getting serious about LinkedIn, or maybe it’s time to dust off your email list. Maybe your dream clients are scrolling Instagram stories while sipping their matcha. Wherever they are, you need a consistent, intentional presence that reminds them you exist and that you can help.

Step Four: Offer Value Before You Pitch

This is where most people get it wrong. You don’t just show up with a megaphone shouting, “Buy from me!” You build trust by sharing insights, solving small problems, and creating content that makes people feel smarter, seen, or supported. When you consistently add value, people start coming to you.

🐝 tip: Find what you love to do best and DO IT! I love to blog, so I write articles answering people’s most frequently asked questions.

Step Five: Keep the Funnel Moving

So many leads fall through the cracks because there’s no system in place to nurture them. Follow-up matters. Whether it’s an automated email sequence, a personal DM, or a calendar reminder to check in, have a plan for what happens after someone raises their hand. Interest without action = lost opportunity.

Step Six: Track What Works.

Creative is great. Strategy is necessary. But data tells the truth. Pay attention to what’s converting. Where are leads coming from? What content gets the most clicks? If something’s working—do more of that. If it’s not—rinse, adjust, repeat. Marketing is a living, breathing thing. Give it some love and it will grow!

🐝 tip: Note how I tossed in a little “living breathing” reference into the article? That’s my brand—I’m all about nature. You can do the same!

And Finally: Turning Leads into Long-term Term Clients

Make sure you’re not losing your leads along the way. Check out my post on Understanding the Customer Journey for tips on building trust and keeping your audience engaged from first click to final conversion.

You don’t need a gimmick. You need a smart, sustainable strategy and a message that resonates.

And if you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or just tired of doing it all alone? That’s what I’m here for.

🐝 Click here and send me an email! Let’s create some buzz!

Calling all Marketing Strategy Book Readers! Here’s a list of my favorite books that helped me out immensely:

Fanatical Prospecting
Jeb Blount’s guide offers strategies for opening sales conversations and filling the pipeline through social selling, telephone, email, and cold calling.

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
Robert B. Cialdini explores the psychology behind why people say “yes” and how to apply these understandings in various aspects of marketing.

Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable (my personal fave)
Seth Godin emphasizes the importance of creating remarkable products and marketing strategies to stand out in today’s crowded marketplace.

Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen (2nd fave)
Donald Miller provides a framework for crafting compelling brand stories that resonate with customers and drive engagement.

The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation
Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson present a new approach to sales, advocating for teaching customers new perspectives and tailoring sales messages to their specific needs.