Earned First, Conceptual Thinking

Earned First, Conceptual Thinking

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. 

Understanding the Customer Journey

The Customer Journey From Awareness to Advocacy

In today’s competitive marketplace, understanding the customer journey is more important than ever. Why? Because it gives you insight into how your customers experience your brand—from the moment they first hear about you to becoming loyal advocates telling their friends about you.

If you’re a business looking to grow, mastering the customer journey can be the key to standing out and building long-term relationships. Let’s take a few minutes to explore the concept, share a real-world example, and provide actionable tips to enhance your customer journey and build loyal fans of your brand.

What is the Customer Journey?

At its core, the customer journey is the path a customer takes when interacting with your brand. It covers every touchpoint—from discovery to purchase and beyond. This journey isn’t always linear, but understanding its stages helps you better meet your customers’ needs and create a seamless experience.

5 Typical Stages of the Customer Journey:

Awareness: When customers first learn about your brand. This is where first impressions count. Through ads, social media, or word-of-mouth, you need to spark curiosity and create a memorable introduction to your business.

Consideration: When they’re weighing their options. At this stage, customers are comparing you to competitors, so providing helpful content like case studies, reviews, and free resources can position you as the best choice.

Decision: When they choose to buy from you. Here, you need to simplify the buying process. Clear calls-to-action, limited-time offers, and exceptional customer support can help seal the deal.

Retention: When you focus on keeping them happy. A happy customer is a returning customer. Focus on personalized follow-ups, loyalty programs, and ongoing value to maintain strong relationships.

Advocacy: When satisfied customers become your biggest cheerleaders. Encourage reviews, referrals, and testimonials. When customers love your brand, they’ll naturally spread the word and bring in new business.

Why Does the Customer Journey Matter So Much?

Imagine walking into a store where no one greets you, the shelves are unorganized, and no one helps you find what you need. Frustrating, right? Your customers feel the same way when their experience with your brand isn’t intentional or consistent.

Optimizing the customer journey ensures that every interaction builds trust, meets expectations, and leaves customers feeling valued. This creates loyal customers who return to you time and time again.

Forbes wrote a great article with a slightly different approach (or verbiage), including a good visual map which is highlighted here. It breaks down how businesses can visualize the path their customers take, making it easier to identify pain points and opportunities for improvement.

The Customer Journey in Action

Awareness:
Let’s say a mid-sized company invests in SEO-driven content (like blogs and case studies) and launches targeted social media ads to attract potential clients searching for their services.

Consideration:
Once leads arrive on their website, The company offers free downloadable resources and live webinars. They also implemented a chatbot to provide real-time answers to customer inquiries.

Decision:
To support leads in the decision phase, The business provides personalized consultations and showcases detailed case studies of their previous successes.

Retention:
After a project is complete, they send a follow-up survey, offering discounts on future services and personalized thank-you notes.

Advocacy:
The mid-sized company encourages happy clients to leave reviews and refer friends through a referral program—rewarding them with exclusive perks,

By optimizing its customer journey, the company sees somewhere between a 20% to 35% increase in customer retention and gains several new leads through word-of-mouth referrals within an average of a month or two! Sometimes it takes less time, sometimes it takes more. There’s no magic wond. But if you’ve optimized your site, written content using keywords, keep your content fresh by providing useful information or great product photos and descriptions, by the time you get to the customer journey, you’re set up for success!

3 Tips to Optimize Your Customer Journey

Ready to level up your customer journey? Start with these actionable steps:

Map It Out:
Take time to visualize every step of your customer’s experience. Identify key touchpoints and ask yourself: Where can we make this better?

Gather Feedback:
Your customers are your best resource. Use surveys, reviews, and interviews to understand what’s working and what’s not.

Be Consistent:
Consistency is key. Whether it’s your website, social media, or customer service, every interaction and everything you do should reflect your brand values and brand voice; and naturally, meet customer expectations.

Final Thoughts

The customer journey isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the foundation for building a thriving, customer-centric business. By understanding and optimizing every stage, you’re not just winning sales; you’re building relationships that drive loyalty and growth.

Start by mapping out your customer journey and identifying ways to improve. Your customers (and your bottom line) will thank you.

Need help refining your customer journey? Let’s connect and make sure your customers have an experience worth raving about!.

Next Up:

If you’re interested in learning more about branding and the art of creating an emotional connection, read my aritlce here. 

Do you like to write as much as I do? Read about blogging to build your brand right here.

And if you’d like to learn about the importance of using the right keywords to create brand awareness and site optimization, click here. 

Social Media Strategies That Drive Results

Social Media Strategies That Drive Results

Social Media Strategies That Drive Results

Welcome to Social Nectar, where creativity meets strategy! Since 2009, I’ve been navigating the ever-changing landscape of social media—long before TikTok dances and Instagram reels ruled the day. As a beta tester for cutting-edge platforms for over a decade, I’ve learned firsthand how powerful strong social media strategies can be.

The secret? It’s not just about posting pretty pictures or going viral. A successful campaign is about teamwork, intention, and consistency. From public relations to advertising to campaign management, every player has a role to ensure your brand’s voice, personality, and goals shine through. Let’s dive into how to craft strategies that engage and convert—and look back at some unforgettable campaigns for inspiration.

Why Social Media Strategies Matter

Without a strategy, social media can feel like shouting into a void. A solid plan ensures:

Consistency: Your brand voice stays on-point across platforms.

Engagement: You create content that resonates with your audience.

Goals Alignment: Every post moves you closer to achieving measurable objectives.

Building the Ultimate Social Media Strategy with a Dream Team

Creating a winning social media strategy takes collaboration. Here’s how to bring together the best minds:

Public Relations Team: Keeps messaging on-brand and ensures campaigns align with your broader company values.

Ads Team: Maximizes visibility with targeted ads and data-driven insights.

Campaign Managers: Orchestrates the moving pieces, ensuring deadlines are met and goals are achieved.

Content Creators: Designers, writers, and videographers craft compelling visuals and copy.

When everyone works together, the result is magic—a campaign that feels seamless, authentic, and uniquely you.

Memorable Social Media Campaigns Through the Years

Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” (2010) (One of my all-time favorites)!

Who could forget the witty, suave Old Spice Guy? This campaign blended humor with personalization, creating over 180 video responses to real social media comments. It skyrocketed Old Spice’s sales and set the gold standard for engagement.

🐝  Takeaway: Be bold, embrace humor, and talk with your audience, not just to them.

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge (2014)

This viral campaign raised awareness (and over $220 million!) for ALS research. By encouraging participation and nominating others, it tapped into people’s social circles and FOMO.

🐝. Takeaway: Invite your audience to join the story. User-generated content can amplify your reach like nothing else.

Spotify Wrapped (2017-Present)

Spotify turned user data into a celebration. By showcasing listeners’ music habits with personalized visuals, Spotify Wrapped became a highly shareable annual event.

🐝  Takeaway: Leverage data to create personal, shareable moments for your audience.

Wendy’s Savage Twitter Roasts (2017)

Wendy’s took a fresh approach to social media by using humor and sass to interact with followers (and even their competitors). Their “roast” sessions were wildly popular, showcasing how a distinct voice can set a brand apart.

🐝  Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to have a strong personality—it makes your brand unforgettable.

Creative Social Media Strategy that Drives Results Requires Ideas Unique to Your Brand

Need some inspiration for your next campaign? Try these:

Interactive Stories: Use polls, quizzes, or sliders on Instagram stories to engage followers directly.

Throwback Content: Share nostalgic posts that tie into your brand’s history or pop culture moments.

Social Challenges: Start a hashtag challenge that encourages participation, like Coca-Cola’s #ShareACoke.

Behind-the-Scenes Peeks: Humanize your brand by showing how the magic happens.

Cause-Driven Campaigns: Align with a meaningful cause to showcase your values.

 

Let’s Create Your Next Big Social Media Moment

At Social Nectar, I know that the best social media strategies are rooted in creativity, collaboration, and a deep understanding of your audience. Whether you’re a budding brand or an industry leader, I’ll help you craft campaigns that leave a lasting impact.

Measure Results, Wash, Rinse and Repeat

When driving results for your social media strategy, be sure to monitor your results! To learn about the importance of data analysis to power your results read my article here. 

Ready to make your mark? Let’s get started! Send an email here

 

Why You Need a Marketing Strategy and All the Steps to Strategize

Why You Need a Marketing Strategy and All the Steps to Strategize

Unlocking the Secret Sauce of Marketing Strategy: Why a Plan Beats Wingin’ It Every Time

In the bustling world of business, it’s easy to jump straight to flashy tactics—splashy ads, trendy social media posts, irresistible sales offers—without considering the bigger picture. But before you dive headfirst into posting your first Instagram Reel or launching that email blast, it’s essential to understand the key distinction between strategy and tactics. A well-executed marketing strategy, like a carefully prepared recipe, ensures that every piece of your campaign works toward a larger goal. If you’re skipping strategy in favor of action, it’s like tossing all the ingredients of a cake into the oven without measuring—sure, you might get something edible, but will it be good?

 

Strategy vs. Tactics: The Master Plan and the Minions

The difference between strategy and tactics can be tricky to grasp at first, but it’s vital for marketing success. In the words of Howell J. Malham Jr. in his insightful (and humorous) book, I Have a Strategy (No, You Don’t), strategy is the overarching plan, while tactics are the actions used to execute that plan. Malham makes it crystal clear: a true strategy aligns all the moving pieces toward a desired outcome. It’s a bit like building a house—you wouldn’t start with the shingles. Instead, you’d begin with a blueprint (the strategy), followed by each step of construction (the tactics).

When we confuse tactics for strategy, we end up with random actions rather than intentional steps toward a goal. For instance, hopping on the latest social media trend without knowing how it fits your brand’s purpose is a tactic in search of a strategy. Instead, strategy first defines why you’re pursuing the goal, and then tactics help with the how.

 

Why a Strategy Sets You Up for Success

Having a clear strategy is crucial before you launch any product, service, or brand. It gives you direction, allows you to set measurable goals, and helps you identify what success should look like. More than anything, a strategy helps you align your team and resources. Think of strategy as your roadmap: without it, your marketing efforts might hit a few milestones but ultimately fall short of reaching their full potential.

For example, imagine launching a new skincare line with a clear strategy: you know you’re targeting eco-conscious millennials, so your branding focuses on sustainability, natural ingredients, and wellness. Now, every action you take—email marketing, influencer collaborations, packaging choices—is aimed at reinforcing that eco-friendly message. Without a strategy, you might fall into the trap of throwing money at ads or creating one-off social media campaigns that don’t add up to a cohesive brand.

 

When Might You Skip the Strategy? (Rarely, but It Happens)

While having a strategy is usually a non-negotiable for big launches, there are a few rare cases when you might let it slide. For instance, if you’re conducting a quick experiment to test an idea, such as seeing if your audience responds to a new color scheme or a different ad style, you could run a tactic or two without a full-blown strategy. Similarly, in crisis situations, where speed matters more than meticulous planning, it’s okay to skip strategy and jump straight into damage control tactics.

However, even in these cases, an experienced marketer will circle back and apply lessons learned to their overall strategy. So, while there are moments when you can bend the rules, running a successful marketing operation without a strategy is like navigating a maze blindfolded—it’s not advisable long-term.

 

Crafting Your Strategy: Building Blocks for a Strong Foundation

Creating a marketing strategy doesn’t have to be a daunting task, but it does require thoughtful planning. Here’s a step-by-step overview:

Define Your Goals: Start by defining what you want to achieve. Are you aiming for brand awareness, lead generation, or customer loyalty? Your strategy should align with these goals.

Know Your Audience: Without understanding your audience, you’re shooting in the dark. Research who they are, what they care about, and where they hang out online.

Analyze the Competition: What’s working for your competitors? Don’t copy them, but use their successes and missteps to shape your approach.

Identify Your Unique Value Proposition (UVP): Your UVP is what makes you stand out. It’s the core of your brand that your strategy should communicate.

Develop Core Messaging: What message will resonate with your audience? Build a narrative that consistently reflects your brand’s value and purpose.

Choose Your Channels: Decide where you’ll execute your tactics, whether it’s social media, email, content marketing, or events. This is where you’ll bring your strategy to life.

 

Tactics with Purpose: Let Strategy Guide the Details

Once your strategy is in place, tactics become the exciting tools in your marketing kit. Remember, tactics are only powerful when they support your strategy. They include specific actions like:

Launching an Instagram campaign: A great tactic, but it should tie back to a strategy focused on brand awareness.

Running paid ads: Useful, but only if they’re designed with your unique value proposition and audience in mind.

Hosting an event: Perfect for engagement and brand building, but most effective when planned with clear objectives.

The next time someone hands you an action plan full of ideas but can’t tell you how it fits into a larger picture, remember the wise words of Howell Malham from his book, I have a Strategy, No you Don’t: Don’t mistake tactics for strategy!

 

The Last Word on Marketing Strategy

In the end, a marketing strategy acts like a trusty compass, pointing your business toward its goals. It keeps your messaging consistent, your actions aligned, and your brand authentic. Whether you’re a startup or a well-established brand, having a marketing strategy not only boosts your chances of success but also makes sure that every dollar and every minute spent counts. And if anyone ever tells you they have a strategy when all they’re listing are tactics, you’ll be ready to set them straight!