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It’s National Cribbage Day, Reader... Don’t get skunked!

In today’s edition:

• 🖱️ Today's Tip of the Day is for LinkedIn

• 🔬 BTS: Social Media Examiner’s marketing playbook

• Pinterest earnings results

• Social media benchmarks

Is a LinkedIn newsletter part of you content marketing mix? Wondering how to integrate product or service promotions into your newsletter?

Go Visual

You need an asset that will catch your reader’s eyes as they’re skimming your newsletter.

Rather than relying on copy and a clickable text link for driving promo traffic, create a graphic ad and link that to your landing page. You can even use arrows to highlight your call to action or use a gif!

Today's tip was inspired by Judi Fox, a featured speaker at Social Media Marketing World.

Will You Be There?

In less than two months, thousands of marketers will gather in San Diego for the biggest marketing event of the year—Social Media Marketing World. Will you be joining them? 

If you want to make 2025 your most successful year yet, consider attending. You'll learn from top experts and connect with marketers from all around the world. 

"Social Media Marketing World has been my favorite and most effective event for networking. It’s one of my favorite things to do as an adult," said Laura Pence Atencio.

I’m ready to discover what I’ve been missing.

How We're Pivoting Our Marketing: Behind the Scenes

Are you finding that your tried-and-true marketing strategies aren't working like they used to? Wondering how to adapt when algorithms seem to be working against you?

Come behind the scenes as Social Media Examiner's CEO Michael Stelzner and marketer Dan Sanchez reveal how they're pivoting their marketing strategy in response to 2025's challenges. 

With social algorithms deprioritizing promotional content, email deliverability issues, and AI impacting SEO, they've implemented eight new approaches—all while promoting their flagship Social Media Marketing World conference.

Why Marketing Has Changed

"Something fundamental has changed in our industry," explains Michael Stelzner, founder and CEO of Social Media Examiner. Our marketing playbook worked reliably for twelve years, but recently everything shifted. The algorithms have turned against us, emails are getting buried in spam folders, and social posts aren't reaching their intended audience.

Dan Sanchez, Senior AI Marketing Strategist at Social Media Examiner, identified four significant changes affecting marketers in 2025:

First, social feeds are now dominated by interest-based content rather than social graph connections. While marketers could previously expect to reach a significant portion of their followers, they're now lucky to reach even 5% of their audience. The algorithms prioritize content based on user interests rather than social connections, making it harder for brands to leverage their following.

Second, short-form video has become increasingly prevalent and demanding. Creating quality short-form content requires significant time investment, with even a 60-second video potentially taking hours to produce. While video has been important for years, the current landscape demands higher production value and creative energy.

Third, algorithms are actively suppressing promotional content. Marketers might spend considerable effort creating engaging top-of-funnel content, but the algorithms restrict their reach when they attempt to promote their products or services.

Fourth, SEO is undergoing significant changes due to AI advancement. Traditional strategies like writing blog posts to rank in search results may not have the same future potential, forcing marketers to reconsider their approach to content creation.

Social Media Examiner's Strategic Responses

In response to these challenges, Social Media Examiner implemented eight key strategies to adapt their marketing approach:

Strategic Hiring for Content Creation

We hired Dan Sanchez as their Senior AI Marketing Strategist, recognizing the need for someone who could create short-form, long-form, audio, and video content. This strategic hire also brought AI expertise to help streamline their marketing efforts.

Increased Investment in Paid Advertising

Despite primarily focusing on organic marketing, Social Media Examiner allocated a $10,000 monthly budget for Meta ads. We partnered with Emily Hirsch's agency to target our existing audience, who might have missed seeing organic content due to algorithm changes.

Premise-Based Content Series

We developed what Sanchez calls "premise-based content" or "series-based content" to maintain consistent engagement without reinventing the wheel for every post. One example is the "Dollar Marketer" series, where Sanchez attempts to create viral social media posts using items that cost one dollar.

In one episode, Sanchez purchased googly eyes and created an entertaining video showing various objects with googly eyes, culminating in a promotion for Social Media Marketing World speakers. This approach generated both behind-the-scenes content and the final promotional piece.

Strategic Meme Marketing

We launched a "Meming Full Marketing" series that combines original memes with educational content. Each post includes a meme addressing common marketing challenges or situations, followed by thoughtful analysis and practical advice. This approach helps build engagement while subtly promoting their conference when relevant.

Speaker Content Strategy

The team developed a systematic approach to creating content with conference speakers by conducting 30-minute interviews asking five strategic questions designed to generate multiple pieces of content. 

Questions include:

• What mistakes do marketers make with [platform]?

• Why are you excited to speak at Social Media Marketing World about this topic?

• What's one big change you've seen recently?

• What's a common myth marketers believe?

• What popular tactics no longer work in 2025?

AI-Powered Customer Support

We implemented an AI chatbot named Scout that handles sales and support inquiries. The bot retrains every 24 hours on updated conference information and can communicate in multiple languages. This addition has increased sales by providing immediate answers to potential customers' questions while reducing support tickets.

Enhanced Sales Strategy

We integrated the AI bot with a conference advisor program, connecting potential attendees with human sales representatives for complex inquiries. We also initiated outbound sales efforts to previous attendees who have yet to purchase tickets for the current event.

Long-Form Text Content

Stelzner has consistently published long-form text posts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X, focusing on authentic storytelling and transparency about business challenges. This approach has maintained strong engagement and built deeper connections with our audience.

4 Implementation Tips for Your Marketing

The key to success in 2025's marketing landscape lies in adapting to algorithmic changes while maintaining authentic connections with your audience. When implementing similar strategies, consider these key insights:

First, look for opportunities to repurpose content across multiple channels. For example, a single 30-minute speaker interview can generate five or more pieces of social content.

Second, focus on creating content series rather than stand-alone pieces. This approach provides a framework for consistent content creation while maintaining audience interest.

Third, be transparent about challenges and struggles. Stelzner's openness about business difficulties has created stronger connections with his audience and opened new opportunities through supportive responses.

Fourth, consider how AI can enhance your marketing efforts, from customer support to content creation. The technology has matured to the point where it can provide significant value while reducing manual workload.

Today's advice is provided with insights from Michael Stelzner and Dan Sanchez, speakers at Social Media Marketing World.

Can’t Travel to Social Media Marketing World? 

Attending Social Media Marketing World in person is the best option. But if travel just isn't an option, the conference can come to you. 

With a Virtual Ticket, you can stream all of the conference keynotes and sessions live. Plus, you'll get access to the recordings of every keynote, session, and workshop.  

Isn't it time you experienced the career-changing content from Social Media Marketing World? Grab your Virtual Ticket today; you’ll save $500. Your future self will thank you. 

I’m ready to find out more!

Pinterest 4th Quarter and Full Year 2024 Results: Pinterest achieved its first billion-dollar revenue quarter with Q4 revenue of $1.15 billion, an 18% increase year over year. Global Monthly Active Users (MAUs) reached an all-time high of 553 million users, representing an 11% increase from the previous year. For Q1 2025, Pinterest expects revenue between $837 million and $852 million, representing 13-15% growth year over year, or 15-17% on a constant currency basis. The company projects Q1 2025 Adjusted EBITDA to be between $155 million and $170 million. The U.S. and Canada region generated $900 million in Q4 revenue, Europe contributed $196 million, and the rest of the world added $58 million. MAUs in the U.S. and Canada reached 101 million, Europe had 145 million, and the rest of the world recorded 307 million users. Source: Pinterest

2025 Social Media Benchmarks Report: The report analyzes data from 125 million social media posts between 2023 and 2024, providing a comprehensive view of social media performance metrics and trends for 2025 strategic planning. TikTok and Instagram remain the dominant platforms for user engagement, though with diverging trends. TikTok maintains a strong engagement rate of 2.50%, while Instagram has seen a 28% year-over-year decline to 0.50%. Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) both show lower engagement rates at 0.15%. TikTok significantly outperforms other platforms in terms of user interactions, averaging 3,092 likes per post compared to Instagram's 395. Comment engagement on TikTok averages 66 comments per post (up 73% year-over-year), while Instagram posts receive an average of 24 comments (up 33% year-over-year). TikTok has shown remarkable growth in content sharing, doubling its share rates year-over-year. Instagram maintains an average of 41 shares per post. While TikTok's impressions have remained stable, Instagram has seen a 13% year-over-year increase in impressions. Brands maintain different posting schedules across platforms: Instagram: 5 posts per week; TikTok: 2 posts per week. Source: SocialInsider

Did You Know?

Strawberries aren’t berries. They’re fruits!