If you don'tdo this now,you'll disappear

The first episode starts with the question every client asks: why invest in social media at all, and why now? Alex and Aron's answer is blunt. A strong online presence isn't a nice-to-have any more. It's the proof that your business exists.

Your online presence is your proof

People used to check whether you had a website. Now they go straight to your socials. We've worked with multi-million-pound operators who'd never had a real online presence, and for them it's a credibility problem as much as a marketing one. For smaller businesses it's the same: a strong foundation online shows you're actually good at what you do.

And the competition has changed. You used to compete with the businesses in your area. Now your competition is worldwide.

A TV ad is a slot machine

Businesses will spend tens or even hundreds of thousands on a TV ad without really knowing who it reaches. As Aron puts it, it's like putting money in a slot machine. With social, we can put a product or service in front of exactly the person who's a potential customer, and we've got the data to prove whether it worked. That's where the attention has moved, and that's where the budget should follow.

Real beats polished

Alex admits he now searches TikTok before Google when he's looking for somewhere to eat or travel, because it feels more real and more honest. People are increasingly switched on to being sold to. If something looks too polished, they switch off because it feels like an ad. The same idea filmed on a phone can be more relatable and more trustworthy. That doesn't mean production value doesn't matter. It means choosing the right level for each job.

Every platform needs its own version

You're in a different mindset on YouTube than you are on TikTok or Instagram. A couple of years ago a brand would make one "social version" of an advert. Now you need an Instagram version, a TikTok version and a YouTube version, each made for how people actually use that platform. And because the platforms change month by month, you need someone living it every day to keep up.

"Always assume that nobody knows you exist."

The mistakes we see most

• Content for content's sake, with no purpose or story behind it
• The "one and done" promo video, posted once and forgotten
• Posting once on LinkedIn and assuming everyone now knows
• Spending weeks on a post, getting no views, and giving up
• Investing in something new and never shouting about it

Where to start

Before you post anything, get the branding right. Not just the logo: your brand values, tone of voice, colours, fonts, imagery and website. Otherwise you're driving people towards something they won't trust. Then start with a top-level film that explains what you do, and go deeper from there with podcasts, behind the scenes, day-in-the-life content and photography.

Most of all, treat it as a long-term thing. One post can involve scripting, filming, editing, copywriting, scheduling and analytics, which is why so many businesses now outsource it the way they would their accounts. If you don't make the time for it, you fall behind, and eventually you just disappear.

Watch on YouTube ↗