Want social media that delivers business results that matter?

The social media landscape has become a circus, and far too many brands are playing the clown when they should be the ringmaster.

After decades developing social media strategies for global brands and small businesses alike, I’ve watched countless companies chase viral moments like moths to a flame, only to get burned when their audience can’t connect the dots between their latest stunt and what they actually do. It’s a fundamental misunderstanding of what social media marketing should achieve.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Attention without intention is just noise.

The Seductive Trap of Viral Content

I’ve seen marketing teams pivot their entire strategy around trending hashtags and viral formats, convinced that reach equals results. A manufacturing company starts posting dance videos. A B2B software firm jumps on every meme. A financial services provider tries to be the “fun brand” with personality-driven content that has absolutely nothing to do with helping people manage their money.

The engagement metrics look brilliant in the short term. The Marketing Manager is chuffed with the vanity numbers. But when it comes to actual business outcomes? Crickets.

This isn’t just ineffective; it’s actively harmful. When you train your audience to expect entertainment rather than expertise, you’re building a following that’s interested in your content, not your business. And there’s a world of difference between the two.

The Problem-Solution Disconnect

The most successful social media strategies I’ve developed over the years have one thing in common: they relentlessly connect the brand to the specific problems it solves for real people. Not abstract problems. Not general lifestyle aspirations. The actual, tangible challenges that keep your customers awake at night.

Take a cybersecurity firm I worked with. Their initial approach was posting generic “Cyber Monday” memes and jumping on tech trends. Hundreds of likes, minimal leads. We shifted to addressing real concerns: “Here’s what happens when your employee clicks that suspicious link,” followed by clear, actionable solutions. Engagement dropped initially, but qualified leads increased by 340%.

This is the paradox of effective social media: the more specific you are about the problem you solve, the more magnetic you become to the right audience.

Building Brand Equity vs. Building Follower Counts

Here’s what I’ve learned works: your social media presence should make it impossible for your audience to think about their problem without thinking about your solution. That requires consistency, relevance, and a deep understanding of your customer’s journey.

It’s not about going viral. It’s about being valuable.

Consider the difference between these two approaches:

Attention-seeking approach: “Join the #MondayMotivation movement! 💪 What’s your biggest goal this week?”

Problem-focused approach: “It’s Monday morning and your team’s productivity software crashed again. Here’s the three-step backup plan that saved our client £50,000 last month.”

The second approach speaks directly to a real problem faced by real people. It positions your brand as the expert who understands their world and has solutions ready. The first approach? It’s just adding to the noise.

The Long-Term Cost of Short-Term Attention

When you chase viral moments, you’re essentially renting your audience’s attention rather than building genuine brand equity. Viral content has a shelf life measured in hours, not months. But trust? Authority? The reputation for solving real problems? That compounds over time.

I’ve watched brands spend thousands on influencer partnerships and viral campaigns, only to discover their audience has no idea what they actually do. They’ve built awareness without understanding, reach without relevance.

The harsh reality is that viral content often works against brand recall. When your content is designed to be shared for its entertainment value rather than its connection to your business, people remember the content but forget the brand.

The Path Forward: Intentional Attention

This doesn’t mean your social media content should be boring. It means it should be purposeful. Every post should serve your business objectives whilst genuinely helping your audience.

Start with these questions:

• What specific problem does our business solve?
• What does our ideal customer worry about at 2 AM?
• How can we demonstrate our expertise in solving this problem?
• What would our audience need to believe about their problem before they’d consider our solution?

The most engaging content I’ve created over the years has been problem-focused, not platform-focused. It’s content that makes people think, “Finally, someone who gets it.”

The Bottom Line

In a world where everyone’s shouting for attention, the brands that whisper the right message to the right people at the right time are the ones that win.

Stop chasing viral moments. Start chasing meaningful connections. Your bottom line, and your sanity, will thank you for it.

The social media landscape has become a circus, and far too many brands are playing the clown when they should be the ringmaster.

After decades developing social media strategies for global brands and small businesses alike, I’ve watched countless companies chase viral moments like moths to a flame, only to get burned when their audience can’t connect the dots between their latest stunt and what they actually do. It’s a fundamental misunderstanding of what social media marketing should achieve.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Attention without intention is just noise.

The Seductive Trap of Viral Content

I’ve seen marketing teams pivot their entire strategy around trending hashtags and viral formats, convinced that reach equals results. A manufacturing company starts posting dance videos. A B2B software firm jumps on every meme. A financial services provider tries to be the “fun brand” with personality-driven content that has absolutely nothing to do with helping people manage their money.

The engagement metrics look brilliant in the short term. The MD is chuffed with the vanity numbers. But when it comes to actual business outcomes? Crickets.

This isn’t just ineffective; it’s actively harmful. When you train your audience to expect entertainment rather than expertise, you’re building a following that’s interested in your content, not your business. And there’s a world of difference between the two.

The Problem-Solution Disconnect

The most successful social media strategies I’ve developed over the years have one thing in common: they relentlessly connect the brand to the specific problems it solves for real people. Not abstract problems. Not general lifestyle aspirations. The actual, tangible challenges that keep your customers awake at night.

Take a cybersecurity firm I worked with. Their initial approach was posting generic “Cyber Monday” memes and jumping on tech trends. Thousands of likes, minimal leads. We shifted to addressing real concerns: “Here’s what happens when your employee clicks that suspicious link,” followed by clear, actionable solutions. Engagement dropped initially, but qualified leads increased by 340%.

This is the paradox of effective social media: the more specific you are about the problem you solve, the more magnetic you become to the right audience.

Building Brand Equity vs. Building Follower Counts

Here’s what I’ve learned works: your social media presence should make it impossible for your audience to think about their problem without thinking about your solution. That requires consistency, relevance, and a deep understanding of your customer’s journey.

It’s not about going viral. It’s about being valuable.

Consider the difference between these two approaches:

Attention-seeking approach: “Join the #MondayMotivation movement! 💪 What’s your biggest goal this week?”

Problem-focused approach: “It’s Monday morning, and your team’s productivity software crashed again. Here’s the three-step backup plan that saved our client £50,000 last month.”

The second approach speaks directly to a real problem faced by real people. It positions your brand as the expert who understands their world and has solutions ready. The first approach? It’s just adding to the noise.

The Long-Term Cost of Short-Term Attention

When you chase viral moments, you’re essentially renting your audience’s attention rather than building genuine brand equity. Viral content has a shelf life measured in hours, not months. But trust? Authority? The reputation for solving real problems? That compounds over time.

I’ve watched brands spend thousands on influencer partnerships and viral campaigns, only to discover their audience has no idea what they actually do. They’ve built awareness without understanding, reach without relevance.

The harsh reality is that viral content often works against brand recall. When your content is designed to be shared for its entertainment value rather than its connection to your business, people remember the content but forget the brand.

The Path Forward: Intentional Attention

This doesn’t mean your social media content should be boring. It means it should be purposeful. Every post should serve your business objectives whilst genuinely helping your audience.

Start with these questions:

• What specific problem does our business solve?
• What does our ideal customer worry about at 2 AM?
• How can we demonstrate our expertise in solving this problem?
• What would our audience need to believe about their problem before they’d consider our solution?

The most engaging content I’ve created over the years has been problem-focused, not platform-focused. It’s content that makes people think, “Finally, someone who gets it.”

The Bottom Line

In a world where everyone’s shouting for attention, the brands that whisper the right message to the right people at the right time are the ones that win.

Stop chasing viral moments. Start chasing meaningful connections. Your bottom line, and your sanity, will thank you for it.

Because at the end of the day, attention that doesn’t convert isn’t marketing. It’s just expensive entertainment.

Want Social Media that delivers business results that matter.