Digital marketing expert Neil Patel said most brands are failing on social media because they treat their profiles like digital billboards rather than entertainment hubs.
Speaking in a recent strategy breakdown, the co-founder of NP Digital noted that 64% of marketers are currently slashing their organic social media budgets in favour of paid advertisements.
Patel argued that this shift occurs because companies are still using outdated “post and pray” methods that no longer cut through modern algorithms or capture the attention of emotionally exhausted consumers.
The shift in marketing spend comes at a time when users are spending record amounts of time on platforms like TikTok and YouTube, yet are increasingly ignoring brand messages that look like traditional advertisements.
Neil Patel explained that roughly 60% of consumers have deleted or ignored messages simply because they appeared to be marketing content. To combat this, he suggests a transition from being a “social media manager” to acting like a “TV network” executive who produces repeatable, episodic content.
Patel introduced a four-part framework for creating what he calls “renewable” content formats that build audience habits. This structure includes a recurring format, a consistent theme, recognizable characters, and a fixed set of location.
He cited examples like a Brooklyn coffee shop that gained over 200,000 followers by filming consistent sitcom-style skits behind the same counter with the same baristas. By creating a recognizable “show,” brands can trigger immediate recognition in the feed within the first three seconds.
The strategy also aims to lower customer acquisition costs. Patel noted that 94.4% of purchase journeys now involve multiple touchpoints across various platforms.
When organic content builds trust first, paid ads become significantly more effective because the “hardest part” of building a relationship has already happened for free.
Neil Patel is a prominent figure in the global creator economy, known for founding multiple multi-million dollar marketing tools and agencies, including KISSmetrics and NP Digital. His agency currently provides consulting services to both small businesses and Fortune 500 companies.
With a combined social media following of over 10 million across various platforms, Patel has spent over two decades analyzing search engine optimization and digital consumer behaviour.
