Dear brands, you’re doing social media wrong—and it's costing you big

Back in 2017, a popular youth fashion brand announced a sale on Facebook. The response was so overwhelming, it sparked conversations about whether digital had finally replaced the need for newspaper advertising.

It was a moment. Social media felt powerful. Revolutionary. Direct. Fast forward to today—and most brands are still stuck in that moment.

They continue to use social media as if it's 2017, featuring product posts, discount banners, sporadic shoutouts from 'influencers', and a few clumsy reels. It’s the same tired playbook. And it’s failing.

In an era of content overload and dwindling attention spans, the cost of lazy social media is no longer merely poor engagement—it’s brand erosion.

It’s time to kill the old social playbook

Let’s be clear: social media today isn’t a billboard. It isn’t an announcements channel. And it certainly isn’t a dumping ground for your latest offer.

It’s a relationship channel. A culture-shaping tool. A brand-building machine—if used correctly. Most brands aren’t using it correctly.

They’re still chasing likes. Still measuring performance by views instead of value. Still seeing content as filler instead of strategy. They show up when they have something to sell—and disappear when they don’t.

In 2025, that’s not just outdated—it’s irrelevant.

Brands need to start behaving like influencers

Influencers aren’t winning on social media because they’re lucky. They’re winning because they get the platform—and the audience.

They show up consistently. They tell stories. They create repeatable formats. They build community, not just content. And most importantly? They’re trusted.

Brands need to take a page from that playbook. That doesn’t mean turning your CEO into a TikTok star. It means building a sharp point of view, choosing a singular narrative, and committing to it with consistency and clarity.

Stop being everything to everyone.

Stop chasing trends you don’t understand.

Stop treating social media as a campaign extension.

Start thinking like a creator. Start investing like a brand.

This requires investment—not just in media, but in meaning

Building an authentic brand narrative isn’t a “low-effort” game. It demands time, patience, and investment in the right people.

It means creating repeatable, ownable formats—series, rituals, content pillars—that audiences come to recognise and trust.

It means putting real faces and real voices out there—your team, your customers, and your process.

It means being okay with showing up when you don’t have something to sell—because building a relationship is the sale.

Agencies: Stop selling social media to brands who aren’t ready

Let’s talk about the other side of the table.

Agencies, creators, partners—we need to stop enabling bad social behaviour. No amount of clever captions or carousels can fix a brand that doesn’t know what it stands for.

If the client isn’t ready to invest in narrative, consistency, and real connection—then social media isn’t the solution they need. And we should be brave enough to say that.

Our industry needs a reset. Not more surface-level content. Not more digital noise. We owe our audiences better.

Every post either builds your brand or burns it

Here’s the truth no one wants to say out loud: in this attention economy, you are either memorable or invisible. There’s no middle ground anymore. Every piece of content you post is either:

Building trust

Reinforcing your identity

Creating connection 

—Or it’s eroding all three.

We don’t need more content. We need better content. Content that presents a clear point of view. Content that values attention. Content that justifies its presence in the feed.

The ROI Is real—but only for the brave

This isn’t just philosophical. It’s practical.

When brands make the shift to narrative-driven social, the results follow:

• Higher engagement (the real kind)
• Deeper loyalty
• Greater organic reach
• Increased lifetime value
• Stronger pricing power

This is the long game. But it’s the only game that works now.

The call to action

To the CEOs and business leaders reading this:

• Stop asking what your next social post is. Start asking what your brand actually stands for.
• To the CMOs and marketing heads: Stop measuring outputs. Start building equity.
• To the agencies, strategists, and creators: Push back. Say no to meaningless posts. Demand better.

We’ve built an industry capable of extraordinary creative work. But it starts with one brave decision: to stop playing small and start creating with intention.

Social media still has the power to transform brands. But only if we stop treating it like a notice board. Let’s raise the bar.

(Sowmya Iyear is the Founder and CEO of DViO Digital, one of the largest independent growth marketing companies operating in over six countries.)