This Social Media Strategy Is Killing Your Brand

Marketing Shenanigans (#016)

This is the social media strategy that’s killing your brand—and why it’s time to stop selling.

Imagine this: You just moved to a new town. You don’t know anyone, so you head to a local event, find a group of people chatting, and introduce yourself.

But instead of joining the conversation, you immediately start telling them how much cooler, smarter, and better you are than everyone else in the room.

Cringey, right?

Yet, that’s exactly what most brands do on social media. They shout about their products, thinking it’ll win followers and drive sales. But here’s the spoiler: it doesn’t.

Let’s flip the script. Imagine making friends instead. Building a relationship starts small, like exchanging numbers. You wouldn’t share your number with someone who seemed obnoxious or self-absorbed, would you?

Now, let’s say you meet someone who shares your love of golf. That’s great—it’s your first connection. But what really makes a friendship stick is discovering those secondary connections:

• Maybe they also love cigars.

• Or they crack sarcastic jokes just like you.

• Or maybe they sports bet while golfing—it’s oddly specific, but for this example work with me here.

The point is, it’s the relatability, not just the shared activity, that builds trust.

And trust is the foundation of every relationship—including the one between your brand and your audience.

Here’s how that trust translates to social media:

• You post content that resonates, just like sending texts that make your friends laugh.

• Over time, trust builds naturally. So when you ask for something—whether it’s helping you move or checking out your product—it doesn’t feel weird.

Now, here’s the catch: No one chooses to spend time with exhausting people. And being sold to constantly? Exhausting.

So, stop selling. Start connecting. Use your social media to:

• Teach something worth knowing.

• Share stories that inspire or entertain.

• Help your audience solve a problem or achieve a goal.

• Or just make them laugh without asking for anything in return.

A mentor of mine once said, “Better than is not a strategy.” And he’s right. But being cool? That’s a strategy. And the first step to being cool? Don’t be the unbearable jerk at the party.

What Now?

Stop selling. Start connecting. When your brand focuses on trust, relatability, and genuine interaction, the sales will come naturally—and your brand will finally be one people actually like.

TL;DR: Build trust first. Sales second. Social media isn’t about shouting; it’s about connecting, inspiring, and being the brand people genuinely enjoy.

Cheers,

Teddy

Teddy Giard

In case you don’t already know, my name is Teddy, and I operate a firm that specializes in marketing strategies for outdoor brands. Our approach is simple: align your product development timeline with your marketing production timeline; by doing so, we can own the distribution of our message and our products.

If you’d like to explore working together, feel free to fill out this form, and if we’re a good fit, we can schedule a discovery call. We ask this because we keep a fairly narrow target for whom we work, and we like to be as open about that on the front end as possible. After all, time is life’s most valuable resource.