🌱 The Social Roots (Basics & Mindset)
1. What is Social Media Marketing....
So imagine you opened a lemonade stall on your street 🍋
You’re excited, your lemons are juicy, but no one knows your stall exists.
What do you do? You start talking. You shout. You dance. You hold a signboard.
👉 THAT is what social media marketing is.
Now translate that to 2025:
Instead of shouting on the street, you’re posting a Reel.
Instead of dancing near the stall, you’re doing a trending challenge./p>
Your lemons = your products, services, ideas, or personal brand.
Social media marketing/strong> is the art of using digital platforms (like Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.) to build awareness/strong>, trust/strong>, and conversions/strong> for something you believe in – whether it’s a brand, product, or YOU.
It’s not just about posting.
It’s about connecting.
Creating curiosity.
Making people stop scrolling.
Making them feel, Hey, this is for me.”
Reality Check in 2025.
Let’s be real: In 2025, attention is money 💰
If you’ve got people watching, listening, trusting — you’ve got power. And social media is where that attention lives.
- ✅ People check their phones 150+ times a day.
- ✅ 70% of buying decisions are made before a customer talks to a brand.
- ✅ “Digital trust” is more powerful than “real-world branding” now.
So if your business, personal brand or skill isn’t on social — you don’t exist to the world that matters.
And guess what? Even as a beginner you don’t need big budgets. You just need:
- A voice 📢
- A strategy 🎯
- And a phone with Wi-Fi 📱
🎯 Find Your Social Media Ikigai: Where Your Passion Meets Digital Power...
Let’s get one thing straight.
You don’t need a DSLR.
You don’t need a full-time team.
You don’t even need a perfectly curated feed.
You just need to figure out one thing:
👉 Where do you and your value meet the world’s attention?
That’s your Social Media Ikigai.
(Yes, it’s borrowed from the Japanese concept of finding your “reason for being” — because your digital presence should feel like that.)
📌 So what is your social media Ikigai?
It’s the sweet overlap of:
- 💡 What you’re good at
- 🔥 What you’re excited to share
- 👥 What your audience actually wants or needs
- 💸 What can grow into credibility, clients, or cash
Let me break it down for you, human to human 💬
💭 Real Talk: You Can’t Be Everywhere — and You Don’t Have To
When you’re starting out, there’s pressure to be on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, Threads, Snapchat, Telegram, and god knows what next.
But let’s breathe for a second, okay?
You don’t need to be everywhere. You need to be present where your vibe matches your value.
Ask yourself:
| Platform | Good for | Ask Yourself |
|---|---|---|
| Aesthetics, reels, stories | “Do I love visuals and showing behind the scenes?” | |
| Thought-leadership, personal brand | “Can I share lessons, ideas, and industry experiences?” | |
| TikTok / Reels | Trends + fun hooks | “Can I make educational or funny short videos?” |
| YouTube | Deep dive content | “Can I commit to long-form value?” |
| X (Twitter) | Hot takes, info-threads | “Can I write smart or savage short content?” |
Now go pick 1 or 2 platforms. Not all.
Why?
- ✅ Because consistency beats chaos.
- ✅ Because showing up real > showing up perfect.
🎯 What You Can Do To Build Digital Trust As a Beginner:
📢 Show Up Like a Human – Not a Brochure
- Show Up Real – No filters on personality. Be unfiltered, but intentional.
- Tell Stories, Not Just Features – Why did you start your brand? What challenge are you solving?
- Screenshot the Love – Got DMs saying “thank you”? Got a cute review? POST IT. Let people know you’re real.
- Consistency = Trust – You don’t trust someone who ghosts, right? Same on social media. Post regularly. Be present.
- Go Behind-the-Scenes – Show the human side of your hustle. Your coffee spills, packaging moments, bad hair days. People fall in love with imperfections.
💡 Mini Case Study: The Rise of “Unpolished Creators”
a.k.a. Why Authenticity Is the New Algorithm Hack 🎯
🧠 The Psychology Behind It:
People don’t crave perfection anymore.
They crave connection.
We’ve hit a point in the internet age where overly edited = overly suspicious. 👀
If your reel looks like a Vogue ad, people scroll past.
But if it feels like a FaceTime call from a friend, they’ll pause, watch, comment, and maybe DM you too.
This is known as the “Parasocial Effect.”
Your viewers start to feel like they know you. Like you’re their online friend — even if you’ve never met.
📱 Real-Life Example (Unpolished, But Powerful):
Let’s take a new beauty creator, Riya.
No ring light, no background music.
She records a quick, shaky iPhone reel from her bedroom mirror:
“Okay I was NOT gonna post this but… I’ve been using this GlowMax Serum for 6 days. Didn’t expect anything but like?? My skin isn’t mad at me for once?!”
Guess what?
📊 That reel hits 75K views.
Because it felt honest, looked raw, and sounded like a real person sharing something she didn’t even plan to post.
The caption?
“Not an ad. Just skin finally not throwing a tantrum.”
Boom. Instant engagement.
People rush to comments:
- “Omg same struggle!”
- “Your skin’s glowing!”
- “Is it really non-greasy tho?”
- “Where did you get it from?? Link pls”
She doesn’t even drop a CTA.
But her audience asks for it.
That’s unpolished marketing power.
🛠️ How You Can Be an “Unpolished Pro” Too:
- Keep It Real – Don’t script it to death. Ramble a bit. Show emotion. Mess up. Say “umm.”
- Use What You Have – No DSLR? Cool. Use your front camera. The cracked iPhone lens? Even better.
- Don’t Wait for “Perfect” – If your lighting’s mid and background’s messy, still record.
- Talk Like a Human, Not a Brand – Say: “I broke out last week, this helped.” Not: “Experience the scientifically proven formula…”
- Celebrate Micro Wins – Got 10 likes? Fire emoji that. One nice comment? Thank them loud.
💬 Why This Works in 2025 More Than Ever:
We’re scrolling more, trusting less.
So when something breaks that pattern — when someone looks like you, sounds like you, and speaks with zero pretension — it stops the scroll.
That’s where trust is built.
✨ PRO TIP: Build Loyalty Now, Fame Later
Let me hit you with this wisdom drop:
“If you can’t show up fully for 10 followers, you’re not ready for 10,000.”
Imagine your first 10 likes as your founding tribe.
They saw you before the glow-up. They’re more likely to:
- ✅ Share your post
- ✅ Recommend your product
- ✅ Cheer for you when your reels go viral
👑 Treat them like VIPs, and they’ll help build your empire.
🚨 WARNING: Polished ≠ Professional
Let’s be clear — “unpolished” doesn’t mean low effort.
It means real effort > perfect aesthetic.
You can still have strategy, scripts, hooks — just make it feel human.
That’s what Gen Z, Millennials, and even aunties are vibing with in 2025.
Content streategy for biggners...
So now that you know trust is the real currency… Let’s talk about the engine that drives it all — your content. But not just any content. Great content = Clarity × Consistency × VIBES. And that’s where the 3V Formula comes in: 👉 Value · Voice · Visibility. Master these 3, and you’re already ahead of 80% of beginners still stuck thinking they need “better aesthetics.”
🧠 First up, Value: Teach, entertain, or solve. Every post should either fix a problem, spark a new mindset, give a smile, or hand over a tool. It could be “how to fix oily skin,” a relatable meme, or a hack that saves time. Before posting, ask: “Will this help, heal, or hype someone up?” ✅ If yes, post. 🚫 If not, skip it.
🗣️ Second, Voice: Make it so YOU that nobody can copy it. Everyone’s teaching the same thing — but your slang, your chaos, your combo of Hindi-Gujarati-English, your stories? That’s what hits different. Think emojis, LOL moments, the way you talk in DMs — that’s your fingerprint. “You are the niche. Not your topic. YOU.”
🔍 Third, Visibility: Show up where people already hang out. Instagram is for fast visuals. YouTube Shorts? Grab them in 1 second. LinkedIn? Go smart, add a story and lesson. Pinterest is aesthetic + info. Twitter/X is savage short content. You don’t need to post everywhere. Pick 1 or 2, and show up hard. Consistency beats chaos.
💥 Real-Life Example: Say you’re a skincare creator. Teach “how to layer sunscreen + serum” and add your voice like “BTW I learnt this after burning my nose 😭” as an Insta Reel. Entertain with “Me vs 3AM acne” memes and captions like “Mujhe toh bas glow chahiye 💆♀️” on Stories. Solve a problem like “best serum for oily skin 2025” and drop the raw truth: “I used to look like a french fry 🛢️” on Pinterest or LinkedIn.
🧰 Bonus Tip: Don’t burn out. Batch content. Plan 5–10 posts at once using Notion or Trello. Edit with CapCut, InShot. Design in Canva. Schedule with Buffer or Later. 🎯 Work smart, not 24/7. This isn’t hustle culture, it’s clarity culture.
✨ PRO TIP: Reuse. Repurpose. Repeat. You don’t need 30 ideas a month. You need 5 good ones shown 6 ways. One LinkedIn post can become an Instagram Reel, a carousel, a tweet thread, an email, a blog, and even a WhatsApp story (underrated af 🔥). That’s Content Multiplication — and it’s elite.
People crave direction. Here’s your no-BS, beginner-friendly toolkit with links & Gen Z-style spice 💅:
| Purpose | Tool | Why It Slaps |
|---|---|---|
| 🎨 Design | Canva | Easy drag-drop, aesthetic templates |
| ✂️ Video Editing | CapCut / InShot | Viral-style reel editor |
| 📤 Scheduling | Buffer / Later | Saves your time, batch like a queen 👑 |
| 🔍 SEO | Ubersuggest / Surfer SEO | For blog/meta optimization |
| 📊 Analytics | Not Just Insights | Teaches IG analytics like storytelling |
| 🤖 AI Tools | ChatGPT 😏 | Content ideas, captions, SEO help, YOU KNOW IT 💅 |
✨PRO TOUCH: Add links + mini emojis = 👁️🗨️ skim-readable = reader hooked 🔥
Break the myths and drop real mentorship truths 👇
| ❌ Don’t Do This | ✅ Do This Instead |
|---|---|
| Copy trending content blindly | Use trends but add your own story |
| Post only when you feel inspired | Schedule + stick to a content plan |
| Buy fake followers | Focus on engagement and real DMs |
| Use all hashtags you see | Use niche + research-based hashtags |
| Wait till you’re perfect | Post messy but consistent |
✅ This punches hard and feels like real mentorship.
People connect with humans, not just headings. Give them vulnerability & truth 💥
“When I posted my first blog, it got 3 views (I was 2 of them 💀). But I didn’t stop. 1000+ views later, here’s what I’ve learnt…”
Or feature someone like:
“Ritika, a skincare creator from Jaipur, started with a cracked phone and no ring light. Today, her reels hit 50K consistently. Here’s how…”
🔥 This builds EMOTIONAL CONNECT + TRUST = GOALS.
