Marketing doesn’t fail because people don’t work hard.
It fails because teams keep doing popular things instead of effective things.
Every year, the industry collectively agrees that a handful of tactics are “must-dos.”
And every year, most of them quietly stop working — but no one wants to be the first to say it.
So let’s say it out loud.
Here are 7 marketing tactics that are massively overrated right now — and what actually matters instead.
1. “We Just Need to Post More on Social”
Posting more is not a strategy.
It’s a volume-based excuse for not having a point of view.
Most brands don’t have a distribution problem.
They have a message dilution problem.
More posts =
• More mediocre ideas
• More algorithm-chasing
• Less brand memory
What works instead:
Fewer posts. Sharper ideas. Clear POVs people can recognize without seeing your logo.
Consistency isn’t about frequency — it’s about recognizability.
2. Chasing Every New Platform (Because “Early Mover Advantage”)
Threads. Lemon8. New TikTok formats. Whatever launched this week.
Being early only matters if you know why you’re there.
Most brands show up early, post generic content, learn nothing, and leave — calling it “testing.”
That’s not testing. That’s tourism.
What works instead:
Go deep on 1–2 platforms where:
• Your audience already pays attention
• You can compound learning
• You can actually build leverage (email, community, demand)
Depth beats novelty every time.
3. Vanity Metrics as “Proof of Growth”
Impressions. Views. Follower count. Engagement rate screenshots in Slack.
None of these matter if they don’t change behavior.
High reach with low intent is just entertainment — not marketing.
What works instead:
Metrics tied to momentum:
• Returning visitors
• Saves, shares, replies
• Email signups
• Brand search lift
• Inbound leads mentioning your content
If it doesn’t move someone closer to action, it’s noise.
4. Overproduced Content That Says Nothing
Cinematic videos. Perfect lighting. Beautiful edits.
Zero substance.
Audiences aren’t ignoring content because it’s ugly — they’re ignoring it because it’s safe.
Polish without insight is invisible.
What works instead:
• Raw opinions
• Clear takes
• Tactical clarity
• Lived experience
People remember ideas, not camera quality.
5. “Growth Hacks” Without a Growth System
The hack-of-the-week mindset is alive and well.
But hacks don’t scale.
Systems do.
If your growth depends on:
• One channel
• One viral post
• One influencer
• One ad format
You don’t have growth — you have luck.
What works instead:
Build repeatable loops:
Content → Distribution → Capture → Retention → Feedback → Better content
Boring? Yes.
Reliable? Also yes.
6. Influencer Campaigns With No Long-Term Plan
One-off influencer posts with no follow-up are just rented attention.
Brands still treat influencer marketing like media buys instead of relationship building.
Post goes live. Metrics collected. Everyone moves on.
Nothing compounds.
What works instead:
• Ongoing creator partnerships
• Creators as collaborators, not billboards
• Content you can reuse, remix, and redistribute
• Clear connection to owned channels
Influencer marketing only works when it feeds your ecosystem.
7. Building Audiences You Don’t Own
If your entire business lives on platforms you don’t control, you don’t have an asset — you have exposure.
Algorithms change. Reach drops. Accounts disappear.
And suddenly, so does your “growth.”
What works instead:
Email. Community. Owned audiences. Direct relationships.
Social is the top of the funnel.
Ownership is the foundation.
The Real Contrarian Take
Most marketing tactics aren’t broken.
They’re just being used without:
• Strategy
• Patience
• Taste
• Or a clear outcome
The brands winning right now aren’t doing more.
They’re doing less — better.
Clear message.
Strong POV.
Repeatable systems.
Owned attention.
That’s what future-proof marketing actually looks like.
If this made you uncomfortable — good.
That’s usually where the leverage is.
Where we stop chasing tactics and start building systems 💡
