Most businesses still treat social media like a digital flyer. Static posts, predictable schedules, a mild engagement strategy. Then they wonder why growth has slowed or stalled.
Meanwhile, TikTok and Instagram are running full-time behavioral experiments, at scale, in real time, and with algorithmic precision. Their entire business model hinges on grabbing and keeping attention, and they’ve gotten very good at it. Not only that, but they’ve trained an entire generation to expect content that doesn’t look like marketing.
If your growth feels sluggish, ask yourself this: Are you learning from the platforms your customers live on? Or are you trying to make them come to you, on your terms?
The Attention Economy Isn’t New, But It’s Mutated
We’ve talked for years about the “attention economy,” but the terms of that economy have changed. It used to be enough to show up and look professional. Now, people need to feel something, urgency, delight, connection, even curiosity. And the platforms that excel at creating those feelings are not writing whitepapers or filming talking head webinars. They’re stitching stories, remixing trends, showcasing behind the scenes chaos, and letting real humans talk like real humans.
TikTok, in particular, has reshaped the format of storytelling. Short-form, fast-paced, emotionally resonant. Even serious businesses are starting to realize that you don’t have to trade professionalism for personality. In fact, those two now go hand in hand. Watch how Duolingo’s irreverent owl became a household name not by selling language courses, but by riffing off trending sounds and memes. Their marketing is chaotic on purpose, because chaos is sticky.
Instagram, for its part, has leaned heavily into Reels, and more recently, collaborative posts. The old feed is mostly dead. If you’re not creating video-first content that shows faces, movement, or reactions, you’re working against the current. Even carousels and infographics, while still useful, need a layer of personality and a clear story arc to stand out.
What These Platforms Give Away For Free
Here’s the wild part: TikTok and Instagram have built entire infrastructures for visibility, and they don’t charge for it. At least, not up front. Their algorithmic feeds reward creators (and brands) who keep viewers watching. That means if you post a compelling 20-second video and people stick around, the algorithm pushes it out to more people. No ad spend required.
What you get, for free:
• Built-in discovery via hashtags and trending sounds
• Algorithmic amplification based on engagement
• Analytics dashboards that rival paid platforms
• A content lab for testing messaging, tone, and visuals
And yet, many businesses treat these platforms like a chore instead of a cheat code. They hand it off to the intern. They post once a week, or reuse a Canva template from 2019. Then they wonder why nothing’s landing.
Treat Social Like Product
The smartest brands now treat their social media like a product: something they design, test, iterate, and invest in. They use it to understand what their audience cares about in real time. They test CTAs. They notice which visuals pop. They let creators run wild with storytelling.
If you’re still obsessing over the perfect brand voice in your press release while ignoring your own TikTok account, you’re missing the plot.
Take a cue from creators. The ones who grow fastest aren’t necessarily the most polished. They’re the ones who post consistently, study what works, and adapt quickly. They understand that attention is not given, it’s earned, second by second.
This Doesn’t Mean You Have to Dance
Every time I talk about this, someone says, “But I don’t want to dance on camera.” Fair. But dancing is not the point. The point is to participate. To be present where your audience is. To offer something that feels native to the platform.
Maybe that means sharing your design process. Maybe it’s answering real customer questions on camera. Maybe it’s narrating a day in the life of your team. Or reacting to industry news in a way that sounds like a person, not a press office.
You don’t need a studio or a script. You need a little humility, a sense of play, and a commitment to showing up consistently.
Final Thought
If you take nothing else from this, take this: your customers are already being trained by TikTok and Instagram on how to consume content. They scroll fast. They expect movement. They value authenticity.
Instead of trying to change them, start studying them. Watch what hooks them. Notice what makes you pause in your own feed.
Then stop treating social like a billboard. Start treating it like a conversation.
Your growth might depend on it.
