But Don’t Talk to Me

The 3 marks of a “qualtiy” solicitation:

  • An unsolicited Instagram message offering paid placement in NY Weekly Magazine, from an Instagram account with no visible connection to the magazine, and only 1 follower.
  • Oh, and don’t respond to Sophi for the offer. Respond to a DIFFERENT Instagram account.
  • And the pitch? For me to appear in “Top 30 Female Leaders to Look Out For in 2025.” Doesn’t Sophi know that President Musk doesn’t allow that stuff any more?

I also get Instagram pitches to promote myself to Canadian users.

Meta is a worse cesspool than Microsoft (LinkedIn).

The Wildebeest Speaks All Over The Place

(Imagen 3 AI-generated picture)

Bredemarket promotes itself in all sorts of places. My LinkedIn newsletter is an example, but there are other places where Bredemarket speaks, including the Bredemarket blog and a number of social channels.

The channels that Bredemarket uses have varied over time. While wise minds such as Jay Clouse have recommended to not spread yourself thin, I ignored his advice and found myself expanding from LinkedIn to TikTok. (TikTok is a Chinese-owned social media platform. You may have heard of it.)

Then in May 2024 I contracted my online presence, announcing that I was retreating from some social channels “that have no subscribers, exhibit no interest, or yield no responses.” After I had shed some channels, I ended up on a basic list of Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Threads.

You can guess what happened next.

Over the months I started posting on some of the paused social channels one by one. Eventually I was posting on all the channels I was using in July 2023—yes, I’ve even restarted the podcast—plus some other platforms such as Bluesky.

Now I may contract again, and I may expand again, but for now I want to touch upon the reasons why a business should post or not post on multiple social channels, and how the business can generate content for all those channels.

Why should you only post on a single social channel?

There is no right or wrong answer for every business, and there are some businesses that should only post on a single social channel.

  • If all your prospects are using a single social channel and are on NO OTHER channel, then you only need to post on that channel.
  • If you are NOT in danger of losing your account on that social channel because of some automated detection of a violation (“You violated one of the terms in our TOS. We won’t tell you which one. YOU figure it out.”), then you can continue to post on that channel and no other.
  • If the social channel is NOT in danger of business liquidation or forced government closure, then you can continue to post on that channel and no other.

Why should you post on multiple social channels?

Not all businesses satisfy all the criteria above. For one, your “hungry people” (target audience) may be dispersed among several social channels. From my personal experience, I know that some people only read Bredemarket content in my blog, some only read my content on LinkedIn, some only read my content on Facebook (yes, it’s true; one of Bredemarket’s long-term champions primarily engages with me on Facebook), some only on Instagram, and so forth.

What would happen if I decided to can most of my social channels and only post TikTok videos? I’d lose a lot of engagement and business.

Even if I concentrated on LinkedIn only, which seems like a logical tactic for a B2B service provider, I would lose out. Do you know how many people on Threads NEVER read LinkedIn? I don’t want to lose those people.

So that’s where I ended up. And if you know my system, the question after the “why” question is the “how” question…

How can you post on multiple social channels?

Repurposing…intelligently.

You don’t have to create completely unique content for every platform. You can adapt content for each platform, when it makes sense.

So now I’m going to eat my own wildebeest food and see where I can repurpose this text, which was originally a LinkedIn article. Yes, even on TikTok. I may not come up with a whopping 31 pieces of content like I did in a 2023 test, but I can certainly get this message out to people who hate LinkedIn. Perhaps maybe even to my mailing list, for people who have subscribed to the Bredemarket mailing list.

I haven’t figured out what I’ll do in this particular instance, but here are some general guidelines on content repurposing:

  • You can just copy and paste the entire piece of content on another platform. For example, I took all this text and copied it from the original LinkedIn article. But I hope I remembered to edit all the phrases that assume this content is posted on LinkedIn. And I’d have to consider something else…
  • You can just copy and paste the entire piece of content on another platform and remove the links. To be honest, no social media platform likes outbound links, but some platforms such as Instagram REALLY don’t like outbound links. So before you do this, ask if the content still makes sense if the links aren’t present.
  • You can provide a summary of the content and link back to the original content for more detail. Isolate the important points in the content, just publish those isolated points, and then link back to the original content if the reader wants more detail. Bear in mind that they probably won’t, because clicking on a link is one extra step that most people won’t want to do.
  • You can provide a really short summary of the content and link back to the original content for more detail. Bluesky and other Twitter wannabe platforms have character limitations, so often you have to really abridge the content to fit it in the platform. I’ve often written a “really short” version of my content for resharing, then discovered that even that version is too long for Bluesky.
  • You can address the content topic in an entirely different medium. Because of my preferences, I usually start with text and then develop an image and/or a video and/or audio that addresses the topic. But trust me—if I convert this blog post (yes, I rewrote the preceding three words when I copied this from the original LinkedIn article) into video or audio format, it will NOT include all the words you are reading here. Unless I’m feeling particularly cranky.
  • Oh, and if you’re using pictures with your content, don’t forget to adjust the pictures as needed. A 1920×1080 LinkedIn article image will NOT work on Instagram.

So there you have it. Posting on multiple social channels helps you reach people you may not otherwise reach, as long as you don’t spread yourself too thin or get discouraged. And you can repurpose content to fit within the expectations of each of these social channels, allowing you to re-use your content multiple times.

If you’ll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do. (Plus the usual Bredemarket services: I onboarded a new client yesterday and hope to onboard another one this week.)

Which reminds me. If you need help generating content for your company’s blog and social channels, follow this link to learn about Bredemarket’s “CPA” (content-proposal-analysis) offerings.

Gridlock

When I wasn’t TikTok tracking tonight, I was trying to figure out how to deal with Instagram’s grid dimension change from square to 4×5.

I guess this change was announced long ago, but I didn’t get (or ignored) the memo.

I’m not going to worry about my grid, except for my first three pinned images. And Elle (Instagram/Threads inkwell.elle) has a fix for that:

“Click on the post, 3 dots, adjust preview and fit… it’s the best workaround for the new layout but you have to do it on each post individually 😅”

https://www.threads.net/@inkwell.elle/post/DE81LidINVm?xmt=AQGzw75jD9q_OLaeYqgNVEg930qDDQlWvfgeWKyDBX8Zog

When I edited my three pinned images, I also changed the background from white to black.

Bredemarket’s Instagram grid at 9:30 pm PST.

Then I experimented with Canva (my primary image and video tool these days) and created an Instagram image that was 4×5 rather than square.

Nice neat grids are overrated anyway; I like mine messy. But I also like it readable.

An Eventful Monday

Now that I’ve formally scheduled the release of my talkie—it’s even an “event” on Facebook—I may as well provide a description of what my talkie contains.

  • First, the video is 3 minutes and 40 seconds long, which for me is long. And why you won’t see it on Bluesky or Instagram. But you will see it here; it’s already scheduled.
  • Oh, and I talk. The video alternates between shots of me at Bredemarket world headquarters and shots of textual/image descriptions incorporating Canva’s finest AI-generated music. If you’ve seen my other videos you know the…um…score.
  • I start by introducing the subject of “marketing and writing services” and identifying MY hungry people (target audience). 
  • Then I explain, in detail, what Bredemarket’s “CPA” services are NOT…and what they ARE.
  • I briefly touch on the questions I ask my clients. If you’ve read Bredemarket’s “Seven Questions Your Content Creator Will Ask You,” you’re already familiar with these questions.
  • Then I do something that some sales professionals would NEVER do—reveal my pricing up front.
  • Finally, my call to action is for interested prospects to book a meeting with me on my CPA page. If you don’t already have the link to that page, you’ll get it on Monday.

Well, that’s that. Come back Monday at 8:00 am Pacific Standard Time / 1600 GMT.

Idiot

(Imagen 3 Image)

On a Bredemarket Instagram story shared Friday afternoon (to disappear Saturday), I noted Meta’s AI advice NOT to call someone who flew a drone near firefighting equipment an “idiot.” I respectfully disagree. The term is appropriate.

Let me clarify that Meta is not trying to curtail free speech. Only governments can curtail free speech. Private entities cannot.

For example, if I still worked for IDEMIA, and used IDEMIA social media channels to declare the Thales ABIS the best ABIS ever, IDEMIA has every right to delete that post—and me.

In the same way, if Zuck insists that Meta users cannot refer to people threatening lives as “idiots,” that is Meta’s right.

But it’s idiotic.

Repeating Yourself on Social Media

(Fire image from Imagen 3)

Your social followers probably don’t see your updates.

I provided a “fire update” status to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Threads on Wednesday.

From my personal Facebook, reshared elsewhere.

On Thursday, someone who follows me on all four platforms asked if I was affected by the fires.

So don’t be afraid of repeating yourself.

From https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEmmCJCJ52v/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==.

Feeding My Niche

(AI image Imagen 3/Google Gemini)

My interests are admittedly niche (I created a YouTube video about it that most people won’t watch), but I’m still devoted to feeding the few who are also interested in this niche.

So if you’re interested in identity and technology content, ensure you’re following the Bredemarket blog and current social channels. They’ve changed since my original list and the May 2024 contraction, but…

in addition to the Bredemarket website, you can currently search for Bredemarket on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, the aforementioned YouTube, a well-known site that may or may not disappear in the next three weeks, and other places.

Subject to change.

Meta Verified is Worthless

I thought X’s blue checks were bad enough, but Meta has topped (or bottomed) Elon in the realm of meaningless identity verification.

The janeaustenpen Instagram account is Meta verified.

From janeaustenpen on Instagram: Meta Verified!

Even though Jane Austen is dead.

Come to think of it, Austen never had a driver’s license. How did she get verified?

But Meta’s AI creation isn’t dead.

And you can’t block “her.”

And probably can’t report “her” for impersonation.

I really dread what LinkedIn is planning. Will Henry Ford dispense advice? Steve Jobs?

Who Will Tell Your Stories, the Instagram Version

There was once an old storyteller who sat by the fire near the beach, sharing his stories with the young.

Then one day the storyteller was rightsized in a move to generate efficiencies and optimize outcomes.

This is not fiction. 

Who will tell your stories? Bredemarket can try (learn about my content-proposal-analysis services here), but in the end I will probably be forced to construct new ones that lack the depth of the old ones.

From https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEPzECfJIyk/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Why Do Enterprises Become Dust?

Hardly anything is permanent. And this applies to boxing AND to B2B sales.

Mike Tyson and legacy

Perhaps you heard what Mike Tyson said a few days ago.

I don’t know, I don’t believe in the word “legacy.” I just think that’s another word for ego. Legacy doesn’t mean nothing. It’s just some word everybody grabbed onto.

It means absolutely nothing to me. I’m just passing through. I’m going to die and it’s going to be over. Who cares about legacy after that?

We’re nothing. We’re just dead. We’re dust. We’re absolutely nothing. Our legacy is nothing.

With the life that Tyson has lived, it’s understandable why he’s echoing Ecclesiastes in this interview.

But you don’t have to have had Tyson’s experiences to realize that legacy does not last.

Neither wanted nor needed

In business (and in life), there are companies (and people) who don’t need you or want you.

This may be temporary. The company that doesn’t need you today may urgently (and importantly) need you tomorrow.

By White House – Eisenhower Presidential Library, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3025709.

Or it may NOT be temporary. There are companies that will NEVER need you or want you.

I recently ran across three such companies that will never need Bredemarket.

Six weeks (now less than six weeks)

Six weeks, the still image version.

Perhaps you noticed Bredemarket’s “six weeks” promotion over the weekend. It was addressed to companies that may have a final project that they want to complete before the year ends in six weeks. (Now 5 1/2 weeks.) I emphasized that Bredemarket can help companies complete those content, proposal, and analysis projects.

The promotion included a blog post, a LinkedIn post, a Facebook reel, an Instagram reel, a YouTube short, and appearances in other online locations. Which is probably overkill, since the promotion is already outdated and can’t be used again until possibly November 2025.

I also included email in this campaign, targeting prospects whom I haven’t worked with recently, or whom I’ve never worked with at all. I didn’t go overboard in my emails; although I have over 400 contacts in Bredemarket’s customer relationship management system, I sent the email to less than 40 of them.

As of this morning, none of the recipients has booked a meeting with me to discuss their end of year needs.

  • Some explicitly told me that they were fine now and did not need or want Bredemarket’s services for end of year projects.
  • Some didn’t respond, which probably indicates that they did not need or want Bredemarket’s services either.

And I discovered that three companies (four contacts) will NEVER need or want Bredemarket’s services.

Delivery incomplete

How did I discover that?

Via four “delivery status notification” messages.

Delivery incomplete.

So I visited the web pages in question, and they no longer existed.

This site can’t be reached.

I’ve been building up my CRM for over four years, so it’s not shocking that some companies have disappeared.

But one of the companies (“Company X”) DID exist a mere eight months ago.

I know this because I prepared a presentation on differentiation (see version 2 of the presentation here), and two representatives from Company X received the presentation in advance of a conference.

After the conference organizer distributed the presentation, I offered to meet with the companies individually (no charge) to discuss their content and differentiation needs, or anything else they wanted to discuss.

While some conference attendees took advantage of my April offer, the representatives from Company X did not.

And now in November, Company X no longer exists.

A tumbleweed on a fence.
Tumbleweed image public domain.

Could Bredemarket have created the necessary content to keep Company X afloat? Who knows?

But EVERY company needs content to differentiate it from its competitors. Otherwise the competitors will attack you. And your competitors may not be as merciful with you as Jake Paul was with Mike Tyson.

If you need Bredemarket’s help with content, proposal, or analysis services, book a meeting with me.