Serious Social from immediate future

In this episode of the Immediate Future podcast, Tom Platt is joined by Immediate Future Managing Director Colin Jacobs to explore why B2B paid social is facing more scrutiny than ever before and what marketers need to do to prove its value.As budgets tighten and leadership teams demand clearer evidence of commercial impact, many B2B marketers are finding themselves under pressure to demonstrate how paid social contributes to pipeline growth, lead generation, and revenue. The challenge isn't that paid social is broken. The challenge is that many organisations are still measuring, reporting, and deploying it using outdated approaches.Throughout the conversation, Colin shares why data integration has become the defining factor in paid social success. He explains how many businesses continue to rely on disconnected reporting systems that fail to capture the true influence of social media on customer journeys. From LinkedIn Insight Tags and CRM integrations to custom conversion events and end-to-end attribution, the discussion highlights the practical steps brands can take to move beyond vanity metrics and demonstrate genuine business outcomes.The episode also tackles one of the most common misconceptions in B2B marketing: the belief that LinkedIn alone can drive immediate demand generation. Colin argues that successful paid social strategies require a broader view of audience behaviour, recognising that decision-makers spend time across multiple platforms and often need between five and nine meaningful touch points before they are ready to convert.Whether you're struggling to demonstrate ROI, improve attribution, increase lead quality, or simply make sense of evolving platform algorithms, this episode offers practical guidance for building a more effective B2B paid social programme.

Across a lot of marketing teams, the same headache keeps turning up. People are being pushed towards follower counts, posting frequency, channel debates, and quick-win lead pressure when the bigger problem is weaker fundamentals, reduced senior experience, and too little confidence to push back.It also builds on Immediate Future’s recent work on practical AI for marketers and social search readiness, where the same pattern keeps surfacing: more tools and more activity do not save time when decision-making is weak.That matters because the market has got harder, not easier.Here is the backdrop worth using in the live:· 74% of CMOs say they are under more scrutiny to prove marketing ROI. The money is watched more closely and every line of spend is being picked over.· Marketing budgets are flat at 7.7% of company revenue, and 59% of CMOs say they do not have enough budget to execute their strategy.· In the GTM Confidence Index FY26, only 9% of senior B2B leaders say they are highly confident in achieving their 2026 growth targets. 44% report fragmented stacks and 34% say lack of AI skills is the main barrier to making AI effective.· In 6sense’s 2025 buyer research, buying groups average 10+ people, journeys take nearly a year, and buyers fill most of their shortlist on day one, then buy from that shortlist 85% to 95% of the time.· Edelman and LinkedIn found 95% of hidden buyers say compelling thought leadership makes them more open to outreach, and 79% are more likely to champion a vendor during an RFP if that vendor consistently publishes quality thought leadership.· Forrester says 94% of B2B buyers now use AI in purchasing. In a later 2026 note, it says buyers use AI to research product information (54%) and compare products (55%).· Metricool’s 2025 study suggests LinkedIn is still a useful attention environment for B2B, with interactions up 122%, clicks up 99%, engagement up 51%, and average impressions up 33% year on year.Put simply, marketers are under pressure to prove value while buyers are doing more of their homework before sales ever gets near them. That means the old lazy questions are actively unhelpful.

In this episode, Katy Howell, CEO at Immediate Future, sits down with Maxine Ashbrook, Marketing Director UK at Fujitsu, for a senior, no-nonsense conversation about the messy middle of modern B2B marketing.Today’s buyers are shortlisting without you in the room. Boards want ROI yesterday. And marketing teams are under constant pressure to deliver more with less. So what actually needs to change?Maxine shares a perspective leaders genuinely need. Instead of trying to outwork the chaos, she reworked the system reshaping team structures, redefining operating rhythms, and changing how marketing shows up internally. The result? Less time lost to friction, rework, and internal politics and more focus on what drives impact.Social plays a key role in this approach. It acts as the fastest, most visible signal of whether your story, proof, and internal alignment are truly landing. But at its core, this episode is about something bigger: engineering marketing to fit the reality we’re all operating in.If you’re navigating the pressure of modern B2B and looking for a smarter way forward, this is a conversation worth your time.

Marketing has become a constant stream of interrupts, opinions, and last minute requests.Most teams are doing “work about work” all day, and still being judged on growth.We don’t have time for this is a practical, senior series that calls out the real blockers, the loops, the handovers, the approval theatre, and gives you a cleaner way to run marketing so social stays sharp, trust stays intact, and your team gets time back.You should care because the tools keep changing, the pressure keeps rising, and budgets are not expanding. If the operating model does not get tighter, AI just becomes another thing to manage.This episode with Jack Stanley keeps it principle led, and a clear path that ensures you turnAI into measurable time back.

Hi everyone, I’m Katy Howell, CEO at Immediate Future.This is the first episode of we don’t have time for this. It’s for marketers who are doing more with less, while buying decisions get messier and social, search, content, brand, comms, all of it, keeps getting judged like it’s a nice-to-have.Today’s pain is simple. You’re marketing to three generations inside one buying group and half the time you’re guessing what will land, what will be trusted, and what will get forwarded internally without you looking daft. Tejal Patel is joining me. Tejal is a customer-first marketing leader with previous senior roles across Cisco, Microsoft, and Nokia. She helps teams get clear, get aligned, and stop wasting time on work that doesn’t travel, fixing the fundamentals so innovation works Tejal’s brilliant at bringing clarity when teams are drowning in noise. We’re going to talk about trust cues, channel choices, content formats, and how you build an insight system that stops your team wasting time.

In this live session, we explored how social media and AI are reshaping the way travellers discover and book their journeys. The discussion unpacked why social is now the first stop for discovery, with AI stepping in as the finisher and what that means for visibility, traffic, and trust. We covered the messy, non-linear nature of today’s traveller journey, the rising role of AI Overviews in search, and the practical quick wins brands can implement right now to lift performance. 

Discover how AI and social media are transforming brand discovery in Financial Services. Social expert Katy Howell and Remarkable’s James Gray explore how platforms like ChatGPT and social media are reshaping how consumers search, research, and connect with brands today.

When your dashboard says nothing and your boss wants everythingYou’ve got dashboards, metrics, charts galore – but none of it tells a story. Join me and Barnaby Barron from Brandwatch, as we unpack why data storytelling is the skill every marketer needs in 2025. Whether you’re trying to justify a campaign or win a budget battle, this live is for you.You walk away with:• New ways to visualise your data• A better understanding of what your stakeholders need to hear• Clear steps to turn insights into actions• A bit of a laugh, because marketing is messy

First-time exclusive! We're sharing the groundbreaking Brilliant and Human Report with insights that will transform your marketing. Tune in as Katy Howell and Remeny Armitage uncover why trust is the ultimate marketing tool and how to build it through consistent communication, thought leadership, and proactive strategies. Discover how 62% of clients feel their agencies react rather than lead and what you can do to change that. This is the episode that will turn your marketing into a trust-building powerhouse.

In this episode, Katy Howell sits down with Tejal Patel and Scott Stockwell to break down why fixing the fundamentals is the key to marketing success. While trends come and go, businesses that align marketing with business goals are 37% more likely to succeed, yet only 6% use customer insights effectively—and that’s where the real opportunity lies.

In this episode Katy Howell, alongside Joel Harrison, Editor in Chief at B2B Marketing dissect the major trends shaping B2B marketing as we approach 2025. From the rise of ABM and influencer marketing to the strategic use of first-party data in a cookieless world. This discussion is essential for marketers aiming to pivot and thrive in a rapidly changing environment.

In this episode, we explore how AI is transforming creative workflows, from speeding up mood boards to automating repetitive tasks. Our experts discuss the balance between human creativity and AI tools, and how the right blend can unlock massive productivity gains. Whether you’re curious about AI’s role in ideation, content creation, or customer service, this is a conversation packed with insights to help your team work smarter and faster.

In this episode, we dive into the seismic shift in digital marketing as third-party cookies crumble and data privacy laws tighten. Join industry experts as they unpack the challenges and unveil innovative strategies to keep your brand ahead of the curve. If you're looking to stay sharp in the evolving landscape of social media marketing, this is the conversation you can't afford to miss!

Welcome to the Growth on Fire podcast! Katy Howell, is joined by Tejal Patel previously from Cisco, Microsoft and Nokia; and Scott Stockwell previously from IBM and PwC, two industry experts who will share their takeaways from the big B2B event of the year: B2B Ignite. If you’re a B2B marketer looking to stay ahead in a crowded and competitive market, this episode is for you.

Why do only 15% of decision-makers find thought leadership content excellent, despite its high trust among buyers? Tune in to discover the secrets behind creating truly impactful thought leadership that stands out and drives success, with expert insights from Katy Howell and Karen Cuthbert.

Have you noticed a new video tab on LinkedIn yet? Let’s talk about short-form videos on LinkedIn and how it's transforming the way businesses connect with their audience. Join us as we explore this impact on brand marketing and uncover actionable strategies. Welcome to another episode of Serious Social, where we decode the latest trends—so you don’t have to! Learn how to embrace this new format and reap the rewards.Discover the surprising statistics behind the rise of short-form video content on LinkedIn.Explore the dos and don'ts of creating effective short-form video content for your LinkedIn audience.Gain insights into the psychology behind why short-form videos are capturing the attention of B2B audiences.Find out how to measure the impact of your video marketing efforts and optimise your strategy for maximum results.Uncover insider tips on how businesses can leverage TikTok-style videos to boost brand awareness and engagement. 

A whopping 50% of B2B marketers struggle to measure the ROI of their lead and demand gen efforts. Time to change the game - well for social. In "No Fluff, Just Stuff," we're not just talking theories; we're revealing the nuts and bolts of a Social lead gen campaign that slashed CPC by 58% and doubled CTR. Cut through the clutter and get ready for take-off. 🚀

The game is changing with the rise of de-influencing. But how will this impact the way brands work with influencers? In this episode, Katy Howell and Belle Lawrence are joined by writer/performer duo Yellow Square (Bec & Sam) to discuss all your burning questions.Get an insider's perspective on whether the de-influencing trend will topple the influencer marketing industry and discover how brands can best work with content creators and what to do when brand guidelines start to restrict creativity.

With 240M active users and the World Cup about to make a splash, is it time for brands to decide about their presence on Twitter. In this episode of Serious Social, Colin Jacobs and Katy Howell debate the ‘Musk’ debacle, the brand safety concerns, the issues over data, and the alternative social platforms for companies to consider. CJ and Katy bring 30 years of social media marketing expertise to this Serious Social session. Listen now and get advice on the direction you should be taking now, and how to plan for an unpredictable future with Twitter.

Going live on social is a critical component to establishing trust brand discovery and a high-value attributed pipeline. In this episode, CJ will explain how to deliver tangible results to your board and have them clamouring for more. 

In this episode, IF CEO Katy Howel is joined by CEO Tim Williams from Onalytica to discuss the current state of the B2B industry. According to our recent poll, 79% of marketers want to engage influencers, but only 13% know how. Listen now to understand how you can benchmark, as well as ideas on getting started. 

On social, everyone loves food content. To cut through, brands in the food industry need to work hard! Join Belle Lawrence with this week’s guest, Swati Deshpande from Fooditude as they dig into some tasty social media best practice.

2021 is coming to an end and it's time to get your brand's social media ready for next year. In this episode of Serious Social, Colin Jacobs, Belle Lawrence and Katy Howell review this year's successes and forecast 2022's triumphs, dissecting and debating everything that has happened this year on social media. 

China is home to the world’s largest social media market, with over 931 million users. In this week's Serious Social episode, Katy Howell is joined by Domenica Di Lieto to discuss social media in China, taking a look at the opportunities, differences, and the trends that are being adopted in the west.

In this episode of Serious Social, Katy Howell and Zoe Gill explore how best to spin all marketing channel plates and how to optimise and create a marketing engine for growth with social as the oil in your engine! Listen now and learn how to fix your wider marketing programmes for 2022, and how social integrates to accelerate and enhance the impact to your business.

In this episode of Serious Social, designers Ollie Farnden and Chantal El Bikai discuss the importance of 'trusting the process'. Tune in to find out what it is and how not trusting it will lead to erroneous results.

In this episode of Serious Social,  Katy Howell explores how we’re shifting back to some old school disciplines and what tactics and approaches from the past are worth revisiting. Listen now to find out some old social that can be dusted down and used again. 

With over 2.6 billion downloads worldwide, TikTok has fast become the social media platform to be. But should brands be on there? And how do you achieve success? In this episode of Serious Social, Sophie Shaw and Belle Lawrence outline best practice tips for both organic and paid TikTok strategies. 

How much do you know about the Apple push for privacy through iOS14 and the effects it's having on Facebook ads? If the answer is "not enough", then this podcast is for you! Tune in to hear from Belle Lawrence as she delves a bit deeper into the subject, exploring the impacts, changes and how you can handle it. 

In this episode of Serious Social, Katy Howell explores how societal change will impact your brand approach social media as restrictions and lockdowns start to lift. Tune in now to find out what will change, the signs and trends you need to look for and how you can adapt and flex to meet expectations as we move into the new normal. 

This episode of Serious Social is all about moment marketing in social media. The people and brands that capitalise in the moments are rarely being agile and doing it off cuff. It can all be done ahead of time. Join CJ and discover how to make moment marketing meaningful for your brand on social with our 5 top tips!

In this week's Serious Social Live, Belle Lawrence covers off all mistakes you can avoid making with Facebook marketing, from not setting up a Business Manager, to getting locked out of your account! Tune in and discover some of the best practices for social media and avoid putting your brand at risk.

In this week's Serious Social Live,  Colin Jacob is joined by Graeme Stoker, Integrated CX Senior Campaigns Manager at NUTANIX and contributor of our CMO Outlook Report, to explore and debate the insights of the report and how it will influence our thinking and actions moving forward. Tune in to find out key takeaways about the future of B2B marketing. 

To celebrate the launch of our Technology CMO outlook report, Katy Howell joins forces with co-author, Kathryn Strachan, MD at Copy House, to share highlights from interviews with technology marketers and talk about some of the trends, tactics and plans from brands including Adobe, Siemens, SAP and WorldPay.

It’s BBQ season! And we’ve uncovered some sizzling opportunities for brands who want to reach the grilling parties - from equipment to meat-free choices, Brandwatch has come through for us and we’re ready to share some with you. In this episode of Serious Social Belle Lawrence explores how to utilise data to create relevant, meaningful content for social, and why it’s so important to listen to understand what audiences want to hear.

Crafting thumb-stopping social creatives is hard, but it’s even harder if your briefs are too vague, or even worse, too prescriptive. IF Account Manager Laurens Grisel is joined by Digital Designer Ollie Farnden, taking you through the do’s and don’ts of briefing for social media, with an example of how we approach briefing as well. 

Are you getting questions from the boardroom around the impact and value of social media? Are you being challenged on your reporting? Are you being pushed whether it contributes meaningfully towards business goals? If all that sounds rather too familiar then listen to Colin Jacob's latest  Serious Social Podcast as he explores how to prove the value of social to your boardroom. 

The way brands interact with their audiences on social media has noticeably changed. Consumers are demanding more and will no longer put up with a lack of response or engagement from brands. Whether you're scaling up your organisation or team, or just shoring up your processes, then tune in to Serious Social live this week with Belle Lawrence, and gain practical advice about engaging well on social.

Yes, we think your social customer journey is like the map in Jumanji, welcome to the jungle. In this week’s episode, Katy Howell makes no apology for drawing parallels with the hit movie to explain the complexity and shifting landscape you need to navigate, to uncover customer touchpoints across social.  

In this episode of Serious Social, Colin Jacobs will be exploring how to drive sales qualified leads through better marketing qualified leads on social media. Listen now to discover what a successful demand generation campaign looks like and why demand-gen is much more sophisticated than just selling on social.

    | Social has turned what was once opaque to clear glass. as employees’ tweet and snap and Tik Tok their view of your business. It means your leadership is centre stage, your practices under scrutiny and your behaviours spotlighted. And today more than ever that public sharing of your company culture cannot be wallpapered over with some nice marketing. Katy Howell's joined by the amazing, Jo Geraghty, partner at the Culture Consultancy and best-selling author to talk about how to shine on the inside and bring your employees to the fore on social.

In our latest Serious Social Live we discussed the hidden complexity of social media copywriting, covering everything from accessibility concerns to tone of voice. Belle Lawrence is joined by IF Account Manager, Laurens Grisel, and self-confessed word nerd Vanessa Souris, taking you through their top tips and what to avoid when crafting thumb-stopping social copy.Copyright: immediate futureWebsite: http://www.immediatefuture.co.uk Social profiles: ·       YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/IFTubes ·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImmediateFuture/ ·       LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immediate-future/ ·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/iftweeter ·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ifinstas/ 

In this week’s Serious Social Live, Colin Jacobs will be getting into the nitty-gritty of paid social media. Tune in to discover how everything from customer journeys, touch points and algorithms, will help you smash your paid social media campaigns this year.Copyright: immediate futureWebsite: http://www.immediatefuture.co.uk Social profiles: ·       YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/IFTubes ·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImmediateFuture/ ·       LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immediate-future/ ·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/iftweeter ·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ifinstas/ 

It seems you cannot go a day without companies making missteps on social. From inappropriate covid responses, to BLM virtue signalling – this last year has been a playbook on how to miss fire with your messaging, alienate customers and garner awareness for all the wrong reasons. No one wants to purposefully upset customers. So how can you stop being tone deaf? Copyright: immediate futureWebsite: http://www.immediatefuture.co.uk Social profiles: ·       YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/IFTubes ·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImmediateFuture/ ·       LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immediate-future/ ·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/iftweeter ·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ifinstas/ 

In this week’s Serious Social Live we’ll be looking at best practice when it comes to design on social, particularly when a brand needs to change perception or communicate sustainability values.Belle Lawrence is joined by IF Senior Designer, Chantal El Bikai and OSP Design Director, Sharon Wallace.Copyright: immediate futureWebsite: http://www.immediatefuture.co.uk Social profiles: ·       YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/IFTubes ·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImmediateFuture/ ·       LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immediate-future/ ·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/iftweeter ·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ifinstas/ 

Right now, Clubhouse is the talk of the town - quite literally. But should brands be on there? Join Katy Howell in this week's Serious Social as she explores the value Clubhouse can bring to brands and why you should be paying attention to this new social network.Copyright: immediate futureWebsite: http://www.immediatefuture.co.uk Social profiles: ·       YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/IFTubes ·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImmediateFuture/ ·       LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immediate-future/ ·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/iftweeter ·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ifinstas/For full show notes, view our podcast page: http://immediatefuture.co.uk/podcasts/

In this episode of Serious Social, Katie Patterson, Senior Account Manager at IF, is joined by Lois Engstrand, Senior Global Marketing Manager at ClauseMatch, to discuss the challenges that start-ups face when getting their marketing off the ground.

Tune in to our latest podcast ‘Big Brand Secrets to Creating Audacious, Killer Social Content’ where Katy Howell chats to McDonald’s Director of Digital, Karl Boyce, and Auto Trader UK’s Head of Content & Social Media, Laura McNally about being bold, brave, and daring on social! Hear real stories of how an audacious approach to content creation can help your brand stand out on social! They’ll also offer advice on how to find inner-courage, squash anxiety about taking risks, and how to manage failure!

With customer trust at its lowest, your branding on social is more important than ever. In this week's Serious Social, Katy Howell is joined by Founder of Dawn Creative, David O'Hearns, sharing best practice tips and brand stories to help you set yourself apart and show you why branding on social is a must.  Copyright: immediate futureWebsite: http://www.immediatefuture.co.uk Social profiles: ·       YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/IFTubes ·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImmediateFuture/ ·       LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immediate-future/ ·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/iftweeter ·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ifinstas/For full show notes, view our podcast page: http://immediatefuture.co.uk/podcasts/

A lot happened in 2020, and the same is true for the paid media landscape. In this week's Serious Social, Belle Lawrence will be looking at the latest news and updates to help you navigate your paid strategy this year, and helping you understand the priorities for paid social.Copyright: immediate futureWebsite: http://www.immediatefuture.co.uk Social profiles: ·       YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/IFTubes ·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImmediateFuture/ ·       LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immediate-future/ ·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/iftweeter ·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ifinstas/For full show notes, view our podcast page: http://immediatefuture.co.uk/podcasts/