If social media is a “party,” then you are the “party thrower.” As a marketer, you want to throw engaging and exciting parties (largely via content marketing) on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube… even LinkedIn not to mention TikTok or even X. If you follow the party analogy, you’ll realize that just as people show up are your party for “food” and “entertainment,” on social media they show up (largely) to have fun. They want to watch that hilarious YouTube or TikTok video, that bizarre but engaging AI-generated meme on Facebook, and even when they are in “learning” mode on LinkedIn, girls (and guys) still want to have fun! How do you market on social media in 2026?
I’m Jason McDonald, host of Marketing Philosophy, where we use philosophy to understand marketing, and marketing to understand how customers think, compare, trust, panic, and occasionally buy your product or service. The philosopher / social scientist, Marshall McLuhan said, “We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us.”
In that spirit, here are my top tips and tools for social media marketing. This is based on my Social Media Marketing Workbook and my free Marketing Almanac, which you can download for a massive list of free tools for marketing, AI, SEO, social media marketing, and online advertising including Google and YouTube ads.
- Content Marketing. “Content marketing” is the art and science of creating (or nurturing) engaging content that not only attracts and engages your audience, but moves them along your sales funnel – from awareness of your brand to being a sale or a sales lead. I could identify Canva or CapCut, which are both fantastic content creation tools, especially video. (Isn’t everything video nowadays?). But lead with this – use a more general purpose AI tool like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or Claude for the entire content creation process – from brainstorming content ideas, to writing those first rough drafts, to generating images or even videos. If you aren’t already, use a general purpose AI tool for your content process. Also, for getting those juices flowing, use a tool like AnswerThePublic or Twinword to research keyword (search) volume and value – because what people search for is also often what has high value on social media.
- Blogs and Blogging. Blogs – those pesky text-based elements that just won’t die – remain a valuable tool for social media marketing. You might have a YouTube short, TikTok, or Reel that is the teaser to get folks to a blog. Or you might use a blog as your original script or storyboard. You might use an AI tool to write that blog post, but you want to check it so that Google / Meta / YouTube doesn’t see your blog / storyboard / script as purely AI generated. I recommend you use Originality.ai to double-check blogs for AI content. Another good one is Hix Bypass, which also checks and scrambles content for AI.
- Facebook. Facebook remains the 800 pound gorilla of social media marketing, even it long ago lost its “cool factor.” One of the coolest tools here is the Facebook Ads Library, where you can input a domain or a brand name and browse the ads that they are running on Facebook. Once you know such a thing exists, you can also check out the Google Ads Transparency center and the TikTok Ads Library, both of which do the same thing. Pro tip – use these to brainstorm your own ad content! Of course for clunky, difficult-to-use confusion you can’t beat Facebook Business Manager.
- LinkedIn. Dare to be boring! LinkedIn, of course, is THE network for B2B marketing and for lifelong learning! Did you know about the “social selling index?” You can use this to check out your own LinkedIn profile and see how you compare with your industry peers. Very useful if you are running a LinkedIn program internally – and getting each employee to optimize and use this LinkedIn profile for B2B or professional selling. Runner up – you can apply to be a LinkedIn Learning Instructor and build your personal brand.
- Instagram. Owned by Facebook (shush, don’t tell Gen Z), Instagram has zillions of opportunities for social media marketing, especially B2C. Check out Layout, which is a free app to help you create photo collages. For the proverbial link-in-bio, I recommend Linktr.ee or bio.fm.
- X (formerly Twitter). X is the platform that many people love to hate, but still – it remains #1 for news (both mainstream and industry specific). I like to use it more as a research tool – to find what the cognoscenti in any given industry are buzzing about. For this, I recommend X Advanced Search. Sadly, X Pro (formerly Tweetdeck) is now paid only. For research on who is the buzziest of the buzzy bees in an industry, check out FollowerWonk.
- YouTube. I love YouTube (for obvious reasons). I like both TubeBuddy and VidIQ – both give excellent data and advice on content, thumbnails, videos, and channels. Another thing I like to do is to look at a YouTube video, find the transcript, download it, and pop that sucker into ChatGPT for analysis. For instance, take this video on How to Use Google Gemini AI, download the transcript, and then analyze it in ChatGPT for summary notes. For more YouTube ideas, don’t miss the YouTube creators information. Another good tool is SocialBlade, which helps you research competitors and influencers and see their “clout.”
- Media and Shows. Here’s an easy one. If you are into Social Media, you need to follow the Social Media Examiner and (if possible) attend Social Media Marketing World. They are heavy into AI and so they also have a companion conference on AI and marketing. A “must attend!”
- Influencers. Influencers are all the rage, especially in the consumer space. But how do you find and decide on influencers? Check out Heepsy or for individual platforms, you can search Google for “influencer marketplace on TikTok” for example, and find TikTok Creators. You can also ask your helpful AI bot, “Hey, who are the most important influencers on Instagram for cosmetics” and so on and so forth.
- TikTok. Like YouTube, TikTok really does a lot to nurture its creators. Check out TikTok Creator Academy (and don’t miss the Google News Academy either).
Those are some of my favorite tools – my top ten list (and yes I know there are a lot more than ten). Check out my Marketing Alamanac for a complete list by category. It’s free to download!
CONCLUSION
- My name is Jason McDonald. I provide consulting, coaching, and teaching about digital marketing – SEO, Google Ads, and Social Media. I work with companies, both large and small, as well as individuals who want one-on-one training. Reach out for a free call if you might be interested in a paid relationship.
- The JM INTERNET GROUP focuses on small business and local business digital marketing. We provide hands-on management of SEO, Google Ads, and Social Media for companies. Call 800-298-4065 or send a message to book an introductory call.
