One of the first big lessons I learned as a consultant came from a social media audit I presented to a client’s board. I’d spent weeks analysing their accounts, identifying opportunities, and compiling detailed recommendations. I thought I’d nailed it.
The first question I got? “What are our competitors doing?”
I realised in that moment that I’d missed something important. My analysis was sound, but without examples from the wider landscape, my recommendations felt incomplete. They wanted context — to see how their activity compared, to understand where opportunities lay, and to feel confident in the direction I was proposing.
I went away, researched the landscape — looking not only at competitors but at relevant brands and campaigns in other industries — and returned with a richer, more visual presentation. This time, my recommendations were approved without hesitation. The examples didn’t replace the approach; they brought it to life.
Two Ways to Use Examples
When reviewing what others are doing, there are usually two useful angles:
- If everyone else is doing it, should we be too?
- If no one else is doing it, is this a great opportunity for us to stand out?
Both approaches can be equally powerful, depending on your strategy, resources, priorities, and stage of growth. The key is that examples aren’t just nice to look at — they give decision-makers a tangible way to picture what you’re recommending and why.
It Is Impossible to Declare Who Is “Doing Well” From the Outside
This is something I emphasise in every workshop and consultancy session. I’m often asked for “good examples” or “best campaigns,” but the truth is, unless you’re part of the work, you can’t really know what’s working.
You can say what you personally like, and you can critique from a best-practice perspective – for example is the post accessible and inclusive – but without knowing a campaign’s objectives, targeting, and results, you can’t declare success.
Even if I were involved in a campaign and knew those details, it’s highly unlikely the exact approach could be replicated for someone else — different context, different audience, different goals.
The point isn’t to copy what you think is working for others. The point is to do your research and use examples to strengthen your case for the approach that’s right for you.
Every marketer or social media manager I know has a phone full of screenshots. Posts they love, clever ideas, examples that sparked an “ooh, we could do something like that”, and most likely some poor executions too – these will always come in useful when you’re asked for examples.
But they should be seen as inspiration, not guarantees — because what worked for one campaign in one moment may not work the same way for yours.
Bringing It to Life
A common challenge for teams is getting buy-in for using trending content. I use the example approach here, referring to the brilliant updated Google Doc from HeyOrca showing trending audio for Reels and TikToks. It’s an excellent resource, updated weekly, and I use for reviewing what’s happening in the wider landscape and identifying which trends could be relevant.
Many times I have used the doc to review what’s happening and to identify which trends could be relevant for a brand to get involved with. Reviewing the trends with your own brand in mind can help you to develop a clear rationale for when to engage with trends and when to pass. Once completed you can then map out exactly how you might execute the trends selected.
It works – I’ve followed this process to help a team present their ‘trends’ approach to a board — complete with mock-ups and example executions — and we got immediate buy-in. Going forward, the team doesn’t need approval for every new trend. They can respond quickly, because the rationale and execution examples help to secure agreement.
Let Me Help You Make Your Case
Examples turn abstract ideas into something real and relatable. They bridge the gap between strategy and action. They help people see, not just hear, what you’re proposing.
I’ve built a huge collection of examples from across industries and platforms — and I use them constantly in my training and consultancy work.
If you need an audit, a review, or a business case that gets real buy-in from decision-makers, get in touch. You can also check out my future training courses, here.