Create Demand First, Capture It Second: The Playbook

Most teams treat social like a slot machine for leads. Post, promote, pray. The better play is different. Use social to create demand first, then capture it later with retargeting and offers. When you do this, your content earns attention, trust, and recall. Your conversion campaigns stop feeling like interruptions and start feeling like the next logical step.

Below is a tight, field tested plan you can ship this week. You will see a mix of short paragraphs, bullet points, and quick hacks you can copy.

The core idea in one line

Be memorable on the feed. Be transactional off the feed.

• Create demand with platform native content that teaches, entertains, or reframes a problem

• Capture demand with retargeting, high intent CTAs, and offers once people already know and like you

Hack: Write the conversion offer first. Then make three native posts that would make someone excited to take that offer without leaving the platform.

Why this works

• Algorithms reward on platform value. Posts that hold attention get distribution. Link dumps usually do not.

• Trust compounds. Frequent useful touchpoints lower perceived risk and raise willingness to act.

• Retargeting gets smarter. Warm audiences click more and convert faster than cold lookalikes.

Hack: Track saves and average watch time as your leading signals. Treat clicks as a lagging signal.

A simple funnel you can copy

Top of funnel: Create demand

• Goal: attention, affinity, shareability

• Content: zero click carousels, Reels, Shorts, threads, how to posts, memes with a point, quick wins, behind the scenes

• Metrics: saves, shares, average watch time, meaningful comments

Middle of funnel: Prove it

• Goal: credibility and problem solution fit

• Content: customer stories, teardown videos, before and after, mini case studies, product tips, objection handling

• Metrics: profile taps, DMs, replies that ask how, returning viewers

Bottom of funnel: Capture demand

• Goal: measured conversions

• Tactics: retarget visitors, engagers, and video viewers with specific offers. Drive to a trial, demo, or limited time bundle

• Metrics: CTR on retargeting, cost per lead, cost per purchase, pipeline created

Hack: Exclude converters and heavy engagers from cold campaigns. Protect your warm CPC.

Platform native ideas that actually land

LinkedIn

• 3 slide carousel: “Common fix that saves X in 15 minutes”

• Opinion plus a simple chart: “Most teams chase [metric]. Winners track [different metric]. Here is why”

• Native doc with a checklist. Put the CTA in the comments, not the post

TikTok or Reels

• 20 to 45 seconds. One point only

• Pattern: hook, setup, demo, takeaway

• Pin a comment that answers the next question people will have

X

• Short threads that finish on the platform. No link

• One spicy take per week with data or a quick screen recording

YouTube Shorts

• Micro case study format: problem, what we tried, what worked, metric lift in plain numbers

Instagram

• Myth vs fact carousels. Follow with a Story sticker to collect questions

• UGC highlights with subtitles and a one sentence lesson

Google Business Profile for local

• Photo plus 75 words on a common question

• Pin Q and A with your own best answers

• Treat it like a micro blog for nearby demand

Hack: Finish on platform. If you must link, add it in a reply. Keep the main post linkless to protect reach.

Your 30 day content plan

Week 1: Set the baseline

• Write three demand creating angles you want to be known for

• Define two proof assets: one customer story and one teardown

• Build two offers for later: a no friction conversion such as trial or template, and a high intent one such as demo or consult

Week 2: Publish native content only

• Ship 4 to 6 posts that deliver value without a link

• Drop one proof asset midweek

• Reply to every relevant comment within 24 hours

Week 3: Repeat and refine

• Double down on the post type with the best saves or watch time

• Record one short video that demonstrates a quick win

Week 4: Capture

• Launch retargeting to anyone who watched 50 percent, saved a post, clicked your profile, or visited your site

• Offers to test: quick win template, trial, or low lift call

• Cap frequency to avoid fatigue and exclude recent converters

Hack: Create a saved audience called Warm 30 that includes video viewers 50 percent, engagers 30 days, and site visitors 30 days. Use it across platforms for consistent capture.

The creative checklist for memorable posts

• Hook in plain language. Example: “Stop doing X. Try this instead”

• One idea per asset. Depth beats breadth

• Specificity. Numbers, screenshots, names, steps

• Teach by showing. Screen recordings and simple annotations

• Finish on the platform. No forced clicks

Hack: Write five hooks before you write the post. Use the best one and keep the rest for future angles.

Retargeting playbook in 6 steps

1. Build warm audiences. Website visitors, 30 to 90 day engagers, and video viewers

2. Segment by behavior. High intent such as pricing page and long watch time vs casual scrollers

3. Match the message.

   • Engagers: “You saw how to do X. Grab the free template”

   • Visitors with product interest: “See it in action in 4 minutes”

   • High intent: “Schedule your 20 minute fit check”

4. Show proof. Testimonial clips, short quotes, and numbers

5. Limit choices. One CTA only

6. Measure and prune. Kill any ad that does not beat your cold baseline in 3 to 5 days

Hack: Use unique thumbnails on retargeting creatives so people recognize them as next steps, not repeats.

What to track

Create demand

• Share rate, save rate, average watch time, returning viewers

• Profile visits per post, DMs started, replies that include how or price

Capture demand

• CTR on retargeting vs cold

• Cost per lead or purchase, conversion rate by audience, pipeline created

• Time to close for retargeted cohorts vs cold

Hack: Report the blended cost from content plus retargeting. This keeps top of funnel funded so bottom of funnel stays cheap.

Strategy tied to business goals

Social should move the same needles your leadership cares about. Start with the business objective, then work backward.

Map it in four lines

• Business goal: grow self serve revenue, shorten sales cycles, improve retention, hire faster

• Audience: who has the problem, where they work, what they already believe

• Objective on social: the next step you want, not a someday dream

• KPIs: a short set you can influence weekly

Example

• Goal: increase qualified pipeline by 20 percent in Q1

• Audience: mid market ops leaders in healthcare in the United States, 200 to 1,000 employees

• Social objective: earn replies and DMs that request a demo, drive repeat visits to pricing and case studies

• KPIs: saves per post, replies that ask how, sessions to pricing, demo form starts, opportunity rate from social sessions

Choose KPIs that ladder up

• Awareness: reach, returning viewers, share rate

• Consideration: saves, average watch time, profile visits, DMs started

• Conversion: trial starts, demo starts, assisted pipeline, assisted revenue

Hack: Cap yourself at 5 KPIs. If everything is a priority, nothing is.

Continuous audits and measurement

Treat social like an experiment engine. Review the signals often, then change your inputs.

Your monthly audit in one sitting

• Growth and consistency
  Posting cadence vs plan, mix by format and topic

• Engagement quality
  Save rate, share rate, meaningful comments, DM themes

• Traffic and intent
  Sessions to product pages, time on site, repeat visitors from social

• Conversion and revenue
  Trial and demo starts from social sourced sessions, pipeline created, closed won

• Creative winners and losers
  Top 5 posts by saves and watch time, bottom 5 by drop off

Turn the audit into action

• Keep, kill, or change for each format and topic

• Spin up two new tests such as hook pattern or visual treatment

• Update targeting and exclusions for paid retargeting

• Write your next three posts that double down on the winning pattern

Cadence

• Weekly pulse: 20 minutes on top line KPIs and comment follow up

• Monthly audit: 60 minutes with a one page summary

• Quarterly reset: objectives, budget, and channel mix

Hack: Save one slot each week for a repeat of a proven post. Same idea, new packaging.

Smart channel selection

Pick fewer platforms, win where buyers already spend time, then adapt to each culture.

A quick decision tree

• Where does your buyer research work problems

  • Mostly LinkedIn or YouTube. Start there

  • Mostly Instagram or TikTok. Start there

  • Local or service based. Add Google Business Profile

• What you can produce at quality each week

  • Video friendly team. Shorts, Reels, TikTok, LinkedIn video

  • Writing forward team. LinkedIn text and carousels, X threads

  • Visual product or outcomes. Instagram and YouTube

Platform cheat sheet

• LinkedIn: B2B friendly. Opinion plus proof wins. Carousels and native docs perform well

• YouTube and Shorts: teaching and teardown territory. Title and thumbnail clarity matters

• TikTok and Reels: fast hook, one point, human faces. Trends only if they fit the message

• X: quick ideas and live takes. No link dumps

• Instagram: carousels for myths vs facts, Stories for Q and A, UGC for social proof

• Google Business Profile: local discovery. Fresh photos and quick answers

Hack: Start with two channels. Earn 60 days of consistency. Then consider a third.

Make video your core format

Platforms reward video discovery. If you want reach, recall, and revenue, make video the default format.

What to publish

• Shorts and Reels
  15 to 45 seconds, one idea only. Hook in 2 seconds, show result, then steps

• Stories
  Raw and frequent. Use stickers and polls to collect questions

• Product demos
  90 to 180 seconds. Problem, how it looks, how it works, result

• Tutorials
  3 to 8 minutes. Teach a task end to end with clear steps

Production shortcuts

• Batch record in one session

• Write hooks first

• Use screen recordings and simple annotations

• Always add captions

• Focus on light, clear audio, steady framing. Fancy gear is optional

Hack: Build a hook bank. Ten hooks you can use across formats for the next month.

Tools and budgets that work

You do not need agency level gear. You do need a tight toolchain that saves time and keeps data in one place.

Suggested monthly budget ranges

• Solo or small team: 300 to 700

• Growing team: 700 to 2,000

• Multi brand or multi market: 2,000 to 6,000

Where that budget goes

• SMM suite for scheduling, collaboration, analytics, and listening

• Lightweight video creation and editing

• Captioning and transcription

• Retargeting spend to capture demand from viewers

Why TDMFunnels belongs at the center

Most teams lose time bouncing between a scheduler, a comments inbox, a link shortener, an analytics deck, and an ads manager. TDMFunnels pulls this into a single flow so you can publish video at speed and prove impact without spreadsheet gymnastics.

How TDMFunnels helps you win with video

• Calendar built for video
  Plan Shorts, Reels, Stories, and long form in one view. Drag and drop assets, version them, and see coverage by theme at a glance

• Collaboration that reduces cycles
  Timestamped comments on drafts, role based approvals, and one click publish to target platforms

• Native analytics that matter
  Watch time, completion, saves, share rate, and DMs started. Roll up by theme, creator, and channel

• Unified social inbox and listening
  Reply to comments and DMs without switching tabs. Track brand mentions and turn questions into future video topics

• Funnels for capture
  Auto build retargeting audiences of high intent viewers. Test offers for trials, templates, or demos. See cost per lead and pipeline in one dashboard

• Linkless workflows
  Finish on platform with native CTAs. Let TDMFunnels handle follow up messages so you keep reach

Hack: Create a board in TDMFunnels called Proof Library. Drop every testimonial clip and number there. Pull from it when you build retargeting.

Sample stack with TDMFunnels at the core

• TDMFunnels for planning, approvals, publish, inbox, analytics, funnels

• Simple recorder and editor of your choice

• Drive or Dropbox for raw footage backup

• Headphones and a clip mic for clean sound

Two quick mini case patterns you can copy

Pattern A: The playbook post

• Carousel: “5 mistakes that make [problem] worse”

• Save rate spikes

• Retarget engagers with a 2 minute demo and a template offer

• Short nurture sequence for downloaders

Pattern B: The teardown

• Short video: “We cut [undesired metric] by 38 percent in 3 steps”

• Follow up comment lists the steps

• Retarget viewers to a live workshop or a trial with a bonus

• Send the recording to no shows and invite to a shorter fit call

Hack: Clip the teardown into a 25 second Reel and a 3 slide LinkedIn recap. Same idea, different format.

Turn this into your next sprint

• Choose two platforms where your buyers already spend time

• Commit to 8 to 12 native posts in the next 30 days

• Record two proof assets

• Stand up retargeting audiences and creatives now, then switch them on in week four

• Report one blended metric: total spend versus total pipeline created from social sourced sessions

Create demand first, capture it second. When you stop asking strangers to buy and start helping future customers succeed on the feed, everything down funnel gets easier and cheaper.