immediate future

Loads of AI content. Almost none of it tells you how to deploy it inside an actual marketing team.

We Don't Have Time For This, ep 2.

Thu 5 March, 1pm BST.

Jack Stanley, Rathbones, joins me. Less noise, more operating model, sharper social.

Join at buff.ly/hpKiDre

Short-form video might dominate 2026, but stills are quietly doing the heavy lifting, clarity, trust, and conversions.
It’s not either/or. It’s both.
Full blog here 👉 buff.ly/KEy9SMY

Social commerce isn’t a tech story. It’s a human one. People are borrowing judgement in-feed because they don’t trust brand claims and they don’t have the time to do loads of research.

Questions, trust, checkout

That’s why the comments decide the sale.

Newsletter’s out. buff.ly/PbLLkaC

TikTok’s latest ad tools help entertainment brands target people who are ready to watch, buy or subscribe.
Less guesswork. More impact.
Ready to make some noise (the smart way)? Get in touch. or read our latest blog buff.ly/ZvGa2Nj
#SocialMedia #MarketingUK #TikTokMarketing #BookTok #BrandStrategy

Social is where people check you now, quietly, quickly, and often privately.
If your proof can’t be forwarded, it’s not doing enough work.
Newsletter link buff.ly/pRH0WGF

Social media work means constant awareness. This blog explores how saving your energy helps you stay informed, professional, and mentally well over time. #mentalhealth #onlinecare #socialwork #stayinformed buff.ly/yqQlVXf

A B2B buying decision rarely happens with one person. It’s usually a buying group with different roles, risks, and opinions, and the deal moves when your champion can explain the choice internally. That’s why forwardability matters more than engagement. Build proof based content that travels, one clear claim, evidence early, and assets that make finance, IT, procurement, and the internal cynic feel safe. Use AI for the boring production work, keep humans on judgement, proof, voice, and boundaries. If your content can’t be repeated with confidence, it stalls the deal.

Buying decisions are groups, risk, and internal forwarding. Tejal Patel’s best line: help the buyer influence the next person. Build proof that travels, make it easy to repeat internally. Blog link

buff.ly/lHyi1tj

If accessibility is still an afterthought, the #design isn’t done. Inspired by the V&A’s Design and Disability exhibition, our latest blog is about disability as a radical design force. Check out the link for more: buff.ly/0H39xqk

One campaign. Two very different D2C challenges. One set of results that made us smile.

Happy to chat about how we did this.

Most teams don’t need more content. They need more confidence.

That’s what Tejal Patel and I are talking about live on 5 Feb at 1pm. Multi-generational buying groups, trust cues, and how social fits into research and validation when nobody’s watching.
Register on the event. buff.ly/4ybTIFX

All hail the lurkers.
They don’t clap in public. They verify, compare, then share privately. That’s the behaviour shaping your shortlist.
New newsletter digs into what’s changed, why it feels harder, and how to build proof that travels.https://buff.ly/J6BJysv

Running Pinterest ads? There’s a new Media Planner in town

It’s designed to simplify campaign planning, audience targeting, and budget forecasting all in one place.

Worth a look if you like clarity over chaos. buff.ly/oh2v9of

#PinterestMarketing #PaidAdvertising #DigitalStrategy #SmallBusiness

Buyers are doing more of the journey without you. If you guess wrong, you don’t just miss, you get avoided.

Live 5 Feb, 1pm with Tejal Patel. Join us to find out how to stop winging it buff.ly/5CEyioc

Threads ads are live. The media story is boring. The trust story isn’t. Paid reach gets easier, credibility gets harder. That’s the shift. buff.ly/JcGSzQa

2026 visuals to use: lo-fi ‘low ink’, index layouts, micrographics, patchwork type—human > perfect. Read out blog #Designtrends #branding #Socialcontent buff.ly/HNXBzZs

I’m going live with Tejal Patel on 5 Feb at 1pm to talk buyer behaviour, trust cues, and how to build one narrative that travels so you stop rebuilding the same bloody thing five times.
Register on LinkedIn buff.ly/4ybTIFX .

What is Marketing & Psychology and is it worth reading? Marketing & Psychology: Understanding Customer Behaviour in a Digital World is a smart, accessible book by Luan Wise and Dr Tom Bowden-Green. It uses the ABC framework — Audience, Brand perception, and Choice evaluation — to bring behavioural science into real-world marketing. This isn’t fluff or tricks. It’s practical psychology you can apply to strategy, social media, and content. A great read for marketers tired of generic personas and short-term hacks. It’s rooted in academic rigour but easy to use. If you care about relevance, trust, and creative that works, this one’s a keeper.

If you’re in social or content and want a smarter way to think about customer behaviour, get Marketing & Psychology.

No hacks. No hype. Just real insight and a solid framework that works.

Wrote a proper review

buff.ly/GVPm6cd
#social
#socialmedia
#FYP
#Marketing
#Growth

Multi-generational buying groups create endless rewrites. We’ll show how to cut the rework.

Join us on 5 Feb, 1pm. Link buff.ly/4ybTIFX

Buying groups are mixed across generations, your content gets forwarded with opinions attached, and your week disappears.

Live with Tejal Patel, 5 Feb, 1pm. Join and we'll help you reach them all AND win back time buff.ly/4ybTIFX

Same campaign. Two countries. Two COMPLETELY different social strategies.
Motocaddy trusted us to make it work — and it did, the results speak for themselves.
Happy to chat about what we did or take a look buff.ly/OgD0YV3
#MarketingCaseStudy #InternationalMarketing #BrandStrategy #CustomerSuccess

TikTok’s 2026 trend report highlights a move away from polished perfection and towards more honest, niche and meaningful content.
Worth a look if TikTok is part of your plans for this year. buff.ly/bK7Q7Ar

#TikTok #MarketingStrategy #SocialMediaTrends #ContentPlanning

2016 was peak fun internet. Vine loops, Pokémon GO, Snapchat everywhere.

But 2016 also broke social in a serious way. Feeds stopped being chronological and became ranked machines.

I wrote a 2016–2026 rewind for marketers, with what to learn from it. buff.ly/xwx8IFn

Marketing feels slower because buying groups don’t move as one. It’s committees, commentary, and five versions of the same story

Forrester reports Millennials and Gen Z now make up 71% of B2B buyers.

Find out how to deal with multi-generational buying groups at buff.ly/QWTFyLa

Social in 2026 feels different, in the best way.
Less noise, more niche. Less polish, more “raw data.” More creators building platform-specific originals instead of copy-paste content.
Check out our latest blog on how social is resetting this year + what to lean into next.
buff.ly/ZDVz40n

Your feed is the new search.

Buyers want answers, not brand pages.

I wrote a deep dive on the six shifts shaping discovery in 2026, and what senior marketers should do about it.

buff.ly/NRNgR8A

Your brain isn’t an algorithm. The feed never sleeps, but you should. Read our short blog on mental health in social media marketing. #wellbeing #marketinglife #burnout buff.ly/RSuSxT5

Surprising Hashtag Limits introduced on Instagram. Immediate Future Instagram has announced a significant change to how hashtags work on the platform, introducing a new limit of five hashtags per post. The update, which will

Instagram rolls out new hashtag limits!
Posts can now include up to five hashtags only. This encourages creators to use specific, relevant tags instead of long lists. Read our latest blog buff.ly/nc9NEf4

#InstagramUpdate #HashtagStrategy #SocialMediaTips #DigitalMarketing #ContentCreation

Signing off for Christmas.

The IF team are now off to rest, reset and eat our body weight in mince pies. We will be back on 5 January, ready for more serious social and proper growth.

Happy Christmas from the crew at Immediate Future.

Quick one for any marketer drowning in 2026 planning.

You are not alone if the funnel looks broken, the CFO only sees leads, AI feels like a black box, and your content team is hanging on by a thread.
buff.ly/GMw5Dfv

2026: where design stops pretending to be serious.
It’s bold, bright, and maybe a bit emotional.
Trends that actually *feel* good 👉 buff.ly/1dkGtcR
#DesignTrends #CreativeFuture