Listening Isn’t Enough

Hey, Alchemists

By the time your team reads the report, the moment’s already gone.

This week, I’m breaking down Reflex Marketing — a real-time execution system built to help you move before the window closes. You’ll learn how top teams track behavioral spikes, define action triggers, and pre-wire smart responses — using AI as their eyes, not their brain.

Today’s Insights

🔍 Tutorial: Why waiting for weekly reports is killing your momentum — and how to build a 3-layer reflex system that reacts in real time

📡 Radar: AI-generated ad campaigns, Google’s video push, and how B2B creators are shaping buying decisions

🏆 5-minute Wins: Set triggers, shrink reaction time, and define reflex moves before you need them

🧠 Marketing Psychology: Use the Barnum Effect to make your onboarding flows feel personal — even when they’re not

⚡️ Productivity: How time blocking reclaims your calendar (and your sanity) in under 30 minutes

🤖 AI Prompt – The 5-Post Stacking System: Plan a week of content that aligns around your offer — not just your ideas

🔍 Tutorial

Still Waiting for the Weekly Report? You’re Too Late

Most teams still operate like courtrooms.

They gather data, hold a meeting, debate the findings, assign an action item — and by the time anything ships, the moment that mattered is already gone.

Online attention moves fast. It spikes, fades, and shifts within hours.

Reflex marketing solves for that.
It’s not about speed. It’s about timing. The ability to act while the signal still matters.

To drop a follow-up while people still care. To tweak a hook before the audience forgets it.

Real-time doesn’t need chaos. It needs a decision.

Reflex Marketing (and Why Listening Isn’t Enough)

Reflex marketing isn’t just a rebrand of “social listening.”

Monitoring is passive. It’s what you do when you want to know what’s happening. Reflex is active. It’s what you do when you want to change what happens next.

Dashboards don’t make choices. People do.

Here’s the core formula: signal → trigger → action.

One angry comment? Ignore it.
Three people say the same thing in 24 hours? That’s a pattern.

And patterns mean move.

Build Layer 1: Signal Detection Stack

So what should you actually watch for?

Not just likes. Not even just engagement. You’re looking for movement.

Behavioral movement.

That’s why the best teams build a Signal Detection Stack — a simple layer that spots when something starts to land harder than usual. This includes:

✅ Hook retention (how long people stick after the first line)
✅ Scroll drop (where the audience bounces)
✅ Save/share spikes (interest > impulse)
✅ A spike in saves or followers (growth acceleration)
✅ Tone shifts in comments (mood → sentiment → objection)

Tools like Brand24 help track mentions. SparkToro shows where your people are. GPT-4 can boil a thousand comments into one insight. Notion logs the rest.

But none of this matters if you're watching the wrong thing.

Only track what moves behavior. Everything else is noise.

Build Layer 2: Trigger Definitions

Data is useless if you don’t define what matters.

Now you define the triggers.

This is where most teams stall. They spot a blip, nod at it, then move on. But you need thresholds. Clear, binary rules for when something becomes actionable.

Not “low engagement,” but “CTR below 2% after 6 hours.”
Not “people are saving it,” but “saves exceed 10% in hour one? Launch follow-up.”

Now it’s not up for debate. It’s automatic.

If three comments repeat a phrase? Rewrite your hook using that phrasing. If the CTA sees below 1% CTR? Cut or rework it immediately. It’s not overthinking. It’s reflex.

You don’t need AI for this step. You just need clarity.

Build Layer 3: Pre-Planned Reflex Actions

Here’s where most teams slow down again: reaction time.

It’s not enough to spot a trigger. You need to already know what to do when it hits.

That’s the point of Layer 3.
Build it before you need it.

If bounce rate crosses 60 percent, swap the hero image.
If a comment spikes, steal the language.
If saves are 2x normal, turn the idea into a thread.

These aren’t guesses. They’re pre-set reflexes.

Use AI where it helps. GPT can rewrite a line in five tones or generate CTA variants in seconds. It’s not about being clever. It’s about staying sharp.

Connect The System (Or It Dies In Silos)

Even the smartest reflex system dies in isolation. And if you’re the only one acting on this system, it’s not a system.

A trend in comments about pricing? Product should see it. A save spike on a niche post? That’s input for the growth team.

Build a bridge across functions.

Set up a simple feedback loop:
→ AI flags an insight
→ It gets logged to Notion
→ Shared to the right team in Slack
→ Added to execution decks or playbooks

End of the week, run a tight retro.
3 triggers. 3 actions. 3 outcomes.

It doesn’t need to be pretty. It needs to run.

Run a Reflex Audit This Week

Before you go back to your queue, run this audit.

• What signals are you tracking right now — and are they actually predictive?

• What counts as actionable — do you have thresholds, or just vague gut checks?

• And when a trigger fires… who moves? What happens next? How fast?

If you can’t answer those three questions in under 30 seconds,

You’re reviewing. Not reacting.

🏆 Quick Wins

✅ Set a Save-to-View Trigger on Today’s Post
Post, wait an hour, and check the save rate. If saves hit 10% of views, drop a follow-up right away. You’re not guessing — you’re doubling down while attention’s still real.
Expected Impact: 15–25% more engagement from striking while interest is peaking.

✅ Drop a Phrase-Match Alert into Brand24
Create an alert for repeat phrases like “feels expensive” or “not worth it.” Set it to ping if the same wording pops up three times in a day. You’ll catch patterns while they’re forming, not after they’ve cooled off.
Expected Impact: Shrinks reaction time by 2–3 days, letting you fix issues before they snowball.

✅ Pre-define 3 Reflex Actions in Notion for Your Next Launch
Pick 3 metrics (e.g., CTR <2%, bounce >60%, save rate >12%) and list what you’ll change if they trigger.
Expected Impact: 40–60% faster post-launch decisions because you already made them.

📡 Radar

📣 Meta to Fully Automate Ad Creation with AI by 2026

Meta plans to let brands build entire ad campaigns by uploading a product image and setting a budget. The system will handle everything—copy, visuals, targeting, and even budget suggestions. It’ll personalize ads on the fly, showing different versions based on location and other user data. The move is designed to make ad creation easier for small and mid-sized businesses that don’t have creative teams.

→ Key takeaway: If you're in marketing, now’s the time to get fluent in AI tools. The machines might write the ads, but it’s still your job to make sure they sound like you.
Read More →

📣 Google Expands Video Ads Across Search, Shopping, and Image Tabs

Google just rolled out video ads across Search, Image, and Shopping results in the U.S. and Canada. These ads are part of Performance Max campaigns and show up in early discovery spots like the Discover feed. Brands can now pair video with product info in results that were once reserved for text or static visuals.

→ Key takeaway: Search is no longer a text-only game. If you’re not already building short-form video for discovery moments, you’re behind. Google’s turning search into a video-first retail channel — and it’s happening fast.
Read More →

📱 LinkedIn Releases New B2B Creator Marketing Guide

LinkedIn just dropped a detailed guide on working with creators in B2B. The main point: B2C-style influencer tactics don’t hold up when multiple decision-makers are involved. Buyers aren’t looking for entertainment. They want sharp, credible takes from people who know their space. 59% of B2B buyers already consume creator content on LinkedIn. And 82% say it directly shapes what they buy. Video’s leading the charge, with a 45% jump in uploads and 63% of buyers calling it their top decision driver.

→ Key takeaway: In B2B, creator content isn't fluff. It’s becoming a new layer of due diligence. Smart brands aren’t just posting more — they’re handing the mic to people their buyers already trust.
Read More →

📱 YouTube Tests Engagement Leaderboard for Livestreams

YouTube’s testing a new leaderboard that ranks livestream viewers based on engagement. XP points are earned through comments, Super Chats, stickers, and gifts. Viewers can check their rank by clicking a crown icon in the chat. The top three get a badge next to their name, increasing their odds of getting noticed mid-stream.

→ Key takeaway: YouTube’s gamifying livestreams to spark more interaction and micro-spending. It’s simple but effective. Smart marketers should pay attention to how small status cues can drive big behavior shifts on creator-first platforms.
Read More →

📣 Meta now lets advertisers edit ad titles, links, and descriptions in copied ads

Meta’s latest API update finally fixes a long-standing friction point. You can now tweak titles, links, and body text in duplicated ads, making testing faster and less painful. Budget caps are more flexible too—expect up to 75% overages on high-opportunity days. On the creator side, new metrics show both real and estimated earnings, now visible to third-party tools.

→ Key takeaway: If you bulk-clone ads, stop rewriting from scratch. Use the new API edit controls to test faster and waste less time.
Read More →

📣 Google quietly releases guide for AI Max for Search: What advertisers need to know

Google just dropped a setup guide for AI Max for Search, quietly and selectively. It walks through how to turn on automation features like Search Term Matching, auto-generated ad copy, and Final URL Expansion. Early testers saw up to 14% more conversions at the same CPA, and as high as 27% if they used phrase or exact match.

→ Key takeaway: If you’re already using Smart Bidding, now’s the time to switch on AI Max and let Google’s automation carry more of the weight.
Read More →

📫 ~70% of businesses say email deliverability is hurting revenue

64.6% of businesses report losing revenue or customers due to inboxing issues. The biggest culprit? Spam filters, flagged by 60.3% as the top blocker. Yet only 23.6% of marketers verify their lists before sending, and 9% of emails collected via forms are invalid. Brands are bleeding reach and trust through poor hygiene.

→ Key takeaway: Start verifying every email list before sending. It’s the simplest fix with the biggest upside for inbox placement and performance.
Read More →

⚒️ Tools

1️⃣ SchedX – AI SDR for Real-Time Lead Conversion

SchedX acts like an AI-powered SDR that works your website in real time. It handles product questions, qualifies leads using BANT or MEDDIC, books meetings, and hands off the right prospects to the right rep.

→ Key takeaway: If you're a creator turning inbound attention into deals, SchedX does the early lifting — answers questions, filters out noise, and fills your calendar with real leads.
Learn More →

2️⃣ Clockwise – AI Calendar Assistant for Deep Work and Smart Scheduling

Clockwise uses AI to rebuild your calendar around how you actually work. It shifts meetings, protects your focus hours, and plays nicely with tools like Slack and Asana. You get time back without needing to babysit your schedule.

→ Key takeaway: If you're juggling content, calls, and client work, Clockwise quietly clears out low-value meetings and gives you 1 to 3 hours of breathing room each week — no back-and-forth required.
Learn More →

⚡️ Productivity

Time Blocking

Before: 
Your calendar looks empty, but nothing gets done. Work bleeds into everything.
You stay busy all day, but you’re not making real progress.

After: 
Now, every task has its time. You focus, finish, and move on. There’s less noise because everything has a place.

The Process:

1. Start with three important tasks. Not ten. Just three.

2. Put them on your calendar, each with a real start and end time.

3. Then treat those slots like client meetings. No pushing, no “I’ll do it later.”

Why most people fail:

They treat time like it’s flexible. It’s not. If you don’t give work a start and end, it drags on forever.

The problem isn't overwork. It's under-planning.

Your Advantage:

Time blocking uses Parkinson’s Law. Work takes up the time you give it—no more, no less.

Which means tighter blocks, faster work, and more free hours than you expected.

Want to go deeper? these resources will take it even further:

🔗 https://asana.com/resources/what-is-time-blocking
🔗 https://www.betterup.com/blog/time-blocking

🧠 Marketing Psychology Unlocked

Barnum Effect

“It’s like you’re reading my mind…”

That’s the reaction you get when you write with the Barnum Effect in play. It’s a psychological trick where vague statements feel oddly personal. Fortune cookies do it. So do smart marketers.

Example:

Imagine an email onboarding flow for a habit-tracking app. Instead of saying, “Welcome to the app,” it opens with:

“You’re the kind of person who wants to improve but hates rigid routines.”

Open rates jump. Clicks double. Because it sounds like you get them.

Why It Works:

• Taps into identity bias — People see themselves in the message, even when it’s broad.

• Builds instant trust by creating a false sense of mutual understanding.

• Boosts engagement by making the reader feel seen without needing deep segmentation.

Try this:

Start your next subject line or intro with “You probably…” and finish the sentence with something uncomfortably true. Don’t overthink it. You’re not writing a novel. You’re holding up a mirror.

Want to go deeper? these resources will take it even further.

🔗 https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/barnum-effect
🔗 https://neurofied.com/barnum-effect-the-reason-why-we-believe-our-horoscopes/

🚀 Case Study

TikTok Ad Campaign Success Story

• ↑ 999% revenue growth in just 4 months

• ↑ ROAS improved from 0.49 to 1.83

• ⏱️ Implemented in under 120 days

• 💰 $132,717 in new TikTok revenue

What made it work:

When Meta ad accounts got shut down, Klassy Network doubled down on TikTok. With a structured paid strategy and creative confidence, they turned a backup plan into a revenue engine.

👉🏻 Read full case study here

🎙️ Podcast You’ll Love

Influencers Vs Advocates: Building Brand Advocacy

🎙️ Podcast We Loved

🎧 Episode: Influencers Vs. Advocates – Building Brand Advocacy

📢 Hosts: Ciaran Rogers, Louise Crossley, Daniel Rowles

🎯 Guest: None featured, but packed with sharp examples and brand stories

🗣️ What it covers:

This episode breaks down why loyal customers—not paid influencers—are your most powerful growth engine. It digs into how brand advocates drive SEO, spark trust, and build lasting communities that outperform one-time sponsorships.

💡 Key takeaways:

• A Reddit post from a fan can often outperform a sponsored ad when it comes to engagement and trust.

• GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is changing how AI summarizes content, making authentic user conversations more valuable than ever.

• Liz Earle Beauty built loyalty not with discounts, but by showing up consistently for their community—one thoughtful reply at a time.

🛠️ Why it’s worth your time:

If you're tired of shallow influencer tactics, this episode delivers a smarter playbook for building email lists, deepening customer relationships, and sparking word-of-mouth growth.

🎧 Listen here: Spotify – Influencers vs. Advocates

🤖 AI Prompt

5 Posts, 1 Goal

You don’t have a content problem. You have a stacking problem.

Ideas aren’t the issue. What’s missing is a clear path that builds attention around your offer instead of scattering it.

This prompt solves that.

It helps you plan five days of content that works together, not against itself — pulling your audience toward what you actually want them to see.

👇 Start by giving me a few details:

1. What’s the main topic you want to be known for? (e.g., Email Marketing, Growth Strategy, Paid Ads)

2. What offer or lead magnet do you want more people seeing this week?

3. Where are you posting? (LinkedIn, X, IG — choose one or more)

4. What’s your tone? (Educational, Sharp, Chill, Bold, Contrarian?)

5. What’s your goal? (Leads, authority, trust, newsletter subs, engagement?)

Now, using your inputs, I’ll build a 5-day plan with this structure:

Each Day Includes:

• Pillar: What you stand for

• Micro-Insight: A bite-sized truth or tip

• Trigger: The emotion it’s tapping into (curiosity, identity, urgency, etc.)

• Format: The best fit (carousel, thread, long post, reel, etc.)

• CTA: A light nudge — Just enough to open a door.

Example:

Day 1

→ Pillar: Email Marketing
→ Micro-Insight: Most welcome emails confuse users with too many CTAs
→ Trigger: Identity (what sharp marketers avoid)
→ Format: LinkedIn post (quote + 3-line breakdown)
→ CTA: “Reply if you want the cleaner version I use”

Give me all 5 days in that style.
Make it feel native. Make it feel intentional.

No random posts. No forced CTAs. Just a solid content week that moves your audience closer to what you offer.

📚 Growth Shelf

The War of Art: Win Your Inner Creative Battles

A no-nonsense guide to conquering the inner barriers that block your creative success.

Why it’s worth reading: 

✔️ Pressfield calls out “Resistance” as the quiet saboteur behind every missed deadline and half-finished idea—and shows you how to shut it up.
✔️ He strips creativity down to a daily habit. Less inspiration, more repetition. That’s how amateurs become pros.
✔️ Success doesn’t come from bursts of genius. It comes from showing up, even when you’d rather do anything else.

✅ Perfect for creatives, entrepreneurs, and marketers tired of their own excuses.

🧬 The Elixir

Join Me

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I deliver AI-Powered marketing intelligence used by top 1% professionals.
AI prompts + plug-n-play templates to achieve 3X marketing results.

I keep things concise, tactical & BS free - just actionable solutions you can implement immediately!