Indian Institute of Digital Technology Escala

SEO = "Search Everywhere Optimisation" If people search it, you can optimise for it. For an in-depth read: https://lnkd.in/ehMhKA6P Shoutout to Madhav Mistry who's mastering both LinkedIn growth and technical SEO strategy. We're not optimising for robots anymore. We're optimising for everywhere people search. Level 1: Traditional SEO Keywords, backlinks, on-page, and technical optimisation remain the foundation most marketers start with. ☑︎ Map keywords to search intent. ☑︎ Keep content fresh, structured, and crawlable. ☑︎ Nail site speed, mobile UX, and internal linking. Level 2: AI Search Optimisation AI Overviews, AI Mode, and ChatGPT search require you to optimize for being chosen by models, not just crawled by bots. ☑︎ Use FAQs, lists, pros/cons tables. ☑︎ Add schema (JSON-LD) for machine readability. ☑︎ Train the model with question-based content. Level 3: Paid Search Visibility Google Ads and YouTube Ads let you buy your way into visibility - but remember it's only rented space. ☑︎ Run branded and competitor intent campaigns. ☑︎ Test creative for high-click, high-convert formats. ☑︎ Retarget viewers with mid-funnel content. Level 4: LLM Answer SEO ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude need content they can retrieve, cite, and summarize for their users. ☑︎ Get mentioned on trusted domains (e.g. Reddit). ☑︎ Build content with clear structure and citations. ☑︎ Track how you show up in ChatGPT or Perplexity. Level 5: Brand Authority SEO Brand mentions, unlinked citations, and roundups matter because search engines and LLMs use what others say about you. ☑︎ Earn mentions in roundups and expert lists. ☑︎ Build relationships that lead to citations. ☑︎ Encourage users to talk about you authentically. Level 6: Community SEO Forum threads, Reddit, Quora, Slack, and Discord are where people ask real questions and get trusted answers. ☑︎ Add value without selling. ☑︎ Answer questions on Reddit, Quora, Discord. ☑︎ Turn high-performing answers into long-form content. Level 7: Parasite SEO Medium, LinkedIn Articles, and Substack let you rank by leveraging the authority of platforms you don't own. ☑︎ Link back to your own properties. ☑︎ Ride their ranking power to get found faster. ☑︎ Publish keyword-optimized articles on high-authority domains. Level 8: Platform-Specific SEO Amazon, App Stores, YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn each require tailored SEO for their internal search algorithms. ☑︎ Use platform-native keywords and tags. ☑︎ Optimize titles, thumbnails, and descriptions. ☑︎ Match content to algorithm behavior (e.g. retention, saves, reviews). Level 9: Topic Domination Own the conversation across every channel and layer of discovery to scale visibility in the AI-first era. ☑︎ Repurpose core ideas across channels. ☑︎ Aim to be everywhere answers are given. ☑︎ Use one idea in 5+ formats: blog, LinkedIn, podcast, Reddit, YouTube. Learning something new? Repost ♻️ for others.

Inside a $3.2M Meta Ad Account (What’s Actually Working) You don't need a 10-campaign, 50-ad-set monstrosity to scale. Most of that is just "complexity theater" to justify high retainers or make a simple job look hard. We're inside a DTC brand's ad account that has spent $3,218,449.12, and the structure is so simple it would make most "media buyers" sweat. Here’s the breakdown. 1.) The Structure is Brutally Simple We run one CBO campaign. It holds everything: - Prospecting (TOF) - Retargeting (MOF & BOF) - Offer Ads How do we scale? We raise the budget. We don't duplicate ad sets or campaigns. That's old-world thinking. Duplicate scaling is a fast pass to audience overlap and sky-high CPMs. You're just bidding against yourself. This single campaign has over 202,000 purchases. It's a data-rich machine. Your goal is to feed the algorithm conversion data until it has to find your customer. 2.) The Testing System is Relentless Stop testing 50 1% lookalikes. It's 2025. I can't stress this eniugh. Creative is the targeting! - Structure: 1 new concept per Ad Set (3-5 ad variations). - Volume: 4-6 new concepts every single week. No exceptions. - Rules: Run for 7 days. No micromanaging. - A Winner: CPA below target + 100+ purchases. We leave it on. - A Loser: High CPA or low spend. We kill it. No emotion. Crucial Point: Stop looking at CPA in a vacuum. We always measure AOV right next to it. We'll happily take a higher CPA if the ad brings in customers with a 30% higher AOV. You're acquiring profitable customers, not cheap clicks. 3.) It’s Built on a Hero Offer You can't out-bid your competition with a mediocre offer. This brand scaled on an undeniable Hero Offer. "20% OFF" isn't an offer, it's a discount. You've already lost. A hero offer shifts the entire value equation. It makes the customer feel stupid for not buying. Weak: 40% off your first purchase. Strong: Buy 1, Get 1 Free. Buy 2, Get 1 Free. Buy 3, Get a sachet free. 4.) The Buyer's Journey is Frictionless Your ads might be great, but your website is killing your conversion rate. This brand's site is simple: easy to read, easy to understand, check out in a few clicks. I see too many "beautiful," over-designed sites that are unusable. If a customer lands on your page and can't figure out what you sell in 3 seconds, they're gone. You wasted the click. Stop optimizing for design awards and start optimizing for revenue. The Bottom Line? Complexity is a crutch. Media buyers use it to look busy. Agencies use it to justify fees. The algorithm doesn't care. It wants two things: a simple structure and a firehose of conversion data. Your customer wants two things: an irresistible offer and an easy way to buy it. #facebookads #performancemarketing #dtc #ecommercemarketing

Meta’s Andromeda update broke most D2C ad accounts. What used to work: product first, problem next, CTA in the first 3 seconds; now just burns spend. Brands kept scaling spend. Meta moved the goalposts. Here’s what actually changed: - Narrow targeting = useless - Salesy openers = penalized - Product intros = ignored Andromeda rewards - emotion > explanation - curiosity > clarity - native content > ad-looking content We tested 180+ video ads across 9 brands in the last 60 days. The best performers had one thing in common: Hooks that didn’t feel like hooks. Here are 7 hook types still working right now: 1/ Scam Hook “I thought this was a scam… turns out I was wrong.” 2/ Investment Hook “I wasted ₹20,000 trying every option before this.” 3/ POV + Hate Hook “POV: you hate how bloated you feel after every meal.” 4/ Give Me Time Hook “Give me 10 seconds—I’ll prove it’s worth it.” 5/ Founder Hook “I built this after 3 failed attempts.” 6/ FOMO Hook “Why did no one tell me this?” 7/ Emotional Hook “I actually cried when I saw this.” CTR > 1.2% Hook rate > 30% Average watch time up 25% That’s not “creative luck.” That’s structure. Want the full strategy? Comment Andromeda and I’ll send you the full guide. It's built for your media and creative teams to execute this next week. No fluff. Just what scales now.

The easiest SEO hack is hiding between positions #8 and #20.

Many founders focus on scaling their product. But are you truly scaling your *learning*? Just like advanced systems that build on past experience, successful entrepreneurs master the art of generalizing knowledge. It's not enough to solve today's challenge; the real win is applying that insight to future opportunities. This means: - Building adaptable processes, not just one-off solutions. - Extracting core principles from every success and setback. - Constantly evolving your mindset based on real-world feedback. We've seen countless startups stumble when they treat every new problem as entirely novel. The most resilient founders develop a "learning framework" that allows them to build on past experience, making their entire operation more scalable and efficient. True growth isn't just about market reach; it's about the compounding wisdom applied across every facet of your business. How do you ensure your startup's lessons aren't just one-offs, but powerful building blocks for continuous future success? Share your thoughts below! #Entrepreneurship #StartupGrowth #BusinessStrategy #FounderMindset #ScalableLearning

This 23-year-old raised ₹20 lakhs in 24 hours without a product or pitch deck. Yash Gawde posted one message on LinkedIn, and copy-pasted it on Instagram. Within 24 hours, 5 people reached out. Not to refer him, but to invest their own money. He closed ₹20 lakhs before building anything. No deck. No projections. No prototype. Here's what made it work. For months, Yash shared his story publicly.  Built to ₹102k/month at 19. Lost everything, and then rebuilt an agency to ₹3L/month. People saw the wins and the losses. When he asked for money, they already believed in him. Investors didn't fund the idea. They funded the person. And this directly connects to your marketing campaigns. Stories trigger trust in your brain through oxytocin release. People remember stories 22X better than data. Performance marketing with storytelling gets 30% higher conversions. Story-driven ads drive 23% more sales. But most campaigns still look like this: → Feature 1, 2, 3  → Buy now  → Limited offer Nobody remembers that. The brands winning today tell stories their customers want to join. They show the customer's problem. Position the brand as the guide, not the hero. Make the customer the hero of the story. Yash proved something important. The best pitch isn't about what you're building. It's about why you're the right person to build it. Are your campaigns listing features or telling stories people actually remember?

Is your marketing strategy ready for its biggest disruption yet? AI video isn't just a trend; it's fundamentally reshaping how businesses connect with audiences. For entrepreneurs and business owners, this presents a powerful new tool for rapid content creation and personalized messaging. * Embrace the shift: Those who adapt early will gain a significant edge. * Focus on storytelling: AI amplifies your message, it doesn't create it. * Efficiency is key: Generate high-quality video content faster than ever before. We're seeing agile startups integrate AI video for everything from product demos to client testimonials, dramatically cutting production time and costs. The future of marketing demands agility and a willingness to leverage cutting-edge tools. Understanding and implementing AI video can be a game-changer for your brand's reach and impact. How are you currently exploring AI in your marketing efforts, or what's holding you back? Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ghgiQvbi #AIinMarketing #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #MarketingStrategy #StartupLife

Reflecting on the journey of starting a podcast has been quite insightful. It began as a personal challenge to overcome camera shyness and a bit of hesitation about putting myself out there. I thought a podcast would be a great way to start creating content without immediately facing the camera, which felt like a more comfortable first step. It turned out to be a really good decision. The ripple effect at IIDT EScala has been amazing. Our mentors were incredibly supportive, providing everything we needed and giving us the encouragement to get started. Their help was invaluable. What’s been most rewarding is seeing how it's inspired many of our peers at IIDT EScala to step up and create their own content. People who were once shy about being in front of a camera are now actively interested in participating. The podcast has become a vibrant hub for discussion, and we're even building a small team to keep it going strong. It's inspiring to see everyone embracing growth and achievement. Grateful for this experience and the amazing support from our mentors. It's truly changing how we approach content creation here. #PodcastJourney #ContentCreation #IIDTEscala #CommunityBuilding #LearningAndGrowth

Ever wonder why your most critical emails sometimes just… disappear? It's a question many founders and business owners face, especially during high-stakes seasons. Ensuring your message actually lands in the inbox isn't just a technical detail; it's a strategic imperative. This isn't about fancy campaigns, but about the foundational mechanics that ensure your efforts aren't wasted. Think of it as securing your communication supply chain. Just as you stress-test product delivery, you must validate your email deliverability. A brilliant marketing campaign means nothing if it doesn't reach its audience. Proactive planning here can prevent major revenue loss and build stronger customer relationships. Success in business often hinges on mastering these unseen operational details. They separate those who merely send messages from those who truly connect. Dive deeper into ensuring your emails hit the mark: https://lnkd.in/gkYi7tSx What's one often-overlooked 'behind-the-scenes' aspect of your business that you've learned to prioritize? #Entrepreneurship #BusinessStrategy #StartupLessons #MarketingStrategy #FounderMindset

Just wrapped up a really engaging podcast session at IIDT Escala yesterday! We had four guests including me – two current degree students and two who chose post-Plus Two courses – for a deep dive into the importance of a degree in today's world. The discussion was absolutely fascinating, exploring how relevant degrees are and whether they're truly necessary. Time flew by, and we ended up talking for over an hour! It was amazing to hear everyone's diverse perspectives and shared experiences. We learned so much from each other. This was our longest podcast yet, and it felt incredibly enriching. It's currently in the editing phase, and I'm really looking forward to sharing it with everyone, hopefully by Monday. It's always great when conversations just flow and teach you something new. #Podcast #IIDTEscala #Education #Discussion #Learning