The Nine Labs Blog https://theninelabs.com/blog/ Practical notes on growth marketing, social media, personal branding, performance and influencer marketing from the team at The Nine Labs, with real numbers from our own campaigns. en Sun, 06 Sep 2026 15:51:27 GMT What is a growth operating system? (And why The Nine Labs is not an agency) https://theninelabs.com/blog/what-is-a-growth-operating-system/ https://theninelabs.com/blog/what-is-a-growth-operating-system/ Most brands buy marketing in pieces. A growth operating system connects content, ads, brand, creators and social into one loop. Here is what that means in practice. Shubhankar Sonawani Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Growth strategy The Nine Labs 0 to 170K followers in 6 months: how we built Desi Business Brain's content engine https://theninelabs.com/blog/how-we-grew-desi-business-brain-to-170k-followers/ https://theninelabs.com/blog/how-we-grew-desi-business-brain-to-170k-followers/ A behind-the-scenes look at the formats, hooks, editing pipeline and distribution system that took a founder-led business page from zero to 170K followers in six months. Shubhankar Sonawani Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Personal branding Content Case study Social media marketing for Indian brands in 2026: a playbook that actually works https://theninelabs.com/blog/social-media-marketing-for-indian-brands-2026/ https://theninelabs.com/blog/social-media-marketing-for-indian-brands-2026/ Festive calendars, three-platform publishing, community replies and short-form video. What we have learned running social for Haldiram's, Medanta and 400+ brands in India. Nikhiil Siyaal Wed, 05 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Social media India Performance marketing vs brand marketing: which should a growing business fund first? https://theninelabs.com/blog/performance-marketing-vs-brand-marketing/ https://theninelabs.com/blog/performance-marketing-vs-brand-marketing/ Ads get you customers this month. Brand gets you cheaper customers next year. How we decide where a growing business should put its first marketing rupee or dirham. Nikhiil Siyaal Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Performance marketing Branding Influencer marketing in India: how to pick creators who actually convert https://theninelabs.com/blog/influencer-marketing-india-how-to-pick-creators/ https://theninelabs.com/blog/influencer-marketing-india-how-to-pick-creators/ Follower counts lie. How we vet creators for engagement quality, audience fit and content style before a brand spends a rupee on influencer marketing. Shubhankar Sonawani Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Influencer marketing Creators What a Virtual CMO does, and when a growing brand should hire one https://theninelabs.com/blog/what-does-a-virtual-cmo-do/ https://theninelabs.com/blog/what-does-a-virtual-cmo-do/ A Virtual CMO gives you senior marketing leadership without a full-time hire. What the role covers, what it costs relative to a CMO, and the signs your business needs one. Nikhiil Siyaal Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Virtual CMO Growth strategy 200 to 70K followers: what six years running social for Umami Brew taught us about D2C https://theninelabs.com/blog/umami-brew-200-to-70k-followers/ https://theninelabs.com/blog/umami-brew-200-to-70k-followers/ How a craft kombucha brand went from 200 to 70K followers in nine months, and the lessons from a six-year partnership across Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Shubhankar Sonawani Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Case study D2C Social media