Nikola Sokolov

As a CEO, 99.9% of the feedback that reaches me is negative - because the positive notes rightly stay with the team.

But today, a client reached out unprompted just to say how impressed they were with Kristijan Trpevski.

That made my Monday.

Kiko - keep crushing it.

ceo @influencers.club - the creator data platform

I spent most of my career in growth, so for me, this has been the toughest role to fill.

After 50+ SATs, and countless interviews, an Italian dude shows up, super chill, loves startups, very smart, and willing to get his hands dirty.

It was almost too good to be true. 

In just the last 3 months, we've:

* Crushed our traffic records
* Increased our number of trials by 44% 
* Added 400k ARR
* Made me rethink my poor food choices 

and yet, we haven't even started with all the grand plans we have. 

Growth isn’t about how many people are doing it. It’s about the value of the ideas and the discipline to execute them. I’m excited to do both together.

Now it’s time to show why influencers.club is the only creator data provider that truly owns 100% of its data and why in an AI-driven world, that’s an advantage no one can catch up to.

Ale, welcome! We are lucky to have you!

Been a while since my last post here - and I have some big news to share.

I’ve joined influencers.club to lead their marketing and growth team.

After working across AI, e-commerce, blockchain, and proptech, one pattern has shown up again and again: creators have become one of the most powerful acquisition channels across industries - not just for awareness, but for measurable growth.

The creator economy felt like a natural (and exciting) next challenge.

Over the past three months, I’ve been working closely with the influencers.club team, and I’ve been impressed by the momentum and clarity of direction they’re building toward.

A few highlights:

- 15x growth last year
- 150,000+ monthly organic visitors
- Powering creator growth for global leaders like Amazon, TikTok, ShopMy, and many others

I first met Nikola Sokolov and the team at the IC Web Summit creator event. Beyond the fact that the team is great (and I am not just saying this because we threw the best party in Lisbon), conversations with Nikola made one thing very clear: we strongly align on where this industry is headed.

The future of the creator economy is data, programmatic execution and AI readiness - and the opportunity ahead is huge. As the space enters its next phase of maturity (+30% CAGR), IC is positioning itself better than anyone to lead that shift.

I’ll be sharing more as I continue to deepen my industry knowledge and as we launch some exciting updates (more on that very soon).

If you’re building in the creator economy - or curious about how to unlock the power of creator data - I’d love to connect and chat.

Everyone in Dubai - lets hang out tonight!

Always wanted to unite the players of the creative industry in one place, backstage and off the grid. Can't wish for a better setup - thx so much PHILIPP STRAUB and the FIVE Hotels and Resorts crew for making this possible. 

So, if you are in Dubai pls text me, or the absolute best partners in crime (Lucas Kollmann, Tobias Hoss 🔜 1 Billion Followers Summit, Lukas Runte, Eric Demuth, Nikola Sokolov, Bobby Petkovski, Philip Hammarskiöld 🔜 1 Billion Followers Summit) for this happening, and we will share the tickets directly as demand is too high.

2026 LFG 🏎️ 🔥 🔥 🔥

Nemanja Zivkovic

Volcano of creativity | I fix wasted marketing spend when the pipeline’s stuck | B2B systems where brand, sales & growth collide into one engine | Biblical (like Oasis)

You have a great product, but your message is messy. Your team is busy, but the pipeline is stuck. You’ve tried every "growth hack" in the book, yet you’re still the one doing the heavy lifting to close every deal.

I’m Nemanja, and I help you build a business that runs like a system.

I don’t just "do marketing." I did, as marketing goal = busines goals. But for the last few years I do much more. I help you align your brand, your sales, and your operations so they all pull in the same direction. I believe that in a world of AI-generated noise, being human is your only real competitive advantage.

Why work with me? 

I think like an owner. I’ve done this for 120+ companies and 80+ startups, helping them stop chasing clicks and start building equity.

If we're talking about real results, my own agency, Funky Marketing, closed 65 inbound B2B deals in 18 months in the very 1st year with zero ads (nothing against ads I just use them the right way - to scale what's already working without them).

I live in Serbia, but even my 1st job (ugh, a long time ago - check my work experience below) was for a Canadian company working on North American markets. Global perspective from the start. 

I’ve scaled systems for brands like Microsoft, Wix, Deloitte, and Generali across the US, Europe, and the Middle East.

In time, I learned that I love to have skin in the game, so I often partner with serious companies through revenue share or equity. If you don’t scale, I don’t win. And as an ex-basketball player, I hate losing.

Published the 1st book in the Serbian language talking about LinkedIn (soon in English, too!).

Pronounced as one of 10 Marketing Voices to follow on LinkedIn, by LinkedIn! Hey, that was huge!

Built a few communities, the biggest one with 600+ people online and 350 coming to offline events every two weeks. Proud of that and currently building a global one (pssst, more info soon).

When I’m off the clock, I’m probably listening to good music (search dilimanac on Spotify), wandering in the woods, traveling, or getting lost in a comic book or an epic fantasy world. 

I also spend my time mentoring founders at the Founder Institute and BioSense because I believe in giving back to the ecosystem that helped me grow.

So what do I actually do?

I clarify your message so buyers "get it" instantly.
I build systems that keep working even when you aren't. 
I turn your business into a revenue engine that compounds over time.

No interns, no buzzwords, no fluff. 
Senior operator who cares about your bottom line as much as you do.

Ready to simplify? Let's talk.

CEO & Founder

We create demand generation programs primarily for B2B tech-based companies in the growth phase and enable them to generate consistent revenue growth, increase their deal size and shorten their sales cycles using inbound and content strategies.

People think marketing is easy. Hint: it’s not.
People see marketing as black and white, like sales. Hint: it’s not.
Marketing is very very gray. And oftentimes counterintuitive, which is why so many people don’t get it.

We keep delivering on what we promise.

The most important lesson for social media success isn't in a marketing course... 🎬 ...it’s currently streaming on Paramount+.

Well, it’s on Paramount+, but since that’s not officially available in Serbia - you know how it goes. We use Torrent to download it. You do what you have to do to watch good TV series. 😅

I’ve been following the Instagram strategy for the series Landman, and it is phenomenal. We should all be taking notes.

Instead of just posting generic "coming up next" trailers, they do something different:

1. They give context - Actors go behind the scenes to share their own expectations for the story, building genuine hype, and then you have scene + behind the scenes in the same reel.

2. They leverage the "Soundtrack Play" - They tag the musicians (mostly country bands and musicians) featured in each episode.

3. They trigger a chain reaction - Those musicians then create their own Reels and Stories, inviting THEIR audience to watch Landman and listen to their music.

It creates a perfect ecosystem where everyone wins - the show, the musicians, and the audience. This is how you actually drive engagement.

The "Big Secret" is right in the name - Social Media. 🤝
It sounds obvious, but being "social" is the part most people skip. 

Success isn't about working in a vacuum or pushing content in one direction. It’s about doing the extra work to meet people halfway and co-creating with your audience and partners.

On LinkedIn, that means:

1. Building relationships with partners, clients, and colleagues before you need anything from them.

2. Stop extracting value - Don't just take. Contribute.

3. Stop "hard selling" - Don’t push products or drag people into meetings they never asked for.

4. Instead - Meet them halfway. Build real connections. Become the obvious choice by proving you know your craft through collaboration, not just a monologue.

Co-creation > Solo content Relationships > Transactions

Content is just the start of the conversation. The real magic happens when you stop trying to be the "only" voice in the room.

Any examples you'd like to share? Let's discuss below! 👇

P.S. Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating today! 🎄✨

If you’re serious about LinkedIn, if your clients are there, and you think organic posts are enough - let’s be clear - you’re wrong.

People limit themselves to organic. They "post and pray," ignoring EDC (Employee-Driven Content). 

They don’t build a system. 
They don’t engage in the feed or the inbox.

And then they say LinkedIn doesn’t work.
It works. Just not the way most people use it.

If your clients are here, this is what you must do. It’s exactly what I do for global companies.

It starts like this 👇

Activate your employees. Everyone writes on the same topic from their own angle. 

No templates. Just unique POVs, value, and evergreen content.

Post 2–5 times a week for three months. 

Stay active in the comments - not just on your posts, but on others' too. 

Track your profile visitors, messages, and saves.

Start with high volume, then scale based on what works. Posts must be evergreen and specific: they educate + build trust + show your POV.

Simultaneously, DM your target audience who engage with you. Don’t sell - start a conversation. 

That’s how you build relationships.

After three months, pick your best-performing posts. Edit them slightly and add a CTA link to your site or sales page.

Run those as Thought Leadership Ads. 

Boost the individual, not the company page. People see the post in their feed same as organic, just promoted by the company.

This scales the individual’s visibility and the company brand while driving sales.

Why does it work?

Because these posts already have social proof. You’re just extending their lifespan and ensuring every relevant person sees them.

While ads run, keep engaging. 

After three months of advertising ($50–$100/day), use tools like Clay for data enrichment.

By then, you already have engaged leads you’ve spoken with. You know their names, roles, and companies.

Then you enter sequences, sales calls, and direct contact. 

This is ideal for high-ticket services and targeting 20–100 specific companies.

Staying organic-only isn't a strategy folks. It's a limitation. 

LinkedIn works when you do it right.

taplio

The Battle

Nikola Sokolov

Nemanja Zivkovic

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreNikola Sokolov's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreNemanja Zivkovic's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Nikola Sokolov

Nemanja Zivkovic

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Nikola Sokolov's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreNemanja Zivkovic's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreNikola Sokolov's LinkedIn Performance