Social Pros Podcast

Kate Bradley Chernis, the Co-founder & CEO of Lately, joins the Social Pros podcast to have a chat about the revolutionary power of AI in the content creation and marketing space. Huge thanks to our amazing sponsors for helping us make this happen. Please support them; we couldn't do it without their help! This week: Salesforce Marketing Cloud Full Episode Details Kate Bradley Chernis, the Co-founder & CEO of Lately, joins the Social Pros podcast to discuss AI applications in the world of sales and marketing. Kate explores why social pros need to look for more interesting and compelling ways to draw audiences in and how Lately is helping users raise engagement levels by generating words that convert. We hear how important it is for social pros to break down communication barriers using touchpoints that trigger nostalgia, memory, and emotion, as well as the various ways AI can make that process easier. In This Episode: 4:17 - Kate gives some background on Lately.ai 09:23 - The importance of adding variety to your message 11:29 - Why archived content is still viable 16:47 - The engagement boosting power of Lately.ai 19:26 - The best source material for Lately.ai 21:50 - Why AI can’t replace humans 23:05 - How empathy ties into working with AI 30:03 - How Lately.ai helps both content and social teams 32:20 - How AI boosts human interaction 34:32 - Kate gives some insights into her ‘Lately Office Hours’ sessions 38:34 - Kate’s advice for anyone looking to become a social pro Resources Lately.ai Lately.ai’s Twitter Kate Bradley Chernis’ Twitter Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Erika Lovegreen, the SVP of Marketing & Communications at ICUC, is on Social Pros this week to talk about the intricacies of managing communities in an ever-changing landscape. Huge thanks to our amazing sponsors for helping us make this happen. Please support them; we couldn't do it without their help! This week: Salesforce Marketing Cloud Full Episode Details Erika Lovegreen, the SVP of Marketing & Communications at ICUC, has made “people” her business — whether it’s blurring the lines between community management and customer service or adapting to new trends/platforms to meet customer needs. Erika kicks off with a little ICUC backstory, starting from their humble beginnings moderating WWE conversations via text messages to partnering with Forbes list brands. She also explains what it takes to offer their services efficiently on a realistic and scalable level. We hear how changes in the digital landscape, as well as global events, have not just changed how audiences react but community managers as well. Erika also highlights the importance of learning to embrace a bit of discomfort and pushing boundaries as the social scene changes more rapidly than it has in decades. In This Episode: 03:19- Erika explains what ICUC does 05:28 - The line between community management and customer service 06:59 - How the ICUC relates with their agency partners 09:01 - Why prioritization is important when managing clients at scale 11:36 - Erika’s take on the evolution of customers’ attitude over time 13:47 - Why empathy is vital for both brands and the communities they serve 15:55 - Erika breaks down the scoreboard of a typical interaction between ICUC and their clients 18:06 - How passion and logistics play into assigning staff to subject areas 20:47 - The advantage of specialization and forming the right partnerships 23:39 - How the social media age has changed the skillsets needed at ICUC 26:32 - Steps brands should take to ensure they have the right engagement strategies for the future 31:49 - How Erika's background in healthcare feeds into her present role 34:12 - Erika’s advice to people looking to become social pros Resources ICUC’s Twitter ICUC’s LinkedIn Erika’s Twitter Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Nathan Allebach, the Creative Director of Allebach Communications, joined the Social Pros podcast for a chat about the ins and outs of creating brand voices and how he created the iconic Steak-umm brand persona. Huge thanks to our amazing sponsors for helping us make this happen. Please support them; we couldn't do it without their help! This week: Salesforce Marketing Cloud Full Episode Details Nathan Allebach, the Creative Director of Allebach Communications, is on the Social Pros podcast to share his thought process behind creating the Steak-umm brand persona, and the ins and outs of balancing client expectations with audience expectations. Jumping on the Twitter scene at a time when big brand personas just started dominating the platform, Nathan admits to being pleasantly surprised once the Steak-umm voice rose in popularity. Nathan discusses how his success simply boiled down to experimentation and how he had to apply clear-cut strategies to keep the brand persona out of the red and in the black. He also shares a few pointers on pitching brand personas and earning client trust further down the line. Nathan also explains why it’s important for social pros to prioritize basic media literacy and critical thinking. In This Episode: 04:12 - Nathan tells us about his podcast “What's Really Good” 05:13 - How Nathan’s wealth of knowledge helped make him a social media expert 07:46 - Inspiration behind the Steak-umm brand persona 10:10 - The general reaction when the Steak-umm voice took off 13:12 - How to breathe life into brand voices 16:50 - How Nathan handled non-marketing related messages sent to the brand 20:15 - The dynamics of Nathan’s relationship with the Steak-umm stakeholders/brand managers 23:04 - The kind of topics Nathan would avoid under the Steak-Umm umbrella 26:52 - How to establish trust within brand-agency relationships 30:01 - When to pitch vanity metrics vs actionable metrics 31:34 - Nathan’s take on whether the Steak-umm playbook could work for any brand 41:26 - Nathan’s advice for anyone looking to be a social pro Resources What’s Really Good with Nathan Allebach Nathan’s Twitter Allebach Communications Allebach Communications' Twitter Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Nora Cata, Marketing Specialist at the Stanford Center for Professional Development joins the Social Pros podcast to discuss the importance of leveraging platform experts to ensure that social media campaigns hit their mark Huge thanks to our amazing sponsors for helping us make this happen. Please support them; we couldn't do it without their help! This week: Salesforce Marketing Cloud Full Episode Details Nora Cata, the Marketing Specialist at the Stanford Center for Professional Development joins the Social Pros podcast to explain the importance of forming relationships with platform representatives and experts. Nora has spearheaded some pretty bold and daring social media campaigns during her time as a marketer, but her confidence isn’t just on account of her wealth of knowledge. Over the years, she has formed solid connections with platform representatives which, in turn, gives her more insights into what works and what doesn’t. She delves into some of the great work she’s done as a result of her affiliation with platform representatives in LinkedIn and even Google. She also offers a few pointers on how to get in touch with some of these platform representatives, ranging from networking to simply asking nicely. In This Episode: 03:49 - Nora gives some insight into what the Stanford Center for Professional Development does 04:54 - How the Stanford Center for Professional Development carries out its very precise marketing strategy 08:52 - Nora describes her typical target market 10:48 - How virtual engagement has spiked since the pandemic 13:12 - Nora discusses virtual content and how she uses it 17:22 - The inspiration behind their out-of-the-box virtual content 18:49 - How communicating with platform reps boosts the success of a social media campaign 22:43 - Nora shares tips to get in touch with a platform rep 25:34 - How Nora’s team is structured and how that contributes to her success 28:58 - Who gets credit for what on Nora’s team 30:37 - What Nora looks for in metrics 32:09 - How Nora manages the messaging for two different brands under one umbrella 38:11- Nora’s advice for anyone looking to become a social pro Resources Stanford Center for Professional Development Nora Cata’s Twitter Nora Cata’s LinkedIn Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Whitney Magnuson, Senior Director, Social Marketing at Northwestern Mutual, is on Social Pros this week to talk about the strategy behind making finance content fun on social media. Huge thanks to our amazing sponsors for helping us make this happen. Please support them; we couldn't do it without their help! This week: Salesforce Marketing Cloud Full Episode Details Whitney Magnuson, Senior Director, Social Marketing at Northwestern Mutual, joins Social Pros to give us a window into how her team creates fun and engaging social content. Whitney explains how social media is a team effort that goes beyond the marketing department and how financial advisors use their expertise to pitch in with ideas. She also shares the challenges of creating content for such a highly regulated industry. Memes and pop culture might not be what you expect from a financial services giant like Northwestern Mutual, but the social team pulls it off with a nice balance between fun and informative content. Whitney also shares Northwestern Mutual’s approach to working with influencers and why they focus more on micro-influencers who represent everyday people. As a self-proclaimed data junkie, Whitney also explains why data is so important in this field and how it can help you tweak and fine-tune your social strategy. In This Episode: 5:57 – Whitney fills us in on what Northwestern Mutual offers 7:50 – How Whitney helps financial professionals with their social media efforts 10:24 – How to navigate compliance regulations on social media 11:35 – How Whitney and her team makes financial content fun 14:23 – Why Northwestern Mutual uses a very different tone on social 17:10 – How Northwestern Mutual went from being “the quiet company” on social to a social-first organization 19:11 – Advice for taking over a new social media team 21:11 – How Whitney’s background as an attorney plays into her current role 22:55 – Where influencers fit into Northwestern Mutual’s marketing strategy 26:59 – How Whitney picks influencers to work with 28:44 – How customer relationships with financial advisors have changed since COVID 31:06 – Why data is one of the most important parts of social media 34:49 – Northwestern Mutual’s focus on younger customers 37:37 – Why LinkedIn content differs from Instagram content 38:55 – Why Whitney isn’t a huge fan of Reels 43:26 – Whitney’s top tip for anyone looking to become a social pro Resources Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce Onalytica B2B Influencer Compensation Report Northwestern Mutual’s Twitter Northwestern Mutual’s Facebook page Northwestern Mutual’s LinkedIn Northwestern Mutual’s Instagram Northwestern Mutual’s YouTube channel Whitney’s blog - Mrs. Millennial Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Chad Colemen, the VP of Brand Partnerships & Digital Engagement at Dude Perfect, joins the Social Pros podcast to discuss the dynamics of brand partnerships and how to discover what works and what doesn’t. Huge thanks to our amazing sponsors for helping us make this happen. Please support them; we couldn't do it without their help! This week: Salesforce Marketing Cloud Full Episode Details Chad Colemen, the VP of Brand Partnerships & Digital Engagement at Dude Perfect, is on the Social Pros podcast to share the ins and outs of forming and maintaining brand partnerships. As a fan of golf and a proficient digital marketer, Chad admits that he’s landed his dream job. However, it’s every bit a job as the next role. It’s not all trick shots and hanging with the Dudes for him. He juggles a number of behind-the-scenes duties, including managing all the brand partnerships that come their way. Chad offers a peek behind the curtains at how Dude Perfect picks brand partners and what goals need to align before the partnership is considered successful. He also paints a vivid picture of what the wrong partnership looks like and how partner expectations have evolved with the success of Dude Perfect. In This Episode: 7:04 - What the Dude Perfect’s creative process looks like 13:31 - Chad’s description of a typical week at Dude Perfect 15:31 - Chad’s elevator pitch for his job role at Dude Perfect 17:21 - How Chad’s role has evolved with over the years 23:24 - How Dude Perfect vets brand partnerships 26:49 - How advertiser expectations have changed with the success of Dude Perfect 30:49 - Why embedded marketing messages work better Dude Perfect 39:14 - How Dude Perfect manages varying social media algorithms 45:44 - Chad’s top tip for people looking to be social pros Resources Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce Chad Coleman’s Twitter Dude Perfect’s Twitter Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Neil Hoyne, the Chief Measurement Strategist at Google, joins the Social Pros podcast to talk about the untapped potential of data and how marketers and social pros alike can leverage it. Huge thanks to our amazing sponsors for helping us make this happen. Please support them; we couldn't do it without their help! This week: Salesforce Marketing Cloud Full Episode Details Neil Hoyne, Chief Measurement Strategist at Google and author of the book Converted: The Data Driven Way to Win Consumers’ Hearts, is on the Social Pros podcast to address an issue plaguing most organizations today — what do we do with all this data? Neil explains that the journey from one data driven decision to ten of them is a gradual and progressive one. He also discusses the need to use timely and relevant data on account of the dynamism of customer behavior. Drawing from a few excerpts from his book, Neil answers seemingly simple but pertinent questions such as “why marketers don’t as the right questions” and “whether aspiring marketers should dabble in courses like psychology.” In This Episode: 06:31 - What it takes to handle the monumental amount of data available today 10:16 - Neil highlights the importance of having real-time consumer data 13:15 - Three reasons why marketers don’t ask the right questions 16:07 - What prevents companies from embracing lifetime value 19:55 - How to demonstrate the lifetime value of social media without the math 22:41 - How social pros can successfully chase the same objective as other parts of an organization 26:02 - Neil’s take on whether social media practitioners should also do measurement and analytics 29:59 - Why Neil believes acquisition is the best way to build your business using social media 32:38 - Why all organizations need some semblance of a Chief Digital Officer role 34:46 - Why Neil advises marketing students to work across disciplines 37:08 – Neil’s top tip for those looking to become a social pro Resources Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce Grab the Social Pros Turns 500 free commemorative eBook Neil Hoyne’s Twitter Converted: The Data-Driven Way to Win Customers’ Hearts Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Tim Williams, CEO of Onalytica, joins the Social Pros podcast to talk about the power and rising popularity of influencer marketing in the B2B space. Huge thanks to our amazing sponsors for helping us make this happen. Please support them; we couldn't do it without their help! This week: Salesforce Marketing Cloud Full Episode Details Tim Williams, CEO of Onalytica, is on the Social Pros podcast to discuss the rise of B2B influencers, how much they get paid, and the best practices for working with them. Tim takes us into the story of what Onalytica does for brands and shares why he thinks influencers have become so key to the marketing world. He explains that there’s a major trust problem with brands, meaning that marketing is starting to lose its effect – paving the way for influencers to save the day.   Tim discusses Onalytica’s recent B2B Influencer Compensation Report and what the data shows about how much influencers are paid around the world. He also shares some red flags that brands and influencers should watch out for before starting a partnership. In This Episode: 4:08 – Tim explains the different stages businesses want to work with influencers 5:58 – Why influencers are replacing the trust that brands have lost 8:14 – How B2B has started to embrace influencer marketing 10:54 - What the B2B Influencer Compensation Report says about payments 14:40 – How the expectations of influencers differ around the world 17:37 – How to measure the effectiveness of B2B influencers 20:25 – Deciding how many influencers and what type of influencers to hire 22:41 – How the demand for influencers is creating new roles in the B2B space 25:40 – Tim explains the difficulty of managing influencers in a broader business structure 28:03 – How Onalytica helps clients determine what employees would make good influencers 30:07 – How the expectations of influencers have changed 35:27 – Tim explains how influencer marketing and account-based marketing will work together 38:56 – Red flags that influencers should be aware of before working with a brand 43:58 – Tim’s top tip for someone wanting to become a social pro or an influencer marketing manager Resources Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce B2B Influencer Compensation Report Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Jess Zafarris, Director of Audience Engagement at Adweek, joins the Social Pros podcast to chat about one of the most important aspects of social media - audience engagement. Huge thanks to our amazing sponsors for helping us make this happen. Please support them; we couldn't do it without their help! This week: Salesforce Marketing Cloud Full Episode Details Jess Zafarris, Director of Audience Engagement at Adweek and author of the book Once Upon a Word, knows how to get people talking online. As head of audience engagement, it’s her job to ensure that social content sparks conversation while also telling an accurate story of the latest news. Jess explains what it’s like to engage with people with different levels of expertise due to Adweek’s highly varied audience. We’re also taken behind the scenes of how the Adweek weekly Twitter chats came to be, how its TikTok strategy is going, and what it takes to create engaging pieces of content. We hear how Jess balances the creator vs. reporter side of her role and blends informative content with fun, creative content to get the most engagement. Jess also gives some examples of brands she thinks are killing it in the world of audience engagement and shares some of her favorite campaigns she’s seen brands take on. In This Episode: 3:30 – What it’s like managing social media for a publication 4:47 – How Adweek creates content for such a broad audience 6:35 – Jess explains how they manage their content calendar 8:46 – How Jess’ role fits into a journalistic environment 13:01 – Jess explains Adweek’s TikTok strategy 16:33 – How long it takes to create content 19:11 – How social media has changed over the course of the pandemic 22:32 – Jess says who she thinks is nailing audience engagement on social media 27:17 – How effective cross-promotion programs can be across different brands and subjects 30:44 – Crafting a balance between creative content and statistics-driven content 32:58 – Why Jess thinks “metaverse” should be in the dictionary 34:39 – How brands are preparing for the metaverse 36:18 – Jess tells us about her book and side projects in etymology 38:26 – Jess’ top tip for anyone looking to become a social pro Resources Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce Adweek’s website Adweek’s Twitter Jess Zafarris’ Twitter Useless Etymology’s Twitter Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Marking this incredible milestone, our very own Jay Baer, Anna Hrach, and Adam Brown sit down to discuss the most important (and surprising) lessons learned over 10 years of the Social Pros podcast in this special one-off webinar. Huge thanks to our amazing sponsors for helping us make this happen. Please support them; we couldn't do it without their help! This week: Salesforce Marketing Cloud Full Episode Details With more than 500 interviews with hundreds of industry-leading social specialists under their belts, hosts Jay Baer, Anna Hrach, and Adam Brown look back over the developments that have shaped social pros roles in the last decade. In this very special episode, the hosts share insights from previous Social Pros guests about the changes, evolutions, and the biggest surprises in social media since the podcast began. They also revisit some of the very best tips and advice from the experts over the years. The hosts go on to discuss what’s in store for the future of a social pro and what developments you can expect to see in social media roles in the next ten years. They also share their one dream guest they’d like to interview on the Social Pros podcast. Discover all the key findings and insights from 500 episodes (and counting) in our companion eBook, where you can also check out the video version of the webinar. In This Episode: 3:22 – Jay reflects on the early days of the Social Pros podcast 4:50 – Adam shares what it’s been like talking to different social pros over the years 8:26 – Why Social Pros’ success is all down to featuring great guests 12:37 – The biggest surprises in social media over the last ten years 15:24 – What a previous guest had to say about producing authentic content 17:58 – How social media has become part of customer care 20:22 – How social media has changed so much over the last decade 26:24 – Why the role of a social pro has evolved so drastically 28:43 – Predictions on what skills future social pros are likely to need 32:11 – The top guest tips for anyone looking to become a social pro 40:48 – Dream guests Jay, Adam, and Anna would love to see on the show Resources Grab the Social Pros Turns 500 free commemorative eBook Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.