Social Pros Podcast

Alisa Meredith, Pinterest Product Specialist & Marketing Manager at Tailwind, joins the Social Pros Podcast to talk about how brands can use Pinterest to reach new audiences, drive traffic, and scale their businesses. 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 Upfluence accessiBe Full Episode Details Have you thought about using Pinterest for business? If not, it’s time to step up and supercharge your presence on Pinterest. 459 million people use Pinterest each month, that’s a huge audience and Pinterest’s growth isn’t slowing down any time soon. Alisa Meredith, Pinterest Product Specialist & Marketing Manager, at Tailwind, states that 97% of Pinterest searches are unbranded. This means that 97% of referring traffic from Pinterest is new traffic, which is a massive opportunity for brands to reach new people, increase traffic and drive conversions. Pinterest is a powerful platform for reaching traditional demographics and new audiences as the platform continues to grow. Alisa is a Pinterest expert. In this episode, she reveals how social media practitioners can leverage the platform to create and share incredible pins that speak to their audience. In This Episode: 05:06 – How Alisa would describe Pinterest to beginners 06:20 – Why it’s so important to get your pin on as many boards as possible 07:18 – Whether success on Pinterest is based on what industry you’re in 08:53 – How Pinterest can drive a new audience to your business 11:01 – Why Pinterest lacks data insights and analytics 13:52 – How the demographics of the average Pinterest user is changing 16:40 – What Tailwind Create is and how it works 18:59 – How to find the sweet spot when it comes to uploading new pins 22:00 – How brands can use Pinterest Paid Ads 23:48 – What works and what doesn’t work on Pinterest 28:20 – How B2B brands are leveraging Pinterest 30:03 – Key mistakes to avoid when using Pinterest for business 34:18 – The importance of production value 37:43 – Whether brands really need a content philosophy that includes everything (images, videos, stories, etc.) Resources: Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce Find out more about the community at SocialMedia.org with a special form for Social Pros listeners Download Upfluence’s Brand Influence Ranking Report Find out if your website is ADA & WCAG compliant with help from accessiBe Learn more about Tailwind Check out Alisa Meredith’s website Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Jason Keath, the Founder and CEO of Social Fresh, joins the Social Pros Podcast to discuss the Social Fresh Conference and tips to keep your social media fresh and innovative. 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 Upfluence accessiBe Full Episode Details If you’re a social media professional, you’re probably familiar with the pressure from superiors to increase followers on multiple social media platforms. But how important is a brand’s follower count? Jason Keath, the Founder and CEO of Social Fresh, claims that it’s not about numbers, it’s about quality – “what we try to pay more attention to these days is not necessarily the number of followers or engagement that we’re getting with content, but the quality and relevance of it.” It’s time for brands and social media professionals to go after the true north star, which isn’t how many followers you have, but the quality & engagement of those followers. Social Fresh is a social media training and analysis company with the goal to inspire and support the social media industry. The Social Fresh Conference is the longest running conference in the social marketing industry and if you thought a global pandemic would get in its way, think again! The Social Fresh Conference is virtual this year and if you want tickets, listen in closely for a special discount code to attend the conference! In This Episode: 05:15 – Jason reveals everything you need to know about the upcoming Social Fresh Conference 06:22 – How Jason got into this business and why he’s still doing it 10:11 – How moving to virtual has changed things like speaker selection, creating content experiences, and marketing the event 12:36 – What today’s participants at Social Fresh expect to learn or gain from attending the event 15:06 – How recruiting speakers has changed 18:42 – Tips for anyone trying to bring people together via virtual events 23:49 – Jason talks about the Instagram Templates Project 27:48 – How marketing agencies have adjusted to the new normal 29:58 – Jason shares the tale of two tweets 33:37 – What frustrates Jason about the current state of social 36:26 – Jason shares his prediction for the future of Clubhouse Resources Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce Find out more about the community at SocialMedia.org with a special form for Social Pros listeners Download Upfluence’s Brand Influence Ranking Report Find out if your website is ADA & WCAG compliant with help from accessiBe Learn more about the upcoming Social Fresh Conference Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Carmen Collins, Employee/Employer Brand & Social Media Lead at Cisco (#WeAreCisco team), joins the Social Pros Podcast to talk about the power of employee social content and how it can help brands build engagement and impact their audience. 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 Upfluence accessiBe Full Episode Details Using social media for employer and employee branding and recruitment is something that nobody does better than Employee/Employer Brand & Social Media Lead at Cisco (#WeAreCisco team), Carmen Collins. Carmen is a leading force in employee and employer communications and actively gives employees a voice on social media. Brands want to use social media to engage with their audience and promote what’s going on with their business, but how should they determine what to promote? And, how can brands be sure that what they share on social media will be representative of the brand and impactful to their audience? Carmen emphasizes the importance of having empathy, which is something that many brands confuse with authenticity. To have empathy, brands must be empathetic. It seems obvious, but many brands miss the mark here. Carmen’s solution is to seek help from employees. In her opinion, “employee-generated content adds empathy.” In This Episode: 05:46 – The difference between employee-generated content and brand-generated content 08:39 – How to triangulate new channel opportunities 11:02 – How Cisco has adjusted their content creation process in light of the shift to remote work 13:11 – How to ensure employee content represents your brand 17:01 – Whether Cisco’s core audience is existing or potential team members 19:17 – How to amplify employee content on social media 24:10 – How Cisco approaches paid amplification and targeted ads 27:48 – What to consider when selecting a specific audience to market employment messages 30:25 – How Cisco decides what to publish 35:23 – Whether Cisco carries out studies to measure employee retention, communication, and their overall impact Resources Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce Find out more about the community at SocialMedia.org with a special form for Social Pros listeners Download Upfluence’s Brand Influence Ranking Report Find out if your website is ADA & WCAG compliant with help from accessiBe Learn more about Empathy In Tech Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Brian Fanzo, Digital Futurist at iSocialFanz, joins the Social Pros Podcast to discuss the new social media platform that everyone’s talking about – Clubhouse. We discuss how this voice-only app is making waves in the social media world and how you can use it as part of your own strategy. 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 Tailwind aCe Full Episode Details Is Clubhouse the only social media platform that prioritizes conversation over content? Brian Fanzo, Digital Futurist at iSocialFanz, says that Clubhouse is a unique platform that could create a type of dialogue never seen before on social media. As an invite-only, audio-only platform, Clubhouse focuses on real conversations and a new style of networking. Unlike other social media platforms, it’s not all about creating consistent content. Instead, Clubhouse provides intimate spaces to connect and share ideas. As Brian says in this podcast episode, Clubhouse is all about authenticity, which is much harder to fake than on other platforms. After this episode, we’re continuing the Clubhouse discussion – on Clubhouse itself! Join us on March 1st at 10 am ET for the Social Pros Podcast After Party: Clubhouse for Brands with Jay Baer & Brian Fanzo. In This Episode: 5:23 – What is Clubhouse, and how does it work? 9:14 – The power of audio and the authenticity of Clubhouse 12:21 – How conversations on Clubhouse are organized by rooms and clubs 17:40 – The different types of content and conversations available on Clubhouse 18:49 – How 2020 events influenced Clubhouse’s rise in popularity 24:42 – Brian predicts where the growth within Clubhouse will go and how to leverage it as a social pro 30:54 – How brands can use Clubhouse 37:00 – How to multitask with Clubhouse 43:23 – How Clubhouse approaches monetization and moderation 45:07 – The pros and cons of Clubhouse. Resources Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce Find out more about the community at SocialMedia.org with a special form for Social Pros listeners Find out if your website is ADA & WCAG compliant with help from aCe Get $30 off of your Tailwind Subscription! Join Clubhouse iSocialFanz website Brian’s website Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Caleb Gardner, Founder and Managing Partner of 18 Coffees, joins the Social Pros podcast to discuss social media's influence in the world. We discuss his social media experience in both corporate and government environments, what’s changed over the last ten years, and how social platforms have responded to social issues. 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 Tailwind aCe Full Episode Details Social media has become a huge part of our everyday lives. It’s a source of entertainment, a way to catch up on the news, and a tool to connect with others. While there have been great things about it, social media's dark side is hard to ignore. Founder and Managing Partner of 18 Coffees, Caleb Gardner, has seen it all during his long career in social media. He’s seen social media help to create real change in the world but also witnessed the “darkest corners of the internet.” What does that mean for social media today? Can it still be a force for good? And how can we as social professionals ensure we’re bringing positivity to the discussion? Caleb explains his thoughts on social media's role in our lives and questions the responsibility social platforms have over their content. He talks about the importance of being curious, trying out new things, and treating people with respect. In This Episode: 6:12 – How social media is about more than just marketing 9:12 – How social media can be a force for good and bad 13:31 – Should social media platforms take responsibility for the wider influence of their content? 17:30 – Why social media platforms rely so much on engagement as a business model 19:01 – Why social platforms shouldn’t assume they’ll be the top choice forever 21:41 – Caleb discusses some of the new social media platforms bringing in competition 23:30 – Why many social media tips are the same as they were ten years ago 25:30 – How the 70/20/10 model works when trying out new content 26:40 – The two types of social media metrics to watch out for 30:14 - Caleb’s take on where social media fits into the government’s and business’ drive for engagement 33:59 – How noisy social media has become 36:15 – How businesses can avoid the yearly social media account cull 39:01 – The pros and cons of paid vs. organic social 42:33 – The story behind the name 18 Coffees Resources: Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce Find out more about the community at SocialMedia.org with a special form for Social Pros listeners Find out if your website is ADA & WCAG compliant with help from aCe Get $30 off of your Tailwind Subscription! Caleb Gardner’s website 18 Coffees’ website Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Kristina Paider, Chief Creative Officer at The Hollywood Approach, joins the Social Pros Podcast to discuss how we can apply movie inspiration to our lives. We also speak about Kristina’s book “The Hollywood Approach,” which shows you how to live your wildest dreams, movie-style! Full Episode Details Be the hero of your own story How can we become the heroes of our own stories? Whether we’re thinking about our businesses or ourselves, a little movie inspiration goes a long way. Kristina Paider, Chief Creative Officer and author of “The Hollywood Approach” shows us how we can use movie magic to make our wildest dreams a reality. Kristina uses her wisdom as a story strategist and screenwriter to apply the principles of Hollywood stories to real life. Kristina encourages everyone to “boss up and be the screenwriter of your show.” By channeling your resources, exploring your character DNA, finding your strengths, and learning from mentors, you can achieve great things. This applies to businesses looking to level-up their company as much as it does to individuals. As Kristina discusses in this podcast episode, you must move away from perfectionism – and instead embrace your strengths AND flaws to become the hero of your own story. In This Episode: 5:48 – What “The Hollywood Approach” is and how storytelling applies to businesses 8:01 – Why businesses are hesitant to embrace storytelling 9:32 – What hit TV show “Cobra Kai” can teach us about using flaws in storytelling 11:18 – How to apply the three elements of storytelling to business (character, goal, obstacles) 12:28 – How to make your 2021 content binge-worthy 13:15 – How using flaws can humanize your business 16:07 – The importance of being the hero of your own story by identifying your own strengths, flaws and superpowers 20:40 – What is a “log line,” and how can businesses use them? 22:35 – The use of movie-style log lines to define goals and purposes on social media 23:41 – How to use The Hollywood Approach to define customer profiles 25:11 – How Kristina feels about storytelling in 15 seconds 27:23 – Kristina’s take on refreshing existing business stories 28:25 – Why looking at the “cast and characters” in your business is more important than ever 30:48 – Kristina’s free bonus content, including movie-style exercises and resources 36:17 – Kristina’s top tips for social pros Resources: Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce Find out more about the community at SocialMedia.org with a special form for Social Pros listeners Find out if your website is ADA & WCAG compliant with help from aCe Get $30 off of your Tailwind Subscription! Kristina Paider’s website Read Kristina Paider’s book, “The Hollywood Approach” Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Anna Gonzalez, Social Media Strategy Lead at Google Developer Studio, joins the Social Pros podcast to discuss how Google uses new technology and social media can connect audiences. 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: Google may be a massive company with lots of resources and a seemingly infinite budget, but they still have many of the same questions and struggles as the rest of us. Social media is a continuously evolving medium, and as social practitioners, we need to keep up if we want to continue to thrive in this space. This is something that all brands have in common, and Google is no exception. As Anna Gonzalez, Social Media Strategy Lead at Google Developer Studio, states, “we're constantly growing and thinking about how to do things more efficiently.” Anna also emphasizes the importance of being open to experimentation on social media and why being authentic is vital when communicating with developers. Tune in to hear more about how the Google Developer Studios team uses different social measurement methodologies to stay relevant, enchant developers, and navigate social media without a king-sized budget. In This Episode: 05:11 - What Google Developer Studios is and how it works 07:37 - What the social team looks like at Google Developer Studios 10:46 - How different developers use social media 14:08 - Finding new and creative ways to connect with developers 18:50 - The mix between sharing Google Developer Studio content vs. content about developers 20:59 - How Anna works with advocates, influencers, and micro-influencers 23:37 - How to strike a balance between planning and spontaneity when posting on social media 27:09 - How Google Developer Studios adapts social measurement methodologies 30:13 - Why senior leadership are putting greater focus on social during the pandemic 33:40 - How to navigate social media without the big budget 37:53 - Working on side projects at Google Resources: Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce Find out more about the community at SocialMedia.org with a special form for Social Pros listeners Find out if your website is ADA & WCAG compliant with help from aCe Get $30 off of your Tailwind Subscription! Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Jason Falls, Director of Digital Strategy at Cornett, joins the Social Pros Podcast to debunk common myths and misconceptions around influencer marketing. We also talk about his new book, “Winfluence.” 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 SocialMedia.org Full Episode Details Is the letter “r” the only difference between "influence" and "influencer," or is there more to it than that? Jason Falls, Director of Digital Strategy at Cornett, states that when you talk about influence, it’s not about the channel, the influencer, or even the person. It’s not a noun, it’s a verb. So, when you’re talking about influence, you’re talking about your strategic purpose. As Jason said in this episode of the podcast, “you want to influence an audience to take action.” Understanding the difference between influence and influencer is so important. In this episode, Jason reveals whether it’s more beneficial to have a popular influencer promote your brand vs. someone who talks passionately about your brand to a smaller audience. We also dig into why he prefers the term "influence marketing" over "influencer marketing" and some common misconceptions around influencer marketing. In This Episode: 08:59 – How influence shifts the perspective to the action rather than the channel 12:02 – Why we often make the mistake of relying on influencers rather than influence 15:18 – Why people tend to be skeptical of influencers and their authenticity 18:52 – What makes influencer marketing work 21:01 – How to find the sweet spot when searching for the right influencer for your brand 23:05 – Why it’s better to have fewer influencers who you have a relationship with vs. many influencers 29:53 – Who should be responsible for influencer marketing within an organization 31:38 – The pros and cons of asking an influencer to be category exclusive 38:01 – How social pros can use the three most important words in influence marketing to their benefit Resources: Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce Find out more about the community at SocialMedia.org with a special form for Social Pros listeners Find out if your website is ADA & WCAG compliant with help from aCe Get $30 off of your Tailwind Subscription! Read ‘Winfluence’ by Jason Falls Visit Jason’s website Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Minter Dial, Professional Speaker & Author, Mydial LLP, joins the Social Pros Podcast to talk about the importance of blending your personal and professional life. We also discuss his book, “You Lead,” which claims that your biggest asset in leadership is you. 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 SocialMedia.org Full Episode Details How can you become the type of leader that your team respects and trusts? Minter Dial (Professional Speaker & Author, Mydial LLP) believes that becoming a better leader is as simple as being yourself. Minter’s book, “You Lead,” teaches leaders from every industry how to lead with authenticity. He argues that the most successful leaders are those who embrace their true selves. If you don’t know yourself, you will struggle to be an effective leader. It’s clear that leadership is changing and whether you aspire to be a better leader (or you create social media content on behalf of a leader), understanding this change is critical to your success and self-worth. As Minter discusses in this episode of the podcast, you must work on yourself to become a better leader before creating better teams. He also talked about the importance of building trust and building it over time “by doing what you say, saying what you do, and being consistent.” In This Episode: 06:18 – Why the nature of leadership is more important now than ever 07:48 – Why Minter Dial’s book, “You Lead,” focuses on the power of intuition 11:50 – How concepts of what makes a leader are changing 15:29 – The recipe for success for modern-day leaders 19:09 – How social media leaders can use “but” vs. “and” when giving their team instructions or feedback 22:05 – The importance of understanding the liberties and constraints you operate under 26:10 – How to bridge the recognition gap amongst social media professionals 29:08 – How expectations for CMO’s has changed and how to avoid burnout 31:58 – Why you need to align your personal and professional life 34:29 – Minter reveals whether he agrees with the idea that the “most human brand wins” Resources: Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce Find out more about the community at SocialMedia.org with a special form for Social Pros listeners Find out if your website is ADA & WCAG compliant with help from aCe Get $30 off of your Tailwind Subscription! Read Minter Dial’s book, “You Lead” Check out Minter Dial’s website Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Linda Dianne, Video/Social Media Strategist from Diversify Social Media and Milly Tamarez, a Freelance Social Media Manager and Comedian, join the Social Pros Podcast to talk about the importance of diversity 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 Inclusivity on social media is so important. Brands continue to make promises to be more inclusive, which is great. However, we need to make a real effort to change and grow to ensure we’re inclusive in not just what we say, but in what we do. Two special guests join us in this powerful Social Pros episode featuring Linda Dianne, Video/Social Media Strategist from Diversify Social Media, and Milly Tamarez, a Freelance Social Media Manager and Comedian. The fight for true diversity, inclusivity, and acceptance for all is still ongoing. The jury is still out on lasting change from brands, and as Milly states in this episode, “something has shifted, and things have changed. But it is a process that we have to continue working on and optimizing.” Many deeply important topics around diversity in the social media industry are discussed in this episode. Tune in with an open mind and get ready to motivate real change in your everyday life. In This Episode: 03:08 – How Diversify Social Media got started 05:20 – How personal experiences and world events inspired Linda and Milly to launch Diversify Social Media 11:15 – What the Diversify Social Media curriculum consists of 15:46 – What pieces of the curriculum tends to stand out to students and participants 19:21 – Who would benefit from the Diversify Social Media program 23:51 – Whether brands have developed a better understanding of diversity following the Black Lives Matter movement 27:51 – How brands can become more inclusive 32:26 – How to get involved with the Diversify Social Media program Resources Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce Find out more about the community at SocialMedia.org with a special form for Social Pros listeners Learn more about Diversify Social Media Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.