Social Pros Podcast

Jenn Herman, Instagram Expert from Jenn’s Trends, joins the Social Pros Podcast to discuss how Instagram’s core strategies have not changed in years and what businesses can do to grow their accounts. 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 Since its launch back in 2010, Instagram has continued to reign as one of the most popular social media platforms of all time. One billion people use Instagram each month, and although the platform often releases new features, it has stayed very true to its origins. Instagram is about so much more than sharing photos and videos with friends and family. It has become a vital tool for businesses that leverage Instagram’s features to reach new audiences and engage with existing customers. Jenn Herman is an Instagram Expert and the world’s forefront blogger on Instagram marketing. She claims that although small things have changed (the introduction of Instagram Reels, for example), the platform’s core strategies have not changed in years. You can still use the same core strategies to help grow your account and gain a following. In This Episode: 03:24 – How Jenn helped write “The Ultimate Guide to Social Media Marketing” 05:41 – How Instagram’s core strategies have not changed in years 07:06 – Why you shouldn’t post TikTok content on Instagram Reels 10:41 – How to create authentic reels 13:25 – Whether it’s time for brands to post more light-hearted content 16:09 – Why TikTok and Instagram usage has increased during the pandemic 22:23 – How Jenn and her co-writers wrote their book virtually and how they segmented topics 29:15 – How to keep a book about social media marketing relevant and up-to-date 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 Jenn’s Trends Read “The Ultimate Guide to Social Media Marketing” Read Jenn’s book, “Instagram For Business For Dummies” Read Jenn’s book, “Instagram For Dummies” Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Jason Dorsey, the President and Lead Researcher of The Center for Generational Kinetics, is our guest on this fascinating episode of the Social Pros Podcast. We discuss how Gen Z thinks when it comes to digital and social, and what brands can learn about selling and marketing to Gen Z. 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 Are you still trying to figure out how to reach and connect with Gen Z? New generations are rapidly changing how brands engage with their audiences. The problem is, for many brands, younger generations are still a vast mystery. Jason Dorsey, the President and Lead Researcher of The Center for Generational Kinetics, potentially knows more about Gen Z than anyone on the planet. He can pinpoint the fundamental differences in how Gen Z thinks about digital and social, and it is manifestly different from what many of us might think. By studying generations closer and developing a better understanding of how they think, you will be in a much stronger position to create marketing messages that target new generations. Jason shares one truth bomb after another in what is potentially one of the most fascinating episodes of Social Pros that we’ve ever done. In This Episode: 03:55 – The foundational impact that social media has had on Gen Z 07:21 – How to craft social media messages that Gen Z want to engage with 13:25 – How Gen Z’s can be influential to older audiences that brands want to attract 17:50 – Why Gen Z trusts social media influencers, even though they’re being paid 21:02 – How Gen Z alters their behavior and choices based on online reviews 25:46 – Why brands must agree on the non-negotiables of their organization before deciding what to post on social media 30:38 – How to balance your social media content in a way that attracts Gen Z 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 The Center for Generational Kinetics Visit Jason Dorsey’s personal website Read ‘Zconomy’ by Jason Dorsey   Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Anna Hrach, Content Strategist at Convince & Convert, sits on the other side of the microphone for this episode of the Social Pros Podcast to discuss how her and the team built an app that has the potential to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. 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 Research is key to success Never underestimate the power of research. Yes, intuition and going with your gut instinct can help you reach greater heights on social media, but research is what will help you achieve your biggest goals. Content Strategist at Convince & Convert, Anna Hrach, leveraged the power of research to do something truly remarkable. Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, it’s become vitally important to help reduce the spread of the virus by listening to advice from medical professionals such as wearing a face mask and following social distance rules. However, Anna and the team at Convince & Convert took it one step further by helping our client, The University of Arizona, launch an app that alerts you when it suspects you may have had potential exposure to COVID-19 from somebody who has tested positive. It’s a ground-breaking app and one that can potentially help reduce the spread of the virus and save thousands of lives. Hear all about it on this episode of Social Pros with the wonderful, Anna Hrach. In This Episode: 04:13 – Anna describes her role as a strategist at Convince & Convert 05:11 – How the COVID Watch Arizona app came about and how it works 07:46 – The important role of developing and utilizing research to help get the app up and running 09:21 – How the five distinct segments of the college student population were believed to interact with the app differently 12:43 –Why it was so important to use assets and messaging that reflected how students communicate with each other 14:25 – The mechanics of the second set of assets that other parts of the campus could use and why this approach was so effective 16:58 – How student influencers helped to spread awareness of the app amongst their peers 19:42 – How we used social listening to help answer people’s questions about the app 24:33 – How the app was received in terms of downloads 28:04 – What Anna would have done differently back when the app first rolled out 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 The University of Arizona Find out more about the Covid Watch Arizona App Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Stephanie Liu, the Founder of Lights, Camera, Live, is our special guest on this episode of the Social Pros Podcast, where she reveals the best practices for live streaming and how to make the most of your live stream content. 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 there more to live streaming than the ‘going live’ part? Stephanie Liu, the Founder of Lights, Camera, Live, knows more about live streaming than anyone we’ve ever had on the show. Hosting a live stream is one thing, but it’s what you do with that content after the ‘lights go out’ that really matters. Stephanie talked about the importance of repurposing your live stream content because “when you’re top of mind, you’re tip of tongue.” Repurposing content is like creating “digital confetti” that you can spread all over the internet. Live streaming is one of the best ways to show your audience your expertise and authenticity, making it so much easier for them to build rapport with you. Stephanie shares many useful tips from pre-production to what you can do to build on the original content you have created. In This Episode: 05:30 – The benefits of live vs recorded video 06:34 – Whether episodic live content performs better than single execution live streaming 08:34 – Stephanie shares her ultimate 10x10 formula for episodic content 10:24 – What social channels are better suited for live streaming 14:51 – How Stephanie’s company faced the growing desire to live stream as a result of the pandemic 16:38 – How to promote your live streams 19:08 – Why you should focus on your bare-bone basics to get started with live streams 22:18 – How to repurpose your live stream content 25:38 – Why social pros have to be open to experiment 27:29 – Why you shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss your own opportunities  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 Launch your first LinkedIn campaign with $100! Find out more about Lights, Camera, Live Read Stephanie’s book, ‘Ultimate Guide to Social Media Marketing’ Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Shasta Nelson, Friendship Expert, Speaker & Author, joins this episode of the Social Pros Podcast to talk about the importance of cultivating meaningful friendships with our co-workers and how our relationships impact our health, happiness, longevity, and personal growth. 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 Cultivate Workplace Friendships Did you know that 70% of our happiness comes down to our relationships? Yet, we often focus more on the remaining 30% and neglect to give the other 70% the attention and effort it really deserves. If you want to be an overall happier and healthier person, Friendship Expert, Speaker & Author, Shasta Nelson, believes it starts and ends with your friendships. As adults, we spend a lot of our time at work. We meet the same people every day and we strike up the same small chat around the water cooler. However, in a world where loneliness is on the rise even before the pandemic, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to foster meaningful relationships in the workplace. Shasta states that it’s “almost impossible to be happy if you don’t have meaningful relationships,” and provides compelling evidence to support her claims that having friends at work makes you a better and happier person. In This Episode: 05:52 - Why Shasta is so passionate about helping others cultivate friendships at work 08:24 - Why some companies fail to facilitate friendships within the workplace 13:27 - The correlation between sales success and relationship building with clients 15:52 - The three requirements that every healthy relationship needs 20:24 - How these three relationship requirements correlate with how you should express your brand on social media 25:19 - Whether working from home makes it more difficult to make friends 28:13 - Shasta shares tips for managers for building positivity in the team 31:30 - How we should adjust what we’re doing within our relationships in light of the pandemic 35:20 - How Shasta creates and shares engaging content for social media 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 how you can launch your first LinkedIn campaign with $100! Learn more about Shasta on her website Read Shasta’s book, ‘The Business of Friendship’ Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Uzair Hasan, the Sr. Paid Media Manager at Edible Arrangements, joins the Social Pros Podcast to talk about how his scrappy social media team leads the way with innovative and creative ideas. 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 Believe it or not, there was a time when businesses doubted whether they actually needed a social media team at all. Nowadays, brands and organizations have realized that they don’t just need a presence on social, but that social media needs to be a key part of their marketing strategy. The good news is that your company does not need a huge social team to make your brand known. Small social teams can have massive impact and Uzair Hasan, the Sr. Paid Media Manager at Edible Arrangements, has got evidence to prove it. He and his small social team have made history within the company, breaking sales records and expanding the company’s online presence. Thanks to the team’s scrappy attitude, they have managed to leverage the true power of social and fuel brilliant results. Since it’s a relatively small team, being scrappy and wearing a lot of different hats has attributed to the team’s undeniable success. In This Episode: 03:03 – What Edible Arrangements is and how the company works 04:34 – How the social media team works with marketing and communication colleagues to build a genuine relationship with the company’s audience 06:06 – How to advertise and market to Twitch consumers 13:20 – How being ‘scrappy’ has helped the social team come up with new and innovative ways to engage people 17:24 – How franchisees create their own social channels and how everything remains aligned 21:35 – How the social team educated and empowers the franchisees 23:45 – How Edible Arrangements and franchisees handle customer data 27:32 – How to measure conversations and engagement on social 30:40 – How Uzair’s team diversifies their marketing budget and strategy 33:12 – Uzair predicts how social media at Edible Arrangements will evolve 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 more about Edible Arrangements Read ‘Creativity, Inc’ by Ed Catmull Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Nick Dimichino, the Social Media Lead at Square, is our guest on this episode of the Social Pros Podcast, where we talk about how brands can use simple technology to capture and share customer stories 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 Everyone has a story to tell and sharing customer stories with the world is one of the most effective and cost-efficient ways to market your brand on social media. But how can you share customer stories in a world where it’s becoming increasingly difficult to interview customers? Nick Dimichino, the Social Media Lead at Square, has found new and innovative ways to share customer stories. He has created a unique voicemail line that sellers can call and leave their stories, many of which are incredibly powerful and moving to listen to. Square has helped revolutionize businesses and because of this, they have no issue finding new storytelling opportunities. Nick shares how he and his team find new stories to share on social, which has helped the company build an unbreakable reputation, gain recognition and win national awards. In This Episode: 03:26 – How the Square social media team is structured 05:54 – Nick shares his thoughts on how Square implemented social in the earlier days 13:25 – How Square conveys customer stories on social media 17:41 – How to find new customer stories during the pandemic 25:54 – How the way that Square communicates with their audience has pivoted since COVID-19 31:24 – Nick discusses the campaign around businesses in Flint 37:55 – How Nick got his senior leaders on board for the campaign 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 Square Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Ryan Boyles, the Senior Social Media Strategist at IBM / AI Applications, joins the Social Pros Podcast to discuss how IBM uses social to connect with 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 SocialMedia.org Full Episode Details Use Social Media to Create Connections Creating meaningful connections with customers and prospects is something that every brand should actively try to achieve. The good news is that you already have the perfect tool to foster relationships and connect with customers - social media. Ryan Boyles, the Senior Social Media Strategist at IBM/AI Applications, understands the power of social media and how to leverage social platforms to find and connect with ideal customers. However, it’s not just the social media team that needs to become ‘social pros’ – everyone in the organization from the top down must be ‘plugged into social.’ The way that brands use social media has evolved and more leaders and executives are embracing and engaging with customers and prospects on social media platforms. This is great news for any social practitioner who once struggled to convince their leaders about the true value of social media. In This Episode: 05:47 – How IBM uses weather data 07:34 – How Ryan interacts with other social media managers from different operating divisions within the business 11:20 – How IBM manages various social media accounts 14:33 – How IBM’s employee advocacy program has evolved over time 16:48 – Insights into IBM’s account-based marketing content and tactics 20:44 – Why IBM decided to abandon Facebook 22:46 – How to leverage LinkedIn Live and measure performance 28:32 – Ryan talks about the 50th anniversary of the Apollo program 31:31 – What it was like being on the frontlines of social media evolution  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 Get your copy of “50 Best Practices for Email Marketers” Find out how you can launch your first LinkedIn campaign with $100! Learn more about IBM Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Jenny Fowler, Director of Social Media Strategy at MIT, joins us on Social Pros to discuss how she makes social content for this academic stalwart accessible, engaging, and consistent. 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 Accessibility and organization Managing social for an historic institution like MIT requires agility, clear-thinking, and great strategic planning. In Jenny Fowler, Director of Social Media Strategy, they have all of those essential skills and a whole lot more. Jenny is the only dedicated social media resource at MIT, with no direct reports, but coordinates over 200 department communications professionals to keep MIT’s voice, content, and purpose consistent across every channel. As she says in this episode, “my philosophy has always been to empower my community to succeed.” Social media in higher education is a different beast to many other sectors, but Jenny has tamed it with grace and intelligence. Walk a mile in her shoes with this episode of Social Pros and you’ll be sure to pick up some fascinating tips and tricks along the way.   In This Episode: 05:40 – How social is structured at MIT, with Jenny as the only full-time dedicated resource 08:13 – How Jenny shares her expertise with the 200 departmental communications teams that produce social content 11:18 – MIT’s most strategically-important platforms 19:05 – Which metrics matter for Jenny – and why strategy is always the deciding factor 26:08 – How MIT are using social to communicate essential information in the pandemic 29:22 – Why being asked to “work your social media magic” isn’t innocent, but indicative of a deeper ignorance of social media professionals’ role and skills 37:36 – How Jenny uses social to make complex academic topics more accessible 39:45 – How Jenny started exploring MIT’s TikTok strategy  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 MIT's Social Media Hub Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Sonja Likness, the Director of Social Media & Content Strategy at Duke University (Communications Office), joins the Social Pros Podcast to discuss how she runs social media at a major university with numerous departments, collaborators, and over 15,600 students.  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 Coordinating social media content across campus with a large number of departments is no easy feat. However, Sonja Likness, the Director of Social Media & Content Strategy at Duke University, has created a seamless structure that upholds the university’s reputation while still giving departments their own voice on social. As Sonja stated in this episode of the podcast, “a part of my job is to educate, give best practices, consult when they run into trouble, and to facilitate everybody talking to each other.” Social media practitioners can learn a lot from Sonja, who effectively structures countless collaborators on campus covering a range of different topics and navigates social for a popular university with approx. 15,634 students – not to mention, juggling all of this and keeping everything aligned during a global pandemic. Hear how she does it without breaking a sweat on this fascinating episode of Social Pros. In This Episode: 04:14 – How Sonja coordinates social content across campus 06:16 – How Duke University’s ‘social media working group’ works together 07:26 – How audience prioritization differs across different social media platforms 12:57 – Why additional governance is necessary when approaching profound topics such as COVID-19 15:07 – How Duke University leverages influencers and user-generated content 18:13 – How Sonja’s team are creating new video content during the pandemic 20:40 – How Duke University uses highly-polished video content vs. authentic video content 23:38 – The importance of social listening 27:40 – Why (and how) Sonja builds relationships with key social media leads across campus 32:40 – How Duke University targets graduate students with social media marketing 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 Take Salesforce’s quiz – Einstein’s Guide To AI Use Cases Learn more about Duke University Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.