Social Pros Podcast

It’s easy to get distracted by the trends, new platforms, and brands that are social media stars in their own right. But how do you create a strategy that’s right for your brand? This episode of Social Pros with Mariya Spektor, Director of Content, Social Media at Social Chain, has some tips you won’t want to miss.  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  ICUC  Full Episode Details   It should go without saying. Social media is all about the people, and yet if your social media strategy is caught up in trying to go viral or become the next Wendy’s, you might not get the results you hope for.  In this episode, we spoke with Mariya Spektor, who is the Director of Content for Social Media at Social Chain. We chat about the importance of building a community and how there’s often a disconnect for brands who are going about social the wrong way.   For Mariya, she sees a lot of brands practicing “savage social” (think Wendy’s and Ryanair) when it doesn’t match their brand tone. Instead, Mariya shares some tips on building a strategy that puts people first.  We also discuss different platforms and whether Threads is the next Twitter rival, how some brands are monetizing TikTok content, and why there’s a compromise to be made between speed and creativity.   In This Episode:  00:00 - Introduction  03:36 – Why community is so important in social media  06:30 – Why some brands face a community disconnect   08:32 – Which brands get “savage social” right  15:31 – How brands can set themselves up for success  20:44 – Mariya’s experiences of TikTok shopping   26:00 – Predictions on the future of Threads   30:20 – The challenge of keeping up with different social media platforms   32:16 – Speed vs. creativity – which matters most?  35:48 – Staying on trend in social media  38:03 – The big two questions  Resources  Schedule a consultation with ICUC  Grab your free Social Media Audit Bundle    Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers. 

We are so pleased to welcome Noam Bardin, Founder of Post News, on this episode of the Social Pros podcast.   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  ICUC  Full Episode Details   As much as we love social, we have to acknowledge that it comes with gray areas and undesirable aspects.   Joining this episode to dissect social’s shortcomings is Noam Bardin, Founder of Post News. Noam shares the dangers of platforms making engagement top priority, how social pros can grapple both the positives and negatives of social networks and how Post News plans to work toward preventing misinformation.  Plus, he gives his thoughts on the future of Threads.  In This Episode: 0:00 – Introduction 3:19 – Noam’s background in the industry 4:44 – What is Post News? 10:39 – Positive vs negative sides of social 15:03 – Unravelling Threads 19:12 – How Post can fight mis/disinformation 29:55 – Post’s reception from journalists and users 33:53 – The future of social media 39:29 – Noam’s Final Two 42:35 – Outro Resources  Schedule a consultation with ICUC  Grab your free Social Media Audit Bundle  Download Post News  Connect with Noam on LinkedIn  Follow Noam on Twitter  Follow Noam on Instagram    Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers. 

Amanda Natividad, VP of Marketing at SparkToro, shares insights on collecting meaningful audience insights through social listening and customer interactions. She discusses the impact of Threads and best strategies, emphasizing the importance of understanding user behavior for effective marketing approaches.

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  ICUC  Full Episode Details   In this ever-changing world of social, how can community managers serve their people in the best possible ways?  Erika Lovegreen, SVP of Marketing & Communications at ICUC, returns to Social Pros to tells us her expert advice.  Erika discusses why social listening is as crucial as ever, why it’s important to keep your community front of mind when making changes on social and how best to team AI with your ‘human-first approach’.  Plus, she shares her thoughts on Threads and changes to Reddit and gives us the lowdown on ICUC’s brand-new eBook.  In This Episode:  0:00 – Introduction  3:32 – What ICUC are working on right now  6:05 – How brands should approach Threads  12:30 – Will Threads welcome brand-safe interactions?  15:03 – Erika’s take on Reddit’s current situation  18:10 – Have your finger on the pulse of your community  24:49 – Integrating AI and maintaining human touch  39:24 – Erika’s up-to-date final two!  42:05 – Outro   Resources  Schedule a consultation with ICUC  Grab your free Social Media Audit Bundle  Visit the ICUC website  Connect with Erika on LinkedIn  Follow Erika on Instagram  Download the ‘How to Beat the AI Craze with Human-First Messaging’ eBook    Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers. 

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  ICUC  Full Episode Details   So many teams work with creators to amplify their brand on social. But how do you build strong, fruitful relationships with the right partners?  Taylor Speer, Manager of Global Social Media at Shiseido, joins this episode of Social Pros to share her thoughts.  Taylor discusses how creators help Shiseido compete with celebrity-backed brands, the best ways to build authentic partnerships and why it’s more crucial than ever to keep diversity and representation front of mind.  Plus, she tells us why Microsoft Excel is her tool of choice and the one biggest mistake you can make as a social pro.  In This Episode:  0:00 – Introduction  4:44 – How Shiseido cut through the noise on social  7:33 – How creator relationships have changed  11:15 – The benefits of fostering strong creator partnerships  14:40 – Diversity and representation at Shiseido  20:44 – Networking with influencers  23:41 – Planning social content  31:05 – What keeps Taylor organized  36:34 – Taylor’s final two  40:25 - Outro  Resources  Schedule a consultation with ICUC  Grab your free Social Media Audit Bundle  Connect with Taylor on LinkedIn  Follow Taylor on Instagram  Visit Taylor’s website  Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers. 

Selling is the primary motivator for a lot of people on social media. Some people do it really well, others are a little less polished. But it’s safe to say that a lot of people aren’t pros at social selling.   Timothy Hughes, on the other hand, is a social selling master who joins Social Pros to share his wisdom, advice, and thoughts on selling on social media today.   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  ICUC  Full Episode Details   Timothy Hughes, CEO and Co-Founder of DLA ignite, plus the author of Social Selling: Techniques to Influence Buyers and Changemakers, joins Social Pros to talk about the art of social selling.   For Timothy, social selling is not a new or “future state.” If you’re not already doing it, you’re already behind. This is something Timothy addressed in his book – which he recently updated with tons more information about how social selling has moved on since.   In this episode, Timothy explains how the world has changed, why conversations are still king on social, how to avoid being outdated, and the best ways to talk to strangers online. We also hear his three top recommendations for those wanting to sell on social. If you’re looking to improve your social selling skills, this is one you’ll want to tune in for.   In This Episode:  5:09 – Why Timothy decided to revisit his book   7:16 – How starting DLA ignite contributed to the second edition  9:58 – How being ingrained in interruption marketing gives a false view of social selling  10:44 – Social media is for people to be social  12:00 - How to “sell” the idea of social selling to leadership  13:56 – Why cold calling falls behind social selling  16:32 – How the digital world has changed   18:07 – Why some people don’t “get” social selling   21:09 – Timothy’s definition of social selling   24:13 – How to actually connect with people over social media  25:44 – How you can start expanding your network online  31:28 – The three things Timothy recommends social pros do  33:12 – Why content is always king  37:07 – Timothy’s advice for social pros   Resources  Schedule a consultation with ICUC  Grab your free Social Media Audit Bundle  Connect with Timothy on LinkedIn  DLA Ignite LinkedIn  Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers. 

We’re thrilled to welcome Gia Lee, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at NinetyEight, on the Social Pros podcast.    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  ICUC  Full Episode Details   How can brands connect with Gen Z in authentic, effective ways?  If there’s anyone to ask that question to, it’s Gia Lee, Cco-Ffounder & and Chief Strategy Officer at NinetyEight, who joins this episode of Social Pros.  NinetyEight help brands anticipate Gen Z’s needs in our ever-changing culture by finding unique perspectives, empowering communities and engaging with emerging trends.  Gia tells us the origin of NinetyEight, why you don’t need big budgets to excel on social and why brands shouldn’t skip building their identity.  Plus, she shares the top do’s and don’ts for brands marketing to Gen Z and the best ways to stay authentic.  In This Episode: 0:00 – Introduction  5:17 – NinetyEight’s origin story  6:04 – Challenges of creating content for Gen Z  7:23 – Why Gen Z is so different  9:56 – The disconnect between Gen Z and marketing  11:14 – Do NinetyEight educate?  12:19 – Their work with Paul Frank  20:34 – Measuring success on TikTok  23:00 – Interacting with communities  23:30 – The do’s and don’ts of marketing to Gen Z  24:31 – Authenticity on social  26:42 – Balancing brand and connection  32:14 – Gia’s Final Two  34:57 – Outro    Resources  Schedule a consultation with ICUC  Grab your free Social Media Audit Bundle  Connect with Gia on LinkedIn  Visit the NinetyEight website  Follow NinetyEight on Twitter  Follow NinetyEight on Instagram  Join The Koi Pond    Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers. 

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  ICUC  Full Episode Details   Empathy is vital for social media managers, but how can they put it into practice on a daily basis?  Our guest on this episode says it’s “a wonderful art within management” but needs to be applied in the right way and at the right times.  Minter Dial, renowned author and keynote speaker at Mydial, returns to Social Pros to discuss how to build an empathic culture in the workplace, the true definition of the word ‘empathy’ and the role it can play in your use of AI.  Plus, he reveals why he released a new edition of his book, Heartificial Empathy, how empathy impacts trust and his favorite AI tools.  In This Episode:  0:00 – Introduction  5:38 – What’s new in the world of empathy?   8:55 – How people misunderstand empathy  11:31 – Empathy isn’t a weakness  15:05 – How a lack of empathy impacts trust  16:24 – Empathy and AI  18:04 – Different types of empathy  19:08 – Why we run out of empathy  20:22 – Empathy and AI (continued)  26:31 – How can we develop empathy for AI?   30:46 – Just breathe  31:51 – Minter’s favorite AI platforms  36:06 – Minter’s final two  39:01 – Outro   Resources  Schedule a consultation with ICUC  Grab your free Social Media Audit Bundle  Visit Minter’s website  Follow Minter on LinkedIn  Follow Minter on Twitter  Follow Minter on Instagram  Follow Minter on Facebook  Minter’s book – ‘Heartificial Empathy’  Minter’s book – ‘Heartificial Empathy’ on Amazon    Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers. 

We are delighted to welcome Jonah Berger, Marketing Professor at The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania, onto this episode of Social Pros.  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  ICUC  Full Episode Details   The more you understand the words you use, the more you can increase the impact of your social content. But how can you change up your language choices to resonate better with your audience?  Jonah Berger, Marketing Professor at The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania and repeat Social Pros guest, joins the show to share his thoughts.  He reveals the story behind his latest book, ‘Magic Words’, how words can build trust, community and influence and why anybody can become a better writer.  Plus, he tells us the hidden benefits of asking questions and why it’s essential to understand audience behaviors.   In This Episode:  0:00 – Introduction  5:25 – Jonah describes his new book  7:11 – Why did he write this book?  9:56 – Understanding the impact of magic words  13:00 – What language does  15:03 – Identity and agency  20:58 – Defining ‘magic words’  23:49 – Jonah’s favorite category in his framework  30:21 – Asking the right questions  34:08 – Using magic words to approach challenging topics  37:36 – Jonah’s final two  39:56 – Outro   Resources  Schedule a consultation with ICUC  Grab your free Social Media Audit Bundle  Visit Jonah’s website  Connect with Jonah on LinkedIn  Follow Jonah on Twitter  Buy Jonah’s book, ‘Magic Words’ on Amazon  Register for Jonah’s SPEACC framework  Previous episodes featuring Jonah Berger  Contagion, Social Media, and Why Things Catch On (2013)  How Influence Can Make or Break Your Brand (2016)  Psychology Shows Why Social Media Often Fails (2020)    Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers. 

We’re thrilled to be joined by Alyssa Bonanno, Chief Creative Officer and founder of Better Half, on this episode of Social Pros.  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  ICUC  Full Episode Details   Better Half help household names like Netflix, Nike and Disney succeed on social by fuelling audience participation, engagement and fandom.  Their Chief Creative Officer and founder, Alyssa Bonanno, joins this episode of Social Pros to share their secrets.  Alyssa explains how her small-but-mighty team thrives, the benefits of intentional hiring and how she manages consistent social output for established brands.  Plus, she tells us how she built her team, dives into Better Half’s own strategy and shares why, if you can, you should take big swings on social.  In This Episode:  0:00 – Introduction  3:43 – An introduction to Better Half  5:58 – Excelling for big clients in a boutique agency  8:38 – Sustaining community engagement with Netflix  11:56 – Matching Netflix’s identity on social  14:24 – Operating in the niche vs mainstream  17:19 – Intentional hiring  21:58 – Alyssa’s team structure decisions  27:40 – How Better Half showcase their culture  30:45 – Better Half’s use of Substack  32:15 – Where to find Alyssa and Better Half   35:20 – Alyssa answers the Final Two  40:16 – Outro   Resources  Schedule a consultation with ICUC  Grab your free Social Media Audit Bundle  Alyssa’s website  Follow Alyssa on LinkedIn  Follow Alyssa on Instagram  Better Half website  Follow Better Half on LinkedIn  Follow Better Half on Instagram    Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.