Social Pros Podcast

We welcome Anthony Yepez and Mariya Spektor onto our second episode of Social Pros Unfiltered to discuss the hottest topics on social. Hear their thoughts on working with influencers, jumping on trends, and how social pros should respond to cancel culture.

Huge thanks to our amazing sponsors for helping us make this happen. Please support them; we couldn't do it without their help!

• ICUC

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Trend-hopping is super common on social, but is jumping on trending content the best way to provide value to your audience? Anthony and Mariya share how it can bring in the big numbers chased by management, but often fails to drive meaningful engagement and resonate with your community.

Also in this episode, Mariya tells us why we should think of influencers as "advocates for our brand" and choose wisely when we work with creators.

Plus, Anthony shares why social media managers should be the "eyes and ears for your brand on social" and explains how they can build strong relationships with marketing departments to craft the content that will help you reach your business goals.

In This Episode:

• 3:23 - What mistakes brands are making when working with creators
• 9:35 - Why should brands not hop on trends?
• 17:03 - Balancing authentic trend-hopping with regular content
• 18:42 - The impact of going viral in your own community
• 25:16 - How should brands respond to cancel culture?
• 34:06 - What is a social media manager? And what does the role mean?

Resources

• Schedule a consultation with ICUC
• Grab your free Social Media Audit Bundle
• Connect with Leanna on LinkedIn
• Connect with Gia on LinkedIn
• Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn
• Connect with Mariya on LinkedIn

Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Joél Leon, Creative Director, T Brand Studio at New York Times Advertising, hits us with some mic drop moments in this episode of Social Pros. He explores how to build more harmony into the creative process and lead your team to success.

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:

• ICUC

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If you want your creative team to hit it out of the park, then you've got to foster a healthy environment for them. Joél Leon, the Creative Director, T Brand Studio at New York Times Advertising, believes there needs to be more "harmony" within the creative process. And part of that is by building a healthy environment for your team.

In this episode of Social Pros, we hear Joél's take on what it means to be a great creative director and why the environment that you set up for your team is key to helping them create their best work.

We hear how Joél approaches creative projects and why his role is all about trusting people to do their work and creating safe spaces for them to flourish creatively. He explores how he defines success, some of his favorite campaigns to work on, and why we need to be genuine and practice what we preach when joining conversations about social issues.

In This Episode:

• 1:51 - Joél explains his role within T Brand Studio
• 5:40 - How Joél's team works alongside the newsroom and editorial teams
• 7:10 - Joél shares some details of campaigns his team has worked on
• 8:16 - How Joél leads his team to deliver the very best content
• 12:12 - Joél's methods for managing expectations and working with brands
• 15:20 - How leaders can create a healthy work environment
• 17:20 - How to protect the interests of your team while keeping clients happy
• 20:20 - Joél shares some of his favorite campaigns to work on
• 23:56 - How Joél prefers to think about failure and success
• 27:14 - Finding a harmony between creativity and social issues
• 31:05 - Why listening is the most active form of communication
• 32:11 - Joél announces his publishing deal and upcoming book
• 33:29 - Joél's top tip for those wanting to become a social pro

Resources

• Schedule a consultation with ICUC
• Grab your free Social Media Audit Bundle
• Connect with Joél on LinkedIn
• Follow Joél on Instagram

Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

It's our 600th episode! What better way to celebrate than by inviting former hosts Jay Baer and Adam Brown, and previous guest Allison Day, Senior Manager, Social Media at Reddit, on the show to share insights on the biggest platforms, the greatest changes in social and so much more.

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:

ICUC

Full Episode Details

When we published episode one of Social Pros, we had no idea we would reach 600. It's a milestone few podcasts get to celebrate!

That's why we invited past co-hosts Jay and Adam back on the show to roll back the years. Together with Reddit's Senior Manager, Social Media, Allison Day, they discuss the many changes that social has seen over the years.

Jay, Adam and Allison reveal what they love about TikTok, Instagram Reels, LinkedIn, and Twitter/X, share the biggest changes they've witnessed on each platform and tell us what they would do if they were starting out as budding social pros today.

In This Episode:

• 5:45 - Thoughts on X, LinkedIn, and short-form video platforms
• 21:39 - Why TikTok could become the standard on social
• 24:41 - The biggest changes in social over the past ten years
• 27:16 - Gaining trust from leaders
• 30:05 - Why social media was about social, now it's about media
• 35:56 - What our social pros would do if they were starting out today
• 38:52 - Why Jay Baer would start making YouTube content
• 43:18 - Jay, Adam, and Allison answer the final two

Resources

• Schedule a consultation with ICUC
• Grab your free Social Media Audit Bundle
• Connect with Jay Baer on LinkedIn
• Connect with Adam Brown on LinkedIn
• Connect with Allison Day on LinkedIn

Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Being bold on social media isn't always the easiest thing to do. What if you get it wrong…? No one wants to go viral for all the wrong reasons, but in this week's episode, Gabriel Gomez, Account Supervisor, Social, Community, and Influencer, Gen Z Lab Ambassador at Edelman, shares some food for thought on being socially bold.

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:

• ICUC

Full Episode Details

Many social pros are apprehensive to try new things on social media. There's a fear of audience reception, and if you're managing social for various clients, you need to take their thoughts on board as well. Gabriel Gomez, Account Supervisor, Social, Community, and Influencer | Gen Z Lab Ambassador at Edelman, joins this episode of Social Pros to share his blueprint for being socially bold.

In this episode, we hear Gabriel's methods for keeping tabs on social trends, how he talks to clients about trying new things, and some examples of bold and inventive campaigns he's worked on in the past (#cancelpizza anyone?)

He explains why we need to test and learn by trying new things but also engage in social listening to watch audience reception (both good and bad). We also hear about Gabriel's meme-based strategy for LinkedIn and why he thinks micro-influencers can bring more credibility in their content.

In This Episode:

• 2:42 – Gabriel breaks down the clients and campaigns he works with

• 4:12 – The benefits of working on the agency side of social media

• 4:56 – How Gabriel keeps tabs of different trends

• 9:07 – How he talks to clients about trends

• 11:32 – Gabriel takes us through a fun Beyonce-themed Dolby campaign he worked on

• 13:34 – How the #cancelpizza campaign made a dry campaign more fun

• 16:05 – How Gabriel followed the conversations around #cancelpizza

• 19:45 – Why micro influencers tend to bring more credibility

• 21:48 – How brands should decide which influencers to work with

• 23:41 – Gabriel's relatable approach to LinkedIn

• 27:13 – Gabriel's advice for LinkedIn

• 29:02 – How the Gen Z Edelman lab came about

• 31:44 – Gabriel's top tip for becoming a social pro

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.

How can brands build strong, beneficial partnerships with creators? We invite Lucy Quick, Creator Partnerships Manager, Global E-Commerce Operations at TikTok, onto Social Pros to tell us her thoughts.

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:

• ICUC

Full Episode Details

It's one thing collaborating with influencers, but building meaningful, long-term partnerships is no easy feat. So what are the best ways to make sure your partnerships are successful?

Lucy Quick has experience working with both brands and creators, so we couldn't pass up on the opportunity to pick her brains. She provides insights on the current influencer marketing landscape, reveals what questions brands should be asking and explains why storytelling with data is the best way to prove your ROI.

Plus, Lucy shares why working with smaller influencers could be beneficial and tells us the secrets behind the most successful campaigns she's worked on.

In This Episode:

• 3:50 – The current state of influencer marketing

• 7:57 – Questions that brands aren't asking enough when working with influencers

• 11:02- The top trends Lucy is seeing in the industry right now

• 14:56 – When influencers pivot to becoming competitors with brands

• 18:14 – How brands can strike a good balance between micro and macro influencers

• 19:51 – How brands should approach influencers in the early days of their career

• 22:08 – The best ways to talk about ROI and metrics

• 24:37 – How to navigate regulations around influencer marketing

• 26:55 – Lucy tells us about a funny campaign experience

• 29:18 – The different skill sets required for live streaming

• 36:15 – Lucy's tip for becoming a social pro

Resources

• Schedule a consultation with ICUC

• Grab your free Social Media Audit Bundle

• Connect with Lucy on LinkedIn

• Follow Lucy on Instagram

Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

There's no denying lululemon creates a feel-good vibe on social, but what's their secret sauce? We revisit our conversation with Ravi Hampole, their SVP, Global Brand Creative, as he reveals all.

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:

• ICUC

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lululemon started life as solely a community hub and physical space, so translating that people-first approach onto social was no easy feat.

That's why we asked Ravi Hampole, their SVP, Global Brand Creative, to share how lululemon built on their in-person offerings to garner a loyal online community.

We revisit this fascinating conversation with Ravi as he shares how the brand prioritizes human connection, gets to know its audiences on a deeper level and turns limitations into opportunities.

In This Episode:

• 3:13 – Ravi's role at lululemon

• 6:31 – Representing the lululemon community on social

• 13:41 – Translating brand purpose to different channels

• 21:31 – Utilizing platforms correctly

• 23:43 – How lululemon work with ambassadors

• 36:44 – Ravi's top tips for social pros

Resources

• Schedule a consultation with ICUC

• Grab your free Social Media Audit Bundle

• Connect with Ravi on LinkedIn

• Visit Ravi's website

Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

What are the best ways to collect and analyze data and share it with your audience in a captivating way? We ask Convince & Convert Strategist Sunny Hunt for her advice on this episode of Social Pros.

Huge thanks to our amazing sponsor for helping us make this happen. Please support them; we couldn't do it without their help! This week:

• ICUC

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With every sales presentation you make, you have the chance to influence your audience and make a lasting impact – and data is often a crucial component. But Sunny Hunt believes it's not as simple as plonking a screenshot into a slide deck. Adding color and visual aids can bring your data-storytelling to life.

In this episode, Sunny shares her useful D.A.N.C.E. formula to help you revitalize your data-storytelling and reach your audience in more meaningful ways. Plus, she explains why simplicity is key when you collect, analyze and present your data and tells us why generative AI can be useful for presentations – so long as you proceed with caution!

In This Episode:

• 2:42 – Introducing Sunny's D.A.N.C.E. formula

• 5:41 – The right data to share

• 8:46 – How to display data to an audience

• 14:38 – Why narrative is crucial when presenting data

• 21:35 – Remember to consider cadence

• 23:54 – Using AI to structure data visualization

• 26:18 – Considering engagement and feedback

• 31:13 – Sunny's top tips for social pros

Resources

• Schedule a consultation with ICUC

• Grab your free Social Media Audit Bundle

• Visit the Hunt Interaction website

• Connect with Sunny on LinkedIn

• Follow Sunny on Instagram

• Follow Sunny on Twitter/X

Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

If you're planning on taking a trip, there's a good chance you've stumbled on Delta Vacations and its awesome social content. We asked Arielle Berlinsky, their Social Media Marketer, to join Social Pros to clue us into the strategy behind their wanderlust-inspiring content.

Huge thanks to our amazing sponsor for helping us make this happen. Please support them; we couldn't do it without their help! This week:

• ICUC

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What's Delta Vacations' formula for social media success? It turns out that Arielle Berlinsky and her team don't follow a strict formula, but that's part of what makes their content so fresh, exciting, and engaging.

Arielle is a big believer in doing what works for you on social and not just following the crowd. Your audience wants to see the human, caring side of your brand, and you can only do that if you have a team who genuinely cares about the content.

Arielle takes us through her tips for social media success, including the importance of consistency, why you need to always deliver value, and why social pros should always ask themselves one key question: would you follow you?

In This Episode:

• 2:05 – What Arielle's role involves

• 3:33 – How Delta Vacations' social content inspires different audiences

• 5:16 – Arielle's approach to different audiences

• 7:20 – How Delta Vacations uses its audience's content

• 8:37 – How Delta Vacations still sees success on Facebook

• 9:56 – Where Delta Vacations' content fits into travel plans

• 13:00 – How Delta Vacations prioritizes inspiring content over promoting deals

• 15:50 – Arielle's advice for keeping social fresh in corporate marketing

• 19:00 – Arielle's approach to personal branding on LinkedIn

• 23:58 – Should you throw out the formula on social media?

• 29:24 – The final two questions

Resources

• Schedule a consultation with ICUC

• Grab your free Social Media Audit Bundle

• Connect with Arielle on LinkedIn

Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Leanna Pham, Head of Creative & Social Media at Convince & Convert, Gia Lee, Co-Founder of NinetyEight, and Convince & Convert's Strategist and Marketing Consultant, Sunny Hunt and Jennifer Harmon, join forces to discuss the hottest topics in social on this special 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:

• ICUC

Full Episode Details

It's been a dramatic year in social media so far! We've witnessed the dawn of Threads, a controversial Twitter rebrand and seen AI infiltrate every industry in new and powerful ways. So, for International Podcast Day, here's a special episode of Social Pros, covering the topics that everyone is talking about.

Host Leanna Pham, Head of Creative & Social Media, is joined by co-host Gia Lee, Co-Founder of NinetyEight, and guests Sunny Hunt, Strategist and Jennifer Harmon, Marketing Consultant at Convince & Convert.

They discuss whether Threads is officially dead already, thoughts on Twitter's rebrand and why AI is a helper, not a replacement.

Plus, they share their thoughts on where social teams should sit in an organization and whether social media roles are still undervalued.

In This Episode:

• 1:27 – Is Threads dead?

• 5:23 – How the launch of Reels differed from Threads

• 8:48 – Twitter's rebranding to X and how it's changed since

• 13:42 – What it's like managing client content on Twitter

• 15:48 – What social pros can do about the rise of AI in social

• 21:10 – Where AI gets it right and wrong

• 27:09 – Is social media work still undervalued?

• 33:05 – What people need to know about social pros

• 35:34 – Where social media should sit in an organization

• 46:20 – Why measurement must be front and central

Resources

• Schedule a consultation with ICUC

• Grab your free Social Media Audit Bundle

• Connect with Leanna Pham on LinkedIn

• Connect with Gia Lee on LinkedIn

• Connect with Sunny Hunt on LinkedIn

• Connect with Jennifer Harmon on LinkedIn

Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

How does Marvel connect with fans of all ages, hailing from every corner of the world, and speak to them in a way that truly resonates? Join us on this episode of Social Pros as we delve into Marvel's incredible social strategy with their Executive Director of Social Media, Adri Cowan.

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

Marvel is a global phenomenon that transcends generations, so how do their social media team create a unified strategy that speaks to their vastly diverse audience?

On this episode of Social Pros, we are joined by Adri Cowan, Executive Director of Social Media at Marvel and The Walt Disney Company.

Adri shares an overview of her role, how she taps into fandom and loyalty and how her and her team keep their strategy unified yet adaptable.

Plus, she shares the ways in which user-generated content plays a part in her work, her measures for success and how she tackles burnout within her team.

In This Episode:

• 3:15 – What Adri's role at Marvel involves

• 5:03 – How Adri became part of the Marvel team

• 7:31 – How Marvel adjusts its social strategies across the Marvel universe

• 9:52 – Building a unified social media strategy

• 12:23 – Strategies for building loyalty in the fan base

• 14:12 – How Marvel harnesses user-generated content

• 16:41 – How Adri helps her team tap into trending content

• 19:29 – Celebrating and measuring successes at Marvel

• 23:02 – The challenges of managing a fast-moving team without suffering burnout

• 25:41 – Adri's top places for seeking inspiration

• 27:05 – The Marvel character Adri thinks would have the best social media presence in real life

• 29:14 – The final two questions and Adri's tip for social pros

Resources

• Schedule a consultation with ICUC

• Grab your free Social Media Audit Bundle

• Find out more about Content Marketing World

• Connect with Adri on LinkedIn

• Follow Adri on Twitter/X

• Follow Adri on Instagram

Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.