Social Pros Podcast Convince & Convert

AJ Vaden, CEO and Co-Founder of Brand Builders Group is on the Social Pros podcast to discuss the increasingly important concept of personal branding.
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AJ Vaden is a personal branding expert and CEO and Co-Founder of Brand Builders Group. She joins the Social Pros podcast to share the tips and tricks (and common mistakes) all businesses need to know about when it comes to personal branding.
According to AJ, we are in the “era of the individual,” and personal branding is more important now than ever. She explains that personal branding is not the new concept we think it is. It’s just more visible now in the digital world. It’s not just some fad or trend we can skip. Personal branding is key to building your reputation and customer trust.
AJ shares the common mistakes she sees clients make and how entrepreneurs can really reach their audience through content, not just sales pitches.
In This Episode:
2:54 – AJ takes us through Brand Builders Group 5:40 – Why Brand Builders Group is not just about personal brand strategy but business strategy as well 6:30 – Why personal branding is not a new idea or trend 9:36 – AJ discusses the latest research from Brand Builders Group 14:19 – The importance of company executives having their own personal brand 19:08 – Why AJ advises companies to create their own internal influencers 25:29 – The most common personal branding mistakes on social media 31:20 – AJ’s advice for using different social platforms 34:48 – Why building a personal brand isn’t about getting social media-famous 36:00 – AJ’s top tip for those looking to become a social pro Resources
Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce Trends in Personal Branding Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Jenn Herman, Instagram Expert, Speaker, and Author at Jenn's Trends, joins the Social Pros podcast for a new and updated chat about Instagram’s best practices.
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If Jenn Herman, Instagram Expert, Speaker, and Author at Jenn's Trends, sounds familiar, it’s because she’s a returning guest twice over. She joins the Social Pros podcast for a third time to deliver more fantastic Instagram tips and insights.
Given that Instagram is perhaps the most frequently changing social media platform, Jenn always has something new to share.
In this episode, we look at what’s changed on Instagram and which best practices you should focus on in the future. The last time Jenn was on the show, Reels was a promising new feature. Given what it is today, Jenn explains why you should definitely prioritize Reels in your Instagram strategy.
We also hear some quickfire tips from Jenn for any social pro trying to gain traction on Instagram, including why you should only ever post your best content.
Tune in to the episode to learn what makes a winning Instagram strategy, what she’d love to see on the platform in the future, and why the color blue is surprisingly good for engagement.
In This Episode:
4:08 – Jenn’s take on Meta and why she thinks it’s unlikely to affect Instagram 6:05 – How to deal with ever-changing Instagram updates and why Reels is the one to focus on (for now) 7:43 – How to repurpose content for Reels 11:37 – Jenn explains why “more hashtags is more,” as long as they’re relevant 15:03 – Why Instagram recently rolled out the ‘Rage Shake’ feature 16:23 – The benefits of being able to delete and edit Carousels 19:12 – Jenn discusses the new ability to post from the desktop 21:33 – What photos work best on Instagram – Jenn’s top tips for boosting engagement 24:23 – What features or updates Jenn would love to see in the future 26:53 – The place Instagram has in customer service 29:18 – Why Jenn believes you should have a customer service background to work in social 31:10 – The top thing that Instagram users overlook 34:24 – Jenn shares her top tip for those looking to become a social pro Resources
Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Leah Schultz, Senior Director of Brand & Social at TwinSpires Racing, Sports & Casino, joined the Social Pros podcast to discuss a winning real-time social media strategy.
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Leah Schultz, Senior Director of Brand & Social at TwinSpires Racing, Sports & Casino, is on the Social Pros podcast to share the secrets of TwinSpires’ success.
Social media never sleeps. And in the world of online gambling, sports, and racing, social pros need to have their finger on the pulse. Part of what makes TwinSpires’ social content so engaging is that it pops up exactly when the fans need it – in real-time.
Leah and her team don’t delay when it comes to pushing out content. Someone just won their 7000th race? Her team will push out recaps, graphics, and copy, right there and then. Leah explains why this is especially important in this industry and what other social pros can do to stay ahead.
She shares the strategies behind social listening, community management, and why a trusting, close-knit team is key to making fast decisions for social content. Leah also shares a little about the challenges of promoting racing and gambling content, including the regulations and how they differ by state.
In This Episode:
4:34 – Leah shares a bit of background on TwinSpires Racing, Sports & Casino 5:50 – How Leah navigates the different regulations for social content 7:30 – How the TwinSpires team manages national vs. state-specific social content 11:20 - What Leah learned from her time with Papa John’s legal team 13:30 – Why online casino and racing are a 24/7 business for the social team 16:55 – Why having a social team with passionate sports fans is so important for TwinSpires 20:19 – Where community management fits into the social team 22:05 – How TwinSpires manages age gating with its content 26:14 - Leah shares how she talks to leadership about social media and how that’s changed over the years 29:41 – Leah gives her take on how VR and AR will play into the future of online casinos and sports 32:40 – Why Leah prefers Twitter over audio-only platforms like Clubhouse 35:52 – Leah’s top tip for those looking to become a social pro Resources
Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce Double your advertising spending on Snapchat Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Brittany Cabriales, Head of Social Media at GoFundMe, joins this Social Pros podcast episode to discuss how social media can be a force for good.
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Brittany Cabriales, Head of Social Media at GoFundMe, is on this episode of Social Pros to share the strategies and successes behind GoFundMe’s social media push.
GoFundMe is an instantly recognizable name in the online fundraising world. Part of this is down to users sharing their fundraisers on social media, which almost every user does. Brittany explains how the social team helps to get the word out about important causes and the effect this has on fundraising.
Brittany shares why timing is crucial and how timely fundraisers can raise thousands of dollars more. This is why promoting on social media is key, so you have to move fast.
Brittany also shares how GoFundMe’s social media success is largely down to organic content rather than paid advertising. We also hear how different social platforms do better with certain types of fundraisers and how to tell an effective story with your fundraiser for maximum success.
In This Episode:
3:18 – Why GoFundMe is hoping to broaden its audience reach 4:41 – The impact of the pandemic on GoFundMe 6:28 – How the pandemic spurred people into action through fundraising 7:21 – How GoFundMe uses social media to spread the word about good causes 9:36 – Brittany explains how GoFundMe targets both fundraisers and participants 10:17 – How different social platforms are better for different audiences 11:25 – How GoFundMe decides what fundraisers to promote 13:52 – Why Brittany is always trying to stay on top of social media trends 14:21 – How GoFundMe’s choice to highlight fundraisers affects the donations 16:34 – Brittany explains GoFundMe’s new social strategy 17:38 – Why GoFundMe sees more success with organic search over paid 18:29 – The top metrics that GoFundMe watches 20:19 – How Brittany approaches campaigns on different social media platforms 22:33 – GoFundMe’s new ventures on TikTok 24:34 – Brittany’s tips for gaining traction with your GoFundMe campaign 27:41 – Why Gen Z is one of the most engaged donor demographics on GoFundMe 28:43 – GoFundMe’s approach to social care and social listening 29:15 – How Brittany’s experience in customer support helps her in her role now 31:06 – Why “every cause is important” in Brittany’s eyes 32:33 – Brittany’s top tip for those looking to become a social pro Resources
Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce GoFundMe’s Instagram Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Jon Loomer, Owner of Jon Loomer Digital, is on the Social Pros podcast to talk all about the future of advanced Facebook advertising. 
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Jon Loomer, Owner of Jon Loomer Digital, joins the Social Pros podcast to share some of his words of wisdom and advice for those looking to take Facebook ads to the next level.
With the recent Facebook to Meta rebrand, things are a little up in the air in the social media world. But Jon weighs in on the future of Facebook and how marketers will have to adapt to succeed.
He gives some solid advice on getting started with Facebook ads, why you should focus on targeting the right people, and how to be mindful about sticking to a budget.
Jon goes on to talk about how competition has affected advertising on Facebook over the years and why it’s more important than ever to be creative and experiment to find what works.
In This Episode:
2:50 – Jon’s thoughts on Facebook’s rebrand to Meta 4:38 – What is “the metaverse”? 6:23 – How Jon Loomer Digital evolved into the resource for Facebook advertisers 10:08 – Why tie your Facebook ads to different stages of your funnel 12:07 – Creative, targeting, or budgeting: which is the most important? 14:31 – Why microtargeting is so powerful 18:00 – The factors holding people back from experimenting with Facebook ads 19:48 – How advertisers can set realistic result expectations 21:52 – How to get started with Facebook ads 25:56 – The challenges with dayparting 29:12 – Understanding how iOS14 can impact Facebook advertising 34:35 – What makes a good Facebook ad call to action 35:51 – How much should you trust Facebook’s auto-optimization? 41:48 – What experience and skills help you run successful ad campaigns 43:33 – Jon’s one tip to becoming a social pro Resources
Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce Jon Loomer Digital A Facebook Ads Experimentation Guide Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Thea Neal, Global Talent Marketing Manager for Royal Caribbean Group, joined this episode of Social Pros to share how she’s utilizing the power of social for recruitment.
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Thea Neal, Global Talent Marketing Manager at Royal Caribbean Group, is on the Social Pros Podcast to share the inventive ways Royal Caribbean Group recruits staff.
With a constant need to fill roles on the many ships within the Royal Caribbean Group family, recruitment is a huge priority. But rather than simply throwing up a few job adverts, Royal Caribbean has turned to social media to really drive that hiring push.
Thea explains how they use user-generated content from existing staff members to paint a picture of life at sea for potential candidates. She believes this goes way further than what marketing campaigns can produce because it’s authentic content that people really want to see.
Thea also shares how recruitment is a long game for Royal Caribbean Group and how social is currently driving around 20% of referrals to job applications. We also hear a bit about the struggles during COVID, including visa changes, recruitment competition from other brands, and how the travel industry is recovering.
In This Episode:
4:39 – How Thea is managing a huge hiring push after a COVID pause 7:27 – How being a talent marketer differs from being a regular marketer 9:39 – The ways talent marketing has changed over social media 11:27 – Why Royal Caribbean’s social recruitment push is a long game 12:40 – How Thea works with her counterparts to ensure the messaging is consistent 14:21 – What the pandemic taught Thea about the challenges of global hiring 16:20 – How Royal Caribbean manages a constant recruitment push worldwide 18:01 – How Royal Caribbean uses specific and targeted hiring campaigns 20:06 – Why Glassdoor ratings were such a big priority for Thea 24:10 – How user generated content gives insights into job roles that marketing campaigns can’t 26:08 – Why most UGC is created organically at Royal Caribbean 27:04 – Thea explains the ‘Journey with Us’ campaign 29:04 – How Thea measures success with recruitment campaigns 35:20 – Royal Caribbean’s hiring campaign plan post-COVID 36:50 – How Royal Caribbean competes with other companies for the best talent 38:54 – Thea’s one tip for those looking to become a social pro Resources
Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce Careers at Royal Caribbean Group Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.