Social Currency

In this episode of the Social Currency podcast, we’ve prepared a list of six pillars for a rock solid 2020 marketing strategy. Digital is transcending the web and expanding into many aspects of the marketing funnel. In this episode: Double down on social media. It is playing a more powerful role in upper, mid and lower funnel and there is still opportunity in areas like video, going live and social influencer collaborations. If your brand isn’t there yet, it’s not too late. Digital continues to extend into new mediums. We’re seeing personalized digital experiences in Out of Home, retail environments and more. Think beyond mobile. Voice search is growing. Is your brand ready for zero click search? If Alexa only gives you one result, are you it? Storytelling is far stickier than facts. Build a narrative for your brand that people will remember. Two primary storytelling mediums we love are video & podcasting. Have a Point of View on world events, your industry, the future, social causes. But whatever you do, just don’t say woke. Build content with an audience-first approach. What are your consumers saying about you when you’re not in the room? Are there industry themes being discussed online that you can address? Respond to the needs, wants and interests of your audience and let your company agenda take a back seat. Links we reference in the show: https://medium.com/@shivagbhaskar/how-podcasts-became-so-popular-and-why-thats-a-good-thing-8c2ef4b27066 --- Get everything Social Currency Show: Find us here: SocialCurrencyShow.com Facebook Listen here: iTunes/Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher TuneIn Spotify Anchor Post love with this hashtag: #socialcurrencyshow Sign up for the Social Currency email here

In this episode of the Social Currency podcast, we interview Facebook Queen, Mari Smith. Mari is one of the world's leading social media thought leaders, consulting, speaking and offering online training to countless digital marketers. Fast Company described Mari as, “A veritable engine of personal branding, a relationship marketing whiz and the Pied Piper of the Online World.” Forbes named Mari as one of the top ten Social Media Influencers three years in a row. We discuss: Is Facebook only for old people? What does “the future is private” actually mean? 5G and AI’s impact on digital marketing. Instagram hiding likes. What this means for Social Influencers. How to weave organic, paid and retargeting together into a 1, 2, 3 punch on Facebook. China and Tik Tok. Is all of this the fault of the platform? Or is it us? Links we reference in the show: Science of Social Media podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-science-of-social-media/id1153119945 Social Media Marketing podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-media-marketing-podcast/id549899114?ls=1&mt=2 AI Marketing podcast: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ai-marketing The Information email: https://www.theinformation.com/subscribe Inside.com email: https://inside.com/tags/technology --- Get everything Social Currency Show: Find us here: SocialCurrencyShow.com Facebook Listen here: iTunes/Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher TuneIn Spotify Anchor Post love with this hashtag: #socialcurrencyshow Sign up for the Social Currency email here

In this episode of the Social Currency podcast, we discuss the infamous Mary Meeker Internet Trends Report. Mary has become a staple at the annual Code Conference, running through insane amounts of data and research about the internet and technology adoption in rapid succession, PechaKucha Style. (Japanese form of storytelling where you only speak for 20 seconds per slide with heavy use of visuals.) Who is Mary Meeker? She is an American venture capitalist and former Wall Street securities analyst. Her primary work is on Internet and new technologies and famously said “the internet has lots of upside.” She was a partner at the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins until last year when she formed her own company, Bond Capital. In 2014, she was listed as the 77th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes. She has been producing the “Future of the Internet” reports since 1995. We discuss: Global internet user base. Subscription vs. free trial. Power of recommendation. Podcasting growth. Voice growth. eSports and social gaming. Data as the killer app. Splinternet. Cybersecurity and technology’s impact on healthcare. So. Much. Goodness. Links we reference in the show are below: Mary’s Presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_dwZB5h56E Full Report: https://www.bondcap.com/#view/1 Recode Summary: https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/6/11/18651010/mary-meeker-internet-trends-report-slides-2019 --- Get everything Social Currency Show: Find us here: SocialCurrencyShow.com Facebook Listen here: iTunes/Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher TuneIn Spotify Anchor Post love with this hashtag: #socialcurrencyshow Sign up for the Social Currency email here

On this episode of the Social Currency marketing podcast, we are joined by special guest, Lindsey Roy, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Hallmark Greetings. We spend time talking through her powerful story, how she views personal and business transformation, the power of authenticity for a brand, how emotion can be a competitive advantage, and how Hallmark is maximizing social media to connect with true humanity. The power of positive can create change. Traditional businesses can stay true to who they are while going digital at the same time. Find Lindsey Roy at: https://www.instagram.com/lindseyroy26/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseyroyofficial http://www.lindseyroy.com --- Get everything Social Currency Show: Find us here: SocialCurrencyShow.com Facebook Listen here: iTunes/Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher TuneIn Spotify Anchor Post love with this hashtag: #socialcurrencyshow Sign up for the Social Currency email here

Amanda Rost joined the Social Currency show and shared her insights on working at the social media giant, job hunting juggernaut: LinkedIn. We discuss the platform’s mission to raise global GDP and create economic opportunity for everyone. We also touch on how LinkedIn has been successful because of its purposeful steady growth, unreliance on ads for revenue and higher order mission. Could this be the last frontier of “safe” social media spaces? Check out our discussion in episode #42 of Social Currency. Links we reference in the show are below: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandarost/ https://twitter.com/amanda_rost https://airtable.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/leelasrinivasan/ Books we reference in the show are below: The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself https://amzn.to/2L5TYxZ The Order of Time https://amzn.to/2XzcPrR Tools for Thought: The History and Future of Mind-Expanding Technology https://amzn.to/2L7jbb7 --- Get everything Social Currency Show: Find us here: SocialCurrencyShow.com Facebook Listen here: iTunes/Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher TuneIn Spotify Anchor Post love with this hashtag: #socialcurrencyshow Sign up for the Social Currency email here

In this episode of the Social Currency podcast, we interview “Threat Matrix” podcast host, former Microsoft PR lead and now NYU professor, Kristina Libby. Prepare for war. We hit on hidden agendas, the AI war, the responsibility of social platforms to combat fake news, and the line between PR and propaganda. In our discussion with Kristina, we touch on: Cyber security and what we should all be doing now to protect ourselves The responsibility of social platforms to combat fake news The line between PR and propaganda Winning the AI war The future of social media Links we reference in the show are below: Where to find Kristina: https://twitter.com/matrix_threat https://twitter.com/KristinaLibby Books Referenced in this Episode: Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth: https://amzn.to/2JfgD7s LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media: https://amzn.to/2xnSPIY Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy: https://amzn.to/2IWjxiG Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon: https://amzn.to/2FFBHTy Forums & Sites Referenced in this Episode: Nancy Pelosi Doctored Video: https://www.reddit.com/r/TechNewsToday/comments/bta9e0/a_doctored_video_of_nancy_pelosi_shows_social/ Twitterbots: Anatomy of a Propaganda Campaign: https://www.symantec.com/blogs/threat-intelligence/twitterbots-propaganda-disinformation The Beginners Guide to Not Getting Hacked: https://www.dontclickonthat.com/

We had the honor of spending an hour with social influencer, content creator, digital producer, entrepreneur and queen of geek culture - Trisha Hershberger. She tells us her origin story back when YouTube was a place for creators and it wasn’t yet cool to be a geek. We also cover a variety of topics including: The digital content production process- how do things get made? Collaborations with brands and what it looks like when brands don’t do it right. The evolution of YouTube from ye olden days to today and what it means for creators and brands. Why the word “influencer” is so loaded and that ultimately it’s about respecting the creator. Geek culture and its metamorphosis over the past twenty years. --- Links we reference in the show are below: https://www.trishahershberger.com/ https://www.youtube.com/trishahershberger https://twitter.com/thatgrltrish https://www.instagram.com/thatgrltrish/ https://www.twitch.tv/trishahershberger https://www.facebook.com/thatgrltrish/ https://contently.com/strategist/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenge_of_the_Nerds https://www.amazon.com/Fables-Vol-2-Animal-Farm/dp/140120077X --- Get everything Social Currency Show: Find us here: SocialCurrencyShow.com Facebook Listen here: iTunes/Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher TuneIn Spotify Anchor Post love with this hashtag: #socialcurrencyshow Sign up for the Social Currency email here

In this episode of the Social Currency podcast, we discuss our thoughts on Apple’s recent Worldwide Developer Conference aka WWDC. We cover all our thoughts on the new software announcements for iPhone (Dark Mode!), iPad, Apple Watch, the shiny cheese-gratery Mac Pro, privacy and the death of iTunes. With device sales slipping in the US, Apple is focusing fast on its software and services business to provide the future platform for growth. --- Links to articles discussed in the show: https://www.popsci.com/ios13-new-features#page-3 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/03/technology/wwdc-apple.html --- Get everything Social Currency Show: Find us here: SocialCurrencyShow.com Facebook Listen here: iTunes/Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher TuneIn Spotify Anchor Post love with this hashtag: #socialcurrencyshow Sign up for the Social Currency email here

We had the honor of spending an hour with social influencer, content creator, digital producer, entrepreneur and queen of geek culture - Trisha Hershberger. She tells us her origin story back when YouTube was a place for creators and it wasn’t yet cool to be a geek. We also cover a variety of topics including: The digital content production process- how do things get made? Collaborations with brands and what it looks like when brands don’t do it right. The evolution of YouTube from ye olden days to today and what it means for creators and brands. Why the word “influencer” is so loaded and that ultimately it’s about respecting the creator Geek culture and its metamorphosis over the past twenty years Links we reference in the show are below: https://www.trishahershberger.com/ https://www.youtube.com/trishahershberger https://twitter.com/thatgrltrish https://www.instagram.com/thatgrltrish/ https://www.twitch.tv/trishahershberger https://www.facebook.com/thatgrltrish/ https://contently.com/strategist/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenge_of_the_Nerds https://www.amazon.com/Fables-Vol-2-Animal-Farm/dp/140120077X --- Get everything Social Currency Show: Find us here: SocialCurrencyShow.com Facebook Listen here: iTunes/Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher TuneIn Spotify Anchor Post love with this hashtag: #socialcurrencyshow

We sat down with Greg Crockart, Business Director for the Mirum Agency (part of the Wunderman Thompson group), to get his thoughts on three hot topics. Artificial Intelligence, 5G and privacy are not just impacting the tech industry, but will drastically change the way marketers do their jobs. We are entering a transformative time in the marketing and advertising space. Greg shares his perspective on: In-store experiences merging with digital and getting ever so personal. Out-of-home advertising becoming customized by micro-demographic changes within different dayparts and updating in real-time. Addressing privacy, not as an afterthought but, as a fundamental issue built in from the start. Sources of inspiration for marketers and creative thinkers. Links we reference in the show are below: Mirum: https://www.mirumagency.com/en/home Wunderman Thompson: https://www.wundermanthompson.com/ 5G FAQs: https://www.qualcomm.com/invention/5g/what-is-5g Google I/O 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQSaPsKHPqs&feature=youtu.be&t=1813 The Creative Brain: https://www.netflix.com/title/81090128 Why Buddhism is True: https://www.amazon.com/Why-Buddhism-True-Philosophy-Enlightenment/dp/1439195455 The Register: https://www.theregister.co.uk/ The Drum: https://www.thedrum.com/us Scott Galloway: https://twitter.com/profgalloway Greg Crockart: https://twitter.com/gregcroc or https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregcrockart/ --- Get everything Social Currency Show: Find us here: SocialCurrencyShow.com Facebook Listen here: iTunes/Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher TuneIn Spotify Anchor Post love with this hashtag: #socialcurrencyshow Sign up for the Social Currency email here

Facebook just held its annual developer conference, F8. Mark Zuckerberg made some radical announcements about the changing face of the largest social media platform on the planet, changes that will impact our personal and professional lives online. We cover the six principles Zuck shares in this week’s episode as well as our feedback on their true impact to your business strategy. The six principles include: Private interactions Encryption Reduced permanence Safety Interoperability Secure data storage Also, announced were a few sexy upgrades to Instagram and we end with a touch on VR, with the new Oculus Quest, vs AR, and where we think these technologies are useful in the near future. Links we reference in the show are below: https://venturebeat.com/2019/05/02/everything-facebook-announced-at-f8-2019/ https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/02/takeaways-from-f8-and-facebooks-next-phase/ https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/30/18524068/facebook-f8-2019-keynote-highlights-summary-news-feed-messenger-instagram-oculus --- Get everything Social Currency Show: Find us here: SocialCurrencyShow.com Facebook Listen here: iTunes/Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher TuneIn Spotify Anchor Post love with this hashtag: #socialcurrencyshow Sign up for the Social Currency email here

035 | 7 STEPS TO BUILDING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND Developing your personal brand online is easier than you think and more important than ever. We outline the 7 steps to do just this in episode #35 of the Social Currency podcast. What is a personal brand? Why you need variations of your stump speech. Your point of view is what differentiates you. Focus on those you’re trying to attract. Forget the rest Partner with others and co-create content that adds value to others. There are lots of (free) tools. How to think about them in stages. Maintain even when you don’t “need” anything. Get with the 'table touching.' --- Links we reference in the show are below: Feedly news aggregator: https://feedly.com/i/welcome Google alerts: https://www.google.com/alerts How to Build a Personal Brand in 5 Steps (and Why Everyone Messes Up on Number 1): https://www.inc.com/nicolas-cole/how-to-build-a-personal-brand-in-5-steps-and-why-everyone-messes-up-on-number-1.html 5 Steps to Building Your Personal Brand From Scratch: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/298513 --- Get everything Social Currency Show: Find us here: SocialCurrencyShow.com Facebook Listen here: iTunes/Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher TuneIn Spotify Anchor Post love with this hashtag: #socialcurrencyshow Sign up for the Social Currency email here

034 | THE RISE OF SOCIAL SHOPPING - INSTAGRAM LAUNCHES CHECKOUT, PINTEREST SHOPPABLE PINS In episode 034 of the Social Currency marketing podcast, we jump on the rise of social shopping. With the introduction of Instagram Checkout and the growth of Pinterest Shoppable Pins, has the age of contextual commerce arrived? The concept of social shopping has been around since early 2000s, but with the launch of new capabilities like Instagram Checkout and the ease of setting up Pinterest Shoppable Pins, it's easy to see the natural connection between social, influencers, and the consumers interested in what's new, cool, and next. Social shopping is interest-based: Native, natural, and now easy, because it's seamless and in context of the content you are already enjoying. This is contextual commerce. Now that the platforms are enabling the power to access consumers in a new way, with clear attribution models and integrated e-commerce capabilities, why wouldn't you use social to sell...and shop? ---- Links we reference in the show are below: https://www.emarketer.com/content/social-commerce-referral-grows-110 https://www.pymnts.com/news/ecommerce/2019/instagram-paypal-checkout-social-commerce/ https://www.fool.com/investing/2019/03/26/pinterests-biggest-competitor-might-surprise-you.aspx https://www.pymnts.com/news/retail/2019/pinterest-shopping-social-media-commerce/ ---- Get everything Social Currency Show: Find us here: SocialCurrencyShow.com Facebook Listen here: iTunes/Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher TuneIn Spotify Anchor Post love with this hashtag: #socialcurrencyshow Sign up for the Social Currency email here

We love eMarketer’s in-depth reports on all things digital marketing. In this episode, we discuss the highlights from this 18 page report on the podcast. Big thanks to Debra Aho Williamson for including Jess in the interviews and research. Instagram is hitting it out of the park across so many vectors. Influencers is yet another one. According to eMarketer’s research, the fleeting nature of Instagram stories combined with the ability to include outbound links is hugely attractive for both brands and influencers. If your influencer program is not leveraging both the Instagram Feed and Stories platforms, it should. The rise of “tiering” of influencers has also caught our attention. With celebrity influencers losing credibility with audiences and inflating their follower counts, many brands are turning to microinfluencers and nanoinfluencers. Are you a nanoinfluencer? Find out in the podcast! Budgets are growing, both in whole number spend and as a percentage of the overall marketing mix. 31% of marketers say that they are increasing focus on influencer marketing. Here's a quote from the report: "At Qualcomm, it’s still a very small percentage of the overall marketing and PR budget,” said Jessica Jensen, the company’s global director of digital marketing and strategy. “But because there is enough interest in it, and an awareness that it’s not going to go away, there will likely be additional budget." So much more in this in-depth global report on all things influencers. Listen to episode #33 to get our POV. ---- Links we reference in the show are below: Intro to report and link to buy: https://www.emarketer.com/content/global-influencer-marketing-2019 eMarketer’s Podcast with highlights from the report: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-influencer-marketing-stories-fraud-and-microinfluencers ---- Get everything Social Currency Show: Find us here: SocialCurrencyShow.com Facebook Listen here: iTunes/Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher TuneIn Spotify Anchor Post love with this hashtag: #socialcurrencyshow Sign up for the Social Currency email here

032 | ALL THINGS FACEBOOK. IS IT THE NEXT WECHAT? LIVE FROM PEPPERDINE GRAZIADIO IN IRVINE, CALIFORNIA. Recording together from our alma mater, Pepperdine University, in episode 032, we jump in on the latest news from our old friend, Facebook. This time around, it’s all about PRIVACY. Zuckerberg says they want to move from a town square format to a smaller, living room scenario. This will have huge implications for the newsfeed, Facebook Messenger, and even Instagram Stories. With more scrutiny than ever from regulators in Washington D.C., security breaches and the never-ending pressure to reinvent, Facebook is pivoting fast. Also, what’s all of this have to do with massive Chinese-based social platform, WeChat? Is Zuckerberg looking overseas for domination inspiration? We think Facebook is positioning itself to be the next super app by tying its messaging platforms together as they let slip a couple weeks back. Now, it is just a matter of time before this is monetized. These are signals to watch and Facebook is giving all the clues to what they are going to be next. If you aren’t yet on Facebook or Instagram, this is the time to get involved: B2B, B2C, services, products, global, domestic - the next wave of innovation is coming and you want to be ready. ---- Links we reference in the show: https://www.wired.com/story/zuckerberg-privacy-manifesto-questions/ https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/07/zuckerberg-doesnt-know-yet-how-facebook-will-monetize-new-strategy.html https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/7/18254717/facebook-instagram-whatsapp-regulation-antitrust-mark-zuckerberg-klobuchar-hawley-blumenthal https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/7/18253547/facebook-zuckerberg-future-blog-post-redefining-reputation https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/facebook-privacy-pivot-a-china-type-move-trying-to-corner-the-free-world-cyber-guy https://www.businessinsider.com/future-of-facebook-looks-like-china-wechat-2019-3 https://web.wechat.com/ ---- Get everything Social Currency Show: Find us here: SocialCurrencyShow.com Facebook Listen here: iTunes/Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher TuneIn Spotify Anchor Post love with this hashtag: #socialcurrencyshow Sign up for the Social Currency email here

Just when we think we’ve got social media dialed, it changes on us. Unlike the internet, which often feels like a utility, social media platforms are living, breathing entities. They are run by people, respond to market changes, and are constantly evolving their functionality and algorithms. The Social Media Marketing World conference, held in San Diego, California, brings together over 100 social and digital marketing experts and really punched above its weight this year. In this podcast, we riff on what we learned AND the patterns we’re hearing. So much good stuff! Our key takeaways: Less than half of marketers report they’re using live video or Instagram/ Facebook stories in their content strategy, yet this is where organic reach and engagement are still alive and well. Do video now. Ephemeral is the new black! Huge opportunity here. Vanity metrics are meaningless.Stop counting likes. Start listening (and participating) in conversations about your brand and focus on your core KPIs. Show, don’t tell.Demonstrate your product or service visually. Then let your audience tell the story - on your behalf. Everyone is a reporter now. The power is in the hands of your customers. Make it easy. Relationships are marketing. Focus on “micro-interactions.” Less is more, if it is meaningful. We explain the CARE model. Craft your LinkedIn profilefor the reader, not you. Don’t be myopic. What are you and/or your brand offering your audience? Lastly, no one gave us an operating manualfor how to live in the era we do. This digital era. Experiment. Don’t be afraid to start today. It’s not too late. We are all figuring it out together! Links and people we reference in the show: https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/smmworld/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDHIyrfMl_U https://twitter.com/mike_stelzner https://twitter.com/briansolis https://twitter.com/jessikaphillips https://twitter.com/nicknimmin https://twitter.com/eringarganking https://twitter.com/theadstrategist https://twitter.com/greenarrowdigit https://twitter.com/JohnNemoPR --- Get everything Social Currency Show: Find us here: SocialCurrencyShow.com Facebook Listen here: iTunes/Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher TuneIn Spotify Anchor Post love with this hashtag: #socialcurrencyshow Sign up for the Social Currency email here

Social Currency | Episode 030 There is one constant in digital marketing. And it is change. In episode #30, we discuss three topics that all revolve around this ongoing pattern of change, growth and consolidation. Up first is TikTok. If you haven’t heard of it, you will soon. The short video sharing app just reached 1 billion installs across iOS and Android, globally. In fact, in 2018, TikTok was the 4th most downloaded non-game app worldwide and the most downloaded non-game app in the US as of January 2019. TikTok is owned by China-based company, ByteDance, who bought and consolidated lip-syncing app Musical.ly into TikTok. It’s demographic is largely gen Z with a large growing user base in India. While TikTok may not have yet made it into your annual digital strategy, it is one to watch. Next, we discuss Amazon’s return to video as a content format aimed to sell` more product. Back in 2016, Amazon dabbled in video with their “Style Code Live” effort and now they return to video as a content strategy. Live video, reality show and celebrity guests like Heidi Klum and potentially Blake Lively will up the ante for the over 100 million Prime members offering exclusive content. 90% of Amazon’s product views result from searches within Amazon. Adding in this element of video is, no doubt, going to increase time on site and average spend per transaction. Amazon is on fire! Last, we comment on how fast digital marketing spend has grown. In 2019, it will surpass traditional marketing spend for the first time (per eMarketer’s forecast) topping out at $129.3 billion in the US. We both recall when digital spend was lucky to earn a seat at the table, perhaps comprising 10 or 15% of the marketing budget. If spend is any measure of where attention is going, all eyes should be on digital marketing. Key takeaways: Digital channels continue to grow, evolve and reinvent themselves. If you have a dollar to spend, put it on digital marketing. The connective tissue between content (video, in particular) and commerce grows tighter and we’ll see e-commerce players reap the rewards first. Keep your eyes on new platforms. TikTok is on the rise, and it is heavily influencing the under 25 demographic. --- Get everything Social Currency Show: Find us here: SocialCurrencyShow.com Facebook Listen here: iTunes/Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher TuneIn Spotify Anchor Post love with this hashtag: #socialcurrencyshow Sign up for the Social Currency email here

Michael Stelzner is globally known as the founder of Social Media Examiner, one of the forefront sites reporting on social media and digital marketing today. He is a digital marketing leader and social media expert, author of the books Launch and Writing White Papers, and the man behind Social Media Marketing World– the industry’s largest conference. In addition to being the host of the Social Media Marketing podcast, he's the founder of the Social Media Marketing Society, and the central character in The Journey, an episodic YouTube documentary. Our discussion with Michael delves into his passion around video and the powerful tool inside our phones to capture footage and tell a story. He makes no bones about the fact that every company and brand should have a video strategy and if it’s not part of your mix, it needs to be. Not just because we can but because it draws our audiences closer to us as people. This is evidenced by his evolution from blogging to podcasting to video-based episodic storytelling as seen in The Journey. Next, we delve into podcasting, why Spotify is making a big play here, and the length of time people are spending in this (not so new, but exploding) medium. Followed up by the green field opportunities that exist within Instagram- one of the final frontiers of “free” organic reach. That leads us into a discussion on social influencer marketing and his thoughts on finding influencers inside a company. Listen up! Check out the full interview. --- Get everything Social Currency Show: Find us here: SocialCurrencyShow.com Facebook Listen here: iTunes/Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher TuneIn Spotify Anchor Post love with this hashtag: #socialcurrencyshow Sign up for the Social Currency email here

In episode 028, we cover three topics: Reddit, Pinterest and Spotify. Reddit is clearly making moves to “professionalize” their platform of 13 years with a fresh look at how they market themselves to advertisers. The community-based forum has received $300 million in funding of late and is touring the agency world touting their new ad targeting, reporting capabilities and adding new cost per click ad units. Reddit has also made some user experience changes to improve overall design of the platform and is tackling “brand safety” issues head on. We are intrigued. In fact, Reddit may be the next social platform to watch as their ability to reach topic-based audiences within subreddits is a trend across digital marketing. This audience is also not always found in the “traditional” social properties so perhaps less duplication. If you’re not dabbling in Reddit, if even simply for social listening reasons, now is the time to check them out. Pinterest, long known as the place you go to find interior design ideas and birthday party themes, is also repositioning themselves as what they call a “discovery engine.” Not a social media platform, they say. Although, we’ve heard Jack Dorsey (CEO of Twitter) say Twitter isn’t a social media platform either- so this just might be a massive trend to not compete with the likes of Facebook and Instagram. Oy vey! Meanwhile, Pinterest plans to go public this year and wants to be known for inspirational images that drive sales. With around 250 monthly active users, could Pinterest possibly compete against Google or Amazon? We shall see... Lastly, one of our favorite topics, podcasting. We share some arresting statistics about average listen time and the power of being “in someone’s head.” With Spotify acquiring Gimlet and Anchor, there is a clear move to expand beyond music and dominate the audio space. Podcast apps are still very fragmented on Android-based devices (unlike Apple podcasts for iOS). We predict Spotify will own this space in short order. All in all, podcasting is exploding and there is still much more to come. --- Get everything Social Currency Show: Find us here: SocialCurrencyShow.com Facebook Listen here: iTunes/Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher TuneIn Spotify Anchor Post love with this hashtag: #socialcurrencyshow Sign up for the Social Currency email here

SOCIAL CURRENCY | Episode 027 In episode #27 of the Social Currency podcast, we tackle one of our favorite topics - storytelling. Like many of us, we' ve always been drawn to people who were good storytellers. The core of content marketing, which supports a brand's connection with the consumer, is a compelling brand narrative. From Jess after the interview: Like a moth to a flame, I’d find myself at parties wedged into a tight kitchen with a group of others hovering around the one guy who could tell a story. It could be about anything. What mattered is the way he told the story. It seemed like magic to me. Like a magnetism that some people just had innately. Over the years, I’ve come to learn that good storytelling isn’t just magic. There is actual structure around a good story. In fact, that story structure is repeated again and again across many of our favorite books and movies. I may be the last one to this party, but realizing that stories could be crafted using a framework and, better yet, applying this framework into the world of marketing was a big breakthrough moment. In this episode, we interview Naomi Beaty. A long-time friend of mine and writing expert. Naomi founded Write & Co. where she coaches screenplay writers, directors and producers at all levels. She got her start working for Madonna’s production company, Maverick films, and has worked in the entertainment industry now for over a decade. Naomi teaches me about the hero’s journey, a commonly used architecture where we are introduced to character as he/she battles a problem or faces a journey ahead. We discuss how a brand or product can often act as the mentor or savior for this hero, ultimately leading him/her to success or resolution. I also learned about the idea of high concept. Often used in entertainment to pitch a script or film idea, it can be applied in the business world as well. Essentially, high concept is an idea that is very easy to understand from the mere name of it. Easy to grasp, repeatable by others and instantly relatable. It got me thinking about how I could package my own ideas in this way too. Another facet of my interview with Naomi gets at the very root of why stories resonate so much more with us than statistics or facts. It is this: Stories elicit emotion. Often we make decisions first based on emotion (often this is subconscious), then we look to validate those decisions with data or evidence. This is sometimes referred to as confirmation bias. How can we apply this to digital marketing? I think it’s this simple: First make your audience care about you, then tell them the benefits and features. If they don’t identify with you or your product/service, they ultimately won’t buy. Brand value in a nutshell. --- Get everything Social Currency Show: Find us here: SocialCurrencyShow.com Facebook Listen here: iTunes/Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher TuneIn Spotify Anchor Post love with this hashtag: #socialcurrencyshow Sign up for the Social Currency email here

Kicking off 2019 with our first episode of season two of the Social Currency podcast. So happy to be back! In episode #26 of the Social Currency Show, we tackle news across three topics. First up is Facebook’s announcement that they are planning to integrate their three messaging platforms across Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. We discuss the pros & cons of this seemingly boring infrastructure change. Could there be something deeper going on? Next, we dig into WhatsApp’s decision to limit the number of groups we can forward a message from 256 to 5. Wow! A proactive move to limit fake news. Or is it? These two announcements came out within two weeks of each other. How much of this is about business growth and evolving advertising models? Lastly, we take the “attention economy” discussion over to a new book by Dr. Cal Newport called Digital Minimalism. For many of us, our digital lives are taking over. How do we reclaim control? How do we compartmentalize the amount of time we spend on social media and use it for good regardless of the aforementioned platform changes? Dr. Newport calls it the art of attention management. We call it fascinating. Listen now to hear the full discussion. Sources: Messaging integration: https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/25/tech/facebook-integrating-whatsapp-instagram-messenger/index.html WhatsApp limiting virality: https://www.recode.net/2019/1/25/18197002/whatsapp-message-limit-fake-news-facebook-twitter Digital minimalism: https://affordanything.com/176-digital-minimalism-cal-newport/ Cal Newport bio: http://calnewport.com/about/ Get everything Social Currency Show: Find us here: SocialCurrencyShow.com Facebook Listen here: iTunes/Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher TuneIn Spotify Anchor Post love with this hashtag: #socialcurrencyshow Sign up for the Social Currency email here

In episode #25 of the Social Currency marketing podcast, Jess Jensen and Tuck Ross discuss retargeting and remarketing ad tech with marketing leader, Jen Whelan, SVP of Marketing from Criteo. Jen brings 20+ years of marketing experience from big tech companies to agencies to modern ad tech platforms. This is part 2 of a 2 episode event, covering the basics of how retargeting works, what you can use it for, retail and digital marketing strategy for ecommerce, and how you can leverage ad tech as an extremely efficient part of your digital marketing mix. Featuring Jen Whelan, SVP of Marketing at Criteo. Here’s her LinkedIn profile: www.linkedin.com/in/jen-whelan-a280b113/ Looking for more info on Criteo and retargeting ad tech? Here’s the Criteo site for more resources: www.criteo.com Catch up on the latest with Social Currency at our site: www.socialcurrencyshow.com

In episode #24 of the Social Currency marketing podcast, Jess Jensen and Tuck Ross discuss retargeting and remarketing ad tech with marketing leader, Jen Whelan from Criteo. Jen brings 20+ years of marketing experience from big tech companies to agencies to modern ad tech platforms. This is part 1 of a 2 episode event, covering the basics of how retargeting works, what you can use it for, retail and digital marketing strategy for ecommerce, and how you can leverage ad tech as an extremely efficient part of your digital marketing mix. Featuring Jen Whelan, SVP of Marketing at Criteo. Here’s her LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-whelan-a280b113/ Looking for more info on Criteo and retargeting ad tech? Here’s the Criteo site for more resources: https://www.criteo.com Catch up on the latest with Social Currency at our site: http://www.socialcurrencyshow.com

In episode 023 of the Social Currency marketing podcast, Jess and Tuck are joined by Van Lai-DuMone, founder and CEO of Worksmart. Van is a creative entrepreneur based out of LA and her focus is to power better business results through creativity and play. We discuss creativity and how it it can create impact for teams through ideation exercises, vision and values building, and building a solid team foundation. We also spend some time talking through the visual media, creativity and art through digital marketing. Show Note links: Check out the WorksmART website: https://www.worksmartadvantage.com Podcast reference - Story Pirates: http://podcast.storypirates.com Book that Van is reading right now - The Kaizen Way: https://amzn.to/2TSMyPQ socialcurrencyshow.com

In this week's episode, we are sharing with you our 10-step method on building a social media playbook. A social media playbook is the who, what, where, why, when, and how of your business on social media. Marketing used to be less complex. Today, we are faced with a myriad of opportunities for reaching customers online; and, while the social landscape can be daunting, it holds a world of opportunities for connecting with consumers in deeper and more meaningful ways. Building a social media playbook can help you evaluate the opportunities available, determine which ones are best for their brands and develop a strategy following best practices for achieving success. A social media playbook is often considered an elusive “holy grail” by marketers - a social media playbook is a living document. It will become your standard operating procedure for how your teams should be managing your brand’s social media assets. We are covering social media playbooks in two easy-to-listen episodes. This is Part 2. Episode 022.

In this week's episode, we are sharing with you our 10-step method on building a social media playbook. A social media playbook is the who, what, where, why, when, and how of your business on social media. Marketing used to be less complex. Today, we are faced with a myriad of opportunities for reaching customers online; and, while the social landscape can be daunting, it holds a world of opportunities for connecting with consumers in deeper and more meaningful ways. Building a social media playbook can help you evaluate the opportunities available, determine which ones are best for their brands and develop a strategy following best practices for achieving success. A social media playbook is often considered an elusive “holy grail” by marketers - a social media playbook is a living document. It will become your standard operating procedure for how your teams should be managing your brand’s social media assets. We are covering social media playbooks in two easy-to-listen episodes. This is Part 1. Episode 021.

EXCLUSIVE REPORT: The 14 Must-Know 2019 Digital Marketing Trends, Part 2. Social Currency marketing podcast. Episode 020. Are you working on your plans for 2019? Most of us are planning, moving into planning, or maybe mostly through planning our strategy for next year which is why we wanted to bring to you our first-ever Digital Marketing Trends report. We've taken a look across businesses, market trends, analyst reports, news and thought leaders to distill our list of high-focus areas for your business next year. With so many things happening, our goal is to give you this list of priorities that matter for your business now and into 2019. The Social Currency 2019 Digital Marketing Trends report is split into two easy-to-listen episodes: #019 and #020. With 7 trends each episode, grab a notebook to make sure you capture the what and the why on each point. Find us here: Facebook SocialCurrencyShow.com

EXCLUSIVE REPORT: The 14 Must-Know 2019 Digital Marketing Trends, Part 1. Social Currency marketing podcast. Episode 019. Are you working on your plans for 2019? Most of us are planning, moving into planning, or maybe mostly through planning our strategy for next year which is why we wanted to bring to you our first-ever Digital Marketing Trends report. We've taken a look across businesses, market trends, analyst reports, news and thought leaders to distill our list of high-focus areas for your business next year. With so many things happening, our goal is to give you this list of priorities that matter for your business now and into 2019. The Social Currency 2019 Digital Marketing Trends report is split into two easy-to-listen episodes: #019 and #020. With 7 trends each episode, grab a notebook to make sure you capture the what and the why on each point. Find us here: Facebook SocialCurrencyShow.com

It's Part 2 of KPI Your ROI. We are putting the "fun" back into the marketing funnel as we tackle measurement that matters. Listen and learn to inform your own measurement framework. Here we are covering A/B testing and program optimization with key performance indicators (KPIs) to define your success in digital or social media. There are so many, too many ways to measure effectiveness of digital marketing. As the second part of a two-episode series, we want to tackle measurement that matters and give you a few approaches to consider as you build or optimize your own measurement framework. Find us here: Facebook SocialCurrencyShow.com

It's time to see if you measure up! We are putting the "fun" back into the marketing funnel with the first part of "KPI Your ROI." Let's dive into tackling numbers, talking about the most important key performance indicators (KPIs) to define your success in digital or social media. There are so many, too many ways to measure effectiveness of digital marketing. Starting with this episode and into the next, we want to tackle measurement that matters and give you a few approaches to consider as you build or optimize your own measurement framework. Find us here: Facebook SocialCurrencyShow.com

LinkedIn grew up as the business social network. White collar, high brow. A place for posting your resume online and networking with other professionals. But, over the years, it has expanded to include thought leadership, long-form publishing, video and paid-subscription service levels. In episode 16 of the Social Currency podcast, we dig further into LinkedIn’s identity and share actual verbatim reactions to a viral video Tuck shared last month. Many are finding value in LinkedIn. Others are struggling. Listen to why on this week's episode and see what you should be using LinkedIn for.

What's it like to have millions of followers that tune in to hear your views on specific topics as you develop thought leadership and branded content for the largest corporations in the world? We’ve invited David Cogen, known as @theunlockr, as our special guest to the Social Currency marketing podcast to deep-dive with us on influencer marketing. David is a YouTuber, social influencer, vlogger, blogger, tech enthusiast and all around nice guy. For episode 015, we are discussing what it’s like to be an influencer and how a business leader, like you, can work with this critical group of content creators. If you have been curious about influencer marketing, what it means to be an influencer, and if it matters, this two-part episode (014, 015) is for you. But don't call him an influencer - what David brings to the table is the power of what every brand needs to know now. This week's episode is part 2 of 2 = we had so much to discuss, we split into two episodes so we didn't have to hold back any of the good stuff. Learn more at http://www.socialcurrencyshow.com Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/socialcurrencyshow

What's it like to have millions of followers that tune in to hear your views on specific topics as you develop thought leadership and branded content for the largest corporations in the world? We’ve invited David Cogen, known as @theunlockr, as our first special guest to Social Currency to deep-dive with us on influencer marketing. David is a YouTuber, social influencer, vlogger, blogger, tech enthusiast and all around nice guy. For episode 014, we are discussing what it’s like to be an influencer and how a business leader, like you, can work with this critical group of content creators. If you have been curious about influencer marketing, what it means to be an influencer, and if it matters, this episode is for you. But don't call him an influencer - what David brings to the table is the power of what every brand needs to know now. This week's episode is part 1 of 2 = we had so much to discuss, we split into two episodes so we didn't have to hold back any of the good stuff. Learn more at http://www.socialcurrencyshow.com Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/socialcurrencyshow

Are you on LinkedIn? Who isn't?? LinkedIn grew up as the business social network. White collar, high brow. A place for making business connections and finding a job. It was a niche network that gained traction because it had a focus on business instead of being a place for news or birthday party photos. This was a place for your serious business face. LOL. The question is…what has it become? Welcome to episode 13 of the Social Currency podcast where we get into LinkedIn. We will dig into whether this is a true social media platform, best used for business development or where real people are finding actual jobs...and if you can still find value here. This is a part 1 of 2 so start here as we unwrap the current state of LinkedIn and join us for part 2 as we expose user feedback on where people are actually finding value. Learn more at www.socialcurrencyshow.com Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/socialcurrencyshow

Over 70% of consumers have engaged a brand’s social media for customer service needs, according to JD Power. Today, social media has made customer service a spectator sport and brands should be the most attentive on social because a complaint isn’t coming via mail or by phone or via site chat or to an employee in-store - it’s posted to thousands of friends, followers, advocates and detractors alike. In episode 12, we are talking about your social media customer service. We are covering best practices, what you need and some great examples from brands that have integrated social media into their customer service strategy. Learn more at www.socialcurrencyshow.com Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/socialcurrencyshow

Do you have a social media corporate policy? In episode 011, we cover a topic that is one many businesses may not have tackled just yet: Building a proper company social media policy. From discussing the reason why this document is critical for any-sized business to how these policy guardrails can protect you against potential corporate reputation damage, we are giving you the groundwork to equip you with the details needed to build your own corporate social media policy. Social Currency is a marketing podcast covering the hottest digital and social media topics that matter for your business now with hosts, Jess Jensen and Tuck Ross. Learn more at www.socialcurrencyshow.com Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/socialcurrencyshow

Live video is the nexus of FOMO and video marketing. This time, we’ll cover the value of going live with your video and why this form of video production works so well to drive attention and engage your audience. Grow your business, game the system, and get your message in front of audiences in a way no other media type can - all with live video. Social Currency is a marketing podcast covering the hottest digital and social media topics that matter for your business now with hosts, Jess Jensen and Tuck Ross. Learn more at www.socialcurrencyshow.com Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/socialcurrencyshow

80% of all internet traffic will be video by 2019. Video is the way we create, learn, and consume. In part one of our two part series, we’ll discuss the power of video and how to architect a video strategy. Social Currency is a marketing podcast covering the hottest digital and social media topics that matter for your business now with hosts, Jess Jensen and Tuck Ross. Learn more at www.socialcurrencyshow.com Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/socialcurrencyshow

I Want My IGTV. Why You Should Be On Instagram’s New App. Episode 008 Instagram recently launched a new app, IGTV. What exactly is Instagram doing with long-form video? It’s vertical, it’s up to an hour long and it’s going to drive massive engagement. Check out our brand new episode on all things IGTV and get our POV on why you should be ready to open your mind to the biggest trend in video since YouTube and how to think about IGTV and vertical video as part of your content marketing strategy. Social Currency is a marketing podcast covering the hottest digital and social media topics that matter for your business now with hosts, Jess Jensen and Tuck Ross. Learn more at socialcurrencyshow.com

Episode 007 is all about jargon (again!). In this Part 2 of a 2-part series, we continue to decode some of the most common terms in digital marketing. Get your Social Currency this episode with another cheat sheet for digital vocab. Social Currency is a marketing podcast covering the hottest digital and social media topics that matter for your business now with hosts, Jess Jensen and Tuck Ross. Learn more at socialcurrencyshow.com

Nobody likes feeling out of touch in a meeting when acronyms and terms are being thrown around as if everyone should know them. In Decoding Digital Jargon, Part 1 (Episode 006), we are breaking down buzzwords, focusing on some of the most common and defining them in ways we all can understand. We dig into vlogs, conversion and engagement. And, by the way, why is everyone always talking about content marketing? If you want a cheat sheet for digital vocab, this is it. Social Currency is a marketing podcast covering the hottest digital and social media topics that matter for your business now with hosts, Jess Jensen and Tuck Ross. Learn more at socialcurrencyshow.com

The Social Executive. Episode 005 is about why executives and leaders need to be present and active on social media. From execs to managers, we cover the opportunities for leaders to represent their brand or company and the ability of an individual voice to cut through the clutter. We’ll discuss our recommended social platforms for thought leadership, subjects to focus on and some to steer clear of as well as how to tie this time and effort to actual business impact. Social media is a powerful tool that should not be ignored. Social Currency is a marketing podcast covering the hottest digital and social media topics that matter for your business now with hosts, Jess Jensen and Tuck Ross. Learn more at socialcurrencyshow.com

In episode 004, we talk about money! Digital marketing and social media require budget, but how much? We’ll discuss the role organic reach plays on your annual budget ask, how to maximize your production dollars and stretch creative as far as possible on a small budget, and why setting goals and measuring success is key to securing and growing your budget. We’ll also introduce the elusive “marketing funnel” and whether people are actually buying things on social media channels. Social Currency is a marketing podcast covering the hottest digital and social media topics that matter for your business now with hosts, Jess Jensen and Tuck Ross. Learn more at socialcurrencyshow.com

Episode 003 is Facebook vs Instagram. We are hitting on questions like: Did you know they are both owned by Facebook? How are they different? What types of content goes on one but not the other? Where do influencers spend their time? Which one do you use when? Social Currency is a marketing podcast covering the hottest digital and social media topics that matter for your business now with hosts, Jess Jensen and Tuck Ross. Learn more at socialcurrencyshow.com

We are kicking off multiple topics around digital and social media and why it matters to you, including paid media, social platform strategy, our favorite overused word: engagement, thought leadership and why you need to be current on these topics. Social Currency is a marketing podcast covering the hottest digital and social media topics that matter for your business now with hosts, Jess Jensen and Tuck Ross. Learn more at socialcurrencyshow.com

Welcome to Social Currency! Social Currency is a marketing podcast covering the hottest digital and social media topics that matter for your business now with hosts, Jess Jensen and Tuck Ross. We are sharing a bit about our background and how we met. Learn why this podcast is going to be as much fun for you as it is for us. The goal being to succinctly build your digital marketing muscle even if you’ve never actually been in marketing and didn’t grow up a digital native. Learn more at socialcurrencyshow.com