The Candid Creative

I had a conversation with Artem (Miami Invest Club) about the importance of investing for all. We are barely thought to invest or even how to properly manage our money. Can it be part of a larger conspiracy to prevent people from growing their wealth? Just a thought. In this episode, Artem in a value-packed episode about stocks, investing, portfolios, and much more. Make sure to stick to the end. You can follow Artem on Instagram + Support his Patreon Belowhttps://www.instagram.com/miamiinvestclub/https://www.patreon.com/miamiinvestclubAlso if you want longer format content on investing from Artem then YT is the place. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGKWysw6DSANAVC-hHUaspg

This episode of Candid Creative explores some of the ways in which our guest, marketing pro Sara Calle, uses her digital media and other communication tools to connect with customers. Although she's a talented violinist and once considered a legal career, once she discovered marketing her path was clear. She's passionate about the profession, its fast pace, and constant opportunities for growth. Starting with her earliest interviews for a competitive internship with Microsoft in Brussels, Sara realized that communication and projecting a great attitude were as important as her skills and education (she has both an undergraduate in business administration and a master's degree in marketing). She has learned through a variety of experiences at companies large and small that above all else a successful campaign depends on “Who you are” and “What's your why.” In this podcast, Sara discusses how communicating an appealing, compelling voice is critical to an effective marketing campaign. Among the important tools that go into that tool kit:  body language, emotional intelligence, authenticity, storytelling, and empathy. Sara shares her views on professional growth – which she and Antonio both strongly believe must be coupled with personal growth. Learning to embrace and work past her innate shyness is just one example of how Sara has taken an intimate aspect of her own personality and used it as a means of better understanding herself and others. She believes successful marketing campaigns are all about selling an experience and finding ways to connect with customers on a deep level. Antonio's conversation with Sara wraps up with some personal reflections on overcoming self-doubt, launching her own marketing business, the importance of doing research (her #1 word of advice for aspiring marketing professionals), leveraging Instagram in a meaningful way and turning inevitable failures into lessons along the road to success.Follow Antonio on IG: @imantonioruizFollow Sara on IG @thesaracalleOr contact her at:Linked In: linkedin.com/in/saracalleherreraEmail: calleherrerasara@gmail.com

This episode of Candid Creative is all about LinkedIn. Antonio is joined by Shraddha, as they discuss the increasing value and importance of the platform. Shraddha works full time as a digital media manager, while also working for several clients. She has a Master of Business Administration in Marketing. It took Shraddha a while to find what she loved, but she has finally found that in digital marketing. She first started using LinkedIn during the final year of her master's program. She enjoyed how professional everyone was on LinkedIn and she always felt positive after spending time on that platform. Through LinkedIn she was able to find leads. After her internship, she got a sales job and continued to use the platform as a way to get leads for her job. Shraddha shares that the most important thing to do to be successful in posting content on LinkedIn is to just keep posting. However, engagement on those posts is important. She suggests focusing on original content, not photos or links. Another important thing to be careful of is the number of hashtags you use. It is important to use no more than four hashtags, and they should be keywords that show what you are focusing on. Also, it is best to focus on the biggest hashtags, not a variety. As an entrepreneur, you should first create a soundproof profile, a profile that shouts what you are about, then you need to connect by following the sixty-forty ratio. In regard to building a good bio section on LinkedIn, do not start with your name or what you offer, because people already know that information from your profile. It's important to start with something unique or interesting. While LinkedIn has not been as popular as Facebook, Shraddha believes in a few years it will be the next Facebook. What she values about LinkedIn is the ability to get organic leads, without paying lots of money. When starting out, she recommends getting a good headshot, and deciding why you want to be on LinkedIn, what your purpose is on that platform. Once you've found your focus, be consistent for at least three months. Another advantage of LinkedIn over other platforms is that you can still get new engagement on old posts. While it may take some effort to learn LinkedIn, Shraddha enthusiastically recommends putting the work in and being present on that platform.

On this episode of the Candid Creative podcast, Antonio talks with Michael Aubry, creator and founder of Story Creator, an “After Effects for Dummies.” Michael talks about how he came up with the idea and shares how all of his previous experiences have led him to where he is today.Michael started hacking on things when he was 17-18. Bored with pirating video games in his youth, Michael started pirating $500 Adobe editing software that gave him a technical edge over his peers. He used his access to this software to learn how to code and make money online. Kicked out of his mother's house and living in his friend's basement, he started work at Verizon.Eventually making his way to the incubator at Hacker Dojo in Mountain View, CA, Michael networked and met the people he needed to grow his vision. He met the founder of XY Gaming and started hanging out with people who understood the art of building businesses. Michael was 23 when he moved to San Francisco, and in that time, he worked at three startups and gained the experience he needed to build his own platform. He would not trade in that time for anything.Discussing the conception of the Story Creator idea, Michael thought that this was the coolest tool (with the biggest market gap) available. After talking to people about the project and listening to their problems, he started to get customers. April is really when things started to kick off. Juggling all of the sides of the business has been Michael's most difficult challenge. At the end of the day, you need to make a decision and execute it. It's okay if it doesn't work, Michael says. When talking about feedback, you want higher-level, not specific. You really just need to be able to face the truth, which is going to get the results you want in your life. If you can put in the due diligence, it will play out well for you to not take feedback personally. It's just something you have to work on.He thinks the best thing you can do is follow-through. Decide what you're going to do and do it. If you really want to do it as a career, you need to determine why you're doing this in the first place. Establish it early on and be committed.Interested in exploring Story Creator App? Click here to get started Follow Antonio on IG: @candidcreativela Follow Michael on Twitter: @michaelaubry. He'll give you a follow!Email Michael: michael@storycreator.comSome links could be affiliate links. I always try the products myself. I get a commission at no extra cost to you.  Story Creator App Make social media video creation accessible to all. An After Effects for DummiesDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

On this episode of the Candid Creative podcast, Antonio talks with the team at Drop Music Branding about audio branding. Drop Music Branding is run by Mauro González, Dalmiro Lacaze, and Gabriel Agüero. Dalmiro and Gabriel met in second grade and shared music as a common interest in high school. They met Mauro when they went to Buenos Aires to study at the music academy. They did music and advertising for different companies and now focus on sound design and audio branding. Antonio and the team discuss what audio branding is and how prevalent it is in today's audio/visual culture. They also point out the importance of connecting with your audience through sound and music, and the importance of making sure you know your audience, so you make the right choices with your audio branding. They emphasize that repetition is the strategy and that the actual sounds you use are important. The team strives to improve the world with their sounds, not add to the noise pollution.The team goes on to explain how important audio branding is in creating a brand that is recognizable and that people trust. It is important that the sound is unique so that it will be easier to remember and recognize. The more people recognize it, the more they trust it and the brand is more successful. They share a few stories about how they have such a desire to create unique sounds, that represent the company well, that they have even used a company's products, and recorded the sounds the products made in order to build the audio assets. Learning all about the brand and what the brand sells, and the brand's mission and strategy is a very important part of building the audio assets and brand. The team also talks about the difficulty of dealing with opinions and personal preferences when it comes to audio. It's important to consider what is best for the brand, not the personal music preference of the client. It can also be challenging when the client doesn't know what they want and they just want many options so they can choose their favorite one. The team is trained to put aside any of their personal preferences in order to best serve the clients and therefore best develop the brand. They also go on to explain how audio branding is not just about music, but it's also about advertising. You need to consider both in order to be successful in audio branding. The team ends by explaining how valuable it has been to work together, as a team, instead of doing audio branding alone.  Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: The Candid CreativeFollow Antonio on IG: @candidwithantonioCandid Creative on IG: @candidcreativelaFollow Drop Music Branding on IG: @dropmusicbrandingVisit https://www.dropmusicbranding.com for more informationOur intro, music, and audio assets used in the podcast were created by Drop Music Branding. 

On this episode of the Candid Creative podcast, Antonio talks with Sarah-Jane Gwira, an expert on Facebook ads and making them work for businesses big and small. Sarah-Jane started out working for an agency creating organic content, but she found that there was a gap in the market for smaller businesses who could not afford to spend agency prices to promote their businesses. She started experimenting with Facebook ads and found so much success that she left the agency to start her own company with this focus.Sarah-Jane has found that Facebook ads are beneficial and effective for building brand awareness and generating leads. She also points out that there is an aversion in the creative community to these types of promotions because creatives assume that they are expected to grow their audiences organically. This is not the case, however, and even the gurus will tell you that Facebook ads are essential for expanding your audience and increasing your conversions. Even if you don't have your own business, but you offer a product or service, Sarah-Jane says that you should start seeing yourself as a business and put in the effort to promote yourself like one. When you are just starting out using Facebook ads, Sarah-Jane recommends that you check out her course, join some Facebook ad marketer groups, and make sure you review the Facebook blueprint. She goes on to explain that her main 3 areas of focus when creating a new campaign are: Testing the audience by creating personasTesting the offer that interests people mostOptimizing your creative and copy. A good ad will interrupt your audience's news feed and capture their attention, so it is about more than just getting your name out there. Follow Sarah Jane @sarahjanegwiraAlso, visit for more information https://squishsocial.com/connect/Follow Antonio on IG: @candidwithantonioCandid Creative on IG: @candidcreativelaSubscribe to our YouTube Channel  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKtnKlravLReQKvx56Ir58A

On this episode of the Candid Creative podcast, Antonio interviews SuperManny, a videographer and content creator. Manny got is start on YouTube putting together compilations of sports highlights, which was also his first experience with video editing software. He watched a lot of videocopilot.net tutorials He started out using After Effects, but now he uses Premier or Final Cut When he started publishing his own content, he focused on motivational content, usually just talking about something he had recently read or experienced. He found that this content was valuable to his users and he was fairly consistent with it Manny really enjoys lifting other creators up, encouraging them to get their message out there even if they aren't confident at first. Most users just want to see genuine lifestyle content, not highly-produced scripted shows He wants to start putting more behind-the-scenes content out there because it resonates with a lot of people There have been many impacts on his content creation process. Manny grew up in the U.S. but also lived in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic for a good period of time. His multi-cultural experiences have opened his eyes to the type of content that people need and he hopes to encourage specifically users and creators of Latin origin to break the barriers that have been embedded in them and use their ingenuity. Manny has also realized that he wants to publish Spanish content, and this conversation is a reminder that he really needs to just do it. The Spanish audience could benefit from more straightforward motivational content rather than just entertainment or humor. He recognizes the importance of speaking out about injustices and other current events. While everyone may not have the same opinions, it is important to speak the truth and be united against the wrongs that come about. Manny provides 3 pieces of advice for people starting out as creatives: Do it for yourself or what you believe in Do it with what you have Focus on the community; get to know people Follow SuperManny:IG: https://www.instagram.com/supermanny54/?hl=enTwitter: https://twitter.com/supermanny54?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorTwitch: https://m.twitch.tv/supermanny54YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdBMCEk8PF4rpRmxF-Jhwpg Follow Antonio on IG: @candidwithantonioCandid Creative on IG: @candidcreativela

On the sixteenth episode of Candid Creative, Antonio continues the conversation with Ethan about growing your content channels, increasing watchtime, and the value of storytelling. It's hard to promote your own content when it's not very good.SEO is not enough — you have to promote your content.Once you get the 100 subscribers, you need to focus on making your content super high-quality.Craft stories so that people will watch your videos to the end.Once you have an audience, it's easier for people to come back for a connection with you.Hopefully, the work you do on YouTube can feed back into your Instagram.The thing that matters is watch time.You have to have a story that hooks people into it.The story is: Context Conflict Resolution You know when you hear a good storyteller.It's not the same as performance arts, but a lot of the same principles translate.Engagement is king.You need to use emotion to draw people to your personality.Write down your personality traits: figure out who you are.It's not easy to have personality and tell stories, but that's how you succeed.Find Ethan at his socials:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCih-1haX7so5ouZVcNdU30gEthan says to follow his other socials from his YouTube Follow Antonio on IG: @imantonioruiz.Subscribe to The Candid Creative on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKtnKlravLReQKvx56Ir58A

On this episode of Candid Creative, Antonio breaks down the myths behind personal branding and how to leverage your true self to achieve success. In reality, most of us have a personal brand before we even know it. How we present ourselves and interact with others defines the way that people see us.It's important to perform an honest assessment of yourself in order to inform your growth strategy and increase awareness of the space you're in. According to Cynthia Johnson in her book Platform, “the goal is to find and demonstrate your identity in a way that accurately represents your success.” Ultimately, it's about telling your own story. What have you done and how do you think? Many companies have seen the benefits of this mindset, which has led to a shift in business as a whole.Developing a personal brand should be easy because it's an authentic reflection of who you are. The four main factors that influence your brand are personal proof, social proof, association, and recognition. All of these work together to create an image that you can use to enhance your success both personally, and professionally. Having education, awards, and an extensive network is great, but only if you project the real you, not who you think people want you to be. Everyone has equal value no matter their gender, orientation, or background. Don't get stuck in a box. Evoke feeling through genuine interaction and develop an honest connection to the world.Subscribe to the Candid Creative:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKtnKlravLReQKvx56Ir58AFollow Antonio:Instagram: @imantonioruiz Sources: Platform: The Art & Science of Personal Branding by Cynthia JohnsonJames Jani: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT0dmfFCLWuVKPWZ6wcdKyg

On this episode of Candid Creative, Antonio continues his conversation with Rhonda Glynn, a small business strategist, and coach who works primarily with female entrepreneurs. Rhonda begins by sharing her disappointment with Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, for his decision to ban employees from wearing symbols related to Black Lives Matter. She believes that this is incompatible with the company's image and a sign of an old way of doing business that no longer works anymore.Instead, brands must be consistent and find their niche in order to adapt to a value-based economy. Consumers want to know and be known. To hear and be heard. That doesn't mean that a brand should be strictly ‘political,' however. It's about awareness, not an agenda. Know your customer so they don't ‘strike back' against a lack of authenticity. Share the truth, or trust will be lost forever. COVID-19 has sped up this transition. With social interaction at an all-time low, people are looking to be heard on a deeper level. Brands must speak to this need through stories and genuine communication. This may lead many companies to go back to the drawing board or disappear completely. For better or worse, simple transactions are no longer tolerated. There must be an exchange on both ends. Things will never go back to how they were. Our society has reached a tipping point, and having the right mindset will determine your success. Rhonda points to a greater need for preparation to remove uncertainty. Because we live in a binary era where everything is virtual, pivoting your strategy through innovative technology like video will restore the human connection in a positive, but completely different way.Don't forget to check out Analisa.io and click here to get 15% off Unlimited reports for first month upgraded subscriptions. Follow Antonio on IG: @imantonioruizFollow the Candid Creative on IG: @candidcreativepodcastVisit Rhonda at https://www.rhondaglynn.com/Follow Rhonda on IG: @zoma.business.solutions Analisa.io Analisa.io is an AI-powered social analytics tool that provides Instagram & TikTok AnalyticsDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

On this episode of Candid Creative, Antonio speaks with Rhonda Glynn, a small business strategist, and coach who works primarily with female entrepreneurs. To begin, Rhonda discusses her career in the aviation industry and how it has prepared her for a customer-centric world.Aviation is not a physical space, she says, it's a doorway into people's lives.  Travel can be motivated by tragic events or a desire for pleasure. That's why it's essential that airlines base their branding on their customers. Everything else is secondary.For so long, businesses have been focused on the transaction, not the value. They provided a product and the relationship quickly ended after that.COVID-19 changed the landscape overnight. Due to a loss of capital and the impossible nature of uniformity, a movement has begun to understand the ‘why' of what's happening, rather than the ‘how.'Unfortunately, customers can still be lost in a value market. When creatives compete with each other, they tend to focus too much on vanity metrics, instead of a central message that leads to change. The most important way to create loyal followers for your brand is to show up as yourself. “People buy from people,” and authenticity is key. All of us are constantly evolving and accepting which leads to a greater level of success.The other event that has affected branding in 2020 is the Black Lives Matter movement. Rhonda explains that a tipping point forced individuals and companies to reckon with decades of injustice and shift to a more genuine model. People began to see ‘people of color,' not other colors, and realize that we all need to understand and be understood.However, not everything you see is genuine. Some companies, such as Amazon, continue to operate in a ‘sweatshop-like' environment while putting on a good face for the public. No matter what shape business takes, data informs strategy and change will come whether it is universally accepted, or not. Companies must, and will, adapt to survive.Don't forget to check out Analisa.io and click here to get 15% off Unlimited reports for first month upgraded subscriptions. Follow Antonio on IG: @imantonioruiz.Visit Rhonda at https://www.rhondaglynn.com/Follow Rhonda on IG: @zoma.business.solutions Analisa.io Analisa.io is an AI-powered social analytics tool that provides Instagram & TikTok AnalyticsDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

On episode 12 of Candid Creative, Antonio speaks with Roy an administrative assistant and part-time copywriter who has been honing his craft for about a year. Roy begins by sharing his philosophy of copywriting. In order to be successful, you must fill the gaps with words that sell and evoke a strong emotional response to instill a call to action. Writing for brands and individuals is the same because you are always writing to people. That's why personalization is so important. At our core, we all desire a human connection. When a copywriter mentions an individual by name, or singles out their demographic and interests, they show that they understand the customer and make a stronger case for their product.Roy explains this further by discussing the difference between individual and company-based engagement. When he sees a corporate logo, he understands that he'll be getting a service that he will pay for. When he discusses a project with an individual, he knows that he's not talking to a middleman or employee. He's speaking with the person who will do the work directly.Since telling a story isn't always possible, or essential, the information needs to be revealed in an enticing way. Beginner digital marketers must study each other's content to see what works and what doesn't. They should examine what is compelling to them and figure out why. To close, Roy asserts the importance of practice when it comes to a career in copywriting. You only improve your craft by working hard, getting feedback, and anticipating objections. Proactive thinking removes the ‘no' from the process and leads to a successful campaign.Follow Antonio on IG: @imantonioruizFollow Roy on IG: @copywriterroyFollow @candidcreativepodcast and visit thecandidcreative.com

On the eleventh episode of Candid Creative, Antonio speaks with Michael Molholt. Michael is a full-time graphic designer who works and lives in Oklahoma. Michael works for the non-profit side of Oklahoma State University. His job involves print work, digital, web, motion graphics and animation.Michael starts by describing how he got into nonprofit work and how much he enjoys the work because it helps others. Michael recommends looking into nonprofit work if you haven't considered it. Michael then goes on to share about his Instagram journey. He got into Instagram to become a better designer. After a while, he realized that he could help the people who knew less than him and in the process of doing that he would gain more expertise. One point Michael makes throughout the episode is the importance of putting out content that you're passionate about. Michael found purpose in using Instagram to help others and he does his best to connect with as many people as possible and support them.When it comes to his typography design, Michael uses one typeface, but different variations of that typeface. Also, he sticks with one color, orange, so that his brand is distinguishable and consistent. One thing Michael recommends from a design perspective is to pick one thing and master it. He suggests mastering your message first and then adding different layers that enhance your message. Michael ends by offering the encouragement to start with what your good at and that the important part is to do and practice. He reminds us that we can learn a lot from our failures and mistakes and as long as we learn from them, they make us better. Follow Antonio on IG: @imantonioruizFollow Michael on IG: @molholtcreative

 On the tenth episode of Candid Creative, Antonio speaks with Anna about social media marketing, social media branding, and social media strategy.Step one for working with a branding strategist is conducting the social media audit — brands need to have a discussion of where they are and where they want to be.Apple took advantage of the fact that Blackberry was not paying attention to what the consumer wanted. You always have to be paying attention to what is happening in the market. Branding in the 21st century has seen the move to video.The relevance of word-of-mouth in the digital world is still remarkable. Much of Anna's growth online has been attributed to word of mouth.In the middle of a pandemic, let your customers know that you are affected just like they are.You need a contingency plan to fall back on in case disaster strikes.A few tips for young brands: Get around the right people Keep reviewing your content. Have good imagery. Listen to what people are saying in the comments. And most importantly: believe in yourself.Follow Antonio on IG: @imantonioruiz.You can find Anna across the web! Find her:LinkedInPinterestInstagram

 On the ninth episode of Candid Creative, Antonio continues the conversation with Ethan about sales, social media, and branding strategy.People are so protective of their own ideas. An idea by itself is frankly useless. It's the action behind the idea that creates the value.Emotion drives everything. People are not logical in any regard. If you haven't won people with emotion, you will never win them with logic. Tricking people into why something has value is probably not the best sales tactic.Do not compromise your integrity in order to make a sale.Understand where you fit against your competition.Find out what people actually care about.Three Pillars of the Brand Strategy:Figure out the “Why.”Know your audience and what they want to believe in—figure that out.Find space within the market.Advertisement is somewhat easy to understand. Strangely, people attach a story in their heads that doesn't always line up with reality. Stick to your guns with whatever story it is you're trying to tell.The value of Instagram is surface-level.“How are you supposed to communicate anything of value on TikTok?”The better it looks the better it will perform (on Instagram).It's hard to explain the value of a brand without their attention.Follow Ethan on IG https://www.instagram.com/ethan.talkFollow Ethan on YouTube   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCih-1haX7so5ouZVcNdU30g Follow Antonio on IG @imantonioruiz 

On the eighth episode of Candid Creative, Antonio speaks with Ethan David, an entrepreneur from Ireland with a background in physics. Ethan begins by sharing his disdain for the word ‘entrepreneur' and how it's been overused and it's meaning distorted. A true entrepreneur solves problems in exchange for value. Unfortunately, lots of people who enter business don't understand this and in turn, have the wrong approach.For the last 8 years, Ethan has been learning firsthand, starting lots of companies and failing more than he's succeeded. Currently, he's documenting the process online as a way to help others grow and change their strategy. One of his strengths, Ethan believes, is his background in physics. It's given him the ability to consider the deeper implications of a problem and discover how everything flows together in a practical way.Antonio and Ethan discuss the pitfalls of the current business school model. Too many students lack the ability to solve problems and aren't given the chance to work things out while they're still young and optimistically ignorant. This leads them into the trap of thinking that overnight success is possible without perseverance and hard work. Very few people succeed in ‘easy' unless they get ‘lucky.' Businesses must be seen as a skill set that is learned over time. It's the experience that provides the value. Ethan shares how this mindset got him trapped in the ‘spirit of replication.' Instead of focusing on what worked for him, he spent too much time and energy trying to grow his Instagram page and build relationships. Eventually, valueism may give way to commercialism. Right now, it's most important to consider the best outlet for your product and prioritize activities that scale, not necessarily what's most popular at the time.Follow Antonio on IG: https://www.instagram.com/imantonioruiz | Follow Ethan on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ethan.talk | and for Ethan's YouTube visit: https://m.youtube.com/ethantalk?uid=ih-1haX7so5ouZVcNdU30gBecome a Patron https://www.patreon.com/imantonioruiz

On the seventh episode of Candid Creative, Antonio speaks with David Ramos, founder of Xurge Digital Media, a digital marketing agency in the Philippines. David begins by discussing the importance of understanding the specific objective of your client. Whether it's a business or a personal brand, this knowledge is essential to identifying resources and deciding how to move forward. Both parties must remember that marketing is a journey. Testing what type of content your audience is willing to consume will eventually lead to success.David emphasized that all businesses have different situations. The best agencies show that they value their partners by outsourcing campaigns in industries they don't focus on, and only accepting work for what it's worth.Ultimately, marketing cannot be effective unless it recognizes the psychology and behavior behind its audience. Companies such as Apple and Starbucks understand how to ‘price the experience,' and have created products that are discount-proof, life-defining status symbols. They are no longer marketing or selling in the traditional sense.Despite their best intentions, organizations can still misconstrue the relationship between these two roles. David describes them in this way – “Sales is flirting, marketing is dating.” The difference can also be seen as lead generation (marketing) versus lead conversion (sales). At Xurge Digital Media, David is hands-on with both areas because he wants to know how they can work together to meet the needs of their clients. To close, David relates the role of marketing to a personal brand. It's not always important to have a business to sell because YOU are your business. Stand out above the noise by sharing how your approach is unique. Make your value proposition count.Follow Antonio on IG: https://www.instagram.com/imantonioruiz Updated David Ramos IG: https://www.instagram.com/iamdavidramosFollow Xurge Digital Media on IG: https://www.instagram.com/xurgedigitalmedia | same applies for Facebook and LinkedIn Become a Patron https://www.patreon.com/imantonioruiz

On the sixth episode of The Candid Creative, our host Antonio Ruiz talks with Kareem of Pinterest fame. He talks about how he learned to use Pinterest to drive traffic. Early on, he realized that Pinterest isn't really social media but a search engine. A lot of people know about the online world, but they shy away from it because they don't know how to get the traffic. The things that really work on Pinterest are pins. You have two types of pins: images and videos. Videos convert more, but images can convert. You also have the ability to post carousels, and they can be hits. A piece of content that really works boils down to the design. The majority of Pinterest users are scrolling on their phone, so you need to think about the real estate of the screen. You want to capture their attention quickly. Kareem and Antonio also discuss optimization, SEO, and other tactics to use data to drive traffic to your site. Kareem started to spam affiliate links on Pinterest in an attempt to make a lot of money fast. Doing almost 100 in two or three days, his account was removed by Pinterest. After talking to them, he had to start from scratch, ultimately. But he's thankful for this experience. There are bits and pieces of good knowledge everywhere, you just have to look for them. Pinterest themselves actually teach you how to use the platform. It was a totally different ballpark when it came to the amount of data that was used. It doesn't matter how many pins you make—what matters is how consistent you are pinning. You can even use tools to automate this process instead of doing it manually.Follow Antonio on IG: https://www.instagram.com/imantonioruiz | Follow Kareem on IG at https://www.instagram.com/marketingwithkareemBecome a Patron! You get access to special perks. Starting at $3https://www.patreon.com/imantonioruiz

On the fifth episode of Candid Creative, Antonio speaks with friend Rapha about the power of hashtags. Rapha's big interest is in hashtags and hashtag research. He has been primarily focused on the relationship between hashtags, data, and growth. From branding and marketing to traffic and SEO, Rapha knows the insides and outs of how to make hashtags work for you. He broke through on Instagram as a “hashtag hacker” for sharing all of his secrets about SEO optimization and analyzing hashtag data. Starting with keywords, Rapha focused on the size of hashtags. Then he moved to people focusing on real estate posters and found that they do not behave the same way that content creators do. One example of this is that mortgage and real estate don't comment on their posts, when the wineries would. A mentor told them that “normal people” don't use the platform in the same way that workers do. This was a breakthrough. Rapha and Antonio briefly dive into how the Instagram algorithm affects the exposure of posts, whether from humans or bots. What's important for people to remember is that hashtags are only a tool: they cannot see the future. This has caused Rapha to greatly reduce the amount of time he's spent analyzing hashtags. Rapha realizes that there are other metrics of far greater significance. Like, for example, are you creating good content? Do you understand your audience? Do you understand your why? Do you know the value of your content? These things are going to drive more success than trying to “hack” the hashtags. In many cases, even the developers don't really know how the algorithms work. Finally, Antonio and Rapha discuss some of the pitfalls of hashtags. The big one is this: less is more. If you have too many, they just get buried. The best thing to do is to move away from relying on hashtags and the algorithm and focus more on doing things to increase your own engagement. Spend time on the platform liking, sharing, commenting, posting good content—this is going to drive engagement more.Follow Antonio on IG: https://www.instagram.com/imantonioruiz | Follow Rapha on IG https://www.instagram.com/iraphacarpio |and for content in Spanish @_rafacarpioBecome a Patron to this podcast and Antonio's content on Instagram https://www.patreon.com/imantonioruiz

In the fourth episode of The Candid Creative, Antonio Ruiz talks all about blogging with Jan, an IT professional turned writer and blogging expert. First, Jan notes the importance of a blog when it comes to driving traffic and using writing to convince people to buy a product. However, she also says that you don't have to be a writer to have and benefit from a blog. You can use videos and other mediums to share your expertise. Jan shares lots of practical advice for those who are starting a blog. She discusses her approach to search engine optimization (SEO), including adding your own perspective or personality, page readability, and findability. She also touches on whether or not you should duplicate content, making sure your site is user-friendly, how long blog posts should be for ideal SEO, where you should use keywords, the importance of transition words, and more! Finally, Jan encourages listeners not to give up. You may not see immediate results from SEO since it can be a long process. Don't forget that it takes time to build your site and build trust within your readers. Follow Antonio on IG: https://www.instagram.com/imantonioruiz |Follow Jan on IG:  https://www.instagram.com/digitalenchanto

On this episode of The Candid Creative, our host Antonio Ruiz talks with Chris Davis, an internet marketer who helps people grow their influence on social media and make an impact. Antonio and Chris discuss the hottest social media platform in 2020: TikTok. With over 800 million active users, TikTok has the highest organic social media engagement rate. What makes this platform so special? How can you take advantage of it and what sort of content is suitable? Find out in this episode!Chris begins by explaining that just because you see one type of content (dance videos) doesn't mean you have to post that sort of content. There is a lot of other great things on TikTok and you can contribute to that!Antonio asks Chris to explain how he got so many followers on TikTok to get where he is today. Chris talks about how he experiments to find out what sort of content attracts followers and the need to do something better than or different from everyone else. He also mentions the need to post in your own voice and do more than just voiceover videos. Followers want to know what you sound like and your own voice helps create your personal brand!You'll also hear Chris' perspective on a recipe for success for Tiktok and advice for those just starting. He advises listeners to post every single day, focus on your strengths, teach people things they want to know, consume enough content, get a TikTok Pro account, and not to worry too much about hashtags.Correction: At the time of recording Chris Davis had around 12k on TikTok. At the moment he is over 50k followers on TikTok. Follow Antonio on IG: https://www.instagram.com/imantonioruizFollow Chris on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter: @chrisdavisworkChris' agency website: https://revcarto.com/

On the second episode of The Candid Creative, our host Antonio Ruiz talks with Eric about the power of storytelling on social media. Eric explains his history with design and making content decisions in the digital space. After graduating from school with a degree in graphic design, Eric entered the corporate world. Unwittingly, Eric became a salesperson within his company, but he hated it. Wanting to shift gears, Eric founded Genmonster with the vision to help people succeed in their careers. Eric lays out his thought processes for developing and organizing content from brainstorm to publishing. Antonio and Eric also discuss the benefits of storytelling, the reward of risk-taking, and the joy of creation. Eric shares how it took him a long time to figure it out, but he felt like he somewhat owed it to the people who believed in him up to this point. Figure out what your skills are—while borrowing from others—and keep building. Eric wishes that someone had told him to just do it. Whatever it is you're after—just go after it. Take the advice in stride. Do what's best for you.Follow Antonio on IG: https://www.instagram.com/imantonioruiz | Follow Eric on IG: https://www.instagram.com/genmonster365 | Visit the show's website with a blog at https://www.thecandidcreative.com

In the pilot episode of The Candid Creative, our host Antonio Ruiz introduces himself, the brand, and his vision for the podcast. After an experience owning a now-defunct fashion brand, Antonio has decided to focus his professional attention on branding and mindset. The goals of the podcast are to share experiences and insights into how to start, grow, and maintain a digital presence for your brand. Today's topic is getting started on social media. First of all, Antonio talks about the “why.” Why will you be creating your content? Without a purpose, you will not grow your brand. Growing your following is not a purpose; it is a goal. Vanity metrics are deceptive. The more specific you are, the better. Second is the “who.” Who exactly is your target audience? Who do you want to consume your content, and for what reason? Lastly is the “what.” This includes medium, delivery, and format. What kind of content do you want to create, exactly? This could include, music, writing, photography, video, and so on. But think carefully about your what. Starting out, you should focus on your strengths and grow from there. Bring new things to the table. Remember, however, that there is no step-by-step guide for how to be successful on social media: chance is a huge part of it. Don't create content for its own sake. Figure out what you want to do, and what your audience wants to see, hear, participate in. Try to find your own style. Create content that you're an authority on. And above all, be you. Your audience will be more receptive to know who you are and relate to you. No matter where you choose to publish your content, consider what you actually want to create. Choose the platform that is going to best serve your content. Ultimately, it's about creating content that engages, inspires, and encourages. There is no limit to this. It's all about what you want to do. Be sure you're happy with the content, above all.Follow Antonio on IG: https://www.instagram.com/imantonioruiz | Visit the show's website at https://www.thecandidcreative.com 

The Candid Creative is a podcast that brings you unique stories and experiences from thought leaders within their field. Weekly episodes released every Thursday bring new topics ranging from personal branding, creativity, social media, marketing, and much more. Make sure to subscribe and visit our website thecandidcreative.com for more details. You can also follow me on Instagram as @imantonioruiz for updates and more content.