Kerry Gorgone, Host of The MarketingProfs Podcast
By Cheval John
January 3rd, 2018
Today’s episode of What’s The Word? features Kerry Gorgone.
Kerry is the host of The MarketingProfs podcast, a show which interviews thought leaders in the marketing industry.
The show recently celebrated it 300th episode late last year.
Kerry also is a returning guest as she made an appearance on the 250th episode of my podcast.
In this episode, you will hear:
-How she celebrated their milestone of 300th episodes of the Marketing Profs
-Choosing Between Live Streaming and Podcasting
-The first concert Kerry ever attended
-If Kerry and Ann Handley released their “Christmas album”
Snippet on Vallano Media TV
Full episode on BlogTalkRadio
Kerry Gorgone’s Website: www.kerrygorgone.com
Twitter: @kerrygorgone
Quotes from Kerry Gorgone on:
300TH EPISODE OF MARKETING PROFS
What’s interesting about what Lou Imbriano had to say was it’s not just about X plus Y equals Z.
You can’t just do the same thing no matter what type of business you are.
Every customer segment is a little bit different.
Every business is a little bit different.
You can not give a formula about how to build a relationship.
You have to just be prepared to go the extra mile for your customers and know what it is you know or anticipate.
What it is that certain segments need and really genuinely express I think empathy and interest in helping them get the most out of your product or service.
It is a lot more human and it’s much more of an art than a science sometimes.
Sure there’s data behind how often those people renew because you put in the extra effort.
But can you draw a straight line between opening after hours so that somebody can get their work done because they are on a deadline and extra revenue through renewal?
That would be difficult, but the relationship is there nonetheless.
That’s what was interesting about Lou.
He works a lot now.
He was with the (New England) Patriots before.
So it’s very different kind of marketing.
But you still had your super fans and then you’re more casual fans and then people who maybe come to a game now and then and people who just don’t care about sports at all.
So who are you going to focus on?
Obviously, the people who cares and spend money with you.
LIVE STREAMING
Depends on your business.
It can always help you.
If you are talking about driving real specific business objectives, I think if you do events, even a user conference, then live streaming would be very beneficial to you because you are going to create kind of a fear of missing out among the people who did not attend the event and they’re going want to come next time.
So there’s a lot to be said for featuring users, customers, clients, employees, etc.
Live streaming gives you a look at someone literally that you could not get any other way from a glossy headshot and a well-written piece or even an audio podcast to a point.
I think that’s always gonna benefit you.
If you are selling Lamborghinis, then live stream, not while driving because it would be irresponsible.
I think it’s very valuable.
So the more you can do something different, the better your results are going to be for gaining some initial exposure.
Live streaming that way can be good too.
PODCASTING
You have seen an incredible renaissance in podcasting because it is so much easier for people to produce them and publish them.
It’s so much easier for people to find and listen to them.
Edison Research does this great series year after year called “The Infinite Dial”
It talks about the podcast listening audience.
It’s growing and is really valuable.
The people that listen to a podcast on average make more money.
They are more inclined to interact with brands online.
So if you are in marketing, you should be podcasting because the people who listen to podcasts, they are the people you want.
It’s better than a lot of other marketing channels we invest a lot in and do not think twice about.
From a qualitative perspective, it literally gives you your customers ear.
There is an intimacy to that.
I’ve had people recognize me at marketing profs events just from my voice which is hysterical to me.
There’s something very personal about it as well.
I just think it’s a medium unlike any other.
Not only is the research there to support that it’s growing, but anecdotally, people seem to gravitate towards it.
CHOOSING BETWEEN LIVE STREAMING AND PODCASTING
You can consider a live stream a podcast if you do it regularly.
It’s not audio only.
I mean you could have a video podcast.
For one thing, you must have effective live stream if you are video podcasting because it’s really hard to edit video.
So if you stutter or something and try to fix that, you will be like a jump out in the video.
If you’re a little skittish of post-production, then live streaming might be preferable for you.
If on the other hand, you’re afraid of saying something wrong, then maybe start out with an audio podcast because you can fix that.
So it’s really a question of your goals and your preferences.
There are times that watching a video is not convenient.
Going to the gym comes to mind.
You should not be watching a video while sitting in the car.
It’s just different.
You are reaching people at a different time.
The only thing is a lot of people watch videos with the volume off because they don’t want to get caught at work.
Unless they have close captioning or something, they’re not going to know what you are saying.
Did you enjoy this post? You can leave your comment below.
Lauri Nilo, Social Media Manager at Simply Measured
By Cheval John
Today’s episode features Lauri Nilo, social media manager for Simply Measured.
This interview was recorded months before Simply Measured got acquired by Sprout Social.
You will hear
-how Lauri’s entrepreneur mindset led her to start her blog
-how she helped grew the readership of the Gonzaga University Student Publications’ Bulldog Blog by 1,141 views
-the importance of studying abroad
-the one person she admires past or present who she would spend one day with
Snippet on Vallano Media TV
Full episode on BlogTalkRadio
Simply Measured’s website: www.simplymeasured.com
Lauri’s LinkedIn Page
Quotes from Lauri Nilo On
COLLEGE STUDENTS GETTING INTERNSHIPS
I think it’s really important for college students to have an internship before they graduate so that they can see what it’s like in the working world.
A lot of times what you learn in the classroom can be different from how things are actually implemented in the real world.
Let’s say for example, I anted to be a social media manager when I was in college and I thought that this is what being a social media manager meant and then I just went straight into this position and I found out like, “Oh no, this is not what I want to do.”
That’s why you need to have an internship before you graduate so that you have a better realization I guess of whatever it is you want to do.
STARTING THE TWITTER CHAT #SIMPLYCHAT
I started #simplychat because I really was looking into engaging the community that we have on twitter.
When I looked at the data, I found that impressions were not the roadblock for us, it was getting the people to engage back with us.
So I started asking questions in the tweets I posted and then I was like, “Okay, what can I do to really get this community together?”
Then I learned about twitter smarter and I was like, “Okay, how can I create a community like twitter smarter” because that’s an example of an amazing community.
I was like, “Well, why can’t simply measured start their own twitter chat?”
So I talked to my manager about it and wrote up this whole proposal of expected outcomes and why we should do this.
Together we decided to give it a try.
It’s going pretty well.
OVERCOMING DOUBTS
I think it’s natural for people to have doubts when they are taking a step in what they consider a risk.
So I definitely had some doubts but glad I took this opportunity at simply measured.
MENTORSHIP
My main mentor is actually my manager.
I remember talking to her about this during my interview process and she mentioned that it’s really important for her to not really be seen as a manager, but as a mentor.
So she is my biggest mentor right now.
There’s so much I can learn from her.
For example, anytime I write copy for twitter, sometimes I’ll mull over it for like 15-20 minutes and then I realize, “This is 120 characters, I probably should not be spending fifteen minutes on it.”
So I’ll send it over to her.
She’ll look at it and ten seconds later, it’s ten thousand times better.
FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM
I like twitter in my role as a social media manager because it’s easy to learn from other people about building relationships on social media in general.
On a personal level, my favorite is definitely instagram because it really challenges people to present their best side which is a good thing and a bad thing.
I think it’s really fun to look at other people’s lives through this curated fashion.
Top 10 Livestreamers To Follow In 2018
By Cheval John
As we are coming close to the end of 2017, we can see the rapid changes in social media.
Facebook continues to be the dominant social media platform with over two billion monthly users.
YouTube is second with one billion monthly users this year
The biggest shocker was YouTube TV being the official sponsor of the 2017 World Series in which the Houston Astros won (yeah for my friends here)
Instagram (a subsidiary of Facebook) achieved 800 million monthly users and is on pace to reach one billion monthly users next year.
Snapchat has 178 million monthly users by the third quarter of this year according to Statista.
Though it is less than facebook, snapchat seem to be the dark horse in social media because they are more focused on dominating the iPhone market.
Which leads to video.
It has been the driving force for 78% of all internet activity this year.
It is set to be at 82% by 2021 according to Cisco.
Snapchat is leading the way with ten billion video views a day.
YouTube is second with five billion video views a day.
Facebook has 500 million video views a day.
It is a different story in the case of live video.
According to the state of live streaming by Go-Globe.com
17% of video views is on Facebook Live
16% of video views is on YouTube Live
12% of video views is on Snapchat
And more live streaming shows have become more professional looking thank to third party video platforms like Blue Jeans Network, Zoom and Crowdcast.io.
We can expect to see more businesses invest in live video next year due to personalizing their message to their target market.
We also will see more post cable networks created next year and become a force like Cheddar.
Businesses can take a look at the people who made the top ten livestreamers to follow in 2018 list.
They use a variety of social media platforms like facebook live, youtube, periscope and snapchat to put out quality content on a weekly basis and grow their audience.
So without further ado, here are the top ten live streamers to follow in 2018 (not ranked in any particular order).
1. Vicki Fitch
Vicki’s shows are business related topics since she is a direct sales expert.
She hosted Vicki Fitch Live, A Fresh Perspective which she interviews highly successful entrepreneurs.
You can catch her shows on Periscope and Facebook Live.
2. Jessika Phillips and Mike Gingrich
Jessika and Mike co-host Magnet Marketers, a weekly training which give the viewers advice on social media tactics and the latest trends in social media.
Sometimes, they interview guests who are highly regarded as the leading experts in their particular social media niche.
The show airs on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. eastern, 3 p.m. central on facebook live.
Chelsea is regarded as one of the leading experts on Snapchat.
She written a book on the social platform called “Talking In Pictures: How Snapchat Changed Cameras, Communication and Communities.
She is the host of ChelsChat, a morning weekly show which talks about marketing and the latest tools for social media.
The show is only on Snapchat and you would have to see them within the 24 hour time frame.
4. Kat Macauley and Chris McManamy
They are the host of “Simply Social Live”
The show dives into the world of social media, content marketing and other related topics.
What is really cool is Chris is based in St. Louis, Missouri while Kat is based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
They just completed their second season and will be back on Facebook Live next year.
5. Ross Brand
Ross is the founder of Livestream Universe.
Under the company, he hosts Livestream Stars, a weekly show which interviews live streamers who have made a dent in social media.
Ross recently branched out into hosting Livestream Deals, a show which showcases deals on products and services for livestreamers.
The shows airs on Facebook Live.
6. Stacy Harp
Stacy is the host of Bible News Radio, an interview based show which has grown a loyal listener base.
The show is now available on Spreaker and Periscope.
Jennifer host the JennyQTips, a show where she interviews experts on livestreaming and social media.
Her show airs on Facebook Live
Jennifer has been live streaming since 2015.
8. Winnie Sun
Winnie is the founder of Sun Group Wealth Partners and hosts a weekly twitter chat called #winniesun
She gives advice on finance and managing your money on facebook live.
This week, she has been sharing tips on smart spending during the holiday season.
Madalyn is a well known expert on growing your audience using twitter.
She is the host of two popular twitter chats called #twittersmarter and ManageFlitter‘s #socialroi.
Madalyn host a live streaming show recap with the guests of those twitter chats to dive deeper into the questions.
Both of those shows airs on Facebook Live.
10. Dr. Ai Zhang.
Dr. Zhang is a digital consultant.
She served as a professor at Stockton University in the Philadelphia area before moving to South Korea.
Dr. Zhang was recognized as top social media blogger at Medium and host “Classroom Without Walls.”
The show features experts in higher education and how they use social media to incorporate in their classes.
It airs Wednesdays at 5 p.m. eastern time on Facebook Live
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Lindsey is a reporter at Fox 26 Houston where she covered events like the Super Bowl and the World Series.
She gives her audience a preview on Facebook Live on stories she is working on for the station.
Sometimes, you will see random singing especially during the holiday season.
Meisha is an anchor/reporter for CBS Philadelphia.
She is also the host of #askmeisha.
The show talks about motivation to overcome all the obstacles thrown into a person’s live and learning to have an attitude of gratitude.
It airs every Monday at 2 p.m. eastern time on facebook live.
She is the founder of Smart Chic, a company which helps business owners stay laser focused on their goals.
Cynthia shares tips on how people can eliminate distractions from their lives and have a question and answer day.
It airs on Periscope.
Kami is the host of Social Media Breakfast Houston, a “seminar” where she interviews experts on different trends like livestreaming.
It is held at the Canopy Houston the second friday of each month and is filled to capacity.
The “show” airs on Facebook Live
Do you agree or disagree with this list? You can leave a comment below.
Jessika Phillips: Founder and President of Now Marketing Group
By Cheval John
December 6th, 2017
Disclaimer: This Is A Sponsored Post
Today’s episode of What’s The Word? features Jessika Phillips, who is the founder and president of Now Marketing Group.
Her Ohio based company is a Forbes agency which serves about 200 clients nationally and worldwide.
This podcast episode was recorded on facebook Live using Blue Jeans Network months prior.
The reason for the disclaimer: Two weeks prior to the airing of this episode, Now Marketing Group became a client for my company to promote their upcoming conference, “Social Media Week Lima 2018” and this blog post is one of the ways I am promoting the conference.
Even if they were not paying me, I would still promote social media week lima because I spoke there as a panelist earlier this year and I saw first hand how well run the conference is.
I saw first hand how Jessika worked alongside her Now Marketing Group team and the university student volunteers from the University of Northern Ohio.
This is one of the reasons why I would recommend attending Now Marketing Group’s conference.
In this episode, you will hear:
-How Jessika decided to start Social Media Week Lima
-How she got the opportunity to speak at Social Media Marketing World 2018
-The difference between a magnet and bullhorn (her terms)
-The one person (past or present) who she would spend time with
Snippet on Vallano Media TV
Full episode on BlogTalkRadio
Website For Social Media Week Lima 2018: www.nowmarketinggroup.com
Facebook Page: Now Marketing Group
Twitter: @jessikaphillips
Quotes from Jessika Phillips on:
OVERCOMING DOUBTS
The doubts came before I started the business.
You get super comfortable and the biggest obstacle you have to overcome is just getting started.
If you can get started, you’ve built up enough momentum to keep you going.
You just have to feed that momentum.
Whether that’s through training, getting connected with other people or hosting things on your own, you just have to keep that momentum going.
I sat with my computer for five to six hours with the same screen up before I hit enter to submit for my business name.
I was so paronoid because I had a good job, a company car, the whole thing.
It was like, “do I really want this or do I not?”
Sometimes your family and your friends, God love them, they are not always going to tell you that you can go after that thing.
It’s something you have to do within yourself.
It’s something that you have to say, “I’m willing to take this chance. I know that I am capable and I know what I want to do is going to serve someone else.”
Your family and friends are there to try and protect you and they may be afraid for you.
But you literally have to put blinders on and just be in your own lane and keep your momentum going.
ON BEING A MAGNET THAN A BULLHORN
They have been trained that marketing is having to spend money and broadcast your message out.
They preaching the same message that everybody cares what you have to say and all you need to do is say it to them.
I attribute that to being the same as you only calling someone every time you need something.
They are gonna get pretty annoyed with you and not want to pick up the phone.
So you have to think, “How can I offer value. How can I work as a magnet and draw people in to me” because they have more options.
Now you are competing with a larger audience and there’s so many pools for our attention.
Customers don’t want to be bullhorn.
That’s why DVRs exists.
That’s why Pandora exists.
That’s why YouTube is out there.
You can get news on Twitter.
People do not want to be interrupted in their day.
They just want to be in their own lane and be around things that are serving to them.
So you have to think of ways you can attract people to you.
We as marketers need to do a better job of working with our clients to tell them the same thing like “Yes, people will care about what you have to say, but they have to know you care first about what they are struggling with or what they are trying to find an answer to or why they’d be coming to you” because if not, then you are just an interruption and a part of the noise.
Listen more. Know who you are trying to talk to and how you can help them along the way.
ON LIVE VIDEO
When podcasting was becoming big, I just could not see myself podcasting.
So I was like, “how can I do this in another way?”
I was comfortable with video at the time.
I worked with our videographer to actually shoot videos to keep people up to date on what was happening in social media and what new things clients could try out.
I just knew I could help more people if they had instant access to it and did not have to come to me or sign up for a webinar.
They could just find it online.
Then live video rolled out.
Now we don’t have to produce this and wait for it to be edited.
We can go live in the moment.
So it was a very easy decision at that point to say, “Let’s double down and do this, make it consistent every tuesday at 4 p.m. eastern, we’re going live and we’re gonna have a show concept all about how you can be a magnet versus a bullhorn with your marketing.
ON CHOOSING THE LIVE VIDEO PLATFORMS
It depends on their goals.
If their goals are to be found, then I honestly would say YouTube because I do see a huge potential on YouTube Live right now in the moment, having your video there, building up a community especially if they already have subscribers.
Facebook right now seems to be the one that’s kind of holding the trump card as far as live video.
I’m excited to see where that goes and how they are going to be building this creator community of people that are going to be going live.
It truly does depend on who you are trying to target and who you are as a brand.
I still see value in instagram.
I still see value in snapchat.
I have seen several people that have done really, really well on snapchat as an influencer. They are building up a community and some of the millennials are still there.
If you have a super niche, periscope (twitter’s live video app) works for so many brands.
So literally, this answer could change depending on what company you are and who you are trying to attract.
You can leave a comment below and share this post if you enjoyed this article.
Do Not Underestimate The Power Of Twitter Chats
By Cheval John
We have heard predictions of how twitter was going to be bought by a major media company by a certain time.
We also heard how Twitter was not relevant anymore because they were not “growing” in user base.
Some saw twitter as a place where people spam others hoping to make a sale.
I can understand what they mean due to the constant automated direct messages from people who are asking to like their business page or subscribe to their blog.
The truth is twitter has always been relevant since it began in 2006.
Just because they have 330 million active users compared to Facebook’s almost 2 billion users does not mean Twitter is not important.
No other social media platform (with the exception of snapchat) have come close to where you can interact with anyone in “real time.”
There is a level playing field when you can chat with a celebrity or with an “influencer” any time you want to on Twitter.
Those who think Twitter is not relevant are missing a huge opportunity to stand out from their competition.
They do not realize the majority of journalists from media organizations have Twitter accounts.
Most of them will share another side of themselves and also interact with their fans.
The smart entrepreneurs will take the time to build a relationship with the journalists on Twitter and sometimes see the behind the scenes of what they are working on for a news cast.
This can save them from ending up in the journalists’ spammer list because most companies still use the dreaded press release in order to get placement in the media outlet.
If they share the journalists’ article consistently to their audience on twitter, the journalist will notice.
Unfortunately, most corporations and organizations uses twitter as a broadcast only channel to promote their events to the journalists on the platform.
They think the golden days of advertising still works today.
When they do not see the quick results from their tweets, then they whine like spoiled brats wondering why their campaign is not working.
They also will blame Twitter and tell everyone it is not worth the investment because they did not see the results they were hoping for.
That is probably why they thought social media was a fad because it clearly went against the conventional wisdom of advertising.
And why small businesses, mid-sized businesses and even micro-businesses will always win because they are using Twitter to build a community around their brand.
One of the methods they use to build a community is hosting a Twitter Chat.
A twitter chat are conversations with like-minded people surrounding a hashtag.
Think of it like a focus group that happens every week.
The topics can range from social media marketing, how to build a successful blog, or how to host events if you are in the event planning business.
The brands can use these twitter chats to learn more from the community.
They can even get topic ideas for their blog.
Most companies produces a recap from the twitter chats on their blog and feature the best answers from the participants.
This is another way for the company to highlight their community and share their expertise with their audience.
This is the cherry on the cake for the participants because they are contributing to the twitter chats and also getting exposure to the host’s blog audience.
The participants in turn can share the twitter chat recap to their audience on social which gives the brand exposure to prospective clients.
They can also create a press page on their website featuring the recap from the brand’s blog.
It’s a win-win for both the twitter chat host and the participants.
For those who are looking to run a twitter chat in the new year, here is a list from the most successful twitter chats.
#TwitterSmarter: Thursdays at 1 p.m. eastern time
Twitter Smarter is hosted by Madalyn Sklar, a podcaster, business coach and houston social media power influencer.
She started the chat in mid 2015 after her podcast by the same name became very popular.
The chat talks about ways to use twitter wisely and has a plethora of guests.
Twitter Smarter also became very popular due to the number of participants who are there on a regular basis.
Another reason for the fast growth is Madalyn has hosted another twitter chat for five years surrounding the Go Girls Community prior to starting Twitter Smarter.
#ContentWritingChat: Tuesdays at 11 a.m. eastern time
Content Writing Chat is hosted by Express Writers.
Topics surrounds putting out quality content, having a content calendar, seo, etc.
This chat also features guests who shares valuable information to the community.
Each month, they have open forum in which they ask the community tips on improving their content.
#ChatGram: Tuesdays at 1 p.m. eastern time
Chat Gram is host by Ken Watson, a houston social media power influencer
This is the first twitter chat surrounding the use of instagram.
Participants share on topics like the importance of instagram stories and how to spot bots.
The chat also has guests who are experts on instagram.
#ChatSnap: Wednesdays at 2 p.m. eastern time
Chat Snap is hosted by Kristy Gillentine, a former journalist and houston social media power influencer.
This is the first twitter chat all about snapchat.
Participants attend this chat to learn about building a community on snapchat, how businesses can benefit from snapchat, etc.
This chat also features guests who are experts in all things snapchat.
#MediaChat: Thursdays at 10 p.m. eastern time
Media Chat is hosted by Aaron Kilby, vice president of sales and marketing for Artisan Colour.
Guests have included experts ranging from social media to live streaming.
#WinnieSun: Wednesdays at 2 p.m. eastern time
This chat is hosted by the co-founder of Sun Group Wealth Partners, Winnie Sun.
It features different experts from the finance industry who share tips on managing your money.
Topics also surrounds social media which Winnie Sun has leverage to gain the right clients for the company.
#BlogElevated: Mondays at 10 p.m. eastern
Blog Elevated is co-hosted by Bobbie Byrd and Lisa Stauber.
Topics range from improving your blog to using live streaming.
The twitter chat is an extension of the blog elevated conference which brings in speakers who are experts in blogging.
Both co-founders are houston social media power influencers as well.
Did I miss any twitter chats from this list? You can leave your comments below.
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