The Communicate Influence Podcast

Even though the podcasting landscape is getting increasingly more crowded, the amount of people listening continues to grow too, which means that podcasts are still one of the most effective ways to get your message out there.  If you’re looking to create and launch an independent podcast of your own, or even if you’re just an animal lover, today’s episode is a must-listen! Tuning in, you’ll hear from the creator and host of The Animal Guide for Curious Humans Podcast, Maureen Armstrong, as she shares invaluable insights into what it’s like to plan, create, and launch an independent podcast show.  Maureen is very  busy, but she still managed to fit in creation of a podcast show. A lawyer, Maureen is also York University Ombudsperson, Toronto, and Chair of the Board of Directors of world Animal Protection Canada.  We discuss what motivated her to begin podcasting, how she approaches episode planning, and her passion for connecting with guests, as well as the value of finding technical support, tips for growing an audience, and so much more! We hope you’ll join us for this fascinating conversation with animal advocate and podcast host, Maureen Armstrong. Key Points From This Episode: Insight into her inherent passion for animals and her decision to become a lawyer. Learn more about World Animal Protection Canada and Maureen’s role there. Maureen comments on animal welfare during the crisis in Ukraine. Why she chose podcasting as a platform to share practical information about animal welfare. Finding your niche; the value of researching other podcasts in the space you’re interested in. What you can expect from The Animal Guide for Curious Humans Podcast. The story behind the name of Maureen’s podcast and tips for deciding on a unique name. Maureen’s advice for artwork selection and deciding on the look and feel of your brand. More on the goals and objectives of her podcast and her vision for the future. The importance of viewing audience feedback as a learning experience. Insight into episode planning, which Maureen believes is the most difficult part of podcasting. Why she says that connecting with guests is the most rewarding part of podcasting. Advice for budding independent podcasters: find technical support and pivot as necessary. Some of the podcasts that Maureen loves to listen to herself. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Maureen Armstrong on LinkedIn Maureen Armstrong on Twitter Maureen Armstrong on Instagram The Animal Guide for Curious Humans Podcast World Animal Protection Canada ‘Animal welfare during the Ukraine crisis’ Freakonomics Podcasts Animal Law Podcast Ten Percent Happier Podcast Communicate Influence

Influencer marketing is fast replacing many marketing tactics. It's such a flexible option that can be used on many levels. Small and large agencies can employ it, as can businesses and individuals. In fact, the chances are that you've already used influencer marketing and don't realize it. For example, having a contact share your content with their Twitter following of thousands, or receiving a LinkedIn recommendation from someone with a greater profile than yours, are both forms of influencer marketing; in effect, you're using someone's influence to lift your profile.Neal Schaffer explores the depth and breadth of influencer marketing in his new book, The Age of Influence. Neal is a social media marketer, corporate trainer, educator, keynote speaker, and author of three other books.The Communicate Influence Podcast show connected with Neal last week to discuss his impressive new book. This is a meaty episode, running for 52 minutes. But not a word is wasted! Neal discusses so much of value in this episode, including: The role of social media in influencer marketing The power of word of mouth Employees as influencers Email marketing Influencer marketing and SEO Why influencer marketing works. Connect with Neal at nealschaffer.com or on LinkedIn. 

For a podcast host, there is nothing more exciting and fulfilling than interviewing someone who is accomplished and truly engaging. My interview with marketer Gaetano DiNardi was just that. He is Director of Demand Generation for Nextiva, a business VoIP phone system & customer management software company based in Phoenix, Arizona. In this episode, Gaetano explains how he studied marketing but left college feeling lost, not knowing what to do. A passionate musician, he entered the music industry and, with his writing, accidentally taught himself SEO. From there, he got his first job in marketing, eventually making his way to Nextiva. We also discuss demand generation and its best practices. In my next episode, Gaetano and I continue the conversation, discussing remote working - he's based in Florida - and the skills and talents he looks for when hiring content writers. Like the show so far? Please let your friends know and add a review to Apple Podcasts! Thank you. You can find Gaetano DiNardi on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Linda Andross is a managing partner of one of Toronto's top PR and digital agencies, APEX PR. She's worked with a lot of junior staff over the years, mentoring them and encouraging them in their work and career development. Linda knows that it's a big step for junior staff member to lead even an internal meeting. But jumping into the role of being wing-man on a client pitch, or even leading that meeting, is a whole new level. In this episode of The Communicate Influence Podcast Linda and host Sheelagh Caygill discuss how to identify when a junior is ready to lead a meeting or pitch, and the skills required for that position. Resources: Linda Andross on Linkedin Twitter APEX PR Ruckus Digital.

Do you want to know how PR and marketing agencies achieve success? A lot of it is in the preparation ahead of internal and client meetings. In this episode, Linda Andross, managing partner of the successful Toronto PR agency APEX Public Relations, shares her meticulous approach to meetings. She talks to host Sheelagh Caygill about: How to prepare for client meetings, including research Thinking ahead about what information you want from the meeting What kinds of questions to ask during meetings Pinpointing a client's needs How can a meeting be rescued if it goes off-track or if the client appears to be unhappy with a presentation or update? Linda is also managing partner of Ruckus Digital, an Integrated content marketing agency in Toronto, Canada. Ruckus specializes in design, content development, influencer marketing, and social media buying. Linda is a long-time board member of IABC and in 2018 was awarded the prestigious Master Communicator award. Resources: Linda Andross on Linkedin Twitter APEX PR Ruckus Digital.

Prince Andrew and the Epstein scandal The damage Prince Andrew has inflicted on his own reputation with his Newsnight interview is a story that will play out for some time. Reputation management expert Fiona Fenwick discusses the fall-out from the prince's interview with journalist Emily Maitlis, and what could have been done to produce very different results. This short episode is from a long interview Fiona had with host Sheelagh Caygill about reputation management, crisis communications, and her book, Stand Out and Step Up, A Reputation Toolkit For Life. The full episode will be released in coming weeks. Resources: Fiona's website: Fifteenminutes.co.nz Fiona's LinkedIn profile Prince Andrew's Newsnight Interview.

Focus on content and quality to become a better podcaster Award-winning podcaster and author Amanda Cupido believes almost everyone can podcast! And she thinks that everyone who wants to should get into podcasting. In this info-packed interview, Amanda breaks down the self-imposed barriers people set in place to stop themselves from podcasting. She talks about: How new podcasters can use smartphone mics to experiment Podcast formats What makes a good podcast How experienced podcasters can revamp their shows Planning and sustaining your podcast - scheduling and podcast seasons Branded podcasting The beauty of podcasting, storytelling, and data The future of podcasting in the coming year Amanda is author of Let's Talk Podcasting: The Essential Guide to Doing it Right. She is a producer and audio storytelling instructor at Seneca College's School of Media in Ontario, Canada. Previously, she worked as a major market radio producer, reporter, and news anchor. Resources: Letstalkpodcasting.com http://www.amandacupido.com/ https://twitter.com/acupido https://rememberthispodcast.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandacupido/

Sharing the climate change message with employees James Murphy is a Climate Reality Leader who studied under Al Gore in 2019. Based in London, England, James now delivers the climate reality message to businesses and organizations that are committed to sustainability or implementing sustainability programs. He meets with communicators, marketers, sustainability teams, or risk management teams to discuss ideas, messaging, channels, follow-up, and evaluation. James moved into the climate reality field after being in rehab in 2017. That was a difficult time in James' life, but he realized he was being given a second chance, and while in rehab, he discovered his love for nature and became determined to work in sustainability. If your organization wants to implement a sustainability program or refocus an existing program, this podcast will give you lots of information and resources about where to start. And for marketers and communications, James provides suggestions for strategies and winning employee buy-in. He also sounds a note of caution regarding people with lower incomes. He also discusses actions that really make a change and those that don't. In this podcast episode: 02:20 - James Murphy on transitioning his business from employee engagement to becoming a climate reality leader 04:05 - Studying with Al Gore 05:09 - Using storytelling to deliver the climate reality message 05:35 - How James' deeply personal experience of going into rehab led him to realize he'd been given a second change; he developed a love of nature and decided to refocus his business on climate reality and sustainability 07:45 - How to deliver a message that some people don't believe or can be viewed as controversial 09:40 - Using simple, easy-to-implement examples to deliver the sustainability message 09:58 - How to handle a disinterested or uncaring audience 12:00 - Start-ups with a vibrant, young culture and generally more receptive to climate reality and sustainability messages 12:30 - More established organizations may require a slower start, with smaller steps forward as ideas 15:35 - James' first points of contact in an organization ahead of delivering a message 16:05 - Tools, strategies, and tools 17:30 - Project Drawdown: the science behind climate change and transitioning to being carbon neutral by 2050.

The simple way to success with social media Host Sheelagh Caygill and guest Kim Scaravelli, a digital media strategist, connected on Twitter by chatting and sharing knowledge. Three or four months later they created this podcast and have a good, professional relationship! That's the positive power of social media! Kim, owner of Trust Communications, works with businesses to develop a presence on social media. She does this by finding the best mix of technology, platforms, and content to build awareness and grow business. In this episode, she explains how you can harness social media for your own organization and direct new contacts to your website. That's where you'll have a strong, well-designed call to action. If you're unsure about how to start with social media or are not having any success with your current approach, Kim presents the steps necessary to begin on Twitter and LinkedIn. She explains the need for a strategy, how to be conversational and avoid selling or sales talk, and the time frame needed for this approach. Kim has created many successful digital strategies for clients and has transformed failing approaches into winning ones for businesses frustrated with their inability to create connections on social media. In this podcast episode: 02:16 - Avoiding the mistakes of being on too many social media platforms and not having a strategy 04:10 - A digital strategy should begin with a website first, then the right social media platforms 05:40 - Building a robust website 08:05 - How to create a social media strategy 10:42 - Researching your audience 12:44 - Connecting research and messaging 14:42 - Socialize about your product or service benefits 16:00 - Understand why people are using a platform, and think about tone, let go of selling 19:02 - Tools for analysis and insight 20:12 - How to do social media without it taking over your time 21:04 - Start with a couple of platforms and read useful articles 21:25 - Struggling? Get help, but make a goal of managing your own social 21:45 - Tools to manage your social media 23:30 - Why you shouldn't over-automate 25:38 - "What should I say?" AKA "How do I post engaging content?" 26:35 - Socialize by following the conversation 28:39 - Jumping into the conversation 30:35 - Stop chasing follower numbers - it's the quality that counts 32:05 - Is social media saturated? 34:00 - Don't get wrapped up in just one social media platform 34:18 - Remain aware of trends, be flexible, and never forget that social is rented space 36:44 - Social media's place in marketing Resources: Find Kim at trustcommunications.ca. Social media tools: Buffer, Hootsuite

Satya Das, Edmonton writer, on his new book Us. Satya Das is a writer, journalist, and strategist living in Edmonton, Canada. He is a frequent commentator and public speaker in both French and English, in media and on stage. Satya’s volunteer work is deeply informed with a lifelong commitment to human rights as a way of life and the principles of human dignity espoused by Mahatma Gandhi. In a wide-ranging interview with host Sheelagh Caygill, Satya talks about his new book, Us. Us is grounded in the philosophy of Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, and Nelson Mandela. Its essential message is a call for a new kind of politics - one that is pluralistic and based on collaboration, community participation, and love. Satya discusses the experience of writing Us, what it takes to find one’s voice as a writer, and his advice for young writers. He looks at the state of journalism in Canada and other parts of the world, along with the decline of community reporting. Satya explores the fact that liberal democracy is broken, and why now more than ever global citizens need to engage in respectful conversations, listen more, and embrace community involvement. You can find Satya online at usthebook.ca (and also buy Us there), on Facebook at The Community of Us, and on LinkedIn. 

On communications and leadership Damian McAlonan, CEO, a manager, and employee engagement specialist in London, UK, talks to host Sheelagh Caygill about the importance of leaders being outstanding communicators and how poor communication can impact all aspects of an organization, including employee engagement, customer relations, performance, and profitability.  Damian has extensive experience in coaching leaders and members of the c-suite on communication and employee engagement. He also runs leadership and management courses and advises clients on competitive business models, revenue approaches, and marketing strategies. Damian has been described as someone with a "unique ability to instantly get people feeling positive, optimistic and confident while delivering meaningful advice in a straightforward way."

Alice Major is an award-winning poet and essayist in Edmonton, Canada. In this episode she explores how reading poetry can make you a better writer, whether you’re a copywriter, content writer, essayist, or journalist. Alice has published eleven collections of poetry, two novels for young adults, and a collection of essays about poetry and science. Alice grew up in Dumbarton, near Glasgow, Scotland. Her family came to Canada when she was eight, and she grew up in Toronto before coming west to work as a reporter for The Williams Lake Tribune in British Columbia.  Alice is an active supporter of the arts and writing community: First poet laureate for the City of Edmonton (2005-7); Past president of the League of Canadian Poets; Past president of the Writers Guild of Alberta; Past chair of the Edmonton Arts Council; and Founder, Edmonton Poetry Festival. Find Alice Major online Alicemajor.com and LinkedIn Links mentioned in the show Poem-A-Day League of Canadian Poets Poetry Daily

Welcome to the Communicate Influence podcast! I’m your host Sheelagh Caygill, and I’m a journalist, writer, and comms professional based in Toronto, Canada. Why a new communications, marketing, and writing podcast? Well, I’ve been writing and blogging for years now. My current side project, communicateinfluence.com, is an excellent resource of question-and-answer interviews with industry leaders and creative thinkers. Shifting to podcasting seemed to be a natural evolution. But not simply for the sake of podcasting. In our area of work, success, and creativity arise from a range of factors – in particular, continuous learning in the broadest sense of the phrase. Equally, success comes from many areas beyond our immediate focus. These areas include identifying trends, understanding the psychology behind motivation, and finding new ways to inspire and maintain creativity. So as much as this podcast will explore some of the essential aspects of communications and marketing, it’ll also dig into important influences that can shape your work and creativity for the better. Anyone who wants to achieve a higher level of success in life, work, or creative ventures can join me here at the Communicate Influence podcast. Just like my website, communicateinfluence.com, I’ll feature an impressive lineup of guests from diverse work and creative and artistic backgrounds. I will give listeners solutions to common problems and actionable tips. The format will reflect the website: questions and answers. I’ll produce a minimum of one new episode a month, sometimes more. Not least, what’s a podcast without listeners? I want to hear from you. What questions do you have, and what subjects do you want to explore? Who would you like to see interviewed? Contact me via the communicateinfluence.com website or reach out on LinkedIn. If you like the show, please subscribe to the Communicate Influence podcast wherever you find your podcasts. And remember, positive reviews are sweet., so if you like the show, please leave a review. Thank you!

It's still early days in the world of voice tech, but already PR and marketing professionals are exploring what it can do for brands and audiences. Carl Robinson, a podcast consultant and voice tech pro based in France. He owns a podcast consulting agency called Tizz Tech. Carl explains that lots of brands are experimenting with voice technologies in different ways to determine what works, and to discover, define best practices, and share that information.  Rumble Studio Carl explains that there are various movements, such as the Open Voice Network, which is sharing and defining standards for voice tech across many industries.  Content discovery In the comms and marketing world, one of the most obvious examples is content and content discovery through voice search. "More and more content is being found through voice search as users ask their smart speakers or phones for whatever they are looking for," explains Carl. "Companies are optimizing their web content for Google Assistant and the other smart speakers so that it's surfaced as a voice search."Content can include pages created and optimized for voice which are then synthesized by the text-to-speech engine, and then read out through a smart speaker. It can also be actual audio content that a brand creates, such as a podcast or micro-cast, which is then returned by Google.  There are now interactive voice response systems (IDR) with natural language understanding, and also call analysis. New technology is even able to transform heavy accents so that they are more easily understandable to customers. Smart speakers are also being used by marketers for branding campaigns. Carl cites the example of Skilled Creative in the US, which is working with Meredith Corporation to produce custom voice tech apps for branding campaigns.  Proceed with caution Carl says that agencies wanting to get into voice tech should do a lot of research first, because developing voice tech is not like building a website. Consider working with an agency. You can also use free tools like Voice Flow but don't underestimate the amount of work voice tech creation can take because it's complex and time-consuming. Carl says that, at a minimum, comms and marketing pros should educate themselves about voice tech, and that means reading, listening to podcasts, and asking questions. Use the hashtag #voicefirst on Twitter for questions and conversations. Voice tech isn't a flash in the pan and it isn't going away. It's going to change the way we interact with all the devices around us. It behooves you to know what's coming up. You can find Carl on Twitter and LinkedIn, and be sure to listen to his Voice Tech podcast!

Eli Schwartz is an SEO expert and the author of the new book, Product-Led SEO. Eli has more than a decade of experience driving successful SEO and growth programs for leading B2B and B2C companies. He helps clients like WordPress, Shutterstock, BlueNile, Quora, Getaround, Mixpanel, and Zendesk build and execute Global SEO strategies that dramatically increase their organic visibility at scale.In this interview with Communicate Influence, we discuss SEO from a content writer's perspective, as well as some of the important questions around SEO.Eli wrote his book to create a conversation around SEO for for executives and leaders on how to understand SEO, how to fund SEO, how to plan for SEO and how to strategize SEO. It's also for the SEO managers and the content managers in terms of how to think about SEO from a strategic and holistic standpoint, rather than just from a tactical standpoint.Eli addresses of issue of high expectations with SEO and also it's lack of business visibility."The problem—and something I've been hoping to address with my — book, is that SEO doesn't have enough business visibility. "They're focused sometimes on these myopic metrics around here's my ranking or here's the traffic I've gotten, instead of this perspective of I'm here operating a channel to grow more business or to grow more revenue in total for this business."The question businesses need to answer when it comes to SEO is: What can I do to help grow business, rather than what can I do immediately to create just traffic on this page. "It's important to have that perspective and do your best within that environment," explains Eli, encouraging SEO professionals to be a part of the holistic view in the holistic strategy of the entire business, rather than just this is what I'm going to do that's good for SEO, and that's it.What is product-led SEO? To understand product-led SEO, you really need to understand what product-led SEO is not, says Eli."Product-led SEO is not content-led SEO," says Eli. "The way most people are going to do SEO is they're going to look at their core business product, and core business, and go to a keyword search tool to discover what the keyword is that they should put around for their core product offering. The next step most businesses take is to write some content that will be their SEO."However, for Eli, product-led SEO is much more holistic than content-based SEO. With product-led SEO, a business creates a product—or an asset—for the search users. And when you're creating that asset for the search user, it's not just a blog post that you intend to rank on one keyword.Eli explains that product-led SEO involves the creation of an online product or asset that a business uses to rank according to the needs of prospective clients or audience. "I'm now thinking of who is the user, because when you create products, you want to think about who the user is, and the roadmap to launch that product."Examples of products include directories with content, or proprietary content. For some organizations such as consultancies, key issues that require questions and answers can serve as the product around which to build SEO. The next questions to ask are what resources are required to launch the product. "It's no longer just needing content because that is SEO. It's: 'Will I need a designer? An engineer to help launch that product? A content writer to write the right amount of content for that. Maybe I need some digital and visual assets'."Full show notes at Communicateinfluence.com https://communicateinfluence.com/

Imagine giving an important presentation and suddenly hearing a strange noise coming from the back of the room. It takes only moments to discover that the sound is loud snoring from a man who's dozed off. Yes, someone has fallen asleep during your presentation.Any presenter would feel badly. But only a handful would feel so affected y the experience that they'd eventually go on to write a book about storytelling, and the importance of storytelling in business.Why storytelling in business mattersColleen Stewart, author of The Story Compass: Navigating Through Uncertainty In Your Business, says that when we're at work we don't understand the power of story. "On a conscious level we don't talk about it that way. And so we don't always go to it automatically."Colleen says that in almost any setting just presenting a list of features in bullet-point form isn't going to persuade, convince, or be memorable. "It's not captivating, it's not easily remembered, and it doesn't immediately communicate meaning."To use the power of story we need to first of all "Talk about it, pull it out, open it up, and look at it for what it is and really understand how stories work. And then we can do it with more intention in business."Businesses have moved away from storytelling but are recognizing that they need to get back to storytelling, and Colleen thinks it's almost become a bit of a buzzword. "There is a gap in our knowledge now of what a story actually is. So it's fine to say, as a business, okay, we have to tell a story, we have to make an emotional connection, we're going to communicate in a way that is relatable, we're going to communicate in a way that creates mental pictures. "Wonderful, but how do you do that? And that's the answer that I think is often missing, with a lot of services and, and consulting programs and efforts by marketing teams is that they don't actually know how to do it. And that's not a criticism. It's just, I think it's the reality.Interpret what you know to give value to clientsThe mistake many consultants make in a first meeting or presentation is simply sharing all the knowledge they have. Your audience doesn't want to know everything you know. They don't have the time or the attention span for that. What they want to hear is how you interpret what you know into something meaningful for their world. How are you going to solve the problem with them and for them with what you know?Colleen StewartFour types of stories: Vision, Knowledge, Value, and JourneyWhen Colleen began working with clients on storytelling for their businesses, they'd say this is great, but that they didn't have any stories to tell. That was the seed that planted the idea for the book.She has identified four story types that every business can share: Vision stories, knowledge stories, value stories, and journey stories. "We come back out of there and to a point where we're transformed, we know something new, maybe we have a new offering as a business that we can then share with the world. "Find Colleen on Linkedin. Her business is Perfect Pitch, based near Toronto, Canada. Be sure to read The Story Compass: Navigating Through Uncertainty In Your Business.

Alain Hunkins is a leadership expert who sits at the intersection of the science and the art of leadership.He has a deep understanding of the psychology of leadership, and his new book, Cracking The Leadership Code, reveals the in valuable principles and practices that Alain has developed and refined during the 20+ years he's worked with leaders. In this episode, you will discover Alain's gift for translating complex concepts from psychology, neuroscience, and organizational behavior into simple, practical tools that can be applied on the job. Alain's definition of leadership is anytime any of us are trying to influence anyone to get something done. "That is leadership. And if you think about it, we're all leading ourselves every day. If the cornerstone of good leadership is connection, the first person that I need to connect with is myself."Leadership today is in pretty poor shape. In fact, says Alain, only 23 percent of leaders are effective. Problems Inherent In Hierarchy and PowerSays Alain: "If you look at the nature of hierarchical organizations, which most of us work in . . . it is a hierarchy for most of us. There's someone you report to. One of the challenges of hierarchy is that when people get into positions of power, power is an intoxicant. "So, when people are in these positions of power, they're not likely to say: 'I'm in this leadership role. What my job is to do is to unlock the potential in others. And the best way to do that is to ask the people I lead - and this is a servant leadership mindset they would be having - is to ask them, What can I be doing better to serve you?'.The key, says Alain, is that we learn to take feedback, and then we apply it. "But to take feedback, we have to be willing to be much more malleable with our egos. And for many of us, that's just that's too scary."Seek feedbackAlain sees the solution in managers learning to stop taking feedback so personally, or as an afront to their value as a human being. Alain says the keys are in leaders seeking feedback, coaching, and developing self-awareness.  One of my colleagues, Tasha Eurich, has this wonderful book called Insight. And she says only about 12 to 14% of the population has any real degree of self-awareness. So do things that will bump up your level of awareness so that you can be much more effective!"Alain has worked with tens of thousands of leaders in over 25 countries, and served clients in all industries, including 42 Fortune 100 companies. He delivers dynamic keynotes, seminars, and workshops covering a variety of leadership topics including communication, teambuilding, conflict management, peak performance, motivation, and change. Author of more than 400 articles, and been published in Fast Company, Forbes, Business Insider, Chief Executive, Chief Learning Officer, The Association for Talent Development, CEO Refresher, and the American Management Association. With his Master’s in Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Professional Theater Training Program, and a BA from Amherst College, Alain also serves on the faculty of Duke Corporate Education, ranked #2 worldwide in 2019 by Financial Times on its list of customized Executive Education programs. Alain has  lectured at UNC Kenan-Flagler’s business school and Columbia University. Discover Alain on LinkedIn or at AlainHunkins, where you can also read about his 30-day Leadership Challenge.Support the show

This episode is sponsored by Podthreads - a new online clothing store for podcast fans!When regular host Sheelagh Caygill was in England last year, Karen Unland and Mack Male - both seasoned podcasters - kindly produced an episode for Communicate Influence listeners. Karen and Mack are the the co-founders of Taproot Publishing, an Edmonton-based media company whose mission is to help communities understand themselves better. Karen was a newspaper journalist; Mack was a software developer and blogger; they combined their talents and experience in 2016 to try to solve the problem of shrinking local media.In this episode, you’ll hear them outline the challenges facing local journalism, why a strong local media ecosystem is important, and what they’re trying to do about it. Here are some resources to add context to their conversation:What Killed The Newspaper? Google Or Facebook? Or…?Mind the Gaps: Quantifying the Decline of News Coverage in CanadaHere’s how some for-profit local news outlets are building subscriptionsThe media consumer’s dilemmaBusiness idea earns Taproot a LION Award nominationMack launched a podcast hosting service in 2006!Karen started the Alberta Podcast Network in 2017Taproot’s current podcasts: Speaking Municipally and Taproot Edmonton Presents: Igniting InnovationHow to support your local media startup and the ecosystem that nurtures it:Share your stuff: Put the indies on your news release list and keep them in mind for story pitches.Spread the word: Share what they publish and recommend them to others.Join or subscribe: If the outlet sells memberships or subscriptions, invest a little.Buy their services: If the outlet sells ads, sponsorships or other services, invest a little more.Wherever you are in the world, if you are interested in Spotlight or Taproot Publishing’s other B2B information services, contact hello@taprootpublishing.ca. If you are in Edmonton, see what Taproot Edmonton has to offer. You may be particularly interested in the Media Roundup.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/communicateinfluence)

In last week's episode, Kim Scaravelli discussed managing Twitter in 30 minutes a day. This week, Kim, founder of Trust Communications, looks at how to select the right social media platform for your business. That's right, you don't have to have a presence on every platform, only the ones that will perform for your organization.Kim says the first thing that you should do is consider social media as another part of your marketing, which is part of your business plan, which is part of your strategy for growth. So before you jump into all of these different platforms, ensure you really should have a solid strategy in place. And your strategy should include things like really knowing who your ideal audience is, because that's going to tell you where those folks are on social media. An example would be if you are a B2B brand, and you are selling specifically to people who are managers, HR people, or C-suite executives, then LinkedIn is a really important place for you to have a presence.If on the other hand, you are selling, say, beauty products, primarily to millennials, and you're selling them directly online. Why are you on LinkedIn? Instead, you need to be on Instagram.In this episode, Kim discusses: Thinking strategically about your social media planUnderstanding your audienceAssessing the skillset in your organization to see if you need outside resources to help manage social mediaDetermining what kind of content you'll produceBuilding authority in your nicheAssessing your results.Kim discusses a lot more in this episode, and provides examples of use on social media platforms, and why social media should be fun!Find Kim at TrustCommuncations.caSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/communicateinfluence)

In this week's episode, we have an incredibly valuable conversation with Kim Scaravelli, about how to manage your Twitter account in just 30 minutes a day.Kim, a communications pro and owner of trust communications in Halifax, Canada, is an expert when it comes to social media. She shares tremendous value in this episode. In fact, it's almost like a free Twitter management class!If you're new to social media, or feeling overwhelmed, and spending too much time on Twitter, you'll definitely get a lot out of this episode.Key points from Kim:If your ideal audience isn't on Twitter, you don't need to be thereTwitter has a voracious appetite. So there's really no point in taking your brand onto Twitter, if you are going to tweet once or twice a weekUnderstand your brand voice before tweetingUse a content calendar, such as BufferTweet at least eight times a dayOffer your followers value, don't keep tweeting ads for your product or serviceAt least four times a day, retweet something by someone else, and don't just retweet, comment on it so your followers understand why your retweeting the contentTimeless tweets often give more value.Kim also covers other points about doing impactful shoutouts, and be sure to interact with those who have interacted with you. Says Kim: "At the end of the day, it's social media, it's not torture media. If this is the most stressful part of your day, you spend, you know, two hours a day doing social media and six hours a day complaining about it, stop!"Once you actually get that hang of it, and you're actually talking to people, you're having conversations with people, then it's fun," she explains. "It's just like a coffee date. Or it's just like saying 'Hi' to somebody in the bank lineup. Relaxing is one of the keys to success on any kind of social media."You can find Kim on Twitter at twitter.com/KimScaravelli, and at Trust Communications.This episode is sponsored by the Published Author Podcast. If you're an entrepreneur who wants to publish a nonfiction book to grow your business, then this is the podcast you've been waiting for. The Published Author Podcast will help you become an author and show you how to build a thought leadership system around your book. With this, you can grow your business land speaking gigs, grow your tribe, and lots more. Go to Published Author for more details!Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/communicateinfluence)