As marketers try to appeal to millennial and Gen Z consumers, we have noticed a bandwagon strategy that causes some businesses to appear fake AF. Authenticity is more powerful than ever in marketing, and some businesses are truly missing the mark when they try to hop on this trending marketing strategy.  In a time where brands are afraid of cancel culture, many businesses feel the pressure to promote causes that they may not sincerely support. That's not to say that businesses cannot promote causes. In today's episode, Whitney is sharing her take on how to approach supporting causes through your business.

Affiliate programs are taking the marketing world by storm… and for good reason. Affiliate programs can be a powerful tool to leverage word-of-mouth recommendations while incentivizing loyal customers.  But, you need to be strategic in how you set up your affiliate program so that you attract the ideal affiliates that will remain actively engaged and help bring your business results.  In today’s episode Whitney Lee is talking with Kelsey Eyers, CEO of Rexxy, on how to set up and manage a profitable affiliate marketing program.  Tune in to episode 29 to learn more about this marketing strategy that may have a huge impact on your business.

When times are tough, marketing and public relations are often the first thing to be cut from a business. With a recession potentially looming, (according to the media - *eye roll*) many businesses are already looking for ways to save money.  If you’re a business on a budget or maybe you’re a freelancer trying to gain more clients, tune into today's episode of Sociallee Relevant to hear Whitney Lee's advice on how to continue to move your business forward, even with a limited budget.

If you think blogs are only written by influencers that want to share an online diary then you are totally WRONG.  What most people don't realize is that blogs are extremely valuable tools for businesses to have on their website, because they can greatly impact your Google ranking and increase your online reach. Tune in to today's episode of Sociallee Relevant to hear blogging genius and owner of Storyteller Agency, Laura Holloway, as she sits down with Whitney Lee to explain how blogging can impact your business. Laura is bringing awareness to how blogging strategy can help your business rank higher in Google results, how you should approach your blog topics, and how you can enhance your blog's results with links. Tune in to learn why you should invest in a blog for your website ASAP.

How do you measure if your PR efforts are successful? There can be a lot of gray-area in what PR results actually look like in your business and in this episode, Whitney Lee is diving back into PR by explaining a checklist of specific benefits and results you should be seeing if you or your agency’s campaigns and pitching are effective.

How do you get into big national media outlets like People Magazine, the Today Show, etc? Strategic public relations work could change the trajectory of your business, but so many people are left scratching their head about where to begin. Today, Whitney Lee is chatting with Des Dickerson of Uncommon Collective to share step by step actions to score national media coverage for your business.  Des Dickerson is the founder of Uncommon Collective, a Sacramento based PR agency that helps businesses outsource their brand management to help attract media and cultivate partnerships that make an impact. Uncommon Collective specializes in PR for fashion, beauty, and fitness brands that are ready to step-up their branding game. Des' clients have been featured in Cosmopolitan, PopSugar, Buzzfeed, InStyle, and more!

Influencers and affiliates are a new way to approach public relations, but which one is the best for your brand? And what’s the difference between the two? Tune in to today's episode of Sociallee Relevant to hear how you can utilize influencers and affiliates to boost your bottom line and reach new customers for your business.

Can you imagine an Instagram account turning into a full-blown, cash producing business? To Do in Destin started as just a fun passion project for videographer and photographer, Cali Hlavac. Just a few short years later, this account has blossomed into a revenue stream, and has also put Cali on the map as one of the top influencers in Northwest Florida tourism. From starting off with reposting to cultivating a brand of her own, Cali shares her unique story of how it all came to be - and how she’s still evolving the business today!  Cali Hlavac is the founder of To Do In Destin, an Instagram account and website dedicated to featuring all the ways to eat, drink, relax and play around Destin, Florida. Follow her on IG for jaw dropping photos of Destin’s sugar white sand beaches, mouthwatering food pics and fun activities on sea and land.

Are you getting ready to host a big event for your business? Event sponsorship takes time and dedicated research, but it can change the trajectory of your event promotion and reach. Today, Whitney Lee shares step by step instructions on how her agency builds event sponsorship packages for her clients that can be easily applied to the next big event for your business.

Is Pinterest dying? ….are you kidding me? Pinterest isn’t your typical social media outlet - it requires a special strategy. Tune into today's episode of Sociallee Relevant with Stephanie Riel of Riel Deal Marketing to hear how Pinterest can be a valuable tool for B2B and B2C brands that are interested in tapping into a new market in this episode. Get ready for the long game!

Are you a freelancer or agency owner that is ready to take the next step for your business? Finding new clients is a vital step to grow your company and the key to sealing the deal with new clients comes from a customized proposal and one very special tip.  Tune into episode 20 of the Sociallee Relevant podcast to learn how Whitney Lee converts potential clients to loyal customers.

Grab a pen and paper because this week, Whitney Lee and Jess Bargenquast are breaking down how you can alter your business strategy using search engine optimization (SEO) for beginners.  SEO is the single most important thing that you can do to drive traffic to your website and convert internet surfers to customers, and it's not as hard as you might think! Tune in to episode 19 of the Sociallee Relevant podcast to learn more about how you can boost your bottom line using SEO using Whitney Lee and Jess Bargenquast's approachable methods. Jess Bargenquast is the founder of Lady Changemakers, a directory and marketplace for woman-owned businesses to gain exposure and sales. This easy and affordable platform connects conscious consumers to over 700 woman-owned businesses that can provide almost any product or service that they're looking for. This platform is just like Amazon, but for exclusively women-owned businesses!

In today's episode, Whitney Lee shares her journey from leaving her cushy corporate job to becoming a solopreneur and now, an agency owner.  If you're trapped in a job without inspiration or creativity, or if you're looking for more freedom in your career, this episode is definitely for you. It may seem out of reach, but hearing Whitney's story might make you realize that you are meant to be more than a freelancer and that there are other options for you if you're feeling stuck. Tune in to hear how Whitney made her decision to leave her corporate job and get her advice and top tips for starting a freelance career.

Today's episode of Sociallee Relevant takes a deep dive into Facebook and instagram ads for the experienced marketer in paid social. From paid advertisements on Facebook to pixel events to creative strategy, these experts in paid social media talk you through the tips and tricks to understand paid products on social media. Join Whitney Lee and Dorothy Hollabaugh for a discussion on best practices and their top tips and tricks for your paid marketing efforts. Dorothy Hollabaugh joins Sociallee Relevant from Needless Eye Media. Needles Eye Media is a full-service digital advertising agency with insider knowledge, laser-like focus, and a borderline unhealthy obsession with data. They specialize in scaling profits with precision online advertising.

If you’re looking for a job in public relations, you may be interested in what it takes to be successful in the industry. Tune in to today's episode to learn Whitney Lee's number one skill that you need to hone in order to be the best PR professional that you can be. Make sure to listen to the end for a bonus tip!

Let’s talk about one of the most overlooked social media channels, LinkedIn! LinkedIn isn’t just for job seekers, it’s one of the best channels to drive leads, grow your audience, and expand your personal brand. And the best part is, decision makers are on LinkedIn, they aren’t floating around on Facebook and Instagram. There's so many ways to continue to promote your business and yourself using this not so new social media platform. Listen in for Whitney Lee’s complete breakdown of how you can boost your bottom line on LinkedIn.

Are you ready to start digging into the marketing and public relations efforts for your business? That’s great! It might be time for you to start looking for a marketing or PR agency that can help you boost your bottom line. During your search, make sure you’re keeping an eye out for these three red flags in a marketing or PR agency. An agency that promises results If an agency is making big promises about results, it may be a good idea to walk away. An agency should be able to promise deliverables, not a result. There are too many factors in our world that make promising a result not feasible for an agency. An agency that won’t show you their clients An agency should be proud of the clients that they are working with. An agency that is transparent about their clients and the work that they are doing is an agency that is worth working with. Always be sure to check out other clients to see if the agency is the right fit for you. An agency that has cookie-cutter packages. Marketing strategy for every business is different. An amateur agency might be pushing a package that might not meet all of the unique needs of your brand. It’s important to find an agency that will listen to your marketing successes, failures, and goals to create a holistic plan that will make a difference for your business.

Hashtags previously were THE key in growing your following and reach on Instagram and Twitter - but the tide is changing!  In today’s episode, we’re breaking down hashtags on Instagram and Tik Tok. When used appropriately, hashtags grow your following, help establish your brand, and they are the easiest way to gather content from your customers. Tune in for advice on how you should now be utilizing hashtags in your business strategy. The days of a million hashtags are over, there is a better strategy that you can use to grow your brand. At Sociallee, we start out by developing a core list of hashtags that we consistently use with their content. Make sure that this core list includes a branded hashtag for your business, this can be as simple as the name of your business. Next, find a list of industry specific hashtags. This isn’t for branding, but for other people to find your business among other like areas of your industry. Then, we add hashtags that are post-specific to the photos or content that we are sharing with our followers. From here, you can get even more specific with seasonal or holiday hashtags, location hashtags, relevant phrases, or even daily hashtags. While you have the ability to use up to 30 hashtags on a post, that’s not always the best idea. There are a lot of variables that contribute to hashtag quality and quantity. If you have the time, ability, and resources to play with the amount of hashtags that you use, make sure to test posts with various hashtag quantities. We recommend one to three hashtags but 10 to 12 at the most. Be strategic about how you post them so it doesn’t take away from your content. Listen in for more of Whitney Lee’s tips and tricks to utilize hashtags to boost growth for your business.

What do you do when someone writes something terrible? Negative reviews are never fun, but they are an important way to get feedback on your business. In this episode, I discuss the different types of negative reviews, my process and response to these comments, and next steps that you can take to prevent negative reviews online. Here are our eight tips and tricks to formulate the perfect response to negative feedback: Don’t delete - This shows a lack of transparency. The ONLY time we delete anything is: Racial slurs Vulgar language Threats Before responding, find out details from operations or whoever the customer interacted with. Formulate a draft - make sure to thank the customer for their feedback. Address every single thing they say in their review. If you are truly at fault - admit it and apologize. If the person is sincerely lying, you can address it in a VERY PROFESSIONAL manner. Important to keep it very professional - never blame the customer! Your followers are watching to see how you handle the situation so make sure to take the high road. Try to keep the response short and to the point - ask them to take it offline by giving them a name and phone number to call.

Marketing is EXPENSIVE right? Traditional advertising, SEO, SEM, retargeting, buying lists, and social media ad campaigns can be a pricey method to gain new customers. But here’s another secret we utilize regularly, partnerships. Before you look at traditional marketing methods, tune in to our tips on cost-effective tools to grow your brand. There are only two steps to start finding your perfect partnership match, analyze your business and what you can offer, then start looking for companies that match your needs and your goals. First, what can YOU offer someone? What do you bring to the table? Make sure to compile the following information to know where to start. Social following Website hits Subscribers on email Text App downloads Listeners (podcast) Where are you advertising Demographics of your audience - age, where they live, beliefs, income, etc - the more info the better. Now you're ready to start the search for a good partner opportunity. Use these suggestions to find the best partnership for you. Who reaches your people? If you are a business that is focused on women, who else reaches women? What other services does your target demographic use? This is a good place to start looking for connections that are mutually beneficial. Where does your target demographic shop? More potential partnerships lie where your target demographic is already looking! What is complimentary to your business? - Needs to be somewhat in the same realm Type of business - are you able to serve people virtually? If you’re a locally owned business you probably need someone local too! Look at businesses that are similar in size to your company to save yourself time. Don’t waste your time and resources pursuing a partnership that isn’t equal. Nonprofit support - Think about nonprofits that you can support in exchange for promotion for your business.

Are you reaching your people? Social media is constantly changing and email marketing is one way that businesses keep in constant communication with their stakeholders. This week, Whitney talks about what will make your email marketing fail. Tune in to get Whitney's tips and tricks to hack your email marketing campaigns through your subject line and get her best and worst examples. 7 Tips: 1. Don't give it all away! Make your subject lines intriguing but a little vague. 2. Keep your subject line short and sweet. 3. Explore emojis but do some research before you use them. 4. Urgency in your subject line can be a very important factor to your customer’s opening your email. 5. Let your customers know that there’s an offer inside. 6. Use first names in your emails. 7. Pay attention to the preview text.

Do you ever feel like you're WAY behind on the changes in social media? Social media is constantly changing and sometimes it's impossible to stay in the know. Keep up with the news and check out episode 9 of the Sociallee Relevant Podcast to hear Whitney Lee's breakdown of four new features that are coming to Instagram. Description: Today we're breaking down one of the "Big Boys" of social media, Instagram. This must-do platform is constantly evolving and it's about time that we break down four new features that are coming to Instagram. From product tags to hashtag searching, we're going through the good, the bag, and the ugly of the platform and how it's going to affect your business. 4 Changes to Instagram: 1. Product tags are going to be available for every user on Instagram rather than just creators and business accounts. 2. Donation tabs now available for Instagram Reels 3. Instagram is taking away the "Recents" page on a hashtag search, now changing to "Top Hits" only. 4. Improving the ranking system by highlighting original content

This episode is a follow-up to episode 2, where Whitney shared how boosting your Facebook posts is a trap. So if you’re now diving into Facebook Ads Manager and feeling overwhelmed, this is for you! In this episode, Whitney shares the first (and most important) step in setting up an ad within Facebook Ads Manager.

User Generated Content! End all of social media. You can say how awesome you are but if other people are saying you’re awesome - that’s PRICELESS For some businesses, it just HAPPENS. People love sharing stuff like food, travel, clothes. But if you aren’t out there watching and listening, you’re missing opportunities! So If you don’t have expensive listening tools how do you know what’s out there? Obviously if they tag you Hashtags -not only looking at your branded one but also looking at other ones for your industry like coffee or depending on your business hashtags for your location or city Location tags - looking at people who tag themselves specifically at your business (resorts or destinations) Searching terms Reviews - sometimes they have amazing photos or great quotes to pull from So those are some good places to start looking for content that may include your brand. honestly - this is important either way bc there could be points of CONCERN that you should be monitoring. Seeing patterns about service or a specific team member Comparing you to other competitors - amazing feedback Concerns on the quality SO IMPORTANT TO BE LISTENING. and it may hurt but you can take that as feedback and make changes. Tell people you heard them! So on a positive note- if you’re wanting to generate more UGC - here are some tips Ask them - servers, putting cards on the table Incentivize Suggest it - include your hashtag everywhere. You don’t have to necessarily say “USE OUR HASHTAG” but just showing it there will remind them. put I everywhere! cups, beverage napkins, clings on windows (salons & boutiques) Give them a photo op - working on a fun sign. or a statue, or a mural on the wall! Promote other people’s content - when you’re sharing other users, people will see that and want their content promoted too! User Generated Content is the GOAL for so many brands. You always have the option to not use it if it doesn’t align with your brand’s vision or tone, but it just comes through so authentically rather than perfectly curated images by a professional photographer. Influencers are an amazing form of user generated content and if you’re interested in working with influencers you’ll definitely want to download our free tips to identifying influencers that will actually make you money!! linked in show notes or go to besociallee.com/podcast/how-we-generated-over-33000-with-6-unpaid-influencers/

Today talking about PR. Many people want to work in this industry bc they think it’s “so fun” - think we just go to parties and sip martinis. Samantha from Sex and the City made it look like so  glamorous and sexy. But I have also noticed a lot of distrust in the PR world. I first noticed this - I watch shark tank a lot -  and when people would ask for money for PR, the sharks would start to roll their eyes - or sometimes that was a deal-breaker for them. spending money on PR? Boom, they are out. But....WHY? Also, last year Chris's mastermind - people told me of how they spent thousands of dollars with PR people and totally got BURNED. They used that word. BURNED?! So…why? Why do people feel so burned by PR people? Bc people don’t understand what PR actually IS So before talking about what PR IS. What is it not? Pr is NOT marketing. Marketing focuses on SALES. Bottom line. PR is not driven by immediate results or ROI. Many times it’s a long play. PR is not party planning or event planning. PR is more about getting the message OUT. But we are not party planners What IS PR? First, we’ll start with the traditional side: Media Relationspress releases Pitching for editorial coverageTradition media or event podcasts POC for media - answering questions, formulating responses. Building connections with media people in your area or within the niche of your clients. Why bc when they need someone or a story, they come to YOU first Reputation managementStrategizing when a crisis happens - what is the company’s response and message? In ALL challenges Monitoring everything - reviews, social media platforms etc. Reporting back to the CEO about what the public’s perception and response to our company’s actions are Proactive reputation management - not just waiting but planning Ideas and campaigns that show your company’s values ExposureCreating social media campaigns like the ice bucket challenge Celebs - making fake relationships Launch - event, new offerings PartnershipsFinding brands that align and create offerings together influencers Sponsoring an event or podcast Supporting a cause Ads are what you PAY for - PR is what you pray for. I think why they get burned - you can’t promise results. It’s all about ideas and outreach. Positioning, relationships and following up. So is PR hard? No. If you have the creative brain it’s not - but you better have the right words to say and the relationships in place or dedication to keep following up. So if a PR person is promising you results… that’s a red flagggggg! So I hope this has been helpful for you! I know we talked a little about influencers if you want to learn more download our 5 free tips to help identify influencers that will make you $$$$. link in the show notes or go to besociallee.com

Giving free stuff to influencers??? *Insert eye roll* So many businesses are jaded by influencers who ask for free services and products but the business never sees any tangible results from their posts. In this episode, Whitney gives tangible advice on how to get influencers to actually produce sales and/or show results that matter. You’ll hear how her agency, Sociallee, took six unpaid influencers and turned it into $33,000+ in room night revenue for a resort. If your business ever considered influencer marketing or wondered whether it would be worth your time and money, this episode is for you. You’ll learn how collaborating with influencers can expand your audience reach, attract new followers, and be the most cost effective form of advertising out there.

With millions of users worldwide, Tik Tok is becoming a real player in the social media game for businesses. With numerous new social media platforms coming out each year, it can get overwhelming trying to decide whether or not your business should have a presence on each platform. Is your investment in these platforms worth your time, money, and effort? If you are asking yourself those questions, then make sure to tune into today’s episode where Whitney walks you through the pros and cons of having a TikTok to help you decide if it’s right for your business.

Hiring an agency is WAY more expensive than hiring an in-house employee, right? Well - actually, let’s do the math. You might be surprised to learn the numerous ways you can save a significant amount of money and resources by hiring an agency. This episode will explain in detail why in-house marketing might actually be costing you more than you think and all the things an agency can do to take your business to the next level!