28 things i've learned about social media marketing

why hi hello happy thursday! happy q2 to those who celebrate and for those who have also been screaming at their tv for march madness.

this past week, we celebrated a very industry dividing holiday: april fools day.

naturally, i decided to take to twitter to be a #thoughtleader around why i actually like it and how brands should view it because it doesn’t have to be a bad thing and it doesn’t have to be cringe either! you can read that here.

otherwise, today’s e-mail is going to be centered around some tips, tricks, and thoughts i have and have learned along the way of doing my own thing in this crazy marketing space for the last 7+ years.

why 28 tips? because i turn 29 on tuesday the 9th so why not??

i am snacking on a nightingdale chocolate blackout ice cream sandwich (the hype is SO real) and ready to ROCK so let’s get into it. Also, I read this email over multiple times, but if there are typos, i’m sorry <3

BUUUUUT before we get into it…

I am teaming up with my friends at Archive, which I have mentioned numerous times in here like in this newsletter edition, to co-host a dinner in NYC in mid-April. I have never co-hosted or even hosted a dinner in my life so i’m excited. If you’re on a brand’s social or influencer team or you’re a founder/CEO, spots are very limited. Please respond to this email and we’ll see what we can do! This definitely won’t be the only one.

Otherwise, to celebrate my birthday, I am spending my birthday like any other day with a nice little sweat at AARMY. Booking opens up on Monday for classes, but if you’re around on 6:15PM on Tuesday, hit me up!

NOW, LET ME SPIT SOME FACTS…

So, if you didn’t know, I have been freelancing/consulting/whatever anyone wants to call it for over 7+ years in social media and influencer marketing. I started when I was in college and have been doing it since. As an independent who has had the opportunity to scale and work with brands I admire or build some before the world even knew about them, there’s a lot of things I have learned.

I just hope that they can help at least one person. Whether you’re on a brand team, a 1-person social team (it happens to the best of us), a founder trying to understand social, or a freelancer who wonders if anyone else feels the same way, this will hopefully help.

So, in no particular order…

1. Go slow to go fast. This goes for building a business or scaling an account. Be intentional with how you do things. Burnout doesn’t look good on anyone so be conscious of when to push because those times will happen, but know when to take the time that you need because sometimes that one day off or clocking out early can be the mental reset you needed.
   

2. You don’t need the fanciest things to do a good job. If you can’t do the basics well and figure out your systems before introducing the fancy stuff, the fancy stuff won’t always work for you. Too many times I hear of people spending thousands on platforms that they barely open or use. Do what you can with what you have.
   

3. Scrappiness is the best quality you can have. More times than not, there’s always a way to do something if you search for it.
   

4. Hiring a graphic designer is so important to set everyone up for success. I truly don’t know where I would be without any of the designers I have gotten to work with. In this day and age, branding, design, and online presence separate you. Invest in it. Don’t make people who don’t do it professionally do it because it will show.
   

5. Shoot your shot. You’ll never know if you don’t ask.
   

6. Prioritize yourself. 14+ hour work days, working on weekend, the late nights and early mornings, i have been there. Heck, sometimes I still have them (because I choose to), but I have been so much better at managing it the last 2 years. Don’t give up on taking care of yourself for a square on the internet.
   

7. Get a monitor. Truly, if I can’t have a monitor, I don’t wanna work there. This is why I can’t leave my house. Double the screens, double the fun.
   

8. Never stop learning! Read, subscribe to newsletters, listen to podcasts, sign up for webinars. It is so easy to live within your day to day and listen to things passively. I truthfully am not super great at this, but am trying to slowly read vs. watching TV, but that will have to wait until college basketball is over. So far, I’ve really enjoyed some webinars from the Superfiliate team. They are actually having one today all about Paid Media and Influencers.
   

9. Try and have no meeting days!!! I do this every Wednesday and Friday. I am a sucker for deep work. Give me a coffee, noise-cancelling headphones, and I am good to go. NOT EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE A CALL.
   

10.  You need thinking time. An old client of mine who also served as a mentor said that the best things happen when you can remove yourself from the weeds. Whether you’re full time or working with clients, you might feel the need to be doing something at all times. Thinking about things is doing something!! So, set aside some calendar time to just think about your business, the accounts, strategies, etc. You can only build as you go for so long.
    

11. People won’t understand what you do or why you do it and that’s ok. Literally a lot of my friends don’t fully understand what I do and I am okay with that.
    

12. Create something for yourself. If you work in social, we are creating (mostly) for others. I have found outlets such as this newsletter or when I had my food account that I don’t really post on, BUT have been debating bringing it back, to be things that I get insanely excited about. Why? Because it’s fully me through and through. I control the concepts, the copy, and end result and get to talk to awesome folks.
    

13. Nothing is as good as it seems. We all live behind screens. It’s easy for things to look great based on Instagram stories or tweets. I can easily tell you about the times I have had in the last few years of questioning myself and what I am doing despite loving it and enjoying it. We’re human. We feel things. It’s easy to just show the good parts, but don’t be afraid of breaking that mold.
    

14. THERAPY. If you have the opportunity, take it. Being able to have friends to talk to is great, but having someone who doesn’t know much about you, can’t get involved in your work life, and can help you work through the things that make you who you are, is important. I am pretty open, but I also recently took the jump on taking anxiety medication as I am a pretty anxious gal and for years, I denied it. Although I am in between next steps and looking into a new option, it unlocked something for sure.
    

15. Nothing worth going after is supposed to be easy. We all know nothing is linear, but whether you’re growing an account, scaling a business, or are on your own, sometimes it takes getting your ass kicked by a few bad days or a week to only experience some of the best days. I strongly believe in this monthly or quarterly occurrence. Personally, am in that “suck” right now.
    

16. Need inspo or different outlooks? Get outside of where you are. Join other communities and look at accounts different from the niche you’re in. Everyone is doing the same thing where you may be, similar to staying in a small town. Move into the city (aka expand your mindset and surroundings) where you can experience everything and anything!
    

17. Do Not Disturb. I have bad ADHD so I live on DND. My friends hate me for it, but I gotta do what I gotta do. Also, if you don’t hear from me for weeks, I am not the greatest texter, BUT I am a work in progress. Luv u mean it.

18. “I Don’t Know” can be a good answer. You aren’t supposed to know everything, but the world makes it feel like you should. Take the time to do your research if you truly don’t know it and communicate that. No reason to put extra pressure on yourself.
    

19. Learn to say “no”. THIS IS SO HARD. It’s easy to want to make your boss, clients, co-workers, all super happy. Take the time to communicate why you can’t do something or if it isn’t a priority and when you can do that one task. If you’re a freelancer, it’s easy to say “yes” to every opp and have shiny object syndrome, but more and more you’ll learn about what you like doing and what you don’t to help you say “no.”
    

20. Being a freelancer isn’t a bad thing. I think the perception of the word has changed, but this is just a reminder that doing your own thing is really effing hard and if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.
    

21. Change your slack noise to “hummus”. It keeps things fun.
    

22. Communicate and communicate some more. Something that everyone could always get better at. Something needs to change with a post or upload? Explain why. Something not performing like you thought it would? Explain why. No one can hate on too much communication.
    

23. Look at your data. Your work doesn’t need to be a constant guessing game when you have the data to show what works, what doesn’t, when it will, when it won’t, and more. Once again, this is important as to why you need thinking time.
    

24. Talk about your work or #BuildInPublic as they say. Whether it’s on Linkedin or Twitter, creating videos on Tiktok, or writing a newsletter, share about what you’re testing, seeing, having trouble with. Why? It’s a nice little reminder that no one is alone. Plus, people won’t know about you and your brand or your work if you aren’t talking about it. Don’t be afraid to be your own #1 fan.
    

25. Literally no one knows what they are doing. Things are going to happen every single day that you may not know how to handle. If you’re a founder and need to be every role in the biz, you are learning as you build. We are all just faking it until we make it and that’s a vibe.
    

26.  Project manage yourself. I love using Asana to break bigger projects into subtasks, personally. BTW if you’re a freelancer, Rachel Karten put out a great freelance guide that I had the pleasure of being part of where we all said how much we love Asana. If you’re just starting out or you’ve been a freelancer for a while, it is SO valuable - highly recommend the read and signing up for her newsletter.
    

27. Imposter syndrome sucks, but everyone feels it. You’ll have weeks where you crush it for months, and then it all just flips on its head. Most of the time, it’s out of your control! It doesn’t mean you aren’t good enough or doing things to your best ability. You are doing what you do for a reason! Someone chose to hire you because they believed in you and the same goes for founders! Investors invested because they see your vision! Followers follow because they think your product is cool or can help make their lives easier!
    

    Ok, dang. The final one. I won’t lie that this has been so hard to even get to 28.

28. You can’t fail. You can only learn. Simple, but impactful. I rather be seen trying something new than never doing it all. I rather test something and have it not work and see how I can make it work.
    
    How’d I do? Good? LMK. Now, onto…

BRAND OF THE WEEK: CAULIPOWER

BOTW is when I pick a brand I love and share it with you just for funsies.

At every Expo, you can find me eating approximately 25 samples of Caulipower products. If you’re someone who really loves getting your protein in, I have a crush on their frozen Chicken Tenders.

I keep getting BOMBARDED with Wingstop mukbangs (i really want to learn about their influencer approach if anyone knows someone) on Tiktok and to just have a bit of a healthier way of handling that craving, I love throwing these in a pan to get all crispy and have a little sauce party to accompany them.

Easy meal option, taste good, and a great brand founded by an amazing woman.

Plus, I went shopping at Whole Foods yesterday, and they are on sale for like $9 a bag which is a STEAL.

THAT’S A WRAP!

Well, that’s it folks. The last you’ll see of me until i’m older and wiser.

Also, I just found out today that I will be at AdWeek’s Social Media Week next week for a bit!! So, if you’re going to be there - I hope to meet you!

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OK I’M OUTTA THIS INBOX

PEACE, LOVE, AND KPIs,

Kendall