Word & Mouth Blog
Where food, hospitality, branding, and human behavior all crash into each other. I write about restaurants, wine, placemaking, customer experience, and the small details that make people talk about a business long after they leave.
For even more snarky takes on marketing, pop culture, branding, and the internet, visit my Substack, Burnt Popcorn & Branding: Substack
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A mix of hospitality, branding, customer psychology, hospitality culture, and internet behavior from someone who’s worked behind the scenes in marketing long enough to know what feels authentic and what feels painfully forced.
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Yes. Especially if your marketing currently sounds like ChatGPT wrote it.
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No LinkedIn thought leadership energy here. Just strategy, storytelling, and occasional side-eye toward trends, Chat-GPT written branding advice, and “disruptive” ideas that all look the same.
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People in marketing, hospitality, branding, retail, wine, or anyone who secretly judges restaurants by their menu design before reading the food list.
The Wine Marketing Strategy in the Post-Brain Rot Era: What’s Next?
Wine marketing strategy still stuck in 2018? Consumers want real connection, not more content. Here’s how brands can shift from algorithm-chasing to authentic engagement post-brain rot era.
Finding Normalcy in the Chaos: Using Social Media When Parenting Feels Overwhelming
Navigating the challenges of parenting a sick child, this piece explores how social media can provide connection, comfort, and a sense of normalcy—while also highlighting the balance needed to avoid comparison traps.
5 Reasons that Branding Matters in Social Media Marketing
Five reasons why branding matters when it comes to social media marketing. Your brand is how you connect with your community.
Quick Updates to Grow Your Instagram Business Page
Here are some quick and actionable tips to grow your Instagram Business Page right away.
Elon Musk's Purchase of Twitter is Dangerous - Especially for Fake News On Social Media Platforms
The rise of misinformation and disinformation on social media is a major threat to our society and democracy. With Elon Musk now in charge of Twitter, the problem is only getting worse. This blog post explores various strategies for fighting against the spread of “Fake news” on social media, including advocating for stronger policies from social media platforms and holding our leaders accountable for their roles in the public narrative.
Build Confidence With Creating Social Media Videos
Creating videos for social media marketing can be a daunting task, especially if you lack confidence in getting in front of the camera and coming up with ideas to create videos on a regular basis. This blog post will provide tips on how to increase your confidence with creating social media videos.
7 Social Media Scheduling Tools to Post Content
By using a social media scheduling tool, you can take the headache out of having to remember to post on social media every day. With most scheduling tools, all you need to do is create your content in advance and set a schedule for when you want it to go live.
Top California Vineyards on Instagram, by Hashtags
For wine lovers, Instagram hashtags are the perfect place to discover new wineries, taste new wines and learn about the latest trends in the wine industry. More than just pretty pictures, the social network has become the go-to place to follow your favorite wineries and vineyards on Instagram.
Spring Clean Your Marketing Posts of the Week
It’s time to spring clean your marketing, social media, and your mindset. Here are some articles and tips
Social Media Marketing World Trends - My 2022 Experience
Social Media Marketing World 2022 had so many great insights, but I did notice a few social media trends that I will be putting into practice even more with my own social platforms and with clients.
Live Your Values as a Marketer
Great modern marketers are defined, perhaps more than anything, by their resiliency and agility.
They stay on their toes, ready to pivot and adjust amid constantly changing conditions. They have the ambition and openness to try new things, never boxing themselves in. They stay motivated and optimistic even in the face of enormous challenges and setbacks.
Shana Bull embodies so many of these qualities.
Use Canva for Branding Your Social Media Marketing Efforts
One of my favorite tools to help to keep my branding simple—on my website and social media accounts—is CANVA Pro. I create shareable quotes that match my brand style and personality -- and fits my Instagram feed colors.
5 Ways to Use the Instagram Save Folder Feature
The Instagram Save Feature is super useful for social media marketers. Here are 5 ways to use the Instagram Save Folder to create content and engage with your target audience.
Why Instagram DMs Are the Key to Social Media Engagement
Connecting with customers (and potential customers) through Instagram DMs does mean you have to dedicate time to engage on social media. If you are a social media marketer, try to carve out time to focus specifically on engaging with your online audience.
So, Are We Setting Goals For 2021?
2020 turned out to be something that NOT any of us could have predicted. With massive job loss and stay at home orders due to the pandemic, 2020 goals changed. Even though my New Year Resolutions looked different, I still made time to goal plan and create small goals to get me to the next step in my career and for my health. Here are some action items for setting 2021 goals.
Instagram Top Nine (Except Mine Is Top 12)
Instagram Top Nine for 2018 is a great way to see what is working for your social media marketing. Here are some tips on how to use this Instagram app to create better content in 2019.
Drinking Wine in Clubhouse
Clubhouse is an audio, invite-only app where participants can move around virtual rooms discussing arts and culture, from popular TV shows to the state of the music industry. A perfect excuse to grab a glass of wine and your headphones.
How To Create A Transparent Background In Your Instagram Story And Other Instagram Tricks You Need To Know
A quick tutorial on how to create lines for your text in Instagram Stories, as well as a few other hacks for Instagram Stories so you can make them your own with branding, tagging others on Instagram, and utilizing Instagram Story Templates.
Should Brands Post About Juneteeth on Social Media?
Juneteeth is an important holiday and there are a few action items brands can do to show support on social media. Right now brands are looking to speak up, and I applaud that—but I also want to help friends realize that it is more than just a black square on social media. You must back up your voice, your claim to solidarity, with action.
How To Start a NEW Business During a Crisis
Sisters, Claire + Bronwyn from Mighty Market planned on opening their zero waste, clean beauty, and bulk refill brick and mortar shop in Downtown Martinez East Bay) - little did they know, a worldwide pandemic would shut down retailers across the world. Quickly they adapted to creating an eCommerce website to sell products, and used social media to connect with customers.