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

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.
Yes. Especially if your marketing currently sounds like ChatGPT wrote it.
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.
People in marketing, hospitality, branding, retail, wine, or anyone who secretly judges restaurants by their menu design before reading the food list.

Shana Bull 9/29/24 Shana Bull 9/29/24

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.

Shana Bull 4/15/22 Shana Bull 4/15/22

5 Tips on How to Write Engaging FAQ Answers Your Target Audience Will Love

Listen to your customers and create a FAQ document you can refer back to when planning ahead to create content for your website or social media. This way you can establish yourself as an authority figure in your industry or niche, and have a list of copy & paste content ready to go.

Shana Bull 1/24/22 Shana Bull 1/24/22

Finding Trending Audio on Instagram Reels

Being able to find and use trending audio on Instagram Reels has become a big part of both Instagram Reels and TikTok. Trending audio (both trending songs & original audio that creators make) can help even small accounts grow their Instagram accounts. Here are tips on how to find trending audio on Instagram Reels to use for your social media marketing efforts.

Shana Bull 10/4/21 Shana Bull 10/4/21

Facebook and Instagram Are Down - Here is What To Do

Tips for what to do when Facebook and Instagram are Down.

Shana Bull 3/9/20 Shana Bull 3/9/20

Photography Social Media Questions: Hashtags & Reach on Instagram

Shana Bull 2/27/20 Shana Bull 2/27/20

Celebrating 11 Years as a Social Media Entrepreneur

I never thought of myself as an entrepreneur—maybe because I never had employees under me. I guess when I think of entrepreneurs, I think of traditional “small business owners” like my dad, who has employees. I realized that my mindset—thinking of my work in such a small way—was holding me back from spending money on myself and on my social media marketing business.

Shana Bull 11/19/19 Shana Bull 11/19/19

Connections Are What Make Social Media Marketing So Powerful

Social media marketing is about being SOCIAL. Digital marketing is not the Wild Wild West of marketing anymore. It is a dynamic tool for brands to share their story and to connect with their target audience - all with better access to insights than ever before.

Shana Bull 8/26/19 Shana Bull 8/26/19

Instagram Jail + FOMO

When I got put into Instagram jail I realize that FOMO on social media only happens if I allow it to.

Shana Bull 5/27/18 Shana Bull 5/27/18

Train Yourself: Habit for Social Media Marketing

Sometimes getting started with social media marketing for your business can be daunting because you aren’t really sure where to start. In order to be successful you have to create daily habits for Social Media Marketing, otherwise you will just be posting and not knowing if you are moving forward with your brand goals. Also, creating habits make tasks easier to manage for long term success.

Shana Bull 5/14/18 Shana Bull 5/14/18

The Instagram Bio, Often Overlooked in Social Media Marketing

An Instagram Bio is 150 characters that most people tend not to put too much thought into. I’m here to give you some tips and explain why creating a good Instagram Bio is vital to connecting with your target audience, the first step to creating a successful Instagram strategy.

Shana Bull 11/20/17 Shana Bull 11/20/17

Two Questions: Marketing Your Business After the Wine Country Fires

Questions from Small Business Owners on how to marketing your business after the Sonoma and Napa Fires. My answer: Be as transparent and empathetic as possible.