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

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.

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Shana Bull Shana Bull

Gift Ideas for Social Media Marketers

As a social media marketer, I am always on the lookout for new toys to play with when it comes to creating content. Since most of my work in social media is all about PHOTOGRAPHY, here are some of my favorite gifts to get a social media marketer in your life.

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Digital Marketing, Wine County Shana Bull Digital Marketing, Wine County Shana Bull

Top 11 Wineries in California on Instagram

My picks for top CA Wineries on Instagram are not based on who has the most followers, the prettiest pictures, or which wineries get the most Instagram location check-ins. While those are important, I chose these wineries based on their community engagement and unique brands… I chose wineries on Instagram that were true to their brand passions and connected with their target audience.

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Digital Marketing, Social Media Shana Bull Digital Marketing, Social Media Shana Bull

Understanding Wine Influencers

Wine Influencers are always a hot topic that people (mainly older people) in the wine industry like to get upset about. But it works. Right now, in addition to the ROI question, people are looking at the term “influencer” as a group of girls posing for the camera, not knowing anything about the subject matter, and expecting things for free. Once again, I'm here to say that that is not the case for everyone, and certainly not the case for wine influencers worth their weight in cans of rosé.

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