Episode 8: How to use Facebook Groups to Grow Your Business

Welcome to the eighth episode of the Cocktails & Content Creation Podcast! We all know Facebook as a great place to keep up with your friends and share fun memes. But have you ever used it to grow your business? On our latest episode we’re talking about how you can use Facebook groups to make sales and attract clients.  Who knew?! And we’re chatting about it with Facebook group expert and Dash of Social founder, Ashley Mason. 

In our eighth episode you’ll learn:

• Why you don’t need to even create a group to garner sales
• How to leverage other Facebook groups to grow your business
• How having a separate paid group can bring in clients
• Why being active and engaged on Facebook can make all the difference
• Why offering exclusive content to your Facebook group can lead to sales

About our Guest:

Ashley Mason is a marketing consultant, TEDx speaker, and founder of both Dash of Social and Student to CEO.

Starting her marketing firm at the age of 19, Ashley successfully grew it to reach six figures by the time she was 21 and took it full-time upon graduating from college. Since then, she has been featured in prominent publications such as TEDx, The Huffington Post, Thrive Global, SWAAY Magazine, and more.

Passionate about pursuing entrepreneurship at a young age, Ashley hopes to inspire others to take that leap, just like she did.

Thanks for Listening!

Join our Facebook Community for more tips and tricks on how to easily create content and chat with other content creators! And make sure to follow our Instagram. 

Next time we’ll be chatting about best practices to batch your content. We’re talking the apps, systems and resources that we use to get our work done in no time flat!

Links & Resources:

• Dash of Social
• Student to CEO
• A Dash of Social on Facebook
• A Dash of Social on Twitter
• A Dash of Social on Instagram
• Ashley Mason LinkedIn

Until next time, cheers to your next cocktail and happy content creating!

Kate & Jessie

Hosts of “The Cocktails and Content Creation Podcast”

Episode 7: How to Batch your Content Creation

Welcome to the seventh episode of the Cocktails & Content Creation Podcast! Sometimes the easiest way to create content is to bang out a bunch of it at the same time. So we’re talking about the benefits of batching your work - and the best ways to do it!

And, Kate is giving away her content calendar to our listeners! This is how she keeps her blog organized, as well as her clients’ blog posts. Fill it up with all your content for the year, switch around or rename the columns to fit your needs. Get it here!

In our seventh episode you’ll learn:

• Why organization is key to batching content
• Our favorite programs that help keep us organized
• Why a Content Calendar can be your best friend
• Easy ways to batch your content creation - whether it’s writing blog posts, taking photos for your business, editing those photos or writing up emails that you can schedule for months out!
• How repurposing your content can help with batching your work
• How batching can help you plan out your content for months ahead so you can pretty much set it and forget it!

Thanks for Listening!

Join our Facebook Community for more tips and tricks on how to easily create content and chat with other content creators! And make sure to follow our Instagram. 

Next time we’ll be chatting about how to maximize Facebook groups to grow your business with Ashley Mason, marketing consultant, TEDx speaker, and founder of both Dash of Social and Student to CEO. 

Links & Resources:

• Google Drive
• Kate’s Content Calendar 
• Jessie’s blog on “Two Easy Ways to Slay your To-Do List”
• Kate’s blog posts on “Fall & Winter Wedding Guest Wear” and her favorite LBD, “My Summer Uniform”
• Asana - Project Organization App/Website
• Slack - Chat App with neat ways to separate conversations

Until next time, cheers to your next cocktail and happy content creating!

Kate &

Episode 6: How to Pivot Your Message in Times of Social & Civil Unrest

Welcome to the sixth episode of the Cocktails & Content Creation Podcast! This time we’re talking about how to pivot your message in times of social unrest. When Covid-19 hit, so many businesses had to find a new way to market their product and services - but more importantly, they had to learn ways to help their communities. We’ll be discussing how we can try to be sympathetic and delicate during times like the pandemic and major political events with Lauren Perna, communications specialist and digital marketer.

In our sixth episode you’ll learn:

• How the wrong message during times like the pandemic can send a business owner into ruin
• How small businesses and entrepreneurs can address the civil and social unrest in a way that feels authentic but doesn't jeopardize their life's work
• Why sometimes your best bet is to ask their audience how they’re doing and how you can do that in a way that is true to your brand

About our Guest:

Lauren Perna is a communications specialist, digital marketer, writer, and creator who brings a holistic approach to her projects in the marketing/communications spectrum. With her business, Lauren Perna Communications, she focuses on service-based companies, non-profits, community leaders--organizations that are formed on relationships and trust. Her mission is to help these companies tell their story online, so they can easily enhance their brand and raise their visibility.  

Thanks for Listening!

Join our Facebook Community for more tips and tricks on how to easily create content and chat with other content creators! And make sure to follow our Instagram. 

Next time we’ll be chatting about best practices to batch your content. We’re talking the apps, systems and resources that we use to get our work done in no time flat!

Links & Resources:

• Lauren Perna’s Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

Until next time, cheers to your next cocktail and happy content creating!

Kate & Jessie

Hosts of “The Cocktails and Content Creation Podcast”

Episode 5: How to Edit Your Photos

Welcome to the fifth episode of the Cocktails & Content Creation Podcast! This time around we’re chatting about photo editing tips and tricks from both a photographer’s and an influencer’s perspective. We’re talking about how to get that perfect shot from the camera, through the editing process and have it looking professional in no time! 

In our fifth episode you’ll learn:

• Why the photo editing process starts in the camera
• How to get that perfect shot right from the get go
• Why you should find your photo style or aesthetic and how to discover it
• How your aesthetic affects how you edit your photos
• Why presets can be your best friend …
• … But also why you should learn editing settings in whatever app you’re using to get your photos to pop

And don’t forget - you can get Jessie’s Lightroom Mobile preset for free! Just head here and you’ll be well on your way to professional-looking photos for your website and social media. 

Thanks for Listening!

Join our Facebook Community for more tips and tricks on how to easily create content and chat with other content creators! And make sure to follow our Instagram. 

Next time we’ll be talking about how to pivot your message in times of social and civil unrest. We’ll be discussing how we can try to be sympathetic and delicate during times like the Pandemic and major political events with Lauren Perna, communications specialist, and digital marketer.

Links & Resources:

• Lightroom
• Photoshop
• Snapseed
• Jessie's Youtube Channel
• Jessie’s Lightroom Mobile Preset Giveaway

Until next time, cheers to your next cocktail and happy content creating!

Kate & Jessie

Hosts of “The Cocktails and Content Creation Podcast”

Welcome to the fourth episode of the Cocktails & Content Creation Podcast! This time we’re talking about brand messaging. You have something you want to say but you have to figure out what that is, how to craft it and how to get your ideal audience to react to it. 

In our fourth episode you’ll learn:

• What an audience persona is and how to build one for your business
• Why it’s so important to understand your audience persona
• Figuring out the problems your persona has
• How to craft a message that speaks back to the problem’s your audience persona has
• How to create blog content using this approach
• Hacks to discover what your audience actually wants to learn from you

About our Guest:

Courtney Fanning is a brand strategist and copywriter for purpose-driven creatives and the founder of Big Picture Branding. She spent over a decade marketing and branding companies in publishing, higher-ed, nonprofit, and tech, and recently celebrated the two-year anniversary of quitting her 9-5 job to start her own online business. 

Thanks for Listening!

Join our Facebook Community for more tips and tricks on how to easily create content and chat with other content creators! And make sure to follow our Instagram. 

Next time we’ll be chatting about photo editing tips and tricks from both a photographer and an influencer’s perspective. We’re talking about how to get that perfect shot from the camera, through the editing process and have it looking professional in no time! 

Links & Resources:

• Big Picture Branding
• Brand Persona Builder and Messaging Creator
• Free DIY Branding and Copywriting Resources
• @bigpicturebranding
• Big Picture Branding Pinterest
• Courtney Fanning LinkedIn
• Donald Miller's Building a Storybrand
• Unsplash

Until next time, cheers to your next cocktail and happy content creating!

Kate & Jessie

Hosts of “The Cocktails and Content Creation Podcast”

Welcome to the third episode of the Cocktails & Content Creation Podcast! We are going to continue sharing easy ways to create content with confidence by speaking with a hashtag expert to help you hack the Instagram algorithm. Chelsea Marrs of @ChowDownUSA will share with us how she grew her social media following to over 25K. Spoiler Alert! Hashtags were a huge help and she’s going to tell us how to use them to stand out on the gram. 

In our third episode you’ll learn:

• Why you need to use hashtags on your social media posts
• How you can outsmart the algorithm with one simple trick
• How to find your ideal hashtags to get your brand seen
• How to use those hashtags responsibly 
• Whether or not you should use all 30 hashtags
• How mixing large, medium, and small hashtags can help you go viral
• Whether or not you should use the same hashtags over and over again
• Why likes are no longer cutting it with brands
• How to calculate your engagement rate and why you may want to remove followers from your account - shocking, we know!

About our Guest:

Chelsea Marrs is a blogger and influencer at @ChowDownUSA and @TravelToMarrs. Originally from San Francisco, California, and a UCLA alum, she founded ChowDownUSA seven years ago and grew her following to over 25K! She recently left the corporate world and used her background in marketing to co-found the social media and influencer marketing company Royal Horizon Media, with the mission of making social media and influencer relations more accessible to all brands and businesses, while lifting up and supporting each other along the way! 

Thanks for Listening!

Join our Facebook Community for more tips and tricks on how to easily create content and chat with other content creators! And make sure to follow our Instagram. 

Next time we’ll be chatting with Courtney Fanning of Big Picture Branding who will be sharing her method on batching over 40 blog post ideas by really knowing her target audience. Courtney is a brand strategist and copywriter for purpose-driven creatives who spent over a decade marketing and branding companies in publishing, higher-ed, nonprofit, and tech. Her expertise in brand messaging will help us understand how to craft content that is irresistible to our ideal audience! 

Links & Resources:

• Royal Horizon Media
• Royal Horizon Media Facebook
• Royal Horizon Media Twitter
• @RoyalHorizonMedia

Welcome to the second episode of the Cocktails & Content Creation Podcast! We are are going to continue sharing easy ways to create content with confidence by discussing how you can take your own Instagram-worthy photos - without hiring a photographer!

In our second episode you’ll learn:

• Why you should be using Instagram as a tool for growing your business or brand
• The elements to the perfect Instagram shot
• What kind of background is best for a cohesive IG feed
• How you can get creative with your shots while still looking professional
• Why you should be preplanning and batching your photoshoots 
• How to select your outfits to match your surroundings
• How you can shoot with Lightroom Mobile to get your best shot
• When you should turn to a professional for some photo help

About our Guest:

Natalie Mazzarella is the editor and creator of Wear You Are Now, a lifestyle website for kindred spirits who believe fashion plays an integral role in making memories. A seasoned publicist, activist, and word play enthusiast, she is never one to pass up a good pun or a glass of wine (or two). By day, Natalie is the Executive Director of Skoog Co., a PR and Communications agency based in Chicago. She also holds a seat on the Executive Board of the Daisie Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to serving women and children in Chicago communities. Natalie lives in Boston with her husband, who she hopes, one day, will agree to adopt a pet hedgehog. For more on Natalie’s work, check her out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Thanks for Listening!

Join our Facebook Community for more tips and tricks on how to easily create content and chat with other content creators! And make sure to follow our Instagram. 

Next time we’ll be chatting with Chelsea Marrs of ChowdownUSA and Royal Horizon Media. She’ll share with us how she grew her social media following to over 25K. Spoiler Alert! Hashtags were a huge help and she’s going to tell us how to use them to stand out on the gram. 

Links & Resources:

• Nikon d3300
• iPhone table top tripod (make sure to enter our giveaway - open until November 26, 2020!)
• Camera tripod

Episode 1

What is Content?

with Kate Andrews & Jessie Wyman

Welcome to the premiere episode of the Cocktails & Content Creation Podcast! We are so excited to bring you this brand new podcast about easy ways to create content with confidence and get it seen by your audience. 

We believe that everyone is a content creator. And we also believe that you must have content if you’re a business or brand to market your product and services, because content is how we get our message out there! But we understand that it can quickly become overwhelming with all of the different social media sites, the mystery of SEO and hashtags, and trying to learn how to take and edit your own photos. So, our goal is to take the guesswork out of content creation by interviewing guests who have been there, done that! 

About your Hosts

Jessie Wyman is a branding photographer and founder of The Brand Photographer Method, a course to help photographers to pivot their business to focus on branding. She lives north of Boston with her husband and their adorable dachshund, Decoy.

Kate Andrews is the founder and editor of the lifestyle, fashion and travel blog, Fashionably Kate & Co. She is a former TV producer, show host and reporter. She also lives north of Boston with her husband and their little girl, Arielle Marie.  

Kate and Jessie have known each other for more than a decade - with Jessie taking Kate’s Wedding Photos, as well as much of her lifestyle content for Fashionably Kate & Co., but they only started collaborating earlier this year.

Cocktails & Content Creation was born out of their conversations about the challenges they would have keeping their websites and social media up-to-date, and figuring out ways to keep their audience engaged and growing. Quickly they learned that others faced the same challenges in creating content and Voila! They created Cocktails & Content Creation!

In our first episode you’ll learn:

• What is content?
• Why content is important.
• How to look for opportunities in content creation and how it can help your bottom line. 
• Why every business, brand, and entrepreneur needs content to promote their services and product.
• What we’re going to discuss during our upcoming episodes - hint: it’s all good stuff!
• How to enter our launch giveaway! 

Join our Facebook Community for more tips and tricks on how to easily create content and chat with other content creators! And make sure to follow our Instagram. 

Next...

Cocktails & Content Creation - Coming Thursday, October 29!

Sharing Easy Ways to Create Killer Content

Kate Andrews of Fashionably Kate & Co. and Jessie Wyman of Jessie Wyman Photography discuss easy ways take your own photos, build your brand, and garner a social media following all while living your best life.

We are celebrating the launch of our new podcast with a giveaway! We're sending one of our lucky listeners a tabletop tripod for their phone so they can take the tips we share about easy content creation and put them to use!

Go to our Instagram, @cocktailsandcontentcreation, and click the link in our bio to enter. And while you're there, why not give us a follow?

Until next time, cheers to your next cocktail and happy content creating!

Kate & Jessie

Hosts of Cocktails & Content Creation