In this episode of Tag Me Podcast, we’ll be learning social media tips from the founder of a storytelling and content agency, Madison Utendahl. She has been creating narratives since she worked in the entertainment industry and used her storytelling skills to transition into the social media industry. She helped build the online community for 29Rooms and Museum of Ice Cream. She is currently head of content for Emergency Kit Judy. If you are interested in her social media tips - stay tuned.
Madison's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madison.utendahl/?hl=en
Madison's Storytelling & Content Agency: https://www.madisonutendahl.com/utendahl-creative
CONNECT WITH US ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/tagmepodcast/
In this episode of Tag Me Podcast, we’ll be learning social media tips from the founder of a storytelling and content agency, Madison Utendahl. She has been creating narratives since she worked in the entertainment industry and used her storytelling skills to transition into the social media industry. She helped build the online community for 29Rooms and Museum of Ice Cream. She is currently head of content for Emergency Kit Judy. If you are interested in her social media tips - stay tuned.
Madison's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madison.utendahl/?hl=en
Madison's Storytelling & Content Agency: https://www.madisonutendahl.com/utendahl-creative
CONNECT WITH US ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/tagmepodcast/
spk_1: 0:09
tag me a social media podcast. We'll be connecting with your favorite people and brands on social media to share their tips on best practices with you. My name is Audrey, and in this episode we'll be learning social media tips from the founder of storytelling and content agency, Madison Indal. If you're interested in her social media tips, stay tuned. Madison Instagram handle isn't for you. In the episode notes. Thank you for tuning in. Now let's learn a thing or two about social media from Madison. She's been creating narratives. She worked in the entertainment industry, a news storytelling skills transition into the social media industry. She helped build the online communities for 29 rooms and Museum of Ice cream. She's currently head of content for emergency kit duty. Let's welcome Addison to the Tag me podcast to share all the cool things that you've done in the digital and social media space. Can you explain a little bit what you have going on in the social media space?
spk_0: 1:01
Yeah, for sure. So I've been very, very fortunate in my career to have been on the founding teams of a couple amazing, uh, cultural phenomenons that have very much informed me who I am and my career. My path first is, um, last week tonight with John Oliver to the show on HBO, then went over to 29 rooms, which is refinish my nan's experiential industry. Our event, Um, and then I'm a founding partner of Museum of Ice Cream. Um, but I left museum ice cream about a year and 1/2 ago to build up my own business, so I'm no longer a part of easy and ice cream. But it definitely was a massive, massive learning experience for me, and one that really was a catalyst for me to be able to build what I have now. Um, but I'm the founder of you and all Creative, which is my own social media strategy firm. That's female lead. FEMA founded well, and, ah, it's been a really amazing journey. That's why I like I go back and forth. Actually, that I called it after my last name because I am not. It's not about me at all. I don't have a company without my team, you know there's no agency without them. So with the origin of me deciding the name Udall, creative I My dad was signed me. How he noticed, like a lot of men give use their last names for their firms. Right? You'll have law firms that have like Lloyd. It's like Johnson and Walker and Thomas and Smith and Co. Traditionally, women feel like they have to name their business is something that's that removes their gender in order to be taken seriously as a little call it like sunshine and Fulco like, you know, with me services when technically we should just own our identities and names and step into them in the same way that men do with confidence and, you know, full affirmation that our work and stand on its own. So I sidle making after my last name.
spk_1: 2:56
I love that everyone love that. I love so much meaning into it. So one of the things I really admire and I look up to you for in everything you dio you're such a light social is that you do everything it feels like with extreme intention on, and you can really see that in your work. So I'm excited. Talk about all the things you've done. Let's start with how did you get started? in the, uh, social industry. How did you get started
spk_0: 3:19
in the local
spk_1: 3:21
media? Creative director? All the things you know,
spk_0: 3:24
you know, I actually have an unconventional path when it comes to social. I started my career in film and TV. I mean, I really started my career. Even before HBO, I was a production assistant on Project Runway. Like really went. I definitely pulled my pulled my weight and what it means. But what I did learn there was that the power of crafting a narrative around subject matters that were really difficult to understand. So that was like my has been the most foundational understanding of how to craft the narrative. And from there I went to Refinery 29 as a producer and that is a creative associate to Ah Perejil. RT is the founder, and it was at Refinery that I realized the same narrative skill sets. I had learned Elastics Night could be applied in marketing and that there was a deficit and and there's a massive disconnect and marketing specifically in social with story time. Way were, we were trying to teach people things. They were social platforms, but we're not actually creating content that allowed from people to emotionally connect. It was when I was out Refinery 29 that I realized there was an opportunity to merge this film traditional film narrative that anyone who goes to film school like I did you understand? You learn how to craft that hero's journey and apply it to social media. Um, so that's really how it got there. Um, when I was at Refinery, a former colleague of mine, uh, reached out and asked if I wanted to join the team and at the time of the side, hustle and working two jobs working there. And we're here Refinery 29. And eventually we made enough money where I could go full time and I joined full time, is there for two years and grew those channels and learn so freaking much and
spk_1: 5:04
channels by using your narrative skills.
spk_0: 5:07
Yeah, exactly. I recently I was like, you know, here I am. This New Yorker is lactose intolerant. He doesn't know anything pink like my goal, every single detail. How the hell did I convince someone like myself to want to go to this relied? I wouldn't have gone right like there's no way if I had been a part of it, I wasn't gonna go, because if I didn't get that personality type, I was so off grand. And so as a marketer, I kept my objective every single day. Going into work was like, How do I get me to want to go? And I knew the only way I could get me to want to go to something like this was if I created a sense of emotional depth, right, that would draw me in. And so I developed a strategy based upon all the emotional tenants behind ice cream, comfort, rejection, love, reward, heartbreak. There's so many layers of reasons why people choose to eat ice cream. So they're the stories you started telling really were rooted in that. And then after two years, there was like, Heck, if I could do this with something I don't even eat, What can I do? If I was actually passionate about these rounds, my own a mean like, if I if I could do this of ice cream, would
spk_1: 6:13
talk, I should be able to do this with, uh,
spk_0: 6:16
two dogs in my house. I
spk_1: 6:17
love the dogs in the back on listen recording remotely. We're adjusting to the times. There may be some droids in the background, and we're just a little way so much that you shared and highlighted the importance of storytelling on social media. If you can get someone to emotionally connect with a product or service, then you've just got yourself a lifelong not even custody, but completely community members. Because that's really I think people are aiming for right now is they want to build an online community because, you know, for brands, ultimately they see every community member as someone who is going to be a customer. But how do you acquire a customer to be instead of just buy something once? How do they tap into this lifestyle or community that you're offering them? How do you start with creating ideas for content that age emotionally with people?
spk_0: 7:18
You just quickly go back to what you just said. It couldn't agree with you Mauritz valid marathon and not a sprint when it comes to building your audience. And while one time acquisition might have value for your bottom line, it's not going to long term. If you're not thinking of a sustainable model that gets people to believe that you see and hear them so you might get a customer or get someone who follows you based upon a you know, beautiful ad that you throw out or a pretty post. But if you can't follow through with content that's engaging and supportive and emotional, then when I feel like I'm following, I'm going through my follower count. I'm just like, Oh my, I'm on probably it right. I'm talking about your product again, and that's like that so many brands have to come to terms with, especially now, because our consumers are more conscious of their dollars than ever. So if you have the option to buy a water brand that is a big conglomerate that's pushing ads on you or a small water brand that's talking about the emotional power that water provides, you're gonna make that decision even if you have to spend more on that smaller brand just because you feel like they see you
spk_1: 8:24
right now, I think we're all at the point where already follow so many brands and people, Why do I want to follow you like, are you educating entertaining me on another subject that I am passionate about,
spk_0: 8:35
right? Yeah, but what I think what happens that brands forget about that? The consumers have choices, right? And that we have sensibility and were hypersensitive right now. And it's a matter like, are you genuinely in that moment of decision that I'm about to make? Do I feel that you care about May Do I feel that you're thinking about this purchase I'm about to make? How are you getting mean across that finish line and also to not only just by but to follow and continue to buy through time? I think so many brands there so shortsighted when it comes to that. Um, but to answer your question, you know, for me, the biggest thing in terms of the process of how encourage brands to think differently is that asking them to shift their metrics so most brands are thinking about, you know, likes and follows when the reality is that we know very clear. This is passive engagement. Liking accounts. Following counts are no longer considered active engagement as we re partake in these things. Very possibly. But if you start to look at your contents, anger, people saving this content or sharing this content, then it means that that content is resonating with people, right? It's an elective choice to save something. If you've even stepped back further, why am I saving this? I'm saving this because it's has some value to me that I'm either gonna refer back to or is a source of inspiration or something I want to send to somebody else. If I'm sharing, it means it's it's most likely brought me a sense of humor. It's It's something that has inspired me. It's something that's made me think. And therefore I want to share that with people in my community digitally. If your content is not being saved or shared, it probably is actually not doing the job right. And because you're not thinking about emotion and human empathy and therefore you're just missing out on opportunities, your just thinking about that one time sale.
spk_1: 10:26
I think it's important to create a relationship like a dialogue, not just just being, but engage and talk about ready, said Judy. So Judy
spk_0: 10:34
is an emergency preparedness Brent on. They specialize in creating emergency kits for household size, depending on where you are located, so most emergency kits are one size fits all, and they're not actually designed around what your needs are. So my emergency, Candace, somebody in New York is very different from yours. However, the traditional emergency preparedness brain would send us the same things when I don't actually need to be prepared for an earthquake. And you don't necessarily need to be prepared for a hurricane. So the origin story for Judy is actually, uh, rooted in climate change and how natural disasters are increasing at higher levels Are timing for lunch, you know, was very coincidental in that, you know, who would have thought we would have launched an emergency preparedness kit at the height of a pandemic. So I can take any credit for everyone's like, Oh, my God, Look at what you built. I'm like, let's just be real also like this is a pandemic and adds emergency preparing his brand. So I'm not gonna sit here and have that you go.
spk_1: 11:38
But we can also acknowledge the content that you could knit the story that you've created and how you executed that on social.
spk_0: 11:45
Definitely. And where that where I had to meet my team and I had to think fast is the danger of launching an emergency preparedness kid at the time that we did, which was January 28th right before this all happened is that it's also could have easily been encouraged to Erben written off as being disrespectful, inconsiderate and alarmist. And one strategy we quickly implemented with on Social was that we really sat down and we said to ourselves, This kid has no value If I'm not emotionally mentally prepared, how do we get people to feel that we see them and hear them and are empathetic? And it's by empowering them and saying, Actually, the sale of the kit is third its first educating people as to what preparedness means. Reminding them that there's emotional and mental opinions comes before physical preparedness. You can buy it. Can you have every kid you freakin need in the world sitting on your kitchen table? But if a disaster something happens and you have meant emotionally, don't have the tools to take a second step back and learn how to breathe and close your eyes and say your mantra. That kid has no value because you'll do everything you're not supposed to do. You'll run out of your house and check the chicken with your head cut off because you don't have a center yourself. And so we took this quick, drastic shift and said, You know, I'm moving forward. Just gonna create concept that's empathetic. You can create content that people want to save and share. It's about emotional and mental preparedness and then we're gonna hope that based upon that insight, they'll say to themselves, I feel seen and heard and therefore I want to buy into this brand and has a strategy we moved quickly on and it's it's working and it's also very genuine. My team and I, it's been very therapeutic for us. You have to create this content to do our homework and understanding. Hugely, it's a grand's, a grounding exercise for us to have to sit and research and talk to meditation instructors and learn about what it actually means to calm your mind and soul during moments of extreme anxiety on DSO, It's been an honor to see that it's resident without the other people because it's so genuinely resonating with us and in just the concentration side to
spk_1: 13:57
what is your advice right now to your clients, for speaking to topics a we're talking about before this situation happened and what's going on now.
spk_0: 14:07
Yeah, great question. I'm curious what your answer to. I would say it's about finding a balance look like the reality is it's for a new brand or a young brand. You have to still, you got it still sell product, and we understand that you have in People have toe. It doesn't just because you start storytelling with your content doesn't mean you stop posting about your product. It's about striking a balance and saying, OK, if I have a schedule of content and I post seven days a week how needed? And I talked about product, how many days and I'm talking about are putting out info, graphics and visuals that are that speak more to the energy in the community. Sybers is the products outside. So Step one, I would say, like find that balance. It's appropriate for you. Don't lose sight of the power of infographics, but also like, yes, you definitely sell your product. Need those product bushes, I think step to those, like really deep down. Ask yourself. Is this copy and this visual sensitive to this time that we're living in. You can still encourage sales without being tone deaf, right? You know, I've seen a couple adds whose brands? I won't say, but I have read articles about these ads being highly crucified of them being like the time is now shop. You never know what's gonna happen. Like what? No, that is not how you market in a pen, that right, versus a brand that saying, You know you're at home for X amount of time if you feel if you want it to a more comfortable our ex fabric for a sweat pant is like the perfect fabric for like lounging around for working from your bet. Whatever. There's a way to speak to these things that are not doomsday and not alarmist and not toned up. I have unfollowed multiple accounts and have posted fashion posts, and the captions have been like Corentin sheep, You know, to me, that is like the most insensitive, disrespectful caption you can put about a product post. Yeah, I understand your fashion brand. You have to sell your product. It does not acknowledge the immense sense of privilege that we have as people who can stay at home right now. So the idea posting science and quarantine Sheikh is like completely dis acknowledging the fact that if you can actually quarantine, you're coming from place of privilege.
spk_1: 16:28
But hey,
spk_0: 16:29
versus if the caption was about, you know, it's the I mean, but one thing I have been having fun with his. I love that people are dressing up for dinners with their families at hope. Right? What if the caption was about like, Thursday night dinners? You ain't got nothing else to dio, you know, it being like that's a wave or engaging funny, reputable, broader Bush
spk_1: 16:49
What would you be your advice to someone who has no social media experience? Um, what platform would you suggest would be the best to join if they could only focus on one right now?
spk_0: 17:01
Great question. I think it depends on resource is, um so if you have somebody who can support with the development of a social accounts, you have right now, a graphic design is winning on social, so you know we don't have the opportunity and flexibility to go places to shoot original content. So if you have access to a graphic designer or you yourself graphic design skills. And I would say Instagram is a great place to start is supreme. I would say, if you are about becoming a resource, but not necessarily a hyper visual, a creative brand. I think lengthen has a lot of power right now because we are looking for EJ EJ attainment on lengthen, probably more than any other platform. And if you have the space to get weird and just to go for it, get on tic tac. Just get on. And let's just say you were hyper creative. Who doesn't really want to be front facing in any capacity doesn't have the budget rightfully so to higher, but are really a hyper visual brand that Pinterest is a lot of power. I would say the brand platform right now that the two that I'm like, I think you get lost in as a new brand or Twitter and Facebook. Um, I think the really hard, really hard to break into right now, Um, because of their pace. Ah, but you know, I think it's the first step is saying Okay, what are the resources I have available to me? Who am I as a brand was my brand DNA and by selling a product that is visual in my selling a platform or resource or my fintech company or a my actual, like a tangible ddC brand. And from that deciding which platform makes the most sense for you, I pet peeve of mine. I say those people all the time do not launch on every platform just to say that you have those platforms acquire the handle. But if it makes no sense right because of happenings and post the same content on all of these platforms, and then if I'm a consumer and I could just go on your INSTAGRAM account and see the same thing Elsie on your newsletter that I'll see on her Facebook page I'm not gonna follow all three.
spk_1: 19:11
One known if
spk_0: 19:12
you don't have the resource is too launch broadly with one. Do really well, play with it a B test and just try to own it as best
spk_1: 19:23
for people or brands who cannot afford a graphic designer, do you? Any APS you would recommend where someone could take a picture, create good visuals without having to pay someone
spk_0: 19:34
my favorite graphic design app. If I don't have access to a graphic designer is unfold. I think unfold is great and it allows for everyone to feel and look, because if they do have a full graphic scientific, it's really user friendly. And I'm a big I think this goes great and snap seed. Or to just very simple photo editing APS that can really spice up a photo that you would not have, I thought, or that you're not like Lovings are kind of professional photographer, and it will end up. You can play around and have fun with it. Um, those are the three that I think of immediately that we use. Definitely.
spk_1: 20:12
What is your advice for brands struggling to create captions? Do you have any like inspo that could help them?
spk_0: 20:19
Don't overthink it. Simple, stupid. That's what I keep saying. If you're not funny, don't try to be funny. I e like this and conversation. My brain does not like every time I try to type something that's like plenty or, like instagram funny. Everyone's like So I've given up on trying to be funny on social. The answers don't overthink it. And remember that simple, stupid is often the best way to go. If you are an actually funny person. Let that come out in your caption writing if you were not the biggest mistake is trying to be funny with your
spk_1: 20:56
all action. Does everybody need tohave one in every single post?
spk_0: 21:01
I think J. Shandi would say yes. Um, I think from a strategic standpoint ah, the algorithm is geared towards engagement in comments in many ways. So the idea of typing you tagged this comment this, ah benefits you if it's genuine and authentic. I think J. Shehhi's account. That was a great example of somebody who has found a way to work with the algorithm. And also Great Continent feels genuine, right? Like he's saying, Throw a heart in the comments and it's a deep post, right? Like he's not capitalizing on this algorithm just because he's it's very thoughtful. So everyone look at Joan Shelley's account
spk_1: 21:40
much a shoddy, um on for people creating their own content. Do you have any APS or ways of banking content or strategize planning it ahead of time that are free or low cost?
spk_0: 21:53
Yes, so I'm a big fan of plant only.
spk_1: 21:56
I love mentally
spk_0: 21:57
love love. I think when you have the revenue as a brand to get to the Big Boys Club and you could do Dash Hudson. Wow, Dash Hutson is unbelievable, but it breaks the bank, so i e you know, it's like, Come on. Ah ah! I always preface that like, if you can afford Achatz in go over Dash Hudson if you cannot, none of us can. So don't feel bad about
spk_1: 22:22
what about that forms who can put like hoot suite and, uh, you know all those good things? Do you recommend any of those or what? Who was not good
spk_0: 22:33
for? Yeah, I like sprout. I would say it's not that they're not the where they're difficult. If you're a numbers person and someone who needs numbers to understand performance in success, then I would say who suits water? Great. Um, if you're more visual person, your cares more about Like how feed looks, I think later and plan only are stronger for the creative types. And I think they're used more user friendly, uh, from a project Mannion management perspective, we use monday dot com, but I'm also a fan of air table. But if you warn numbers and analytical and not hyper visual, then my suggestion would be like going with Asafa as well. Okay,
spk_1: 23:18
Cool. Are there any topics we haven't covered yet? I know we're wrapping up soon that you want to go over related to social media. Any tips you could provide people are
spk_0: 23:26
going you're actually doing, I would say, have patience with the process. You know, understand that social is is a beast, and it really works in its own way and to not take things so personally because sometimes you can post a really good piece of content, a terrible time that works for you 24 hours ago. And it's six, and it's not that personal. Um, so you have to really be on social. You have to be agile. That is like the key to success on social is what works for you. Tomorrow might not work from you three days later, and we have to all of social creators, and there's anyone even is a just a personal consumer of these accounts. Understand that I realized that's how these algorithms are designed. It's not necessarily that you posted quote unquote bad content, the algorithms of these platforms of designs that you keep posting If you always have success, you're not gonna return from a business respective. It's an R o I d him something I said. A lot of people is just like you just got to keep it going. You got to keep
spk_1: 24:34
talking about keeping it going. What is a good frequency for a brand to be posting or interacting on stories or just any of their platforms?
spk_0: 24:43
100%? It's a great question, I would say. It also really comes down Teoh what you have available to you. So if you don't have a team and it's just you social convey be, Ah, an incredibly exhaustive, overwhelming and honestly can be quite nefarious, and all of a sudden you hate it. If that's how you feel, do not post every single day. Say to yourself, I'm gonna post four times a week and I'm gonna really care about these posts and post two stories. And that's the cadence toe, which I can do this right now. If you have a team and you're not posting every single day and you have people on the payroll who are soldier meeting managers, that's a problem. Now I think the head, the expectation? No, for I'm just gonna throw out a swimwear brand toe. Ask your your social media manager to take both Saturday and Sunday to make sure there's a bespoke story. Since Instagram doesn't have auto Post feature yet for stories that's not necessary, it's not a news channel, so I think we also be mindful of people's personal time and something that you know you and I have discussed before. Social is an incredibly reactive platform. It's one that working in Central is all about creating your own personal boundaries. And otherwise, it's a job that could happen 24 hours a day seven this week, but not everyone, and takes a long time to understand what those boundaries are. So as a brand owner, if you are not a news network, do not put that type of pressure on your team to be posting seven days a week with bespoke stories and in feet assets. I I think that is just absolutely not necessary.
spk_1: 26:15
I'm that's great advised. Thank you so much, Joe. All your social media knowledge weed. I have one pressing question before we wrap. Okay, so for brands before they press post, what are some pre posting questions they can go through and ask themselves to make sure that they're not tone deaf right now. During the situation,
spk_0: 26:38
ask themselves If I were to look at this on my personal towns, would I be offended if you would be offended? Think about that. If you wouldn't be offended, it's fair to say spirited. Check it prior to go for us. Um, I would always say for me, the biggest thing is spellcheck spell a lot of these social media platforms don't have spell check in Great. And then the amount of errors of spelling I see on post sometimes just like blows my mind. My and no one rent spell check on this,
spk_1: 27:03
right? Like, Well, listen, I Hollywood Graham early on. So I put my family Grandma Lee, Grandma Lee will catch it on my computer. It's incredible, pronounced Graham early Graham,
spk_0: 27:15
and you're dancing
spk_1: 27:21
Well, thank you. So So I love everything you shared, and I'm gonna link all of your social media handles and I to your creative agency in the episode notes. If you guys wanna follow madam and any of the other accounts she's created and built, check out the episode notes. Thank you for the things of this episode of Cagney's If you enjoyed it, give us a shadow on Instagram at Magny Podcast. Let us know what you learn from the episode. Make sure subscribe. So you're always up today on tag me episodes. If you have feedback on the podcast death suggestions including topics or you want to be a guest, visit us on instagram at Magny podcasts and closely email button fourth side in rdm This podcast is for you. So please of the film how we can improve We look forward to hearing from you I'm connecting with you on social Don't forget to tag.