The Candid Creative

On the sixth episode of The Candid Creative, our host Antonio Ruiz talks with Kareem of Pinterest fame. He talks about how he learned to use Pinterest to drive traffic. Early on, he realized that Pinterest isn’t really social media but a search engine. A lot of people know about the online world, but they shy away from it because they don’t know how to get the traffic.

The things that really work on Pinterest are pins. You have two types of pins: images and videos. Videos convert more, but images can convert. You also have the ability to post carousels, and they can be hits. A piece of content that really works boils down to the design. The majority of Pinterest users are scrolling on their phone, so you need to think about the real estate of the screen. You want to capture their attention quickly.

Kareem and Antonio also discuss optimization, SEO, and other tactics to use data to drive traffic to your site. Kareem started to spam affiliate links on Pinterest in an attempt to make a lot of money fast. Doing almost 100 in two or three days, his account was removed by Pinterest. After talking to them, he had to start from scratch, ultimately. But he’s thankful for this experience.

There are bits and pieces of good knowledge everywhere, you just have to look for them. Pinterest themselves actually teach you how to use the platform. It was a totally different ballpark when it came to the amount of data that was used. It doesn’t matter how many pins you make—what matters is how consistent you are pinning. You can even use tools to automate this process instead of doing it manually.
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Follow Kareem on IG at https://www.instagram.com/marketingwithkareem
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On the eighth episode of Candid Creative, Antonio speaks with Ethan David, an entrepreneur from Ireland with a background in physics. Ethan begins by sharing his disdain for the word ‘entrepreneur’ and how it’s been overused and it's meaning distorted. A true entrepreneur solves problems in exchange for value. Unfortunately, lots of people who enter business don’t understand this and in turn, have the wrong approach.

For the last 8 years, Ethan has been learning firsthand, starting lots of companies and failing more than he’s succeeded. Currently, he’s documenting the process online as a way to help others grow and change their strategy. One of his strengths, Ethan believes, is his background in physics. It’s given him the ability to consider the deeper implications of a problem and discover how everything flows together in a practical way.

Antonio and Ethan discuss the pitfalls of the current business school model. Too many students lack the ability to solve problems and aren’t given the chance to work things out while they’re still young and optimistically ignorant. This leads them into the trap of thinking that overnight success is possible without perseverance and hard work. Very few people succeed in ‘easy’ unless they get ‘lucky.’ Businesses must be seen as a skill set that is learned over time. It’s the experience that provides the value.

Ethan shares how this mindset got him trapped in the ‘spirit of replication.’ Instead of focusing on what worked for him, he spent too much time and energy trying to grow his Instagram page and build relationships. Eventually, valueism may give way to commercialism. Right now, it’s most important to consider the best outlet for your product and prioritize activities that scale, not necessarily what’s most popular at the time.
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Follow Ethan on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ethan.talk | and for Ethan's YouTube visit: https://m.youtube.com/ethantalk?uid=ih-1haX7so5ouZVcNdU30g
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On this episode of Candid Creative, Antonio breaks down the myths behind personal branding and how to leverage your true self to achieve success. In reality, most of us have a personal brand before we even know it. How we present ourselves and interact with others defines the way that people see us.

It’s important to perform an honest assessment of yourself in order to inform your growth strategy and increase awareness of the space you’re in. According to Cynthia Johnson in her book Platform, “the goal is to find and demonstrate your identity in a way that accurately represents your success.” Ultimately, it’s about telling your own story. What have you done and how do you think? Many companies have seen the benefits of this mindset, which has led to a shift in business as a whole.

Developing a personal brand should be easy because it’s an authentic reflection of who you are. The four main factors that influence your brand are personal proof, social proof, association, and recognition. All of these work together to create an image that you can use to enhance your success both personally, and professionally.

Having education, awards, and an extensive network is great, but only if you project the real you, not who you think people want you to be. Everyone has equal value no matter their gender, orientation, or background. Don’t get stuck in a box. Evoke feeling through genuine interaction and develop an honest connection to the world.
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Sources:

1. Platform: The Art & Science of Personal Branding by Cynthia Johnson
2. James Jani: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT0dmfFCLWuVKPWZ6wcdKyg

On this episode of Candid Creative, Antonio continues his conversation with Rhonda Glynn, a small business strategist, and coach who works primarily with female entrepreneurs. Rhonda begins by sharing her disappointment with Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, for his decision to ban employees from wearing symbols related to Black Lives Matter. She believes that this is incompatible with the company’s image and a sign of an old way of doing business that no longer works anymore.

Instead, brands must be consistent and find their niche in order to adapt to a value-based economy. Consumers want to know and be known. To hear and be heard. That doesn’t mean that a brand should be strictly ‘political,’ however. It’s about awareness, not an agenda. Know your customer so they don’t ‘strike back’ against a lack of authenticity. Share the truth, or trust will be lost forever.

COVID-19 has sped up this transition. With social interaction at an all-time low, people are looking to be heard on a deeper level. Brands must speak to this need through stories and genuine communication. This may lead many companies to go back to the drawing board or disappear completely. For better or worse, simple transactions are no longer tolerated. There must be an exchange on both ends.

Things will never go back to how they were. Our society has reached a tipping point, and having the right mindset will determine your success. Rhonda points to a greater need for preparation to remove uncertainty. Because we live in a binary era where everything is virtual, pivoting your strategy through innovative technology like video will restore the human connection in a positive, but completely different way.
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Follow Antonio on IG: @imantonioruizFollow the Candid Creative on IG: @candidcreativepodcast

Visit Rhonda at https://www.rhondaglynn.com/

Follow Rhonda on IG: @zoma.business.solutions

On the seventh episode of Candid Creative, Antonio speaks with David Ramos, founder of Xurge Digital Media, a digital marketing agency in the Philippines. David begins by discussing the importance of understanding the specific objective of your client. Whether it’s a business or a personal brand, this knowledge is essential to identifying resources and deciding how to move forward. Both parties must remember that marketing is a journey. Testing what type of content your audience is willing to consume will eventually lead to success.

David emphasized that all businesses have different situations. The best agencies show that they value their partners by outsourcing campaigns in industries they don’t focus on, and only accepting work for what it’s worth.

Ultimately, marketing cannot be effective unless it recognizes the psychology and behavior behind its audience. Companies such as Apple and Starbucks understand how to ‘price the experience,’ and have created products that are discount-proof, life-defining status symbols. They are no longer marketing or selling in the traditional sense.

Despite their best intentions, organizations can still misconstrue the relationship between these two roles. David describes them in this way – “Sales is flirting, marketing is dating.” The difference can also be seen as lead generation (marketing) versus lead conversion (sales). At Xurge Digital Media, David is hands-on with both areas because he wants to know how they can work together to meet the needs of their clients.

To close, David relates the role of marketing to a personal brand. It’s not always important to have a business to sell because YOU are your business. Stand out above the noise by sharing how your approach is unique. Make your value proposition count.
Follow Antonio on IG: https://www.instagram.com/imantonioruiz
Updated David Ramos IG: https://www.instagram.com/iamdavidramos

Follow Xurge Digital Media on IG: https://www.instagram.com/xurgedigitalmedia | same applies for Facebook and LinkedIn
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