Connecting on Social: Do We Sound Like Humans or Radio Ads?

Scott: Hello and thanks for joining me today. This is Your Human Content Brief, a report on what's happening in the world of content strategy from a human perspective. In today's briefing, we will look at what's in the inbox, and when I say that we are really going to look into someone's inbox. And specifically we're going to look at, uh, an inbox on LinkedIn where the direct messages are coming in and look at some of the language that is commonly used from new connections that might instantly dehumanize them or you if you're using a similar um, tactic.

And we're also gonna compare that to how similar language can dehumanize a brand or someone online, either in emails or even a social post. It's all in not only the language, but how people are going to read that language. Number two, we're going to spend some time talking about video, especially on LinkedIn today, especially when it comes to just how much time you should spend on how you look and how everything around you should look, and I think you're gonna be surprised at just how much or how little you have to actually achieve in order to make a humanized connection with the audience.

Third, we're going to talk to Instagram expert and author Cory Walker about what businesses can do on Instagram, maybe because they're frustrated with another platform, or maybe you've just been kind of checking it out and watching what it's been doing, especially ever since it became a lot more focused on video.

And we're hearing a lot more about businesses on that platform, and we're gonna get a sense as to what you should do there if your audience is there, and what it's like to step in and try it out for the first time. Finally, Disney is known for believing in the experience of the customer. So what can we learn from the rides at their parks when it comes to the mobile customer experience?

All right, well, let's get to page one of the brief. So I like to call reports like this. What's in the inbox? It's because we're going to look at real content now. We're going to adjust the copy here so we're not actually saying company names and stuff like that, but you're gonna get a sense as to real content, real copy in this case that was sent to somebody else.

And it's very consistent with what people see in a lot of inboxes today. Like I said, in this case, we're gonna focus primarily on dms, direct messages on LinkedIn. We can instantly see what dehumanizes these messages, and it instantly dehumanizes you if you're sending these messages. And when you look at how they're written, you can notice how similar language is going to dehumanize you if you're writing like this in email or even a social post.

So let's take a look at that and I'll, I'll share what I mean. So I was helping a client with their LinkedIn communications and I noticed a disturbing trend with some of his recent connections. It was just the classic situation where someone says, Hey, I wanna connect. He says, okay. And they immediately, I mean, these were people who were instantly sending sales pitches or meeting pitches almost immediately after my client had accepted a connection request.

And I'm sure that doesn't surprise you in the least. Uh, you probably had some of that yourself, but let me share a couple of observations. So these direct messages in particular highlighted two issues that I frequently talk about when it comes to the lack of humanization and copy, specifically, copy and email, social posts, dms, other content.

Now, number one, there's a huge repetition problem here. We have to have self-awareness as content marketers to avoid a problem like this. What I mean is I am seeing these, these posts, these messages come in. They're written in the exact same templated format. It's almost like, again, people have decided, oh, well that's how you write it.

So everybody starts doing the same tactic, and we forget that that means a lot of people on LinkedIn are seeing them and becoming numb to them. We have to keep that in mind as we're going through this. So it really helps if we could have a little self-awareness here and ask ourselves some questions like, does my audience see content?

Like what I'm about to send? Or share? Do they see it all the time? If so, should I do something different so that I'm avoiding this idea that I'm giving them something they've probably already seen 200,000 times before? Because marketers do see things that other marketers do. It might be good, it might be bad, and they copy it.

Sometimes unconsciously, they, they don't even realize it's not their original idea. There's just something that triggers in the brain and they say that's the marketing way to do it. And it's honestly why we see so much overlap in the way content is written, produced, and presented on social media and other platforms.

It really is, um, a, a situation where it's just easier to look at what somebody else does and assume that's the way it works. So we start doing it, then we copy it, and then we're just the latest brand, or in this case, the latest person on LinkedIn to do the exact same thing. Now, if your audience sees the same content from multiple people, especially content, they don't like.

They're going to become desensitized to it, and that can't make a connection. Now, in the case of my client's dms on LinkedIn, I'm, I'm serious. I saw like three or four messages that had this format. Not only did they always involve, you know, a pitch, a meeting request, they click on this or something else, selfish.

They were using the same format. So let me explain what that means. So a lot of times it would start with at least a greeting most of the time. Usually it was something we've all seen, you know, something generic like, Hey, nice to connect with you. And they would all use the exact same transition into the next paragraph.

And that paragraph always started with the word at. Now you may be hearing me say that and go, well what does that mean? Well, let's say his name is Carl. My client's name is Carl, and let's make up a company name to demonstrate this. Um, alright, so we'll say that it starts off this way. Hi Carl. Nice to connect with you.

At ClearWay Group, we specialize in helping every customer, da, da, da, da, dah. So it literally starts with, at our company, we do this for you. Then I moved on to the next one and saw something very similar. Hi, Carl. Nice to meet you. I looked at your profile and your leadership skills are impressive. At Prima Tech, our dedicated team of partners specializes in helping people just like you.

They would transition into the company pitch, starting with the word at the fact that I found multiple examples of that exact same format. It practically proves this is a templated piece of content that a lot of people are using. I mean, it, it, it becomes beyond a coincidence after you see the third, fourth, or fifth example of this in somebody's dms from multiple companies.

That's not the only problem. Studies in neuroscience show that when people have voice familiarity associated with certain things, they may hear those voices in their heads when they read something. Now we all know what a TV commercial or a radio advertisement sounds like, you know the guy doing the voiceover.

Let's take another example of something I found in Carl's dms and put it to that test. Alright, so again, it may sound human at first, you know, with that greeting, you know, we're saying hello, at least nice to meet you, and then it'll turn into a different type of message. So let's see how that might read in somebody's head.

All right, so here we go. It starts off with, hi Carl. Nice to connect with you. Then our eyes reach that next paragraph and it reads like this.

Ad Voice: At Next Bridge, we are developing an AI driven solution to streamline hiring and partnership discovery in health tech, med science, bio innovation, and IT services.

Our mission is to equip professionals, talent teams, and thinking organizations with tools that make smarter connections faster.

Scott: See what I mean? I mean, when we start talking about humanization. Whether the content and the things we're writing sound human. You don't want people reading your content like that when it just automatically seems like it could easily be an ad, because I'm telling you, maybe I'm just speaking for myself here, but I doubt that I am because like I said, neuroscience proves this.

We all know what a generic sales pitch voiceover sounds like, and to me when I read that, that's how it reads in my head because. It just works. It sounds like a radio script or a TV advertisement script or something that would interrupt your YouTube channel experience or a YouTube video just to show you how this can work in other areas.

I'm going to play that voiceover for you again, reading. The first line of an email I once got in my

Ad Voice: inbox. Are you tired of long turnaround times and having to work with several agencies on the same campaign? This doesn't need to be the case with us. You'll get everything from one partner.

Scott: That's how I read it.

If it looks like an advertisement, smells like an advertisement. Sounds like an advertisement. It's probably an advertisement, right? Alright, so this could even work with your social media posts. And it's a good way to gauge whether you sound like a person who's trying to share something informative or if you sound like a brand that's selling something.

And sometimes it may even get in the way of really good content you have to share as part of that content that we never get to because the first thing people see. Is this generic salesy copy that reads like we are talking about. For example, I worked with a company who helped universities promote their online MBA programs.

They had these really just fantastic videos of students telling their stories on social media about their experience and what it was like to get an MBA through this university. Now the problem was their social media copy. Above that, that video, before anybody would, you know, read it or turn on the sound or whatever, it was a problem because the copy literally read like this.

Ad Voice: Are you considering going back to school to enhance your career? Explore our 100% online, MBA programs designed for your success.

Scott: If I read that, I may not look at the video because A, I see that kind of generic copy all the time. And B, that copy makes me think the video is going to feature similar content.

It's gonna be this generic promotional thing. I've already wasted my time reading something that generic. I'm not gonna watch the video too. There's nothing that leads me to think I'm gonna get something of value. And it was a shame too, because these were good humanized stories where students were talking like students about their experience.

It could directly connect to the people they want to connect to, but that copy was getting in the way. So what I had to do was work with them to better humanize that copy. It. It not only needed to sound less generic, kind of a generic online MBA pitch that we see everywhere, but we also had to make sure we weren't using words that students don't even use.

In fact, when you looked at the video content that was in this. It was a lot more about time. It was a lot more about did it do anything for me after I graduated? It was about money and where I should invest, you know, my money and if that's worth it, can I keep my job and put all my time into that and still do this at the same time?

How does that work? I mean, in these things that were in that line that the voiceover just read for you, they're not addressed there. So we needed to tap into the video content itself. Craft humanized copy that matched the way students were talking, especially when it came to how they discussed the value of the program in a way that would speak to other people that wanted to know the same things those people did before they got their degree.

And as for LinkedIn dms, you really need to start having a conversation because in one of Carl's dms, some someone didn't even bother. With an opening greeting. I'm not kidding you. They led with the at sentence. They led with it and when that didn't work, get this. So she's, she sends the first one and it's like, hi Carl, at so-and-so, we make sure that, you know, all that type of stuff.

So that didn't work. Okay. Well he didn't respond. So now I'm gonna try again. This time she led with great to connect with you. Please book a meeting with our team for the demo and the free trial using the link below. She did a copy and paste of the atens right after that. So the only thing new was literally telling him, please make an appointment.

Please get the demo. You know, that sort of thing. And I mean, it's like the definition of insanity at this point. So we have to do more to think about how our audience deals with these types of things in our emails. In our direct messages and just try to take a different step. It might not be leading with a pitch, or it might just be a matter of humanizing the copy in a way that doesn't feel like a trap or a disingenuous attempt to eventually get a sale.

So what should we do instead? You know, for if we know this isn't the way to go, and I bet many of you knew this isn't the way to go, and you've probably gotten some of these, but you still might be asking, because my audience is bombarded with this stuff. What can I do? Well, there was a really good piece by Keilan Hart who wrote this for letter drop.

She provided some suggestions and you might be kind of surprised at what she says here because she's saying upfront, go ahead and send that blank connection request on day one, meaning you don't add a message just to fill out that form. Just make the connection request and call it good, and then start liking commenting on their posts.

But no AI generated comments. Authenticity is key and prospects can easily spot generic or insincere comments, which will hurt your credibility. Um, because the other thing that we have to keep in mind is you don't know where they are in their buying stage or looking for a solutions solution stage. You have no idea and you're not gonna know unless you can really take the time to get to know them.

Alright, page two. So let's talk video. Now I don't need to talk about the power of it and how it humanizes you. You probably already know that. But my question is, are you doing it? And if you're not, what's keeping you from doing it? And really what I, I think is an important question is have you ever considered if, if you're still kind of hesitant, have you considered that you might be overthinking what you have to do to make it work?

I can tell you that I hear all the time about all these stresses and worries about perfect this, perfect that how they look, how they sound. No ums and uhs, which I think is totally unnecessary. Uh, that's a whole nother show, but we're gonna talk a little bit about this. I do hear it a lot because. I like working with people about getting comfortable in front of the camera.

I've done that for a long time before video became a thing online. I mean, I would have work with people on doing live television for the first time, so it's, it's not as challenging sometimes to talk about prerecorded video for the internet, but all those things, you would think it was a TV production with the amount of things that people are worried about.

Earlier this year, Alex Ren, who is the senior content lead at LinkedIn. Talked with Perna Virgie, who is the, uh, principal consultant at LinkedIn, and a bestselling author of High Impact Content Marketing about creating high impact video. And it was primarily for B2B, but I think in this particular clip, this could apply to any type of video related to business and, and something you can think about.

Because one of the things she said was to not obsess about being. Too perfect in what to do instead.

Purna Virji: You know, people might sometimes think that, oh, if I have to create video, it has to be the most ultimate like, studio produced, Hollywood perfect video. But that's not the case. Sometimes if it's very overly produced, you can take away from that authentic connection feel right to really connect, especially if you are doing it for, um, personal branding or thought leadership way.

You want your audience to connect with you, to feel your, your essence and get to know you. Don't worry about doing anything super. Hi-Fi. You just talk to your audience as if you're talking to your friend and you'll do well. And while both lo-fi or like low produced and high produced videos can both do well on the platform, two things to keep in mind.

One, use the vertical format. Don't do the horizontal videos. The vertical formats do really well. And second is just make sure that your video is very clear. So even if it's lo-fi. You wanna make sure that the sound is very clear to hear, and then the video not pixelated in any way, and it's very clear.

Scott: What this makes me think of is Amy Porterfield. Now, if you know Amy, she is, she's been a leading, if not the leading expert on Facebook marketing for a long time, and I remember when Amy decided to launch her first podcast. Unlike, you know, some of the positions that we've been in, we're maybe launching a podcast, is to help us build an audience.

Amy already had one. She already had this very, uh, strong reputation in the industry, so it would be very easy for her to create a podcast and make sure everything's perfect because there's so much on the line. Right? And I remember after her first few episodes, she came out and said. Well, you know, I've heard feedback from my audience and you all are telling me to quit sounding so polished because she was doing the very thing that I just said.

I'm not a fan of, where it was like, oh, we gotta make sure I sound perfect. Take out all the ums and uhs and all these things and just make it sound perfect. Like I know what I'm talking about, which she, she can obviously do without having to sound this polished and that's the point. They told her to just talk like a human being.

Human beings say, um, human beings stop and start. They do all these things when they're talking. We don't wanna hear somebody who sounds perfect, that doesn't talk human. So keep some of those ums in. It doesn't mean you have to leave them all in if you don't want to, but don't obsess over it. Here's another thing I will tell you.

Maybe you don't have the best microphone. For example, you know, she was talking about, um, video. Well, what if you have a program like the script, if you're familiar with the script, the script has this thing where after you upload your video, you can hit this, just this switch called studio sound, and it can make, you know, kind of that echo sound that might happen if you're using a, um, a mic that might be built in the computer or something else, and it suddenly will sound a hundred times better.

And all you had to do was flip a switch. So we have tools now and, and not to mention Stream Yards and Riverside and these tools that take, you know, a video that may not look great and make it look even better. I think it's still important that you're not using Zoom, that you're using one of their tools designed for this type of thing.

Um, but it can make it look, uh, better than it was recorded. The, the way we were seeing it. We have all these tools that are making that stuff look better for us. But I, I also think this idea of approaching your audience and, and I think the important thing here when she says things like, talk to a, a good friend, you know, like you're, you're giving, uh, a best friend some advice.

One of the things that should tell you is to talk to one person there. How many videos do we hear now where somebody is saying, Hey guys, at the beginning. A lot. And why? This goes back to what we were talking about earlier, why the reason why is we've heard other people open their videos with, Hey guys.

So it locks into our brain as that's how you open a video. And we say, Hey guys. I mean, talking to that one person already changes your frame of mind. It already does because you're thinking more of talking to someone versus everybody like a broadcast. And I found this conversation on YouTube that I wanna share with you, or at least a, a segment of it.

It was a few months ago from a creator called Alexander the Create. See what he did there? And another creator named Deya, who had just gained 100,000 subscribers in the last 12 months and is making six figures from content creation. She said that everything changed for her channel from an engagement and subscriber and success.

Standpoint after she quit trying to perfectly stage everything from, you know, scripting all her words and making everything look perfect and like a, you know, presentation in a studio, you know, and, and things like that. And she said that she would instead talk to the camera in a casual fashion, in a casual setting, as if the person in front of her was her best friend.

But what I really like about this clip, I'm gonna play for you. She gets very specific about that because we hear generalities when it comes to content advice all the time. They're like, talk to somebody like, you know, they're a friend, but she gets very, very specific about this because she literally is thinking about her best friend.

I'm super curious.

Alexander: What is your mindset when you are talked to camera? Like what's going through your head?

Deya: I always write or speak as if I'm talking to my best friend and it's always like. My best friend is like smart, kind, funny, creative, ambitious, all these things, right? Because I feel like sometimes people say, yeah, talk to a real person, but it's different when it's your best friend and it's like, okay.

She's smart. She, she doesn't wanna be talked to. Like, sometimes I feel like YouTubers kind of talk in a way that's like making the audience feel kind of like, maybe they're stupid or something. And I'm just like, that's not the vibe. When I get stuck or when I feel like I'm starting to lose who I'm talking to, I'm like, okay, let me just pretend like she just asked me this question and I'm just responding to her.

Alexander: There was one video where I think you were like, scratching your face or something like the, like getting hair out of your face, like mm-hmm. Even in the intro of the video. Literally I felt like I was in the living room and you were just like, yeah, so like I wanna tell you about this concept thought of like growth really fresh.

It was very endearing and to me made you stand out in a way. It's funny because like now you might go away and think about this I got and like brush my hair out my face. Absolutely. I'm like, I'm gonna engineer

Deya: this. Yeah.

Alexander: I think that's really important. I think that interesting. When it comes to create content creation, people think they need to be so professional, so they're like, put every hair in place and then they'll.

Then it's almost like a, a robotic tendency comes up. Mm-hmm. Because they'll be like, right. Everything's perfect now. Okay. Mm-hmm. In this video, we're gonna talk about this and this, and this, and this. It's the opposite of the vibe of like, you know, I'm just, I'm just sort of nestling into the sofa and I can't wait to like, you know.

Right. Have a chat with you about something.

Scott: So there you go. I mean, I think this should be helpful to you, that you, that we really do live in a day and age where you don't have to be perfect. In fact, Marcus Sheridan. Not long ago made this point that AI is trying so hard to make everything perfect and look perfect and do it so fast, and that there's this known element in the audience that is getting frustrated with just how companies are saying, oh, just let AI do it or put AI to work and make this content and put it in front of somebody and they'll do whatever we want 'em to do.

That people are looking for examples of whether or not a company is using AI because there's this feeling with some consumers that content is being made in a lazy way or to fool them or just to get something out of 'em and not really connect with them. That Marcus was saying that something that may end up differentiating us to make a connection is the imperfection because AI is getting, you know, is pretty good at making things look pretty perfect and uh, and they're supposedly gonna get better.

So some of those imperfections that we can highlight when we're just trying to have a conversation with somebody, um, through digital marketing, through content online. Those might be the humanized things that differentiate us. All right, page three. All right, well, let's talk a little bit about Instagram and I, I think this is a, a good conversation to have for a variety of reasons, because I do think we might be entering a time where.

Businesses might be wondering what other platforms they should try because there's been so many changes. Even if they were doing well in some platforms, they thought, okay, what's going on here? And they might be looking into some different platforms, and it might be brand new to them. It might be brand new to you and Instagram.

I've seen on many occasions people talk about how well it works for their business and of course you've got these video and storytelling elements in it. I think this comes at a good time. I will tell you this. I'm starting to see people have conversations around LinkedIn and people are wondering, you know, if it's doing them any good to be on LinkedIn because they are doing all of the things that they hear they should be doing, whether it's commenting, having conversations, and sharing relevant content, this, that and the other.

They feel like it's not paying off. And I'm seeing many people, even full-blown experts on LinkedIn, say, maybe I shouldn't spend as much time here now. And I thought, okay, well what would be a platform that might still be good for businesses that a lot of people, if they were there, or just maybe, maybe it's not so much that you're leaving it because you know it's a B2B platform.

And if you're a B2B company, you still want to be there. You don't wanna just abandon it all together, but maybe you wanna try something else and see if your engagement improves. Instagram could potentially be an option for you. So today we're going to have a conversation with Cory Walker, who is a social media strategist for service-based businesses.

She's also the co-author of Instagram for Dummies and Instagram for Business for Dummies. Yeah, so, uh, very clear distinction there. Uh, two very informative, valuable books. And I always like books that are in that type of format, which means, you know, they're going to explain it in a way that doesn't get too in the weeds or too inside baseball, especially for somebody who's gonna be entering the platform, um, for the first time.

And I gotta tell you, I, I have some familiarity with Instagram, um, but I'm really interested to learn how businesses. Are going to approach it today because so much has changed. So I'm really gonna be asking questions, uh, from the standpoint of a business that might be looking into this for the first time.

Let's connect with Corey out in Sacramento, California, and let's talk Instagram.

Hi Corey, thanks for joining us today.

Corey Walker: Hi. Thanks for having me.

Scott: My pleasure. So we've had a chance to talk a little bit, uh, about LinkedIn today, and I know that isn't our core focus as far as what we're talking about, but I thought it was important to talk about Instagram today because. Instagram has a powerful visual and video platform.

Um, and I think there might still be some misconceptions as to what kind of platform it is and whether it can be truly beneficial to business. So, um, if someone's maybe thinking about either going into another platform or maybe they're gonna. Look into social media for the first time for their business.

Mm-hmm. And maybe they have visual options. Can Instagram be a really good option for business today? Or does it really kind of depend on, you know, really kind of what kind of business you have?

Corey Walker: Absolutely, you can definitely use Instagram as a business platform. I mean, I've written three books on Instagram for business specifically, so, um, yes, for sure it can be used for business.

Now. It, it does work a little bit better for some businesses than others or. If you are, um, a business that's more B2B, you know, like airplane parts to something, you know, you have to be pretty creative for it to, to get to where you want it to be. Um, but absolutely, and what I like about Instagram is it's got such a wide breadth of audience.

So you can usually find your people on Instagram. Um, I talk about how. My dad is 84 and he's on Instagram, and then my daughters are, you know, late teenagers, one one's 21 and they're on Instagram. And then kind of all my friends in between. So, um, so the age reign. Yeah. It's one of those platforms that really has a lot of, um, different audience ranges.

So you just have to get specific about your content and targeting to whoever you want it to go to.

Scott: Yeah. And I've, I've heard you say that that's one of the things you really liked about the flat platform is, um, there's such a wide range of people there that you, you feel like that if you know who your audience is mm-hmm.

You should be able to gauge pretty quickly how many of 'em are there? Whether they're looking for your type of content on that platform, because it might be a little easier to find them there just because of all the different ways that you can do it on the platform. But I guess the challenge is.

Figuring out a way to turn whatever it is your business is about and turn it into visuals. If you are, like you say, like if your business is not a physical product, that you can take all kinds of videos and behind the scenes shot of, but maybe it's more about, um, you know, when you think about the, the content that people talk about today that still can help you stand out, like taking a stand, sharing your unique insight.

Um, is that something that also can work really well? Maybe you put faces. To your business and talk to people. I mean, can you do something like that on Instagram as well? And you might be able to on LinkedIn or on uh, YouTube?

Corey Walker: Yeah, absolutely. So, um, you know, the, the brands that I specialize in are service-based professionals, and so they often don't have.

An e-commerce type, uh, product. So what I tell these, um, professionals is get really good about selling your information. So say you're a lawyer and you might say, you know, here's 10 tips for X, Y, and Z. And then do some short videos that talk about, you know, different tips that relate to the law, relate to, um, specifically your, you know, niche.

Say you're a big truck accident, um, attorney. So talk about tips for those types of individuals. But yeah, I, I would say if you don't have a product, Instagram is still a great place for you. I don't have a physical product. I just work with, you know, other small businesses to market their business. And what I talk about mostly is, you know, tips for using Instagram, tips for your small business email marketing.

All of the things that I do, I talk to my audience about how they can use them better. So, um, yeah, really leaning into, if you are comfortable on video, it's big on Instagram, is really using the reels, um, component of it and going to, you know, humanizing your brand a lot of times. I'll tell people to use the stories function to talk a lot more about maybe some of their personal lives, if they're comfortable sharing that, or those behind the scenes type of things that really, um, humanize their brand and let the people know you're not just this, you know, business robot.

You actually take your kids to soccer on Sunday, or um, you know, you volunteer at the pet shelter. You know, things like that.

Scott: Do you think that's one of the things that really differentiates, you know, the type of content you can put on Instagram? I've heard debates like on LinkedIn because it's such a professional platform that, you know, while you want to tell stories, some of those stories almost need to be more business oriented.

Mm-hmm. Whereas what you're talking about here is, hey, you know, I'm not just constantly trying to make money 24 7 and beat the competition and all this stuff. I also do this. Is, would you say that Instagram is maybe a better platform and maybe it's a little easier to develop those stories because you know you have a little more flexibility is what those stories can be?

'cause I feel like that is one of the frustrating things for businesses trying to develop content. They may fully buy into yes stories, and then they go, but what kind of story can I tell? Mm-hmm. And if you're, mm-hmm. If you're limited by the platform, that can make it even more challenging. But I feel like there might be more flexibility for the type of stories you tell on Instagram.

Corey Walker: Yeah, I mean, I, I do think on Instagram people are expecting a little bit more of your, your personal story. And again, those, that story area is the perfect spot because it's only gonna be there for 24 hours. It's just a quick glimpse into your life. Um, however. We were talking a little bit about the frustration people are feeling on LinkedIn, like maybe their coasts aren't getting seen.

I have been seeing people doing a lot more personal stuff on LinkedIn. Like for instance, my, um, I just help my daughter buy her first car, and so I put that on there and I don't do that every day. But, um, sprinkling some of that in, I think is pretty good. Um, even on LinkedIn, because it does show your human side, and I find those are the posts that get the most engagement.

Um, you know, if I'm sharing a tip about Instagram, it'll get some likes and it'll get some interaction, but those personal ones are the ones that, you know, get all the likes and Oh, congratulations and all of that. So. I think it getting to the point where it's okay to share a little bit more of that, um, I just wouldn't make it your place where you're sharing every picture of your dog and Right.

You know, and I do notice that people a lot of times will, they'll tell a story on LinkedIn, but then they'll kind. Marry it back to tie it back to their business somehow. Okay. So I see a lot of that too. But yeah, the storytelling on LinkedIn is, is becoming a bigger, a bigger thing that I'm seeing a lot more of.

Scott: Yeah. Context is important, I guess, is the thing to remember. I mean, there's a, there's a big difference between telling a story about, like you were saying about your daughter in her first car versus what you had for lunch that day. I think that was gone a long time ago. 

Corey Walker: Yeah, no one wants to really see that I, your latest gym workout that you went to workout today, it's like, okay, we know you work out every day, but we don't need it documented on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Scott: That's right. Well, and I, I think that leads into something else. I mean, one of the things that we still consistently see over time, what, no matter what the platform is, is, you know, we, we see people still trying a lot of the same types of content and stuff. Perhaps they saw people do. Six or seven years ago, and they're still doing it today.

I know you've, you've really stressed against some of that, especially when it comes to stock photos or mm-hmm. You know, generic things that a hundred people day used to do, um, on Instagram over and over and over again. And then of course, as marketers, we go, oh, well that's how you make a post on Instagram, and then you're just the latest person to do it.

And then we get further down the road. People are still doing that when so much has changed. So, oh yeah. What, what do you think, uh, is, is really kind of a good do's and don'ts approach for Instagram, at least as to where the platform stands today?

Corey Walker: Yeah, so I mean, you, you touched on some of it just, you know, use, doing a single post, uh, and using some stock photos.

I mean, think about what you like when you're on any social media platform. If you saw a stock photo, someone pointing at a computer. Then talking about their CPA services, would that excite you? Would that make you go, oh yeah, I got, I got, I love this. So that's what I say first is kind of like, well, well, what would get you to click something?

And stock photos is not gonna be it for people that are not comfortable being on video. I mean, video first is, is usually what I cite, but I understand. I don't love being on video, but I go in phases and I'll push myself to do it. If you're one of those person, those people that are just like, no, absolutely not.

I do as a secondary thing, like carousels, carousels are kind of number two in the algorithm. They still get a lot of love from Instagram, and the way I like to see them used is, um, you can either do, you know, five of my best tips for A, B, and C and each um, slide is a different tip. Um, telling a story. So it's like the first slide might be one sentence, dot, dot, dot, and then another sentence, um, is a really good way to do it.

Um, people still love the photo dump, so if you, um, were at a conference or something and you're like, this is my amazing photo dump from such and such expo, it has to be compelling that someone would wanna, you know, look at those photos, right? But maybe you say. Oh my gosh. You have to see the fourth photo.

It's hilarious. So I still like that. And then another thing that I talk to people about is using Instagram as a funnel. Basically, you know, funnels like this at the top of your funnel is going to be your reels, your videos. Um, and the reason is that, um, Instagram still pushes reels out to people that aren't just your followers.

Um, and it's also a great way if you just do like a 15 second little blurb just to get people hooked and interested, then hopefully they'll move down the funnel and go to your page. And that's where you can have, you know, other reels that maybe you have some carousels that go deeper into what you do.

And then if they like that enough, and then start looking at your stories, that's when you do a little bit more personal stuff, talking about. Behind the scenes who you are as a person, and then you can move on to if you have something you're selling, either if it's a service or a physical product, you can do some Instagram lives where you can talk about that and have, um, interaction directly live with the people that are in your audience, um, to help kind of seal the deal and have them buy your product or service.

Um, now there are other tool. Available. Now there's broadcast channels that you can do a whole setup, and that I would say is more for someone that is more advanced and they're just cranking out the content. I haven't done a broadcast channel just because I don't have enough content to pump out to a broadcast channel and, and make it special for this audience and all of that, but, but some people do.

Um, so that's kind of the way that I like people to use it as a funnel.

Scott: No, that makes sense. What else I think about in relation to that, that somebody might be wondering is, I mean, I guess a couple of things really come into play here. Um, one, do you think it's easier today for, you know, a new business that's gonna try this out?

Uh, to, to get into the platform and, and learn it and learn how to post on it. And do you think that, you know, the other piece of advice here with all platforms these days, I feel like is, you know, do you think that there's a good, uh, frequency. For how many times somebody should be posting on that platform today?

Corey Walker: Um, do I think it's easier? Absolutely not.

Scott: Yeah.

Corey Walker: Um, you know, when I started on Instagram many years ago, I don't even remember exactly when it was, but it was easy. And you could put out one photo, you could even put a stock photo out there and put some text over it, and you'd get, you know, 50, a hundred likes on this really simple post.

There wasn't reels. TikTok wasn't really a thing, so people weren't doing video. It was a lot easier then, and because it wasn't such a crowded place, your things would get seen more so. Um, so it's definitely gotten harder, um, and the amount of content you have to put out there has gotten, you know, you need to put more out there.

Um, I think Adam Zeri said, I've watched this video maybe a month or two ago, talking about like five posts a day, and there's no way, I mean, there's, there's no way anyone's doing unless that's all you do, but that's not achievable. And, and frankly, your audience, if they're on Instagram a lot, they don't, nobody wants to see anyone.

Five twins a day. That's true. Um, so I usually, you know, for a new person coming on, I try to have them do a couple reels a week and then, um, do a couple carousels and, um, you know, if you can do some daily stories, that's good. Now to achieve this, I also tell people it's a good idea to do some batch.

Content. So you know, have a day, maybe the first Monday of every month, you're gonna film 10 reels and then schedule them out. Because I know personally when I don't take the time to like plan all of it out, then at the end of the day I'm like, oh, I should have done a reel. Um, you know, and then they just don't get done.

So if you can batch that out, I know for a lot of my clients, in terms of the other content, like carousels and things like that, I will help them and I'll create all that content for them at the beginning of the month. And then they go through and approve it and then I schedule it all out and then it's kind of like, we're done.

You know, you still need to go out obviously and monitor for comments and, and things like that. But in terms of. Placing all that content. Um, if you can get good about batching and scheduling, it's a lifesaver

Scott: to your point, you know, somebody may hear all this and, and it might make a lot of sense and they still want a little more guidance on how to, how to start and how to get moving.

And that's, um, where I think your books are, are especially valuable. So first off, I wanna thank you for connecting with us today to. Give us, uh, you know, some insights upfront about how this is, uh, looking these days, especially if people are wanting to look at it as a potential option. Uh, but what are some good ways that, um, people can find your books, connect with you, and maybe ask you some questions about this, uh, even further and learn more about what they can do on Instagram?

Corey Walker: The easiest way to get the books are, um, by going to Amazon. So we have, um, Instagram for Dummies is basically for anybody that just wants to learn how to use Instagram. But if you are a business that's really looking to use it for your business, uh, to market it. Then I would suggest buying Instagram for Business for Dummies.

And like I said, both of those are available on Amazon. And then if you wanna get in touch with me, um, the easiest way is to go to my website, which is the marketing specialist.com. And then if you want to follow me on Instagram, it's uh, at Cory C Walker. So that's C-O-R-E-Y-C-W-A-L-K-E-R. And I think it's.

It might be, uh, oh. I guess it's not showing on, on there, but anyway, maybe you'll put it in the show notes. Um, yeah, I will. But yeah, I, I publish things on Instagram. Um, not as much daily right now, but I take it a little hiatus for the summer. But yeah, I, I'm out there very regularly posting content and updates about Instagram.

Scott: Well, we'll keep an eye on it. Thank you so much, Corey, for joining us today to tell us a little bit about, uh, Instagram. I think it's very timely and I think those, uh, your, your resources on the book front can definitely be helpful to a lot of people, especially on the business side. So thank you for your time today.

Corey Walker: Yeah, thanks for having me.

Scott: My pleasure. All right, page four. I've got a fun little article here about Disney and mobile customer journeys from Brandon Beatty, who is the co-founder of Pro Moly, and the title is Forget Funnels, design Rides, what Disney Can Teach Us about Designing customer journeys from Mobile.

And I was quickly drawn to this because, well you just say Disney rides or something like that, and I'm gonna be interested. I'm one of those people. Yes, it likes to go to Disney World when I can. I have, I have favorite rides as well. So I'm like, okay, so how can we align this with the customer journey on mobile?

And I like this idea because, you know, in a lot of ways, I think some of the times where I have taken a concept, maybe it's a pop culture reference or a couple of other things I've learned from other places and tied 'em all together. That really is some of my most effective work when I'm helping people or trying to contextualize, humanizing, or, you know, certain things about, uh, humanizing content.

And that's essentially what Brandon's done here by giving us a visual about not just, you know, a ride, but you have Disney here who, you know, talks a lot about the customer experience. So let's see what he says here. So again, he's already pointed out that he's not a fan of the funnel, but he points out that marketers are.

Which I love because one of the things we talk a lot about here are some of the things that we have just locked into our minds, and we just automatically jump to no matter what we're doing because we've done it for so long, and there might be reasons to let some of that go, or to at least be less reliant on them.

Because Brandon's point in this article is that customers don't live in funnels. They live in moments of curiosity, hesitation, excitement, and distraction. He says they don't think I'm now in the consideration stage. They think that looks interesting. Maybe later. Wow, what was that? So true. And this isn't just mobile customers, this is everybody.

And we have to think about the daily experiences of our audience because that really should help how we develop content. And if we're just too busy focusing on our internal processes, like funnels that may not work in certain cases. We've already sabotaged our ability to perhaps make a connection. So how does this tie to a Disney ride?

Brandon says, think about your favorite Disney ride or maybe just your favorite ride anywhere. If you've gone to an amusement park, perhaps he says, it starts before you board The music shifts, the air smells different. You're being transported before anything even moves. I think this is true. If you've ever been to Disney World and you've ridden Thunder Mountain.

Right When you step up to the train, I think everything that Brandon just described is exactly how it feels. He said, then you ride, there's pacing, surprise, emotion, sometimes choice, and then when it ends, you're eased back into the real world, but the feeling lingers. This is not a transaction, this is a story.

It's not trying to sell you anything. It's trying to make you feel something and it works. He said on mobile we can do the same thing. We call them mobile moments or momos, but what they really are is self-contained customer journeys. Each one has a beginning, middle, and an end. A hook to draw you in, an interaction to deepen the moment, and a payoff, emotional, visual or practical.

In 20, 30 or 60 seconds, the customer doesn't just learn something, they experience the brand. They play a role, they remember it. So now when we tie it all together, he says, A Disney ride mirrors the full emotional arc of a customer journey. The queue builds anticipation. The ride creates immersion. The exit leaves a memory often with a call to return, which I think is really good because one of the most commonly discussed things I hear today when it comes to that emotional connection and that feeling.

We have a lot of experts that are noticing the importance of, it's not just the excitement of the buy or the purchase decision, but how they feel afterwards and how long that lasts. And obviously if you feel great about Disney and you go on these rides and then you leave, you know, a lot of us are thinking, when can we go back and do this again because it's that good.

So Brandon says, A great Momo follows the same structure. Top of the funnel content that sets the tone, interactive moments that pull you in and a final impression that adds value or simply makes you smile. It doesn't rely on what comes next. It delivers everything in that moment, and that's what makes it powerful.

Well, that's today's human content brief. You will find links to all the resources and insights found in this briefing on the website, which is your content brief.com. This will include links to our guest today, Cory Walker, and I'd like to thank her again for her report today. If I can help you or your business, whether you're looking for a way to create humanized content or evolve existing content to be more human, I'm here to help you stand out and make a more meaningful connection with your audience.

You can find me on LinkedIn or my website, which is Scott Murray, M-U-R-R-A-Y online.com, or there's always that email transmission. I'm atScott@scottmurrayonline.com. Thanks for joining me today.

That concludes today's briefing. Keep your communications clear, your content human, and your mission steady.