👋 Welcome New Members & Swag Giveaway!

Hey everyone!

I’m Katie, and I’m excited to be here and connect with all of you in the Arboretum community! 🌿

A little about me—I’ve spent the last 15+ years building and managing communities, mostly in the tech space. I’ve worked with developers, led ambassador programs, and even ran a community-focused nonprofit. Community has always been at the heart of what I do, so when I heard about this group I had to jump in.

When it comes to social media, I’m especially interested in how it connects with community building. I want to learn social media best practices and become an expert with Sprout Social.  I love figuring out what makes a community tick and how social can support real relationships, not just numbers on a dashboard.

Right now, I’m in a career transition, and I’m looking to sharpen my skills in social strategy, analytics, and specifically using social media to connect with developers.  If you’ve got insights, I’m all ears! 

A little about me... I have 2 kids, about 90+ indoor plants, a corgi named Lord Pipsqueak von Wiggles (he lives up to the name), and I love playing board games, doing arts and crafts, and watching sci-fi/fantasy movies and shows.

Hey everyone!

I’m Kara Rhoads, and I’m excited to be here and connect with all of you! 🌿

A little about me—I’ve spent years crafting impactful social media strategies, building brand communities, and driving engagement for businesses across various industries. Currently, I’m the Senior Social Media Marketing Specialist for Vego Gardens, where I focus on creating educational, inspiring, and product-driven content for a growing audience of gardening enthusiasts. I also have experience leading marketing efforts for auctions, economic development programs, and small businesses, ensuring they connect with the right audience in meaningful ways.

When it comes to social media, I’m passionate about storytelling, audience engagement, and strategic content planning. I love diving into analytics to refine strategies, leveraging user-generated content, and keeping up with the ever-changing social landscape. My current focus is on building strong, community-driven social media campaigns, particularly for women aged 30-45 in key markets like Texas, Florida, California, and New York.

Beyond work, I’m a pet photographer, a fast-food lover, and a passionate advocate for small businesses. I’m also interested in creating spaces for connection, support, and growth.

Excited to connect and learn from all of you! If you’re into social media, community building, or just love a good brainstorming session, let’s chat.

📌 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kara-rhoads-5a6a3437/

Hey all,

I just joined recently here now that we’ve finally gotten our Sprout onboarding completed for Big Onion Hospitality, a hospitality company in Chicago (Fatpour Tap Works, Hopsmith, and Woodie’s Flat). I had previously used Sprout a LOOONG time ago before there was a community tied into it, so we’re excited to get started here.

I’ve been working in marketing for the past 18 years here in Chicago, and recently started at Big Onion after nearly 10 years at the largest independent music festival/promoter in the country known as Riot Fest as their Director of Marketing and as a consultant, but am excited to dip back into restaurant marketing.

Coming from a brand that had in the millions of followers, back to small venues with follower counts in the thousands, I am mostly here to learn how to build up a large audience like I had done at Riot Fest using social media and other online channels.

I am most excited about learning from others and what they’re having success with given the current fractured state of the marketing field. Where are people actually reaching new customers? How are restaurants and small businesses breaking into the bubble of the feed to get people to try new things and get off their couches and out to eat. It’s harder than ever to do that for restaurants, especially with changing consumer habits. (People seem to go out less, and drink less alcohol)

Besides live music, most of my career I’ve been in hospitality, so I always know the good spots to go to if you’re visiting Chicago. Looking forward to learning from everyone!

-Tim

Hi everyone! I’m Chelsia (Chel-see-uh),

I’m excited to join this community! As part of a lean social and content team, I’m always looking for insights and ideas from others navigating similar challenges with Sprout Social.

One of our key priorities right now is designing and launching a successful employee advocacy program, and I’d love to learn from those who’ve done it — especially in startup environments with global teams. We’re also focused on making social’s impact on our marketing efforts more transparent across the organization — without adding unnecessary complexity to our workflow.

Beyond work, I have a deep love for sharks! 🦈 I treat Shark Week like a full-fledged holiday and even send out commemorative cards to friends and family each year.

Looking forward to connecting and swapping insights — especially on employee advocacy, making the most of video in social, and global strategies for diverse audiences. If you have tips, I’m all ears!

Hello 😀

I’m Paul, a Senior Social Media Marketing Specialist at a prestigious university in the UK. With 14 years of experience in event promotion and marketing, I’ve had the opportunity to hone my skills in a variety of dynamic and fast-paced environments. Currently, I’m part of a small, agile team tasked with managing multiple channels and diverse audiences—an exciting challenge and one that I enjoy.

I have a strong passion for integrating storytelling into social media strategies, while also recognising the importance of concise, results-driven marketing messages. One of my favourite aspects of my role is diving deep into data analytics to continuously refine and optimise campaign performance. I’m particularly interested in building thriving, engaged communities across social platforms and exploring the potential of employee advocacy as a powerful tool.

Outside of my professional life, I’m an keen hiker, often venturing out with my partner and our energetic whippet, He-Man 🐕. I also love photography and design! I have a background in furniture design and design journalism that informs my creative perspective.

Cheers,
Paul

Hey there, I’m Laura. I’ve worked in B2B social media for almost 6 years now - with some B2C experience as well working for small businesses. I joined this community to further my addiction to improving efficiency & strategy - something that’s grown tremendously since starting in corporate.

A challenge right now is really nailing down the best type of reporting for a brand with many branches under it. Finding what matters most, not just for showing how our efforts are paying off to shareholders but also captures the value of our team’s work is something I’m hoping to work on. I’m also always interested in finding out updates to social platforms, content strategies and more!

One fun fact is that I was a dancer before my time in front of the computer all day. Something I miss terribly some days! But being able to have some creative freedom in my role keeps my passion moving forward.

Welcome everyone! So nice to hear more about your background and what brought you to The Arboretum!

✨Congratulations to our winners ​@kara.rhoads ​@Katie.Hines ​@tim.toomey! Please use the following form so we can get you your prizes: https://forms.gle/KcLKPGDFmPSrUx656

Woohoo!! How exciting! Thank you, glad to be here! :D

Wooo hooo! 🥳🥳🥳💃 

1️⃣ What inspired you to become part of the Arboretum community?
I’ve been experimenting with LinkedIn content creation over the past six months and quickly grew to around 50,000 impressions per month. The process of learning how to storytell effectively has been eye-opening, and I’m eager to refine my skills with insights from this community.

2️⃣ Do you have specific areas of interest or expertise in social media marketing?
While I come from a sales background, I believe the lines between sales and marketing are blurring. I’m especially interested in personal branding, storytelling, and content strategy—figuring out what makes content resonate.

3️⃣ What challenges or goals are you looking to tackle with the support of our community?
I’m working on a Podcast and video series with a friend, focused on helping men build and maintain friendships in adulthood. I’d love to learn how to leverage social media for audience engagement and how to make content more discoverable.

4️⃣ Share a fun fact about yourself unrelated to marketing.
I’m a dad of three living in Ireland! When I’m not working or creating content, I’m probably chasing after one of my kids.

5️⃣ Are there any social media marketing topics that you're eager to explore and discuss here?
Definitely interested in short-form video, LinkedIn growth strategies, and community engagement techniques. Looking forward to learning from all of you!