Connect & Discuss

Hello! I’m Melissa, Sr. Digital Media Lead at IGT (International Game Technology) based in our Providence, RI location. I’ve been in Social in Digital Marketing for over a decade now 😮 and love connecting with other social media managers across the globe. While we are mainly focused on connecting with our B2B customers at IGT, we also have some consumer facing content with our IGT Jackpots content. Let’s connect on Twitter!*a New England iced coffee is a coffee preference that is year-round regardless of season

Name: Courtney Beaman(she/her)Title: Senior Customer Success Manager, SCALECompany: Sprout SocialHobbies: Travel, dancing, exploring Chicago, going to concerts, spending time with family and friendsSome thing I’m good at: Tiktok Dances and finding new pizza spotsA question I’d like answered: What is your favorite feature in Sprout?Headshot: 

It seems like all the extra things Sprout does are always geared at an American audience. All the webinars you do are during times that are after the workday finishes in Europe. This means that none of your European customers can join live and benefit from asking questions, connecting with people in the comments and etc. In addition, this year’s Giveaway Extravaganza emails were sent at 4:30pm in the UK, which would be 5:30 or even 6:30pm in Europe. By the time we’ve seen the email the next day, the competition of the day is already closed. So again, we can’t participate. I also assume you’re not shipping prizes internationally, so we wouldn’t be able to claim anything even if we do win. In which case you could at least exclude us from emails that aren’t relevant. It genuinely feels like we’re missing out on so much and are overlooked as a customer group.  

Name: Stephanie Lee (She/Her)Title: Marketing ManagerCompany: ING SourceHobbies: Running, organizing Some thing(s) I want to learn: Leadership skills, how to measure success in social, how to get the most out of this toolSome thing(s) I’m good at: StrategyA questions I’d like answered: What are the top 5 things that every user should do, what are your biggest social/sprout learning experiences? Headshot:  

Hello everyone! Let’s welcome our new members:@concept.designgroup @cboland27 @Samantha v Nispen @steve.lowe @jimmy.smits @carter.strid @jow @alison.colvin @karen.nower @charlotte.cooper @ashley.leconti @Heike Fuerst @gabcerami @madelynski @alex.britt @cat.edison @mandy.ang @arcada.communications @aura.leonte @SUNY Morrisville CommMark @erin.gregg @macy.bokhari @natalie.f @miche.nel07 @chaseedaw.giles @ddickson @usafb.marketing @camille.cheetham @nora.bryant @shyla.schofield @Nil P @stacey.atkinson @lori.north @nina.harrison @menna.collins @Yagmur @eholbrook @tiffs.treats @sam.culbert @sheena.mcc @mary.mcguire @austin.lieberman @khaela @carl.abissi @amari.pollard @kdavison @holly.french @JordanMiles @lindsay.bigda @paige.bloom @Jesse Raen @alyssa.frederick @bailey.huerta For everyone tagged as a new member, please share what is your favorite marketing campaign right now?Don’t forget to introduce yourself in the Coffee Talk thread.Upcoming Events:Bari’s TikTok Bootcamp: From Getting Sta

I’ve seen social media posts/campaigns for an event, a promotion, etc. that show amazing creativity, great engagement, communications and follow-through, etc. But maybe, because of my editing background, I occasionally see when a little copyediting can go a long way toward improving polish in spelling or punctuation or consistency. Reaching out to a copyeditor or using AI and automation grammar checkers to catch any issues in post drafts is an extra step that can make a huge difference.To err is human, to edit divine!

Hi Everyone! My name is Courtney O’Banion and I’m the associate director of digital channel strategy for Miami University’s alumni association located in Oxford, Ohio. Our university is about an hour from Cincinnati. Our team is made up of digital strategists, content creators and designers. I look forward to being part of this community and staying up to date on the latest Sprout updates and digital marketing/social media trends.  Cheers! ☕

Hey y’all! Excited to be a part of this community and looking forward to chatting, connecting and sharing big ideas with you all. Here’s a little bit about me:Name: Mandy Patterson (she/her)Title: Education Content ManagerCompany: Sprout SocialHobbies: Hanging out and training my giant puppy, Goose, weight lifting, cooking, readingSome thing(s) I want to learn: What do you love the most and what do you not love the most about product education?Some thing(s) I’m good at: Writing, strategizing, connecting folks together, knowing all the words to almost all the songsA question(s) I’d like answered: What’s the one thing you’d like Sprout to do to help you gain more credibility in your field?Latest photo of me:  

What are the key distinctions between basic comment engagement and comprehensive community building, and how can I determine when to outsource these activities? And if someone is doing community growth are they coming up with strategy or are they executing strategy?

AI is such a tricky topic right now for me in the world of social. On one hand, I like the idea of AI being able to take the thoughts in my head and shape them into a more understandable message, and even get some A/B testing ideas for captions within ads. Some days when the creative juices are running low, AI has stepped up to the plate and helped me not to fall behind in the copywriting part of social management. One thing that I am having a hard time with is what is being categorized as AI. I was chatting with a photographer friend about AI who was talking about some of her professional photos getting flagged as AI in social platforms because of some of the tools that she uses in the editing process. I know @Sarah Davidson mentioned AI photography not looking realistic in a note on this topic and I so agree, but I need better clarification from Instagram and other platforms in their marking of AI, so we aren’t getting confused with real-life photographers using tools to improve thei

Name: Victoria SilcoxTitle: Social Media Coordinator, with a focus on the youth teamCompany: Open Doors Youth UK. I create content for our main channels, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok (new channel to-be, any tips would be appreciated!)Location: Wheatley, OxfordshireHobbies: Cooking, musical theatre, netball & looking after all of my houseplants Some thing(s) I want to learn: Tiktok is a big one. Alongside how to better engage youth about a serious topic in a fun and engaging way. Also, how to make our target audience the same as our actual audience!Some thing(s) I’m good at: Relationship building skills, creative ideas, strategically thinking, reviving dead plants!Headshot:  

If you’re like me and you got on this train a decade ago - props. It’s been quite a journey. I’m Jackie. Nice to meet you all!Current Role: Senior Social Media Manager @ Similarweb I’ve been agency side, I’ve been brand side, and I’ve run the gamut when it comes to professional social. It’s been a real privilege to work across a variety of industries: B2C, B2B, tech, gaming, health, beauty, travel and so many others. I’ve got some background in influencer marketing, as well. Currently, I’m leading social at Similarweb. Pre-pandemic, I was doing the same thing for the cruise vertical at TripAdvisor. I spent some time at Facebook, so I’m happy to talk paid social, too. I’ve been digging into the data for the last hour doing some end-of-Q1 reads on our performance against benchmarks. As soon as I start rubbing my eyes, I know it’s time for a break. So, thanks for an opportunity to work some qualitative into my morning.I’m excited to network with the pros in this community. Drop me a line.

Hi Everyone. My name is Bill. I am a communications specialist for Snohomish County government in Everett, Wash. I work with a fantastic team of three other comm specs, two graphic artists and my comm expert supervisor. I manage the Department of Public Works’ social media accounts. They will turn a year old next month. I also team-manage our county social media accounts. 

Who else is endlessly frustrated with reach on Instagram? Or changes to Meta platforms that nobody wants?Mosseri talked last week about wanting to boost small creators, but doesn’t address the problems we’ve been dealing with for years. And this Meta AI is nothing but annoying. Some days I wish I could leave IG altogether, if I’m being honest. 

One thing that I’ve really liked seeing this year is our team experimenting with more meme-like interactive posts. We’ve done a “tag yourself” style carousel with humorous costumes related to our industry and a funny bingo card for a national event related to our work. They both went over really well and I’m excited to hopefully see more these posts in the coming year. Anyone else have any similar posts that have engaged with their audience well?

As someone who works with a hybrid schedule, working days from home can get difficult. I’ve learned one trick that helps me tap into the flow state and that’s a commonly know technique called “Pomodoro.” Here’s how to use it to your advantage: Set a timer for 25 minutes and focus on one task—no distractions. After the timer goes off, take a 5-minute break. Repeat this cycle 4 times, then enjoy a longer 15-30 minute break. This structured focus helps your brain ease into the flow state by eliminating distractions and creating momentum (this word in underlined for a reason). Bonus tip: Use the first few Pomodoros for challenging tasks when your energy is highest! Happy working!!

Happy to be here! My name’s Jackie. I currently work in Community at Doist (creators of Todoist & Twist). I previously worked in arts & entertainment, and I’m currently based in Los Angeles.  Super stoked to be here, and I’m looking forward to sharing Sprout tips & tricks, as well as getting to know other Sprout users in similar roles.                        You can find me on Twitter @OtherJackieO as well.