Liz Smith

No kids. No regrets. I went on a tee & sweatshirt spree with a bunch of Acceptance Brands. Acceptance Brands <-- that's my name for them. Worthy AF Apparel encourages unconventional women (from child-free to IVF moms to investors) to show it off. (link in comments) ----~-------- 🙋🏽‍♀️ Hi, I'm Jennifer Yates. Even though I chose not to have children, I bring a childlike attitude of playfulness, delight, and warmth to business functions that are typically prescriptive and corporate-y like Business Operations and Project Leadership. If your business-critical initiative keeps spinning and spinning, maybe you need someone focused on soft-skills, not certifications. Let me know how I can help! ----~--------- Child-free by choice.

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I'm a big believer in momentum over moments. But people (read: boards + leaders) love a moment: a launch, a campaign, an event. It’s something they can circle on a calendar, neatly add to a deck, and point to in a meeting. Yet marketing isn’t just about delivering moments—it’s about creating momentum. Moments fade. They are quite literally... momentary. 𝙈𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙪𝙢, on the other hand, is what builds familiarity and mental availability. A brand campaign is great, but it shouldn’t stop there. Keep it going, build on it—if you believe in it, don’t abandon it. NOTE: This is not to say don't launch things, run campaigns, or do events. Definitely do these things. Just have a plan to fold it into your "business as usual" so the juice is worth the squeeze, and so people can recognize it over time.

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User-generated content (UGC) is reshaping marketing in a big way, and the numbers prove it. 92% of consumers trust recommendations from real people over branded content—highlighting how impactful UGC truly is. For small businesses, getting started with UGC doesn’t require massive budgets or big-name influencers. Here’s how you can begin: Start by encouraging your customers to share their experiences with your product on social media. Run a simple photo contest using a branded hashtag, or ask for video reviews and testimonials. Incentivize participation with discounts or giveaways to increase engagement. UGC doesn’t have to be complex—sometimes, a heartfelt customer post can resonate more than a polished ad. There are also platforms like Billo.app where you can pay content creators to make video ads about your productTo take it a step further, structuring UGC ads properly can make all the difference in performance. Here’s a simple framework: 👉 Hook: Grab attention within the first 5 seconds. Start with a powerful customer quote or a visually engaging image that sparks curiosity. 👉 Middle: Tell the customer’s story. Focus on their experience and transformation using your product. Keep it authentic and relatable. 👉 Call to Action: Guide your audience on what to do next. Whether it’s visiting your website or making a purchase, make the next step clear and easy. AI tools like TikTok’s Spark Ads and Instagram’s Branded Content can scale organic UGC into effective paid ads. Tools such as TINT and Flockler simplify content management, but authenticity is key—always get customer permission and ensure the content aligns with your brand's values. UGC isn’t just a trend—it’s transforming how brands connect with customers and driving real results. So whether you’re a small business or a large one, the magic of UGC is accessible to all. How are you using UGC in your strategy? Let’s chat! #UGC #DigitalMarketing #Meta #BrandAuthenticity #CustomerTrust #GrowthHacks

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You've probably seen these posts online. His company crushed it with influencer marketing and UGC, and now other companies are trying to do the same. The big lesson? If your product is interesting or solves an interesting problem, you can generate tons of attention for cheap or free. Think about that next time you're planning to launch something. P.S. My UGC marketplace helps you find proven creators and get persuasive content made for affordable prices.  Hit the “visit my website” button to check it out.

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After you’re done with that, do this: 1. Note video styles that work 2. Go to JoinBrands  3. Hire a UGC creator or a few 4. Tell them to create in that style 5. Get videos featuring your product 6. Post them everywhere organically 7. Turn them into paid ads too Get the data. Make an informed guess. Test. Adjust. Start getting more sales. It won’t be easy, but it’s a lot more doable when you have the right tools. P.S. My UGC marketplace helps you find proven creators and get persuasive content made for affordable prices.  Hit the “visit my website” button to check it out.

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TikTok getting banned: I'm 99% sure it won’t. Why? The same reason Temu and Shein aren’t leaving anytime soon… All these companies created a new revenue and cost savings channel for consumers and brands. It brings in too much revenue for America to shut it down. Or rather, brands to let them shut it down. TikTok has become a new ecosystem for: → News → Education → Advertising → Product knowledge → Etc. It’s a leading mover for brands’ success, and I don’t see it going anywhere. Yes, the ban was approved, but legislation takes time to implement. Plus, TikTok is a behemoth. Numerous lawyers are on top of this and IMO, it’ll be forgotten about later on. Just like how FB and Google constantly fight battles with the government and win, the same thing will happen here. The trials get delayed and forgotten, and people move on. Right now it’s a hot topic because the political atmosphere is anti-China. Once that sentiment goes away, so will the ban. Do you think the ban will stick? Lmk.

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Spending over half my time recruiting at ZeroTo1 🚀 and absolutely loving it. If the info below interests you I'd love to consider you for one of our 3 open roles 👇 Our mission: To be the first $100M social commerce agency that drives profitable growth for 1000 top brands through Influencer-affiliate communities and E2E TikTok Shop management How are we going to take steps towards accomplishing our mission today? By bringing on senior level marketers that have experience growing an agency from $3M to $10M Or that have experience growing an ecommerce brand from $10M to $50M+ Quick back story on me and Micah 👇 We've been working with influencers to create content on a performance basis for almost a decade dating back to our time at Shipt, where we pioneered one of the first social commerce strategies with influencers. We used this social commerce strategy to launch with national retailers like Target, promote the biggest CPG brands like PepsiCo, Kimberly-Clark, Kraft Heinz, and grow our membership base leading to a $550M exit to Target in 2017. Our why 👇 - To build the agency we wish we had while we were scaling Shipt - An agency that produces profitable growth, not just fluffy decks with vanity metrics - An agency that makes the internal person that manages us look like an allstar The “why” behind our “why” 👇 At Shipt, we churned through 20 agencies—spanning influencer, ad production, social, and media buying—over six years. That’s a lot of time, money, and lost results. And for some companies those setbacks mean the difference between life or death. What we’re NOT here to build: -- a vehicle for launching our own brands. -- the next marketing SAAS. -- we’re not chasing revenue for a quick exit. My personal mission? To hire the first 100 people myself and ensure they’re aligned with our mission and culture Today, we’re at 31 great people that are passionate about growing top brands through social commerce And we’re actively looking for 3 people with world class work ethic and experience to fill the following roles: 1. Sr. TikTok Shop Account Strategist 2. TikTok Shop Media Buyer 3. Sr. Influencer-affiliate Account Strategist If our mission excites and you feel like you'd be a great fit I'd love to setup an interview If you know someone that is the right fit I'm happy to pay you a referral fee if we make an offer that's accepted. My DM's are open 💛

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Most people don’t understand a single thing about brand marketing. No, Karen, it’s not about slapping on a new logo or obsessing over "aesthetic vibes" on your website. If you think being a “brand marketer” is all about playing dress-up with fonts and color palettes, sit down—we need to talk. Brand marketing is the difference between people buying your product because they love it versus because they got it on sale. It’s about creating an EMOTIONAL chokehold, the problem/solution, the why, the connection that has customers saying, “Shut up and take my money,” without even comparing prices. Yet somehow, people still call it fluff. They’ll pour money into performance marketing and throw pennies at the very thing that makes all that ad spend actually work: your brand. Newsflash: Your CPC doesn’t mean 💩 if no one remembers your name. Good brand marketing makes you unforgettable. It’s not optional. It’s the foundation. You can’t buy loyalty, but you sure can build it—if you know what you’re doing. So, next time someone calls brand marketing "soft," remind them it’s the reason their customer LTV isn’t in the toilet. 💅 And for the love of marketing, stop pretending you can grow without it. End of rant. 🖤

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If you ever think brands shouldn't jump onto trends, just rewatch this. Because Currys do two things that most marketing teams miss. Firstly, the trend isn't a flash in the pan. American Psycho came out 24 years (that hurts to say). This means Currys knew their entire audience would get the joke and that it wasn’t just a momentary fad (I'm looking at you, Gary Barlow's Son, gang..) But most importantly, Currys haven’t sidelined the brand in order to chase engagement. The products are front and centre. It’s essentially a 2 minute product demo, disguised as a trend. All of which means it benefits the business as much as it does the viewer. This is how trend marketing should work. Hell, it's how all of marketing should work.

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🔔🔔🔔 Extremely excited about our latest research on The State of Influencer Misconduct in 2024!!!!! 🔔🔔🔔 Since I started working with influencers back in 2015, I've seen SO much value from influencer partnerships, collaborations, friendships, and so much more. At the same time, I've also had the displeasure of seeing and even working with influencers who have gone on to sexually harass me or worse to people I know and love, who have turned into bullies and attack audiences who once loved them, and so much more. And, I was the one paying them or with purse strings to pay them for work! With Fama Technologies Inc.'s research, we hope no marketer, no brand has to experience what I have or what I've seen over the last decade. So no one has to go into crisis communications after an influencer partnership they were SO excited about. And, so brand's can properly protect their audiences, people, and profits. I could not be more thrilled to give back to the #InfluencerMarketing community that has given me so much over the past decade. Cheers to us for doing great work, building our brands and businesses, and keeping our campaigns #InfluencerMisconduct free. A huge huge huge huge shout out to Ben Mones Amy Warren Carlos Calderon Kay Talento and the entire Fama team for the partnership in turning Fama data into the successful research launch it already is (just 30 minutes post-launch!) 🥂 #MarketingTrends #MarketingResearch #MarTech #MisconductAtWork #SocialMedia #SocialMediaTrends #SocialMediaScreening #InfluencerVetting #HRInfluencers

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Black Friday is over... But peak shopping season isn't. Many brands take their foot off the gas after BFCM. Big mistake. Here's why: • BFCM shoppers hunt for deals • December shoppers hunt for gifts • Different mindset = different strategy Your December playbook should focus on: • Gift guides • Gift packaging options • "Ship by" dates for Christmas • No-receipt options • Easy returns Q4 isn't over yet. What's your December optimization strategy? Share below 👇

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Hands-down, here’s the #1 reason your brand’s digital marketing agency is underperforming: ➡️ **Junior Employees** Being brutally honest: Junior hires are learning on your brand’s dime, and it’s crushing performance. Before starting one, I’d worked with dozens of agencies as an in-house CMO. Even some of the best charging $50K+/month retainers. And even there, it’s still rampant. People with a few years’ experience cutting their teeth on your budget. To be clear, this is NOT a post to sh*t on young talent. I was there. You were there. We all were. And I’m grateful I got to learn like this. But…it hurts the client. Even if you cultivate this talent, the agency rotates them every 6 mo. to 2 yrs. Just when you’ve invested, they stick your brand with someone else. It’s why Robbie and I have built a WAITLIST instead of hiring (attached). Even though every agency told me this was a TERRIBLE idea. To say no to revenue regularly… But you can’t bleed quality w/o experience. And a real commitment to craft. You can’t shortcut it. Good things take time.

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Is your plan costed, aligned, and achievable? It's all well and good devising your strategy, but you have to operate in a way that matches your available resources, budget and aptitude. And budgeting and resource planning isn't the easiest. So how can you conquer it? I teamed up with the awesome Nathalie Bassanesi to pull together a cheat sheet for a technique I used when in-house and now when working with clients: Zero-based budgeting. Take a look and tell me what you think.

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Every year around this time, there's a marketer somewhere that decides their brand needs to 'join the conversation' about EVERY. SINGLE. HOLIDAY. And like clockwork, we get bombarded with the most forced, cringe-worthy attempts to make shampoo relevant to Thanksgiving. I can't. 🤦‍♀️ Here's a little fact that might sting a little: 99% of holiday advertising fails because marketers confuse 'timely' with 'relevant.' The real winners in holiday marketing aren't creating ads—they're creating TRADITIONS. And yes, there's a massive difference. 💡 Look at the legends: 💛 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 💛 The Rockefeller Tree lighting ceremony 💛 John Lewis’ Christmas ads in the UK 💛 Maxwell House Passover Haggadah Know what these icons have in common? They didn't just slap together an ad ABOUT a holiday. They became PART OF how people celebrate them. They transcended advertising and became cultural moments people actually look forward to. Mind-blowing, right? 🤯 You can't force your way into people's traditions with some half-baked social post about being grateful. Creating genuine holiday traditions takes decades of commitment, resources and most importantly, giving people something they actually WANT to make part of their celebrations. So, the next time some social media guru tells you that you need content for an upcoming holiday, ask yourself one question … Are we creating a meaningful tradition, or are we just adding to the noise? If it's the latter, save your budget, bestie. 😘 Your customers would rather you focus on making great products than pretending your brand cares about Arbor Day. 🌳 And if you're still determined to do holiday advertising? Please make it about the people celebrating, not about your brand's attempt to seem relevant. Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃 I am actually VERY grateful for all of you. #HolidayAdvertisingDonts #MarketingTruths #BrandAuthenticity #RealTalk #CMOpov

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BIG NEWS: In case you haven't heard, Instagram recently said that posting Reels longer than 90 seconds can actually hurt your reach in the app. But Alicia, Reels are only supposed to be 90 seconds, so what does this mean? First, let's clarify: There are Reels that are official Reels, and those are videos that are 90 seconds or less, and most often are created inside the Instagram app. Then, there are Reels that are really longer videos that Instagram automatically turns into Reels. But now, Instagram is saying that those longer videos that you upload & are automatically turned into Reels will hurt your reach. To be clear, it's NOT saying that you can't use those videos, but it's saying those videos won't get distributed or shown to as many people, hence, hurting your reach. Yes, your loyal followers will see still see the longer videos. Yes, they will still be on your grid. But no, they aren't going to be your bread and butter for engagement and reach because Instagram won't show the longer videos to new people who aren't following you. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gTf_nky8 . . . . #AliroMarketing #SocialMediaForBusiness #SocialMediaStrategy #SocialMediaNews #InstagramNews #InstagramUpdates #InstagramReelsVideo #InstagramReelsTips #InstagramEngagement #InstagramStrategy

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Hot take: You don't need to jump on every trend. In fact, I think it's better if you don't. Here's why: - Adopting every trend dilutes brand authenticity - People can tell if you're force-fitting trends - Trends don't always align with your brand Instead, try this: - Prioritize keeping your brand's authenticity intact - Focus on genuine connections and sincerity - Stay true to your brand voice and values Following every trend might seem tempting. But authenticity trumps trends every time. Don't let your brand voice get lost in the latest fads. But if a trend aligns, by all means: jump on it. P.S. To learn more about which trends are best for your business, subscribe to my newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eeYpWanj

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“ They don’t test new creative ideas, they’re mostly media buying ” “ Only 10/70 ads we launch break even. Most don’t even run past 12 days. ” “ I don’t think they get our brand, they’re not even using our product. “ ⤷ My day job is speaking to dozens of DTC brands. All want to profitably scale spend on FB/TikTok, but struggle to find a reliable creative agency. Some are working with agencies that: - Struggle to balance branding with performance creative. - Focus on media buying instead of testing new creatives. - Make beautiful creatives that drive 0 sales. Others are: - Testing creatives based on intuition. - Spying and copying on competitors in ad libraries. - Relying on in-house teams that aren’t specialized in creative strategy. If either fits you, don’t work with another agency before answering these 5 questions: 1. Are they doing creatives themselves or is it outsourced? Why it matters, downsides of outsourcing: - 0 Control over quality. - Hard to align ads with branding. - Slower feedback loops and iteration on ideas. ----- 2. Are they focusing on revenue per ad or hook rates? Why it matters: - Vanity metrics don’t drive conversions. - Most focus on making clickbait content (could damage brand). - Most don’t care if you grow or not. ----- 3. Are they actually getting results for brands post-iOS 14? Why it matters: - Media buying changed to creative strategy due to new tracking limits. - It’s much harder to scale paid ads post-iOS 14. - Most agencies recycle old news. ----- 4. Are they boutique or operate as a growth partner? Why it matters: - Most boutique agencies are specialists. - Boutique agencies work as an extension of your team. - High-level creative strategy requires fast execution and flexibility. ----- 5. Are they promising results without knowing your numbers? Why it matters: - They’re too busy overselling the next deal. (You) - They don’t care about you getting results. - They don’t know what they’re doing. ----- Spoke with a brand that burned over €350k on bad agencies. They never got the 6X ROAS promised in that cold email… So: Step 1. Check if creatives are outsourced. Step 2. Check if KPIs are aligned. (revenue, not hook rates.) Step 3. Verify post-iOS 14 results. Step 4. Assess if they can execute at scale. Step 5. Ensure they understand your business. Then settle. A friendly advice: f**k promises, trust results.

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Do you know what’s greenwashing?—a topic that affects all of us as consumers and marketers. Many brands claim to be eco-friendly, but how can we tell if they're truly sustainable or just greenwashing? Check out in this video at The Ad Jam. #marketing #branding #marketingtips #marketingstrategy #greenwashing #saveplanet #unethicalmarketing #emotionalmarketing #consumers https://lnkd.in/g6JJxDHN

🌵Spending two days in the desert with some of the brightest minds in marketing was just what I needed. Big thanks to Laura Folker and the #ConseroMarketing team for the opportunity to present on a topic I’m passionate about—influencer marketing—to an incredible group of brand leaders. The best part? The conversations over meals and between sessions, where we could dive deeper into it all. Sharing a few themes that emerged: 🤳 The Shift Towards Niche Influencers: While celebrity influencers still have their place, rising power now lies with influencers who connect with niche, highly engaged audiences. These smaller, more focused influencers are delivering stronger, more authentic connections that drive deeper trust and long-term loyalty. 🎯 Rethinking Lead Nurture with Precision Targeting: The classic Seven Touch Rule is being reexamined. Some suggest it now takes more like 21 touch points (!) in today’s digitally expansive world, where consumers passively/subconsciously absorb content across multiple platforms. Precision targeting and thoughtful engagement are key to staying top-of-mind. 🛍️ New Creative Ad Collaborations in Entertainment: With streaming overtaking traditional television consumption, shoppable TV is unlocking new opportunities for creative collabs. At the intersection of savvy storytelling and real-time purchasing, brands can work with showrunners and celebrities to create immersive and interactive experience for viewers, blending entertainment with instant consumer action. 🎨 Hyper-Personalization and Creative Scalability: AI-enabled segmentation offers granular targeting, but this creates a real challenge for creative teams—scaling personalized content without losing authenticity. While data can refine audience insights, producing enough genuine, relevant creative across so many segments is no small task. To succeed, brands need dynamic strategies that maintain quality at scale and ensure messaging feels real, not formulaic. Anything to add? Thoughts welcome in the comments ⤵️

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