A Beginner's Guide to Mastodon by The Science of Social Media

From Zero to 30K YouTube Subscribers in Six Months

Ready to unlock the secrets to YouTube growth? In this episode, we delve into the world of YouTube and share invaluable tips from YouTube creator Paul O'Malley. Learn how to harness the power of short-form content, optimize your posting schedule, and make the most of Buffer's new scheduling feature for YouTube Shorts. With Paul's expert guidance, we'll uncover the strategies you need to expand your audience, captivate viewers, and skyrocket your success on the platform.

Cheers, Phill!

Shownotes:

Learn more about Buffer + YouTube: https://buffer.com/youtube Paul’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@paulomalley Paul’s Mastodon account: https://universeodon.com/@paulomalley

Why you shouldn't add links to your social posts

Here’s a question that puzzles most social media users …

Why do some of my posts get more views than others?

It’s a difficult question to answer. Each social network has a different algorithm. Each algorithm promotes and demotes posts in their own unique way. We’ve spent months analyzing reach and have attempted to determine why some posts (with links) get less views than others. Tune in to hear why.

I hope you enjoy the episode! We’re testing the waters to see if we can get this show back up and running, so make sure you give us a shout on social media if you want to hear more episodes. As always we'd really appreciate a review and five stars on Apple Podcasts, Spotify (or wherever you listen to the show).

Create your Start Page today: Buffer.com/start

- Phill

Shownotes:

https://www.agorapulse.com/social-media-lab/linkedin-comments-link/?ref=buffer-resources https://www.socialinsider.io/blog/linkedin-posts-with-link/?ref=buffer-resources

It’s Here… AI for Social Media Scheduling

Hello there! Today, we're talking about the brand new Buffer AI Assistant, a game-changer in the world of social media management. With the ability to suggest post ideas, write posts for you, optimize, shorten, or even translate your content, the AI Assistant is like having a virtual marketing assistant at your fingertips. Don't worry, it's not a replacement for creators, it's designed to help you tweak, improve, and optimize your work. Discover how the AI Assistant can help you save time, grow your followers, and create engaging, click-worthy posts for any channel. Join us for a beginner's guide to using AI in social media management!

P.S. This description was written entirely by Buffer’s AI Assistant!

Shownotes:

Try Buffer’s AI Assistant: https://publish.buffer.com/content/new Learn more about Buffer’s AI Assistant https://buffer.com/ai-assistant/ Umber’s blog about AI: https://buffer.com/resources/conflicted-ai-writer/ Subscribe to our newsletter: https://buffer.com/newsletter Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/EgGrmX6NTu

A Beginner's Guide to Mastodon

Are you tired of feeling like just another number on centralized social media platforms? Look no further than Mastodon, the decentralized, open-source alternative to mainstream networks. In this episode, we dive into what Mastodon is, how it differs from traditional social media, and how to get started on the platform. From building a community to customizing your experience, we'll cover everything you need to know to join the Mastodon movement and take control of your online presence.

- Phill

Shownotes:

https://savjee.be/videos/simply-explained/mastodon-and-fediverse-explained/ https://instances.social/ https://fedifinder.glitch.me/ https://joinmastodon.org/ https://buffer.com/mastodon

6 Ways AI Can Support Content Creators

Hello there! As audiences demand more content across different platforms, the number of content creators is growing to meet the demand. But it’s hard to keep up the pace of consistent and quality publishing without the support of a team. Content creators need all the help they can get – and they can find it in artificial intelligence, or AI. In today’s episode, we will explore six ways in which AI already supports content creation and which tools are leading the charge.

I hope you enjoy the episode! We’re testing the waters to see if we can get this show back up and running, so make sure you give us a shout on social media if you want to hear more episodes. As always we'd really appreciate a review and five stars on Apple Podcasts, Spotify (or wherever you listen to the show).

- Phill

Shownotes:

1: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/13/chatgpt-is-a-new-ai-chatbot-that-can-answer-questions-and-write-essays.html 2: https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/ 3: https://twitter.com/AndrewYNg/status/1600284752258686976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 4: https://buffer.com/feature-request

7 Important Skills You Need to Be a Successful Social Media Marketer (Repeat)

A decade ago, the role of a social media manager might not have even existed. Today, however, almost every company is involved in social media one way or another.

But what does it take to be a great social media manager? What are the skills to master in order to be effective?

In this episode, we'll cover the primary skills that we employ for social media here at Buffer, plus a few skills we’ve noticed in social media managers around the web. A social media manager has a toolbox filled to the brim; come peek inside the toolbox with us and see what we find!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/social-media-manager-job-description

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

How to Build Your Personal Brand: Top Tips for 2023

Hello there! Personal branding has become an increasingly important aspect of successful career growth and social media is the tool everyone’s using to achieve that growth. On today’s episode we explore the future of personal branding as told by experts interviewed for our Social Proof series and in-house predictions.

I hope you enjoy the episode! We’re testing the waters to see if we can get this show back up and running, so make sure you give us a shout on social media if you want to hear more episodes. As always we'd really appreciate a review and five stars on Apple Podcasts, Spotify (or wherever you listen to the show).

- Phill

Shownotes:

Predictions about the future of personal branding: https://buffer.com/resources/personal-branding-predictions/

Social Proof content at: https://buffer.com/resources/social-proof-series/

12 trends that will shape our careers in 2023: https://junglegym.substack.com/p/12-trends-that-will-shape-our-careers#%C2%A7building-identity-beyond-company

Most popular video content type worldwide in 2nd quarter 2022, by weekly usage reach: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1254810/top-video-content-type-by-global-reach/

Surviving the Holidays as a Small Business Owner

Today we'll be discussing how to set boundaries during the holiday season. The holidays are supposed to be a time for rest and relaxation, but for many small business owners, it can be a hectic and stressful time. We'll be sharing tips and strategies for setting boundaries with family, friends, and clients to ensure that you're able to enjoy the season while still taking care of your business. Tune in to learn how to make the most of the holiday season without burning out.

I hope you enjoy the episode! We’re testing the waters to see if we can get this show back up and running, so make sure you give us a shout on social media if you want to hear more episodes. As always we'd really appreciate a review and five stars on Apple Podcasts, Spotify (or wherever you listen to the show).

- Phill

Shownotes:

Study: Individuals who work over 61 hours a week have an increased risk of developing high systolic blood pressure: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6617405/

The Twitter Upheaval and What it Means for Marketers

Hello there! On today’s episode we dive into what’s happening at Twitter and how it will impact marketers. We also share some advice for getting more engagement on Twitter, featuring a brand new Buffer feature, Twitter Threads scheduling. Learn more about threads scheduling at https://buffer.com/twitter.

I hope you enjoy the episode! We’re testing the waters to see if we can get this show back up and running, so make sure you give us a shout on social media if you want to hear more episodes. As always we'd really appreciate a review and five stars on Apple Podcasts, Spotify (or wherever you listen to the show). ️️️️

- Phill

Shownotes:

How social media managers are coping with the Twitter debacle

https://digiday.com/media/how-social-media-managers-are-coping-with-the-twitter-debacle/

In less than a month, Elon Musk has driven away half of Twitter’s top 100 advertisers

https://www.mediamatters.org/elon-musk/less-month-elon-musk-has-driven-away-half-twitters-top-100-advertisers

I told my team to pause our $750K/month Twitter ads budget last week

https://www.teamblind.com/post/i-told-my-team-to-pause-our-750kmonth-twitter-ads-budget-last-week-4dnbo1Ft

Mastodon hits 1m monthly active users

https://mastodon.social/@Gargron/109300967725833789

7 Reasons to Use Emoticons in Your Writing and Social Media, According to Science

https://buffer.com/resources/7-reasons-use-emoticons-writing-social-media-according-science/

5 Social Media Content Ideas for 2023

Oh hi there, it’s been a while! We’re experimenting with kicking off the Science of Social Media podcast again! On today’s episode we take a look back at our best performing social media posts of 2022 and share what worked! We’ll also celebrate the launch of our latest Buffer feature, Ideas, a tool to help you save, store, and action all your best ideas. Head here to learn more: https://buffer.com/ideas

I hope you enjoy the episode! We’re testing the waters to see if we can get this show back up and running, so make sure you give us a shout on social media if you want to hear more episodes. As always we'd really appreciate a review and five stars on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen to the show). ️️

- Phill

Shownotes:

Buffer’s best performing Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/108311429241313/posts/7204551369617248

One of Buffer’s best performing LinkedIn post: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6943563156040425472/

Buffer’s best performing Twitter post: https://twitter.com/buffer/status/1579094350079762432

Buffer’s best performing Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cf63xsQAxfG/

Buffer’s best performing TikTok post: https://www.tiktok.com/@bufferapp/video/7099110112547147054?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en

About the Show:

Each week in Science of Social Media the Buffer team answer your questions and explore marketing strategies and tactics to help you grow your business through social media and build a brand your customers love. Join our 25,000+ weekly listeners.

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

How to Build an Audience on Twitter (with Matthew Kobach)

Welcome to episode 200 of The Science of Social Media! Thanks to each and every one of you for tuning in to the show and joining us on this journey.

Today we're focusing on how you can build an audience on Twitter.

Twitter has over 321 million monthly active users, and it’s the perfect platform to build an audience — either for your personal brand or on behalf of your company. But how do you actually get people to follow your account, and engage with the content you share?

To dig into all-things Twitter growth, we're joined by Matthew Kobach. Since early 2019, Matthew has built an audience of over 85,000 followers on his personal Twitter account and in just a couple of months, he's helped grow Fast's Twitter following to over 20,000.

I hope you enjoy the episode! And if you do, we'd really appreciate a review and five stars on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen to the show). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Dave

About the Show:

Each week in Science of Social Media the Buffer team answer your questions and explore marketing strategies and tactics to help you grow your business through social media and build a brand your customers love. Join our 25,000+ weekly listeners.

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Allyship and Anti-Racism on Social Media

Today’s episode is a little different from usual. In this episode, we’re focusing on allyship and anti-racism on social media.

Back in June, Buffer made a commitment to anti-racism work as an organization, as did many other brands worldwide.

And we want to regularly focus on this topic here on The Science of Social Media to keep ourselves accountable and also help others to continue to move forward and stand up to racial injustice and fight for equality for all.

In this episode, we're joined by Buffer teammates Keisha Washington and Katie Gilmur.

We hope you enjoy the episode! And if you do, we'd really appreciate a review and five stars on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen to the show). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Dave & Heather-Mae

About the Show:

Each week in Science of Social Media the Buffer team answer your questions and explore marketing strategies and tactics to help you grow your business through social media and build a brand your customers love. Join our 25,000+ weekly listeners.

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

No Budget, No Problem: Shifting Social Media Strategy in the Face of COVID-19

As Q4 approaches, budgets are top of mind for many of us.

And if you’re feeling worried about managing budgets, and hitting your goals, you’re not alone — a recent study on the marketing impact of COVID-19 from LinkedIn found that budget cuts are the top concern and the biggest challenge for marketers right now.

In this episode, we're joined by Buffer's VP of Marketing Kevan Lee. Kevan shares how COVID-19 has impacted marketing budgets and how brands have shifted social strategies to focus more on organic growth due to smaller budgets for paid.

I hope you enjoy the episode! And if you do, we'd really appreciate a review and five stars on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen to the show). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Dave

About the Show:

Each week in Science of Social Media the Buffer team answer your questions and explore marketing strategies and tactics to help you grow your business through social media and build a brand your customers love. Join our 25,000+ weekly listeners.

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

How Local Businesses Can Crush It On Social (And Keep Customers Coming Back... Without Spending a Dime)

As of July 2020, more than half of all the people on Earth use social media.

With so much of the world’s population using social channels — and more joining for the first time each day — social media offers incredible opportunities to connect with your customers, no matter your business size.

And in this episode, we’re going to focus in on exactly how local businesses can get most out of social media. We'll discuss why social media is important for local businesses, share examples of local brands doing great things online, and discuss some ways businesses can build their audience and connect their online and offline customer experiences.

Here are a few useful links from the show:

Harper & Blohm Cheese Shop on Instagram WAX Watergate Bay on Facebook Callie's Hot Little Biscuit case study

I hope you enjoy the episode! And if you do, we'd really appreciate a review and five stars on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen to the show). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Dave

About the Show:

Each week in Science of Social Media the Buffer team answer your questions and explore marketing strategies and tactics to help you grow your business through social media and build a brand your customers love. Join our 25,000+ weekly listeners.

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Measuring Social Media Success Using Data

The thing we love most at Buffer is helping you succeed at social media. But I’m sure every social media manager has at some point asked themselves the question… "what exactly does success look like?"

In this episode, we’re going to help you to define what success might look like for your business and specifically how you can use data to measure success, thanks to some expert advice from Buffer's Alfred Lua.

I hope you enjoy the episode! And if you do, we'd really appreciate a review and five stars on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen to the show). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Dave

About the Show:

Each week in Science of Social Media the Buffer team answer your questions and explore marketing strategies and tactics to help you grow your business through social media and build a brand your customers love. Join our 25,000+ weekly listeners.

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

How to Sell More Online

According to data from Shopify, new stores created online grew 62 percent between March 13th to April 24th, 2020.

With so many businesses moving from brick-and-mortar to online, and many people embracing their inner entrepreneur and starting completely new businesses, we’ve seen a ton of people asking questions around how to sell online.

In this episode, we're joined by Simon Heaton, Demand Gen Lead at Shopify, who will be sharing five tips to help you to sell more online. Whether you’re new to eCommerce, an experienced seller or just looking to learn the best tactics to sell your products or services online, Simon’s talk will have something to help you.

We hope you enjoy the episode! And if you do, we'd really appreciate a review and five stars on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen to the show). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Dave & Hailley

About the Show:

Each week in Science of Social Media the Buffer team answer your questions and explore marketing strategies and tactics to help you grow your business through social media and build a brand your customers love. Join our 25,000+ weekly listeners.

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Inside Buffer's Formula for Customer Engagement on Social Media

As people have been spending more time and home, screentime and time on social channels have also gone up. This has led to big jumps in engagement for many brands. And though a rise in engagement is great for marketers, it can also bring unexpected challenges and more demand for support.

With many brands not expecting such a sudden increase in messages on social, we spoke with Buffer's customer advocacy lead Darcy Peters to learn how we manage social engagement and support in busy times.

In this episode, you'll learn how to deal with more questions and comments, and keep response times down, as well as how to set up your team for success.

We hope you enjoy the episode! And if you do, we'd really appreciate a review and five stars on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen to the show). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Dave & Hailley

About the Show:

Each week in Science of Social Media the Buffer team answer your questions and explore marketing strategies and tactics to help you grow your business through social media and build a brand your customers love. Join our 25,000+ weekly listeners.

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

How to Stay on Top of an Ever-Changing Industry in 30-Minutes Per Day

Does this sound familiar: One minute your social strategy is flying... the next, numbers are down, and it's hard to pinpoint exactly why. We're sure every social media marketer can relate to this in one way or another. But no need to worry. Today, we're opening up about how we stay on top of the social media industry here at Buffer.

In this episode, we'll be sharing how to stay one step ahead with your social media strategies without spending all day chasing the latest news, platform updates, and feature launches.

Join us as Buffer's Sophie Gil walks us through her day-to-day workflows and how she stays keeps up-to-date on the industry in just 30-minutes each day.

We hope you enjoy the episode! And if you do, we'd really appreciate a review and five stars on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen to the show). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Dave & Hailley

About the Show:

Each week in Science of Social Media the Buffer team answer your questions and explore marketing strategies and tactics to help you grow your business through social media and build a brand your customers love. Join our 25,000+ weekly listeners.

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Adapt and Thrive — Social Media Advice to Get You Through (Part Two)

This week we’re jumping back into our Buffer Session on how to adapt your social media strategy and thrive in this changing times.

(If you didn’t catch part one, we released that last week. Feel free to jump back and start there.)

In part two, Buffer’s Kevan Lee and Darcy Peters are again joined by Janet Mesh CEO at Aimtal. In this episode, we join the session as they begin to tackle audience questions on a host of social media marketing topics from paid advertising and how to adjust budgets, to what’s working on social video and marketing with empathy.

Check out the full session here: https://lp.buffer.com/social-media-sessions

We hope you enjoy the episode! If you like our new format, we'd really appreciate a review and five stars on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen to the show). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Dave & Hailley

About the Show:

Each week in Science of Social Media the Buffer team answer your questions and explore marketing strategies and tactics to help you grow your business through social media and build a brand your customers love. Join our 25,000+ weekly listeners.

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Adapt and Thrive — Social Media Advice to Get You Through (Part One)

Now more than ever social media may be one of your most important channels for connecting with your audience and your customers.

The tricky part? Social media strategies have changed just as fast as everything else!

This past week we held our first Social Media Sessions event. During the session, Kevan Lee, Buffer’s VP of marketing, was joined by our Customer Advocacy Lead Darcy Peters and Janet Mesh CEO at Aimtal to answer a bunch of social media marketing questions.

In today's epsiode, we're bringing you some of the key insights and takeaways from Kevan, Darcy, and Janet. The session covered topics like engagement, messaging, and creating content in the moment.

Check out the full session here: https://lp.buffer.com/social-media-sessions

Hope you enjoy the episode! If you like our new format, we'd really appreciate a review and five stars on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen to the show). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Dave & Hailley

About the Show:

Each week in Science of Social Media the Buffer team answer your questions and explore marketing strategies and tactics to help you grow your business through social media and build a brand your customers love. Join our 25,000+ weekly listeners.

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Why Brands Shouldn't Overlook Pinterest (Plus 3 Strategies You Can Use Today)

When most people think of social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter — maybe even TikTok — tend to be top-of-mind. But today we're sharing why you should be thinking about Pinterest and how it could fit with your social strategies.

Occasional Science of Social Media co-host and Buffer’s head of PR Hailley Griffis takes a deep dive into data and tactics shared with us by the Pinterest team. For example, did you know that 90 percent of weekly Pinners use Pinterest to make purchase decisions?

Listen to this episode for a ton of actionable data and ideas on how your brand can utilize the power of Pinterest.

I hope you enjoy the episode! If you like our new format, we'd really appreciate a review and five stars on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen to the show). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Dave

About the Show:

Each week in Science of Social Media the Buffer team answer your questions and explore marketing strategies and tactics to help you grow your business through social media and build a brand your customers love. Join our 25,000+ weekly listeners.

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

What’s Next for Instagram? New Strategies to Make Your Brand Stand Out

"I feel like I’m getting tired of Instagram and I get the feeling other people are too."

This week, we speak with Buffer’s head of content Ash Read to discuss the future of Instagram. Ash shares a few unconventional opportunities for brands to stand out on the platform and how he sees Instagram marketing evolving. We also discuss why brands should be focused on community building above all else, and the one aspect of marketing that will never change... storytelling.

Hope you enjoy the episode! If you like our new format, we'd really appreciate a review and five stars on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen to the show). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Dave & Hailley

About the Show:

Each week in Science of Social Media the Buffer team answer your questions and explore marketing strategies and tactics to help you grow your business through social media and build a brand your customers love. Join our 25,000+ weekly listeners.

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

How a VP of Marketing Looks at Social Media Metrics

What metrics really matter to social media marketers and marketing leaders?

We’re really excited to share our new podcast format with you all today. Every week, the Buffer team (and occasional special guests) will be answering your biggest social media marketing questions.

This week, we speak with Buffer’s VP of marketing Kevan Lee, to discuss the metrics that really matter for social media marketers and how Kevan looks at challenges such as inflated video view counts and finding reliable data sources.

Hope you enjoy the episode!

- Dave & Hailley

About the Show:

Each week in Science of Social Media the Buffer team answer your questions and explore marketing strategies and tactics to help you grow your business through social media and build a brand your customers love. Join our 25,000+ weekly listeners.

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Social Media Management in Times of Crisis

These are times of fast-changing news around COVID-19. It’s clear that what we are facing — not just as marketers, as friends, and parents and colleagues — is unprecedented. And we’re all in it together.

So what does social media management look like over the coming weeks and months? We’re still figuring it out.

We hope that the thoughts in this episode can act as a starting point to work from as we navigate the current and up-coming challenge.

- Dave & Hailley

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/social-media-management-in-times-of-crisis

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Encore: Inside the Facebook Ads of Your Competitors

(Right now we’re working on creating a brand new, refreshed version of The Science of Social Media. We can’t wait to share it with you next week. We think you’ll love it. In the meantime, we're revisiting one of our top from the past year. Thank you for being along for the ride and for making The Science of Social Media part of your podcast routine. We're very grateful to have you.)

If you're looking for inspiration for your next great Facebook ad, then we've got you covered with this episode!

We're diving into the Facebook Ad Library to give you tips on how to research the ads of your competitors and how to find inspiration from some of the most creative and effective Facebook advertisers out there. We'll share some specific tips on how to get meaningful Facebook ad results, and we're hopeful you'll leave with a list of ideas that you can test today!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/facebook-ad-library

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Encore: A Crash Course in Microcopy for Social Media Captions

(Right now we’re working on creating a brand new, refreshed version of The Science of Social Media. We can’t wait to share it with you in just a few weeks. We think you’ll love it. In the meantime, we're revisiting one of our top episodes of 2019. Thank you for being along for the ride and for making The Science of Social Media part of your podcast routine. We're very grateful to have you.)

Copywriting is one of the most essential skills for a marketer to have.

Good copy is everywhere! Websites, advertisements, blog posts, and especially on social media.

We want to give you the tools to write exceptional copy for even the tiniest of things on social: captions, tweets, Stories, and more.

Consider this a crash course in copywriting for all the little things you write on social media everyday. Every word counts, and we want to help make sure even your small words have a big impact!

- Dave & Bonnie

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/copywriting-microcopy

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Encore: Marie Kondo-ing Your LinkedIn — The LinkedIn Audit Blueprint to Help Your Profile Shine

(Right now we’re working on creating a brand new, refreshed version of The Science of Social Media. We can’t wait to share it with you in just a few weeks. We think you’ll love it. In the meantime, we're revisiting one of our top episodes of 2019. Thank you for being along for the ride and for making The Science of Social Media part of your podcast routine. We're very grateful to have you.)

We wish for you to have the very best, most fulfilling career possible, doing work that you love.

And one of the best routes to that dream job is having a dreamy LinkedIn profile!

We'll show you how.

Today we’re giving you a checklist for a LinkedIn makeover. We’ll provide many different ways to optimize your LinkedIn profile and boost your presence - and the presence of your brand - so that you can shine.

Whether you’re looking for your next great job, seeking to grow your thought leadership, or wanting to build a better brand, we have the tips for you. Listen to find out the best ways to make over your presence on LinkedIn … today!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/linkedin-profile-audit

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Find the Best Times to Post on Social Media

Does the timing of your social media posts still matter?

Here at Buffer, we think so! And in today's episode we'll be guiding you through our processes for finding the best times to post on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Here are the show notes: https://buffer.com/library/best-time-to-post-on-social-media

- Dave & Bonnie

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

How to discover what works: Our guide to social media experiments

Over the years, we’ve shared plenty of tips and tactics to help you with social media marketing but one thing we haven’t really done well is to explain how to run social media marketing experiments…

Today you’ll learn the six simple steps we use to run social media experiments, and we’ll also share some experiment ideas that you can get started with right away.

Here are the show notes: https://buffer.com/library/run-social-media-experiments

- Dave & Bonnie

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

How the Instagram Algorithm Works in 2020 (Plus a New Stories Feature)

Do you have a burning question about the Instagram algorithm? If you do, chances are it may have been answered recently.

Instagram recently held a Q&A where it shared the ins and outs of the algorithm and publicly addressed some myths and rumours about how it works. In this episode, we’ll give you a run through of the main questions Instagram answered during this Q&A and we’ll dive deeper into how the algorithm works based on some data Instagram shared a while back.

We then wrap up by sharing a new, little-known Instagram Stories feature that was recently released.

- Dave & Bonnie

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

11 Thumb-Stopping Instagram Stories Design Tips

Instagram Stories has over 500 million daily active users, meaning half of Instagram’s overall user base create or view stories every single day.

This means you have the potential to connect with your Instagram audience in two different places on the app — the feed and stories — and you don’t want to waste that opportunity with dull Stories and visuals.

To help you captivate your audience in your Instagram Stories, we’re going to share some Instagram stories design tips that will have you creating high-quality visuals your followers will go back to view again and again.

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/library/instagram-stories-design-tips

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

How Brands Can Leverage Pinterest To Make Sales

Did you know: Pinterest is such a key part of the buying journey for its users that over 90 percent of weekly active Pinners use Pinterest to make purchasing decisions.

Talk about buying power!

Pinterest is no longer simply a place to save ideas and build dream boards. Instead, Pinterest has turned into the world’s largest visual discovery platform.

Thankfully there are some really simple ways that you can start leveraging Pinterest to reach new audiences and optimize your pins and profile in order to drive sales sales directly from the platform.

In today's episode we share some tips directly from the Pinterest team.

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/how-brands-can-leverage-pinterest-to-make-sales

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Encore: The 7 Important Skills You Need to Be a Successful Social Media Marketer

(This week, we're re-airing our top episode of the year. Thank you for being along for the ride and for making The Science of Social Media part of your podcast routine. We're very grateful to have you. Wishing you a great 2020!)

A decade ago, the role of a social media manager might not have even existed. Today, however, almost every company is involved in social media one way or another.

But what does it take to be a great social media manager? What are the skills to master in order to be effective in 2019?

In this episode, we'll cover the primary skills that we employ for social media here at Buffer, plus a few skills we’ve noticed in social media managers around the web. A social media manager has a toolbox filled to the brim; come peek inside the toolbox with us and see what we find!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/social-media-manager-job-description

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Encore: 8 Fun Things to Try on Instagram You Probably Haven't Thought of Before

(This week, we're revisiting one of our top episodes of 2019. Thank you for being along for the ride and for making The Science of Social Media part of your podcast routine. We're very grateful to have you. Happy new year!)

It can be hard to stay on top of the latest news for everything that’s coming to social media. We'd love to help you. This episode of The Science of Social Media takes a dive into Instagram marketing with a look at eight little-known features that you can try today.

We want to ensure you get maximum exposure for your brand on Insta. These tips may be just the thing to help you stand out. Here's hoping!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/podcast

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Introducing: Breaking Brand, Episode One

Today, we have a special episode for you — something a bit different than usual.

We’d love to share the first episode of our new podcast series, Breaking Brand, which follows the story of a world-class branding agency closing up shop in order to start a totally new business from scratch.

If you enjoy this episode, the full season is available to listen to now, wherever you get your podcasts. Just search Breaking Brand in your podcast app to subscribe.

Hope you enjoy the show!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Learn more about Breaking Brand:

https://lp.buffer.com/breaking-brand

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

The Best Instagram Stories of 2019

Instagram Stories was one of the most dynamic social media channels in 2019. So much happened with Stories — from new developments with the product to strong returns on Stories ads and organic reach.

Over 500 million people use Instagram Stories every day.

So when it comes to picking some of the best Stories campaigns of 2019, we really have a lot of options.

We’ll run through a list of our favorites, and you can see videos and screenshots of them in our show notes at buffer.com/podcast. If there are any favorites of yours that we missed, please do let us know by using #bufferpodcast on social.

We hope you enjoy the list and get some great ideas for new Stories content in 2020!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/library/best-instagram-stories

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Why social commerce will rule social media in 2020

What will the future hold for social media?

We have a pretty good guess that social commerce will play a large role. From Instagram Checkout to Pinterest Shop the Look - and everything else in between - the social networks have commerce on their roadmaps. Expect to see a lot more of it in 2020, and get your brand and business prepared today with our episode all about social commerce. Find out the latest on what it is, what it looks like, and how you can make the most of this buzzworthy new opportunity to further your brand and your business.

Social commerce is an especially fun topic to talk about during the holiday season. Shopping is on everyone’s minds. Ours, too. We’ll go deep on the current state of social commerce, plus give you tips on ways to get started right now.

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/library/social-commerce-2020

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

The Complete, Actionable Guide to Marketing Personas

Marketing personas are the foundation that holds your strategy and messaging together.

This week's episode will give you some insight into the persona process that will hopefully kick start your social media strategies for 2020.

If you’re not in planning mode yet, then hopefully this gives you some inspiration on where to start. Marketing personas can do a tremendous job of aligning all the work you do across your marketing channels: website, blog, email, social — you name it. Knowing who you’re talking to and what you’re talking about will hopefully make your job on social media even easier!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/library/marketing-personas-beginners-guide

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Brand Secrets for Standing Out in a Crowded World

We live in a world of infinite supply…

The secret to standing out is to have a brand that your customers connect with and care about deeply.

In today’s world, brand is often the only differentiator between your business and your competitors. So in today’s episode, we'll show you how to build a brand! Hear the best tips and strategies from the people behind some of the biggest brands out there -- Sweetgreen, Pattern Brands, and more. These insights all come from our new podcast series: Breaking Brand.

If you want to listen, search Breaking Brand wherever you get your podcasts.

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/podcast

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

BFCM: Last-Minute Black Friday + Cyber Monday Marketing Ideas for Social Media

The biggest retail dates of the year are just around the corner. Do you have your social media marketing ready?

In this episode, we'll share some of the trendiest marketing ideas for Black Friday + Cyber Monday, including flash sales, messenger marketing, and UGC. We’ll cover a host of new ideas, tips, and tactics that can help you boost your already-planned campaigns or give you some inspiration for an upcoming piece of content.

Find out some of the numbers behind Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and see what the most cutting-edge brands are trying out this holiday season.

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/custom-audiences

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

A Crash Course in Building Custom Audiences for Your Social Media Ads

When you want to get your message in front of the right people on social media, where do you turn?

More and more, brands and businesses are turning to social ads and custom audiences. You can do a lot of awesome, targeted messaging by focusing on the right audiences with your ads -- whether you're talking to a group of customers, a bunch of website visitors, or a list of subscribers

In this episode, we’ll talk you through ways to build custom audiences and lookalike audiences on all the major social media platforms, plus share a couple ideas of how you can put these audiences to the best use. Best wishes for some well-targeted, highly successful ads!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/custom-audiences

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

9 Social Media Goals You Can Set for Your Business (and How to Track Them)

The thing we love most at Buffer is to help you succeed at social media. And a key part of social media success is knowing which goals and targets to set for your team.

Without goals, it’s hard to know exactly how well your social media strategy is performing and where you need to iterate to continue moving forwards.

Today we’d love to share with you a bunch of super-actionable social media goals you can use to help your team achieve great things. In total, we’ll walk through 9 very different, but effective social media goals and for each goal we also relevant metrics to track and share how to measure your results. Hope you enjoy!

- Heather-Mae & Nate

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/library/social-media-goals

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

The Keys to Epic Engagement on Social Media

Social media engagement seems like a slam dunk strategy. Everyone should be doing it, right? But it certainly comes with its blind spots and questions.

Should you be replying to everyone?

How can you make sure you capture all your mentions?

What are the best ways to respond quickly?

In this post, we’ll run through some of the reasons why investing in engagement makes business sense, and we’ll touch on the specific tips and workflows to master engagement on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

- Heather-Mae & Nate

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/social-media-engagement-tips

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

News Roundup: The Future of Facebook, Pinterest's Latest Changes, the Most Popular Stories, and More

As always, a ton is happening in the world of social media, and it can be hard to catch every story.

So we want to highlight some of the biggest news items from recent weeks that might impact your social media marketing.

We’ll touch on Facebook’s most recent product changes and strategic plans, how Pinterest continues making splashes with its business and shopping features, and the latest data on social media trends and usage. Learn what’s coming next to Instagram and find out what’s more popular: Facebook Stories, Instagram Stories, or Snapchat.

- Heather-Mae & Nate

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/social-media-news-october-2019

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

How to Schedule Instagram Stories (Plus 10 Ideas for What to Make Next)

Where can you practice storytelling in front of an audience of 500 million? Instagram Stories, of course.

Instagram Stories are empowering marketers to tell better and deeper stories about our brands. There are some fantastic examples of great Stories out there. We've collected some favorites for you!

In this episode, hear about 10 Instagram brands and influencers who have been doing rad things with Stories to give you some inspiration on what you could do for your Instagram Stories, too.

- Heather-Mae & Nate

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/instagram-stories-who-to-follow

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

The Science Behind the Best Instagram Bios

Small-but-powerful. Front-and-center. Instagram bios are well worth the time and investment to write well and test often. They're one of the most visible descriptions of who you are and what you're about! We’ll sort out all the best practices, design tips, and strategies that the top brands and profiles are using today.

Should you go highly descriptive of what you do, or keep it loose and aspirational?

Should you include contact info? hashtags? emoji?

And how often should you update it?

We’ll unpack these questions together and send you on your way with some tips that you can try on your bio today!

- Heather-Mae & Nate

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/instagram-bio

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

How to Use Instagram to Increase Your Sales: Proven Strategies from the Pros

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas. Shopping season is just around the corner.

We want to help you get prepared by looking at how some of today’s best brands are using Instagram to make sales on social media. These last months of the year are full of retail-focused holidays, and Instagram has become one of the key starting points for e-commerce and shopping lists. Come learn how top brands are approaching this channel with a stellar mix of organic and paid.

Plus, we’ll share a playbook full of actionable tips to help you capitalize on the biggest retail period in the calendar, happening right now.

- Heather-Mae & Nate

Read the Show Notes:

https://lp.buffer.com/shopping-season-on-instagram

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Inside the Facebook Ads of Your Competitors: How to Research, What to Learn

If you're looking for inspiration for your next great Facebook ad, then we've got you covered with this episode!

We're diving into the Facebook Ad Library to give you tips on how to research the ads of your competitors and how to find inspiration from some of the most creative and effective Facebook advertisers out there. We'll share some specific tips on how to get meaningful Facebook ad results, and we're hopeful you'll leave with a list of ideas that you can test today!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/facebook-ad-library

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Can You Make a Great Six-Second Ad? Here’s What We Learned From the Best

When marketers wish for more time and resources, they often wish to spend it on video marketing.

Well, what if you only needed six seconds of video to make your impression?

The current run of 6-second ads on platforms like YouTube and Twitter has opened up new options for marketers who are looking to get their message heard via video without going overboard on video resources.

We’ve taken YouTube’s best practices and looked at the list of the best six-second ads to find all the secret ingredients behind short and snappy video marketing. We think these tips will help you craft the perfect YouTube bumper ad, Twitter video, Instagram story -- you name it -- and will make video marketing a cinch for you and your brand.

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/six-second-video

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Magical Ways to Measure Social Media Attribution

When someone makes a purchase or signs up for your product, how do you know where they came from?

Especially when it comes to a top-of-funnel channel like social media, how can you ensure social gets credit for the impact it’s having?

Attribution to the rescue!

Seeing the impact of your social media marketing is definitely possible with an attribution strategy that assigns value to the channels that send new business your way. In this episode, we’ll show you how to get started in a lean way and then go deep with robust solutions as you scale.

Attribution can be a tricky science, so we’re hoping to give you some clear and actionable tips to start measuring attribution today. Whether you’re looking at running some omnichannel campaigns or if you’re wanting to measure the impact of some quick experiments, we hope these tips will have you covered.

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/attribution

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

How to Find a Fantastic Agency to Help With Your Social Media Marketing

Some of the very best brands on social media get by with a little help from their friends -- agencies and consultants and strategists.

If this is a route you've thought about exploring, then we think you'll find a lot to love in this week's episode all about agencies. Or if you already have an agency on board, then hopefully some of our examples will inspire your next collaboration.

In this episode, we'll discuss how to know if you need an agency, which factors to consider when looking for an ideal partner, and some examples of agency partnerships done well. We hope you find just the advice you need here!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/find-a-social-media-agency

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

A Crash Course in Microcopy for Social Media Captions

Copywriting is one of the most essential skills for a marketer to have.

Good copy is everywhere! Websites, advertisements, blog posts, and especially on social media.

We want to give you the tools to write exceptional copy for even the tiniest of things on social: captions, tweets, Stories, and more.

Consider this a crash course in copywriting for all the little things you write on social media everyday. Every word counts, and we want to help make sure even your small words have a big impact!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/copywriting-microcopy

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Reddit Marketing Strategies for Those Who Don't Have Time for Reddit Marketing

Reddit is one of the most vibrant communities on the Internet and a powerful source of attention. A positive Reddit mention can mean thousands of visits to your website or your product.

Your audience may be there. Opportunities certainly exist there.

Should you be there, too?

It's a tricky question to answer because one of the first rules for marketing on Reddit -- one of the first rules for marketing on any social media site, really -- is that you have to be genuinely engaged and committed to the communities you're part of.

But there's good news. You can gain so much from the awesome people at Reddit whether or not you have the time to fully dive in. Yes, there are marketing tactics to drive meaningful traffic. But there are also a handful of other ways to benefit by learning from the community, engaging with the community, and building a thoughtful Reddit strategy.

We'll talk about it all in this week's episode. Come along!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/reddit-marketing/

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

How to Get the Very Most out of Buffer (Tips From the Team)

So much of social media marketing happens in our social media management tools. On today's episode, we want to make sure this feels like time well spent!

We’d love to let you in on all the best secrets and time savers and game changers when it comes to using Buffer for your social media marketing. Plus, we’ll take things one step further and dive into some shortcuts and hacks to get the most out of Buffer plus marketing tools like Zapier, Pocket, Feedly, AirTable, Trello, and more.

Here's hoping you find some new workflows and quick tips to get even more out of Buffer. You got this!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/best-buffer-tips/

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Grade Your Marketing for Free With These 10+ Tools

If you want to know if you've checked all the right boxes for your marketing, then look no further than this set of free marketing graders.

You can see whether or not your social profiles are set up correctly, how well your website performs, how solid your brand seems. Grading tools can reveal a huge number of checkmarks to celebrate as well as a host of opportunities to shore up.

In today's episode, we'll show you 10 of our very favorite graders that reveal deep insight into your marketing ... and all you have to do is type in your brand, your handle, or your website. We hope you enjoy and that you find some encouraging scores that validate your hard work!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/website-graders-content-scores

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Inside the World of Micro-Influencers, the Influencer Strategy Getting the Best Results Today

They say bigger is better ... but in the case of influencer strategy, we think the opposite could be true!

The latest data shows that micro-influencers, influencers with 10,000 or fewer followers, are getting the best results for brands and businesses. More engagement, more clicks, and lower ROI.

Join us for this episode as we dive into the world of micro-influencers and explain the ins and outs of this new trend toward going small with your influencer campaigns. If you're keen to dip your toe into influencer marketing or if you're just interested in a strategy shakeup, then we think you'll find a lot to love in this episode!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/micro-influencers

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Best Instagram Apps for Marketers: The Rise of the Single-Job, Standalone App

The Instagram app by itself is supremely powerful.

But did you know all the best apps to take your Instagram marketing to even greater heights?

The trend of single-job, standalone apps has brought a huge amount of power into the hands of social media marketers, and we can’t wait to share our favorite picks with you today. Join us as we discuss how this trend has changed the game for social media, plus get your wishlist started with a number of the top apps for iOS and Android to help make your social media shine even brighter.

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/instagram-apps

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

The Best New Pinterest Marketing Strategies Working Today

How are brands and businesses succeeding on Pinterest today?

And how can you follow their playbooks to make waves yourself?

We go deep on all things Pinterest marketing in this episode. Join us as we explain the latest strategies, best content tips, and newest distribution tactics to help you get results on Pinterest and drive more engagement and clicks. There are lots of people getting amazing results on Pinterest. We want you to be among them!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/pinterest-tips

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

8 Fun Things to Try on Instagram You Probably Haven't Thought of Before

It can be hard to stay on top of the latest news for everything that’s coming to social media. We'd love to help you. This episode of The Science of Social Media takes a dive into Instagram marketing with a look at eight little-known features that you can try today.

We want to ensure you get maximum exposure for your brand on Insta. These tips may be just the thing to help you stand out. Here's hoping!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/linkedin-profile-audit

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

How tentree created a record-breaking Instagram campaign

Welcome to a special edition of the Buffer podcast.

In this episode, the team from tentree will share exactly how they created and launched an Instagram campaign that generated more than 15.5 million likes on a single post, making it the fourth most-liked post in Instagram history.

How did tentree write itself into the Instagram record books? What did the strategy behind the post look like? And aside from a bunch of likes, how did this post impact the company?

In this episode, we’ll answer all of those questions and more with exclusive interviews and insights from the team that created this incredible campaign.

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/tentree-earth-day-social-media-campaign

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Need a Chatbot Marketing Strategy? We've Got You Covered

When you think of chatbot marketing, what comes to mind?

Opinions run the gamut from fear — “What’ll it be like to entrust my customer service to a computer?” — to humor — “Here comes the robot apocalypse!” But reality is that there are marketing teams and support teams and sales teams making serious progress with their chatbot strategies.

We want to help you be one of those brands with a rockin' chatbot strategy.

In this post, we'll go deep into the world of messenger bots to give you the details on how to develop a best-in-class chatbot strategy. We’ll answer your questions about best practices for a nearly-human chatbot experience as well as how to get the most value out of chatbots on Facebook Messenger, Twitter, WhatsApp, and more.

Here we go!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/linkedin-profile-audit

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Marie Kondo-ing Your LinkedIn: The LinkedIn Audit Blueprint to Help Your Profile Shine

We wish for you to have the very best, most fulfilling career possible, doing work that you love.

And one of the best routes to that dream job is having a dreamy LinkedIn profile!

We'll show you how.

Today we’re giving you a checklist for a LinkedIn makeover. We’ll provide many different ways to optimize your LinkedIn profile and boost your presence - and the presence of your brand - so that you can shine.

Whether you’re looking for your next great job, seeking to grow your thought leadership, or wanting to build a better brand, we have the tips for you. Listen to find out the best ways to make over your presence on LinkedIn … today!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/linkedin-profile-audit

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

The Most Essential (and Surprising) Social Media Statistics and Facts of 2019

What role do social media stats and facts play in your day-to-day?

As social media marketers, we do our best to be data-informed with the decisions we make for our social media strategy at Buffer. Social media stats make a difference.

Plus, you never know when you'll need a good trivia tidbit to impress at a party. :P

In this episode, we hope you'll find it all: both the necessary stats and facts to inform your social media decisions plus some social media numbers that will surprise and entertain.

Listen to hear the numbers on social media demographics, usage, trends, and much more. We hope these statistics and facts will arm you with the knowledge you need to build an even stronger social media strategy.

- Dave & Bonnie

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/social-media-manager-job-description

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Tiny Tips for Delivering Out-of-This-World Customer Support on Social Media

If you’re serious about building a remarkable brand on social media, we believe that a core component of your strategy needs to be engagement.

Engagement with fans.

Engagement with your audience.

And engagement with your customers.

One of the primary components to engagement is customer support, working with your team to answer questions and serve customers on social.

In today's episode, we’ll give you a toolbox filled to the brim with ideas, tips, and tools that you can put into practice today. With this knowledge, you can be on the crest of the wave of social media support and make a meaningful impression on your customers.

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/social-media-manager-job-description

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

What If Instagram Got Rid Of Likes? Plus Even More Social Media What Ifs

What if you had a magic wand and could make any change you wanted on social media?

Quite a question, right? Well, we dove into the many different what if scenarios -- both real and imagined -- that may shape social media in the months and years to come. We pulled up all the latest news and changes so that you’ll know what to expect next on social. And we also polled the Science of Social Media listeners to see what they’d change on social media if they had a magic wand.

In today's episode, we cover the big ideas that could shape the way that you do social media marketing for your brand or business. We hope you enjoy!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/social-media-manager-job-description

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

The 7 Important Skills You Need to Be a Successful Social Media Marketer

A decade ago, the role of a social media manager might not have even existed. Today, however, almost every company is involved in social media one way or another.

But what does it take to be a great social media manager? What are the skills to master in order to be effective in 2019?

In this episode, we'll cover the primary skills that we employ for social media here at Buffer, plus a few skills we’ve noticed in social media managers around the web. A social media manager has a toolbox filled to the brim; come peek inside the toolbox with us and see what we find!

- Dave & Heather-Mae

P.S. In this week's episode we mention Buffer's newest feature for Instagram marketers: First Comment scheduling. We'd love for you to take it for a spin by starting a new trial at https://buffer.com.

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/social-media-manager-job-description

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

Why Brands are Turning to Spotify as the Next Big Social Platform

There are so many social networks to choose from today: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest. Maybe YouTube? Maybe Reddit?

We'd love to let you in on a secret one that's flying under the radar.

Spotify!

We’ve spent time digging into the rise of Spotify as a social media platform, used by today’s hottest brands. The results have been fascinating. We believe that Spotify is fast becoming a core platform for engaging with customers — through paid ads of course, but also through an organic presence. We’d love to tell you how these brands are doing it.

A huge bonus - some of what we’re going share is easy to set up and free to experiment with!

Listen in to see how the music streaming giant can drive your brand forward and present some unique and exciting opportunities to connect with your audience.

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/get-more-followers-2019

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out on Twitter - www.twitter.com/buffer

How to Get (Real!) Followers on Social Media in 2019

One of the most popular topics in social media marketing is how to get more followers. And not just any followers --- real followers, no bots. Brands want to grow their followers authentically by adding real people who love the brand and are looking to engage.

This is no small task on social media in 2019!

We've dug into the research on all the latest follower trends and how new brands are growing from zero to 10,000 followers and how established brands are going from 10,000, beyond. Today’s most popular brands and influencers have given us a roadmap for how to grow your social media following. We’re talking about real tactics to get real followers — no bots, no shady shortcuts. We’ll give you fresh ideas that you can try today so that you can boost your follower count on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and more.

- Dave & Heather-Mae

Read the Show Notes:

https://buffer.com/resources/get-more-followers-2019

About the Show:

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing strategies from brands and influencers in every industry. If you're a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you're sure to find something useful in each episode. It's our hope that you'll join our 27,000+ listeners each week and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

We'd love for you to check out the detailed show notes at www.buffer.com/podcast

Check us out on Instagram - www.instagram.com/buffer

Check us out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/bufferapp

Check us out

The Science of Social Media

By Buffer

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