Today’s guest is Alicia Johnston, Senior Manager of Content and Communications at Sprout Social, an exciting social media software company that enables brands and marketers to understand and reach their audience, engage their community, and measure performance. Alicia is the driving force behind all of the content on the Sprout Insights blog, covering the latest trends and guiding their data reports with a keen eye for spotting emerging trends in the digital space. This episode hinges on these emerging trends for 2021, and Alicia has some incredible insight into not just the practical side of social marketing and what is coming in the year ahead but also an important emotional perspective.One of the things that stands out about this interview is Alicia’s three-pronged approach to customer service, which entails understanding your role in creating an amazing customer experience, especially when it comes to social media. Tuning in, you’ll find out why Alicia believes that social media insights should be a huge determining factor in business objectives and decisions and the positive impact that regular check-ins can have on the mental health of social marketers after such a tumultuous year. She also shares her advice for small businesses, freelancers, and solopreneurs to build brand awareness and be part of the conversation, even without a team to turn to, and how brands can put diversity and empathy into action on social in strategic ways in 2021. Tune in today!Key Points From This Episode:Discover a bit more about Alicia’s career journey and how she got to where she is today.More about Sprout software and the role social plays in moving a business forward.Alicia explains how you can use social listening to inform your broader business strategy.Why influencers in all their forms are critical right now when everyone is working remotely.The value of content marketing for software companies and brands in the digital space.Examples of what smaller businesses can do with data to build brand awareness.Highlights from the most recent Sprout Social Index, including increased expectations for customer service through social media.Brands and TikTok; you don’t need a presence to stay informed about the trends!Alicia’s three-pronged approach to customer service: preemptive, reactive, and proactive.What social marketers can do better, including building what Alicia calls ‘cyclical loyalty’.The benefits of strategic silence versus ‘going dark’ when it comes to crisis communications.Why Alicia believes starting with curiosity is crucial when looking to enter the conversation.Advice for freelancers and solopreneurs who don’t have a team to turn to: be transparent.A key takeaway from 2020: why social media managers and teams need to be critical players in business decision making.The difficult but necessary conversations about the mental health of social media teams.Links MBuzzcastKeep up to date on the latest podcasting tech & news with the folks at Buzzsprout!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Waves with Mike (@mmmiiike) and Mitzi (@mmmitzi). For more from Arcade, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @helloarcade. https://www.arcadearcade.ca/S6 - present Production by Morgan Berna, editing by Harrison Neef.