Marketing Happy Hour - Growing a Community on Social | Karissa Widder of Kindred by K

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey there, welcome to the Marketing Happy Hour podcast, where each week we're learning career-defining advice, powerful social media strategies, unique creative tips, groundbreaking influencer marketing tactics, and more from marketing experts that represent some of the world's leading brands. Let's dive in. Grab a drink and join your hosts, Cassie and Erica, for this week's episode. Today, you'll hear from Carissa Witter, social media marketing agency owner in Austin, Texas. Carissa is an Instagram and creativity queen who created hashtag camera roll crumbs. The day in and day out, not so curated moments of your life that deserve to be seen. The photo bits that tell a story.

Starting point is 00:00:59 This initiative has taken Instagram by storm, and I know I'll be partaking in this trend as soon as possible. Throughout her career, Carissa went from working at Chick-fil-A serving chicken sandwiches, to running her Chick-fil-A branch's social media accounts, to going to school for peach pathology, to dropping out of school, to switching careers back to marketing, and eventually starting her own firm. How, you ask? You'll just have to listen in to today's episode. Grab a pen and paper and dive into this week's conversation where Carissa teaches us how to level up our creativity online, build community first, and use social media as a platform for good. Hey, Carissa, how are you? I'm good. How are you? I'm doing well. I'm super excited to be speaking with you and to see social media and personal branding through your eyes.

Starting point is 00:01:52 I've been following you for quite some time. So when I saw that one of your 2022 goals was to be a guest on a podcast, I knew we had to make this happen. So I'm super excited that you're here. But before we jump in, I do have an important question for you that we ask all of our guests and that is what is in your glass tonight? This is marketing happy hour after all. Okay. This might be a lame happy hour drink, but it's my favorite summer drink and it's a La Croix. It's very, very hot in Austin. So I need something cool all the time. So I am drinking a lot of that. What, what flavor do you have? I have key lime right now, but I really like the limoncello also. Those are my favorite. Ooh, I haven't tried key lime, but the limoncello one is really,

Starting point is 00:02:33 really good. And unlike what people say, I think they actually taste like fruit. Not just like you walked in. I actually think they taste good. So that's why you're like you know what I'm not on the train of hating on LaCroix no I'm like team LaCroix here so oh my gosh my one of my really good friends just came over she um is pregnant and by the time this comes out she will have had her beautiful baby girl but we just had a couple mocktails so um I made a, it's called with company. It's a cocktail mixer company based out of Nashville and it's like their bouquet one. So it's lavender and rose and all that good stuff mixed with Blake Lively has this new brand called Betty buzz and it's like cocktail mixers, like more of the soda water, tonic water type thing. Um, so I had a little bit of the grapefruit, like tonic water that she does

Starting point is 00:03:33 and you just mix them together and it's actually so good. So highly recommend. I would say that sounds much better than mine. So I'll do that next time. Oh my gosh. Yeah. Just add a little splash of LaCroix. I feel like it would make it all work. Right. That sounds very good. Yeah. Just add a little splash of LaCroix. I feel like it would make it all work. Right. That sounds very good. Yeah. So I'd love for our listeners to just hear a little bit about your background, how you kind of got your start in social. I saw on your LinkedIn that you manage social at Chick-fil-A. So like, I love Chick-fil-A, love to hear about that. And then just tell us a little bit about your favorite projects, what you're kind of focused on now and how everything has happened in your career.

Starting point is 00:04:11 Well, honestly, when I think back to how it's happened, I'm like, whoa, I didn't even realize this was happening. When I started, I feel like I started out like every other girl just posting on Instagram. Like it wasn't, it wasn't a planned thing, I guess I would say. And we were doing like a lot of traveling back in high school. And I just like, we were curious, like, of course I'm going to post about it on Instagram. And so that's where it started was just like sharing what I was doing. And I don't know, I'm not trying to like toot my own horn here, but I've always just had like a good Instagram. I don't know why I just like it was always it always looks good she really does like I'm not trying to like it just looks good um we

Starting point is 00:04:50 all have our own strengths um and so that's kind of just how it started so I was doing that all through high school and then towards the end of high school I like needed an actual job that made money um not just filled my creativity. So that's when I started working at Chick-fil-A just as like a regular, like chicken nugget employee. And I did that for about a year and a half. And then I just, I couldn't wear the uniform anymore. I couldn't do it. And so I was trying to figure out a way to like stay there without working the same roles I was doing. And so I don't remember how this happened, but one of the marketing girls left and the position was open

Starting point is 00:05:27 and somehow I weaseled my way in. And then somehow that turned into me doing the social media, which was really fun. I loved getting to like learn the corporate initiatives and then I just did it for our store. And so I would like work with the corporate to like understand what the initiatives were for the next couple of months

Starting point is 00:05:44 and then share that and just like take photos of chicken nuggets. Like it was just really fun. That's awesome. It was very low stakes and like a great way to learn. And so that's what I did all through high school until I went to college. So then when I got to college, I somehow ended up in a job where I was running the social media for our school. And that was super fun because I was a much larger audience. I went to a smaller private university, so it wasn't

Starting point is 00:06:09 huge. Like it's not like a state school or anything, but it was a really great experience for, you know, we're representing a lot of different people. We have to make sure that we're like inclusive, diverse. And that was just great training for me on understanding how to be creative and use strategy, but also like keep in mind other things. And so I just really loved that. And then there were all kinds of events I had to cover. So I would like go with my phone, you know, sit front row and just, it was really fun. And that is kind of how I got started. But the entire time in school, I was studying to be a speech therapist. So this was all like a side, like side gig, I guess. Oh, that's awesome. Well,

Starting point is 00:06:45 how did you get from speech pathology to full-time social? Walk us through that journey. Great question. Again, I don't really know how I ended up in either. I was in speech path the whole time as my undergrad degree. And then I went to grad school for one semester so I was pretty deep in speak pathology which for those that don't know it's like helping kids learn to talk we work with babies who are nursing and having latch issues older people who are having trouble swallowing like it's a very wide range um and obviously I still care about that a lot but I was feeling kind of a little misled in the grad school community. They were, they all knew I was really creative and they were like, oh, you can use your creativity in the field.

Starting point is 00:07:32 And then when I got there, I was like, actually, I can't really do that. And so I was kind of feeling these things and a little bit frustrated. And then I met my husband on hinge, which is a whole different story. I love that story, by the way. Thank you. I was saying people can go to my Instagram and like look on the highlights because there's a lot about that. But I met my husband and he lived in a different town than I was in school. And so I was kind of like, well, I want to be with him and I don't want to be here and I don't want to be doing this. And that was when I was like, okay, I'm going to leave grad school. So I was one semester in, and then I called all my professors and was like, Hey, I'm dropping out. And like, they were all like, one of them said she was

Starting point is 00:08:10 disappointed, but not surprised, which I was like, okay. They all know that I just like love doing creative things. And, you know, I believe I have a gift in that. And so to me, it was kind of confusing and it didn't feel like that gift was being used. So it's fun now to be able to use that every single day and grow that skill instead of just having it be something I do once my homework's done. So that was definitely a very scary jump, but I'm obviously really glad I did it. Yeah, absolutely. What have been some of your favorite projects so far in this journey of being a social media strategist? I think just starting my business, I think I was really, I honestly thought I couldn't do it for a long time. And so I think that's like the number one thing I want to, the message I want to spread is that you can do it. It's not that hard, actually.

Starting point is 00:09:02 It's just getting started. Cause I know a lot of girls want to do it. They want to get into social media and marketing, but they don't know how. And like, you just have to do it. It's not that hard, actually. It's just getting started. Cause I know a lot of girls want to do it. They want to get into social media and marketing, but they don't know how I'm like, you just have to do it. There's no like one path in. So I think that's what I'm most proud of. I'm really proud of my like pad fundraiser that I do every single year. That's not necessarily a work project, but I think social media is just such a great outlet to advocate for things you're passionate about. It's a great way to share your skills, like your dreams with people. And I love doing that both personally and professionally. So that's probably my favorite project that I've done. And what I'm focused on right now is just figuring out the new algorithm

Starting point is 00:09:40 and, but more importantly, figuring out how I'm going to adapt every single time, because as soon as I figure out this one, it's going to change again. And so I just want to learn to be better at adapting no matter what it is. Yeah, absolutely. I taking a pause just from this whole conversation. I'd love to hear more about the initiative, about the pad fundraiser. If you want to share, um, I know our listeners would love to hear that too. Yeah. So a couple of Galentine's days ago or Valentine's, whatever you want to call it, we were having a party and I was like, we should have this. Like to me, it just felt like there was something missing. And I don't remember how I had heard about it,

Starting point is 00:10:20 but I had heard of someone who was like gathering pads and feminine hygiene products to donate to women's shelters for women who don't have access to those. And so I just asked my friends to bring some and they brought a lot. And then I was like, wait, I should do this every year. And it's a fun, like Galentine's tradition. Like we're supporting other women and it's just grown. And I've done it on Instagram the past few years because obviously the pandemic kind of put parties on pause, but it's still been cool to see people rally and just support. And that's something I love to do. So, yeah, no, I love that so much. I've seen that on your social media, but it's cool to just hear like the inspiration behind it. And when I was little,

Starting point is 00:10:59 instead of having a birthday party every year, I would have a Valentine's day party, but it was basically just like all the girls in my class. And so Galentine's, Valentine's has a really great spot in my heart. And I think that's such a fun initiative to do and to just give back around that holiday. I think that's amazing. So Carissa, when you got out of grad school, what was next for you? A lot of time on LinkedIn looking for jobs. Thankfully, I did have some obviously creative experience on my resume and I was able to find a job in an agency in Austin and they specialize in branding, mostly like graphic design and branding with a little bit of social media for interior designers. And so that's when I moved to Austin and I transitioned and had another

Starting point is 00:11:46 close friend who's a mentor to me. She also had me come on and help her with some clients. She just does social media management. And she really just like taught me how to run a business, how to interact with clients, how to price things, which is really tricky. So I'm very, very thankful to her. Totally. She changed my life, honestly. So I could cry, but she just really helped me. And so then I was at the agency for six months. And then right when we got married, my contract ended. And so I just, I had a couple of clients on my own that I had gained organically. And then I just decided like, obviously I had a husband at that point. So I was like, I'm fine for now. And so I was able to take that jump and then go into full-time social media management on my own.

Starting point is 00:12:30 And that I had been doing for almost a year. So that was kind of my journey out of speech path and then into social media management. That's so awesome. Okay. So what is the process like then for an individual or brand client that wants to start working with you? How do you kind of set up those contracts and determine deliverables and measure success and make sure it's all, it's all a well-oiled machine. How do you get going with that? Right. I definitely will say I knew, and so I'm still oiling my machine and figuring out how it's built. And I really, one thing I really value is just like friendship and honesty with my clients. And so I'm not super contract, like nitty gritty.

Starting point is 00:13:13 That's just not how I, and that's not how my clients work either. So we have a great relationship and I'm really thankful for that. And it's not like, oh, like this isn't a contract for you. Like I want to serve them. And my goal is to help them grow their social media and feel confident in it. And so that's kind of how I work. So we do have contracts. I, my clients are on monthly retainers, but I just really love helping them. And I love building that relationship. So it's not like a super, like, Oh, the contract said I need to call my lawyer. Like we're not about that. Um, as far as working together, we just want to make sure that like, this is something I really learned at my agency job. And I think for anyone who's wants to work

Starting point is 00:13:54 in social media, you need to work with people that you like connect with. And I think just like, you're not going to be friends with everybody who you walk in a room with, like, you're not going to be best friends with everybody. And likewise, you're not going to be friends with everybody who you walk in a room with, like, you're not going to be best friends with everybody. And likewise, you're not going to be the best fit for every client. And so I have tried to vet them. Obviously everyone's amazing. So I'm not saying like some people are like they're too low. No, that's not what I'm saying.

Starting point is 00:14:19 But some people like, we just have different working style and we're not going to work well together. And that's not bad it's just truth um and so I think that has been a huge thing for me that has just made the process so much easier um as far as like contracts and deliverables go like we build a friendship and we work together um and I also think I'm in a space where I'm not going after as far as reaching out to new clients I'm not going after, as far as reaching out to new clients, I'm not going after the ones that like a typical Gen Z millennial social media manager might. I think there's a huge gap for like older women who run businesses, but don't want to manage social and their businesses

Starting point is 00:14:58 are successful, but they just, they don't know how to do it. And so that's kind of where I step in and that's the market I'm in. And I love it. And in terms of measuring success, one thing I really share with my clients and I hammer on is that it's not about the followers. It's about how booked your business is. So if your business is doing well, for reference, most of my clients are like interior designers. I have a winery, some photographers. So they're all a little different. So it's hard to measure like exactly. But if their business is doing well, then, my goal in their social media is to serve the people who love them, who follow them because they love their work, not just, oh, this video is cool. I'm going to follow and like never interact with their content. Right. And I think like the vanity metrics are really tempting to, and it's something for clients to be like, oh,

Starting point is 00:15:59 well like this post only got 30 likes, but yeah, you're booked till December. Like that's fine. And so I just think it's really important for everyone to keep in mind on social media, whether you're a social media manager, a business owner, or just a person that likes don't really matter. And that followers are just numbers. So that's my tip for measuring success. No, that's awesome. I really think that people need to hear that, especially today as things are changing and people aren't even seeing posts, at least on Instagram, as much as they used to. And like our, their engagement is just tanking and people are freaking out about it. I think what you said about as long as your business is booked, like that's okay. Driving awareness to your business is really

Starting point is 00:16:45 what social media is all about, especially now. So, and providing a place to connect with people. So, right. And I've even seen in the interior design community, it's a little bit older women, like thirties, forties, not old, but they I've seen a lot of pushback to like reels and Instagram stories because they want to keep it the way it was. So if a client, if I start pushing all these young millennial Gen Z trends on them, that's not what they want. So I think it's really important to understand that it's your audience and you manage success

Starting point is 00:17:18 within the audience, not the overall Instagram trend, if that makes sense. No, that's really good. That's a really great point. Thanks for sharing that. So Carissa, what are some of your top social media tips just overall? This is very cliche, but don't overthink it. It's so social media is such a blip in the scope of life. Like a post is a second, someone scrolls past it. And so obviously, yeah, we want to put thought and intention and, you know, make things look good and have it be strategic. But there's also a point where it's like, okay, this is just social media.

Starting point is 00:17:57 We don't need to overthink it. We're not curing cancer. We're just posting on Instagram and that's great, but it doesn't have to be overthought. And I think when you relax a little bit, it creates room to be organic and have fun. And that's what people love is they love something fresh and they love just something they can relate to, not this like overthought, perfectly punctuated post. So that is my tip to anyone, whether you're just doing it for fun or for business. No, that's super important.

Starting point is 00:18:26 That's really, really good. If someone is just starting out, what advice would you give them to succeed on each platform? I, okay. I don't really do TikTok very much. So I'm only going to speak to Instagram. That's my specialty. I would say really utilize the community aspect. I think I have gotten all of my clients through Instagram and I don't have a ton of followers.

Starting point is 00:18:51 I'm an example of you can have a great result come from Instagram without being like having a blue checkmark. That doesn't matter. So I would just say building community through responding to comments, messages, engaging with people. That's really where I have seen the biggest growth. And what I do for my clients as well is just really like be more of a person than just posts, if that makes sense. So that would probably be best. Obviously, you know, be consistent, be relevant, but also utilize the community aspect. Yeah, definitely. And you're kind of the queen of that. It comes along with personal branding too. You're like the queen of community on Instagram. So I'd love to just hear how you consistently engage with your audience

Starting point is 00:19:36 to build that loyal following that you're talking about. Well, thank you. I, sometimes I feel like I post too much, but I just love using it. I think especially as I have transitioned out of speech path into social media, going from being single to now being married, I just have really appreciated all the relationships that I've someone else responds and they're like me too. And so that just helps. Um, and that motivates me to make more because I want people to feel that same thing when they see something. Um, so I feel like that's just how I do it. And I also just love to do it for fun. And so that helps that it's not a tour for me. It's a joy not to be cheesy, but that just helps because it is what I love to do. And I think that shows through what I post. Yeah. You're definitely unique in that. Cause we do hear a lot of like social media professionals that just like get so bogged

Starting point is 00:20:31 down with their day-to-day work that social just becomes equal to work almost. And there's like no joy left in it for them. I just would love to hear how you kind of separate that. How do you separate your own social from your client work? How do you keep coming up with fresh and creative ideas for your own social while also having these compartments in your brain, keeping in mind your clients? I just feel like that's so hard to do.

Starting point is 00:20:57 And I would just love to hear your thought process. All right. It definitely is hard. I think one thing I've had to do for myself is treat myself like a client because my Instagram is pretty much my main marketing for my business. So I have to stay relevant and on it. I can't just disappear. So I think about myself like a client and I would do this for a client. Okay. I'm going to do it for me. But obviously there's a lot less pressure

Starting point is 00:21:22 with myself. And so that makes it more fun and more just I can do it really fast and then also I would say everything is pretty strategic that I post I am like testing stuff that I'm going to use on my clients and so I think it's a great way to use your it's great to use your social media as kind of a testing ground for things that you might not want to test on a client's account and so, so that's what I do. And like, you might be able to tell based on what I'm posting, but it's like a combo of those two things. So I love that. There's one thing that I love that you consistently post and that's the camera roll crumbs series. Um, what inspired that? And like, how do you continue to come up with fun ideas like that and Q and A's and things

Starting point is 00:22:05 like that? I, okay. So camera roll crumb started a couple of years ago. This was before the photo dumps were cool. So I like to say I started it, but I know that's not true. But I was in Germany for study abroad and I just had all these photos and I wanted to just share them, but they weren't like a picture of me or like something I would actually post. So I just did a carousel of all of them and called them camera roll crumbs. And that's kind of how it started. And I think Instagram has shifted this way more. So it's not

Starting point is 00:22:33 as like a novel concept anymore. Um, but just sharing things that you might overlook normally, um, and just not putting too much pressure on every photo to be perfect. And again, I think that really like aligns with what I believe and how I run social media accounts. So it doesn't have to be perfect. But those moments really show like what life really is. And so I love that. So I've been doing it ever since.

Starting point is 00:22:56 And now photo dumps are cool. So it's kind of different, but I still started it. That's awesome. I love that. I think it's really important to share like the day-to-day too not just the shiny pictures on Instagram which I'm like horrible at taking my own advice here but all I post are like I went to this coffee shop look at this place that I went I never post like day-to-day stuff but maybe I'll start and I'll tag you and I'll be like this is my camera roll crumbs I can do coffee shop crumbs that would be fun there you go I could be like, this is my camera roll crumbs. I can do coffee shop crumbs.

Starting point is 00:23:25 That would be fun. There you go. I could. Yeah. Inspired by Carissa. Love it. Just in addition to social too, you also have a really fun newsletter on email.

Starting point is 00:23:40 I'd love to hear a little more about how you concept ideas for the newsletter, why email is important to you, why going beyond social is important to you, all of that stuff. Right. Well, I definitely think the new algorithm shifts have really highlighted that you can't rely on one platform. And just like people say to diversify your income, so you have multiple streams. I think the same goes for any social media, any brand, really. You want to diversify how you're connecting with your customer, your client. That's not necessarily the reason I do it. I just think it's fun. I love reading emails. I don't know if anyone remembers those old like email chains you would do. Yeah. Yep.

Starting point is 00:24:18 Like forward this in 24 hours or like your pet will die or something weird. All these questions. So I feel like I grew up on that and I just still love, I love emails. I love writing a lot. It brings me a lot of joy and it's a really good creative like practice for me. Since I am writing captions all day long, I feel like writing personally just helps me get sharper. So I look at it as more of an exercise than like, I'm just gonna sit down and type. So that's been super helpful for me just to grow in that area. But I love just picking a fun theme and running with it. Yeah. So that's so awesome. We're trying to start an email list. We're trying to keep up with it. But I love like looking into other people's emails and seeing what they're doing. We did have on one of our last seasons of the podcast and like an email copy expert. She's a ethical copy expert, Carson Murray. I don't know if you follow her or anything on social media, but her email newsletter is so good too. And both of yours are like,

Starting point is 00:25:18 I always look forward to it. So I haven't heard of her. I'm going to go subscribe because I need more emails to read. Honestly, that aren't just like ads to buy things. Yeah, no, I totally agree with that. I'd love to hear what some of your predictions are for the future of social media. Is there anything that you're testing or exploring? I know you were just kind of talking about trying to figure out the algorithm and just continue to figure out like how you're going to keep up with all of that. I mean, we all are trying to figure out the algorithm and just continue to figure out

Starting point is 00:25:45 like how you're going to keep up with all of that. I mean, we all are trying to figure that out, but anything that you're seeing that you think could be a big part of the future. Right. I mean, you definitely don't need me to tell you this, but video obviously. But I think there are a lot of people who don't want to do videos like traditional videos and so I've been experiencing with like text that's moving and just kind of turning carousel graphics into videos just to see what the engagement is on that I think it's hard to predict social media because we really have no idea but I definitely this is just me predicting for myself um I definitely think like NFTs and we will all shift into that um which I think those are fascinating and I love like

Starting point is 00:26:30 learning about that I definitely don't understand it well enough to like same take one but I think that's definitely where we're heading especially for brands using them as like tickets to get into events and stuff like that. So I think within the next 10 years, like social media, as we know, it will be so different. So yeah, I think the internet as a whole, as we know it, I was just talking about this earlier with a coworker. There's, it's just going to be entirely different than what we have now. And we actually just like looked, we looked at this article and it was like, millennials are aging out of the internet because the internet that they kind of grew up with and built actually is totally not the same

Starting point is 00:27:12 internet that we have now and that's why you see like gen z's popping on tiktok and like making fun of the millennial that says like doggo or one of those like buzzwords that is apparently cringy now which I don't know I've never said it so I don't know right um that's just like we can't keep up with what's like choogy and what's not anymore yeah I guess I don't know man which I think is why it's really important to be flexible and that's something I want to grow in and like just learning to adapt all these changes instead of being like upset that it's not the same anymore because I think it's definitely easy to be angry when you're really good at something and then it changes and like it's not as valuable so that's a goal for myself is just learning to adapt and be flexible and roll

Starting point is 00:27:58 with it instead of being oh why is Instagram changing because it's just going to keep doing that so yeah absolutely I have um some friends that work in the social media space and every time they see Adam the head of Instagram get on and do like a reel they're like mad about it because they're like this just means another change that I don't want to deal with and I'm like honestly it's not their it's not your company so you're gonna have to adapt to whatever they're doing at Instagram, which is kind of a headache, but also kind of exciting. I don't know. Right. It's like whatever way you look at it. So exactly. Carissa, what are some of your ultimate career goals? Where do you kind of see yourself? I don't like saying in five years,

Starting point is 00:28:41 but you know, in the near future, you do also kind of have a really good eye for design. You can tell from just your social media feed. Do you have any design aspirations or anything like that beyond social? Not necessarily design. I actually think I love writing more. I love to write in kind of like a witty, quippy style, which I think is kind of rare. And so I want to see where that takes me. Um, I honestly, when I dropped out of grad school, I had no vision, all my vision for my life changed because in speech path, it's a very set career path. Um, and so I think this year I've just been really open to whatever comes through.

Starting point is 00:29:22 Um, and so I really have no predictions. I'm just going to do what I can enjoy it. And there have been a lot of doors that have opened for me. And so I'm just going to keep going through those open doors. And if one shuts and redirect, that's not a great answer, but that is my answer. No, I love that. I think it's important to allow yourself to be open opportunities like that and not have to feel like you're, I don't know, like you're, you're supposed to have a plan or you're supposed to have it all figured out. Like we're just floating around on this earth. Like nothing is planned, right? It's, we can figure

Starting point is 00:29:58 out what we're supposed to be doing. We don't have to do a standard. So I do have one thing planned though. I have been running my business just like under my name. And so I'm launching like a, like actual website and actual like LLC. So that'll be coming later in the fall. So I'm excited about that. And like, it's becoming more official and I'm just really excited to see that change. So, Oh, that'll be awesome. I'm so excited. When in the fall are you thinking? I literally don't know. Okay. I was going to say if it's out by the time this podcast comes out, we'll add it in the show notes, but if not, that's okay too. It actually might be, and that might be a good motivator. I'm waiting

Starting point is 00:30:36 on the branding right now. So I'm like, who knows, but that would be a good motivator for me. Yeah. Well, we're nearing the end of our interview here. I've loved everything that you've said. I feel like every time I've, I asked a question, you had like the perfect answer. And I was just like over here nodding. I'm like, yes, I fully agree. That's amazing. So, um, I'd love to ask this last question. We ask all of our guests. We love to ask the question. Is there anything that you know now that you wish you knew when you started your career? I honestly just think that it's possible. I think I talked myself out of being creative pretty much my entire life. And when I finally decided to do it, I was kind of unsure if it was actually going to happen or if I was going to have to go back to working at Chick-fil-A. So hoping that

Starting point is 00:31:25 didn't happen, but I think just realizing that it's not as unachievable as it looks. I think for girls who want to get into social media, it just starts with like DMing someone and asking if they need help. And then it just kind of snowballs from there. And I think that was really encouraging to know. And also, I guess another thing is that nobody actually knows what they're doing. And so there's people who I've looked up to and admired. And then when I've actually talked to them, they're like, yeah, I'm just like figuring it out too. And so don't learning to not idolize people who are way ahead of me, I think has been

Starting point is 00:31:59 super helpful. And I wish I had known that not everybody knows what they're doing all the time and that's okay. Yeah, that was huge for me. I feel like as I continue on in my career, I've done the same thing and I've looked up to people and they, every time they peel back the curtain and they're like, I have just as much as an idea of what I'm doing as any other person. Like it's very shocking, but also just very comforting at the same time. Cause you're like, okay, I'm not alone. I can do this.

Starting point is 00:32:28 I am like the creative powerhouse that I dream that I am. And I love it. It's empowering to know that like you can figure it out and that's what everyone else has done and we can do it too. So I agree. Yeah, absolutely. Well, where can everybody find you follow along with everything that you're doing? See your camera roll crumbs, learn about your hinge husband, all of the good

Starting point is 00:32:51 stuff. Where can they find you? They can follow me on Instagram. It's Carissa Witter and just don't be alarmed if every single day, my stories have a lot of dashes. Um, that's just normal. And then I also have a website. It's my name, Chris the Witter, and that will be changing when I have my business, but for now just go there and then they can sign up for my emails on my website. You just go to the website page and scroll to the bottom. And I promise they're fun emails. I like to think of my emails as like journal entries. And so they're fun and personal. They're not like trying to smooth you into buying anything. So anyway, that's where they can find me. Love that. Thank you so much for joining us. I feel like I've been

Starting point is 00:33:29 meaning to reach out to you for a long time to just chat. And I'm glad that we got to do it here. And I'm sure that I know I'm going to be coming to Austin eventually this year, because I have said that like maybe five times the past three years, I'm like, I'm going to go to Austin this time. I've had flights booked. I've been all ready to go. And then something happens every single time that prevents me from going. So we'll see. I'll make it there eventually. And when I do, maybe we can have a marketing happy hour in person. I was going to say an actual happy hour. I would love that. Let me know. I will. I will. Thank you so much again for joining us. Thank you for having me.

Starting point is 00:34:10 I hope this conversation inspired you to go after your dreams and to build something that's uniquely you. Make sure to check out Carissa online and partake in camera roll crumbs with Erica and me. Thanks for listening to Marketing Happy Hour as always. If you enjoyed this week's episode, drop a quick review down below for us. It means so much.

Starting point is 00:34:31 See you next week.

Marketing Happy Hour - Growing a Community on Social | Karissa Widder of Kindred by K

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