Right About Now with Ryan Alford - Open Mic: Getting Ready for a Radical 2021

Episode Date: December 31, 2020

Happy Thursday and welcome to another episode of open mic. In this episode, host Ryan Alford sits down with Radical's Account Executives (AE), Alex Finley and Kaitlin Bowler. The conversation in today's episode highlights life as an AE,  2021 resolutions, goals, trends, and more.Alex Finley was Radical's first hire. She keeps up with all the latest trends and brings a refreshing realness to today's episode. Kaitlin Bowler was hired in February 2020, and has been taking bold leaps as an AE ever since.Pro Tip: These are the people you want to have on your account. Enjoyed this episode? Then share it on Instagram and tag us @the.rad.cast | Do you want to hear more from our host? - Give him a follow @ryanalford on Instagram. | The Radcast is a product of  Radical Company. | Instagram: @radical_results | #theradcast If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, join Ryan’s newsletter https://ryanalford.com/newsletter/ to get Ferrari level advice daily for FREE.  Learn how to build a 7 figure business from your personal brand by signing up for a FREE introduction to personal branding https://ryanalford.com/personalbranding.  Learn more by visiting our website at www.ryanisright.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel  www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford. 

It has to start somewhere. It has to start sometime. What better place than here? What better time than now? You're listening to The Radcast. If it's radical, we cover it. Here's your host, Ryan Alford. Here's your host, Ryan Alford. I am joined by two of our marvelous AEs. We'll stay away from, we've got a senior AE and an AE, whatever. Let's stay away from titles here. But actually, employee number one at Radical, Alex Finley. Cheers, claps, and hoorays everywhere. And Caitlin Bowler, good to have you both. Good to be here.

Great to be here. I know. Hey, that intro. I just realized, I was like thinking of all your titles and all those things, and I'm like, employee numero uno, ground zero. Yep. Oh, no. It's been...

Been a wild ride. It's been a radical ride. It's been a radical ride. Radical couple years here. Are we coming up on, was it, it'll be three years or two? My days are running. It's been two and some change running two and some change two and some change i know it's all coming together so uh i'm glad to have some ladies here you know on on this

on you know we have riley obviously producing the show and on it but you know josh you know josh is an attention hogger let's be oh yeah he loves it yeah that's celebrity nowadays yeah he's good it's couldn. It's not getting to his head. I'm kidding. It's the furthest thing from Josh's head, but it, but it is funny. He is becoming multifaceted here at the agency. Multitalented Joshua Hill. Man about town. I know. So how's the holidays going, Lace? It was good. I hung out with family and everything, which was kind of nice to have that be the end of 2021 um felt like it was going to be a lot different you know this holiday but I think my family did a good job still hanging out and making it feel normal quote unquote but yeah

mine was pretty chill relaxed which like you said was a nice little wrap up and I mean I think it was nice to just unwind for a little bit and not have to go through so much of the hustle and bustle of going from getting everyone to go to the houses. And did it feel like you could catch your, you know, 2020 has been a fucking wacky year, let's be honest. But is it were you able to like catch your breath and it feel somewhat normal? It was relaxing. I think it was nice like a nice little kickback for a little bit yeah to not have to travel travel travel by everybody present yeah it almost slowed down because of covid like you know like kept most nuclear families families

together you know versus going a million places or whatever so i would hope that maybe it created some semblance of peace yeah I think everybody appreciated just being together this year instead of like what's under the Christmas tree you know it was like okay I got a gift card cool that's fine you know it wasn't so much about presents and stuff it was just lucky to be together I guess I had a lot of friends too that really didn't post a whole lot and I think that was and I didn't and I think that was kind of nice because then you're just in the moment and you're not okay let's do it for the grant like it's not all that it's okay let me enjoy my nieces and nephews or my mom or whoever so I like I enjoyed that but

even for me as much as I post like I didn't I threw up stories like a few things like the kids got so that you know family that follows my stuff, like they'd see whatever. But I was pretty silent on that end as well, which was kind of nice. Yeah. Yeah. Same. We need some New Year's is coming up. This will this will release on New Year's Eve. That's right, Riley.

And so New Year's Eve. So happy New Year's Eve for everyone listening. Yeah. Like we always get in this mode. Stay safe. I know. I think we we are having champagne at our one of our segments here. We always get in this mode. We made it. Stay safe. I know. I think we are having champagne at one of our segments here soon.

You guys will miss it out by one or two segments. No, we're actually coming in on that one. Okay, everyone's going to come in. So funny. We're actually scheduled to be in that one. Any big New Year's plans? Again, kind of minimized a bit? I think minimized a little bit this year, but still hanging out with some people. Trying to make the most of it.

Ringing in the New Year. I'll probably be asleep by 1130. I already know. 30 minutes before. No shit. Last year, Nicole and I, I am 99% sure we were asleep at 1030. Yeah. Especially after you have a couple of drinks and you're like cozy and you're sitting and

it's like. I woke up like happy New Year's. You know, I don't remember. Like we, I don't know why we aren't big New Year's people anyway. I don't know. I think it's a little, it's how, what do you call it? Amateur hour. I don't know.

And then this year will be interesting. It's all the parties, even the ones that probably shouldn't be happening will hopefully be minimized. But I don't know. Well, I'm interested, too, to see, like, for some of the bigger parties that are happening. You can't serve alcohol after 11. Yeah. So how does that, like, what is that for New Year's? You know, when it's.

Well, it's funny, too. After, like, last year, we're not big New Year's people usually. But last year we did, like, the up on the roof thing. You know, when it's. Well, it's funny, too, after like last year, we're not big New Year's people usually. But last year we did like the up on the roof thing, you know, went up there, 10 people deep at the bar. I got to the front. I was like, I need a bottle of wine and two glasses. I was like, I'm not coming back through this line. So last year we were like, we're definitely doing something next year. Like we just need to buy the tickets and do it.

And then 2020 happens. And it's like funny how life works, I guess. All right. And then 2020 happens, and it's like funny how life works, I guess. I know, right? So I guess everybody will be chilling at our home parties with a limited gathering. So I don't know what we'll do. We've got all the kids and New Year's Day, all the bowl games. Like Clemson, I'm a big Clemson fan. So sorry there, Alex, being a South Carolina fan.

But they don't play until Saturday or I guess Saturday is New Year's Day. Friday is New Year's Day. The whole Friday, Saturday thing is throwing me off a little bit. It threw me off with Christmas. I thought Friday, Christmas Day was Saturday for all the whole time. I don't know why. But most of the good games that I'm interested in are on New Year's Day itself. But we've got all the kids.

So when you've got kids under the age of 10. New Year's is just kind of like, I don't know. Just grill out, have some champagne, call it a night. Sounds about right. I know. So any big New Year's resolutions? Are we New Year's resolutions people? That's hard. I feel like I, you know, tried to and I was like, oh, I'm going to like work out and drink water or whatever.

But it just like I feel like it's just a setup for failure, you know, because then you bog yourself down. You're like, oh, it's been two weeks. I can't do it. So it's like, I don't know. I start like every week off kind of with like, here's what my goal for the week is rather than like, here's what I'm going to do all year long, because I don't know. like here's what I'm gonna do all year long because I don't know I feel the same way I usually pick a like do the one word thing so try to pick a word that all of my decisions kind of go towards that like this year was capacity so just to kind of see what like how how much can I take on and handle it and so I'm still kind of thinking of my 2021 word but it's because i feel the same way of if i say oh water workout like halfway through february i'm off the like off the boat wagon whatever and then i feel like i failed so i don't want to do that so then it's literally

just picking one word where that's what i'm doing and all my you know choices go towards that one word so still i like that you know juggling which word it is but um i like that i feel like that's more like you're just i don't know it's i think something easier that you can do and people i've seen where people put it like on their phone background or they put on their computer or some people get like a piece of jewelry made to where every day they have a reminder of that one word that they're you know trying to accomplish so yeah that's my i like that that'll be my 2021 thing i'm the anti-new year's guy look you're either self-motivated or you aren't and like it's and i like the start of the week plans much more manageable and like i like just biting off what you can't and like it's and i like the start of the week plans much more manageable and like

i like just biting off what you can chew and being having you know like you either take care of yourself and you're either motivated or you're not you know like and that doesn't mean taking care of yourself means that you have a six-pack i don't have a six-pack like you know like right abs and you work out 23 times a month and like all those things it's you know what does that mean for you and making you know life lifestyle changes instead of you know kind of arbitrary goals that kind of come and go but for me ironically I say all that but I do let myself enjoy the holidays so the way way that coincides, I do typically kind of pick back up my normal routine the first week of the year. And so it's not that I go completely in the dumpster, but I just don't.

I enjoy food. I do things just to enjoy the moments of the holidays. So it kind of happens to coincide you know with that week but it kind of i don't know all the new year stuff and you know i think we're all ingrained to like because ever since we were little i mean new year's resolution maybe even you know more so back when you were younger like you hear your parents talking about it so i think that's a normal yeah like hey i'm gonna get fit but also too yeah you get tired of eating all the like i go garbage you know during the holidays i'm like well i told nicole last night i was like

or is it yesterday or the day before it's like i do feel like i'm ready for more whole foods right now like they're just so much kind of gives up yeah i need some lettuce and some like green beans and like yeah i don't know. It can't run on this. It's a lot of processed stuff here lately. The Reese Cups don't help. Somebody gave me those for Christmas and they just lay around the house. There's always a limit. Is that processed?

That's a whole food. A Reese Cup? It's a whole Reese Cup. There's peanut butter. Whatever makes you feel better about it. I'm going to start that as a New Year's resolution. RC diet. Reese's cups only.

Reese's cup a day keeps the doctor away, right? It would be more like 20 Reese's cups for me. I think everyone has that one food that they literally cannot control themselves with. If you have it, it's going to like it's gone. That's how I mean, I have like a couple more than one where if I have it, it's like it's all gone. What's the so you guys are both in account management. So we're I think it's, you know, with the New Year's, you're kind of like looking forward and looking back a little bit any uh any best stories or as you reflect on the year that's been so crazy as COVID and everything like that uh anything that's kind of

like sticks in your mind from the year so I think everyone had like a march that lasted like six months and I've had a website that's lasted or like development that's lasted well far longer than six months but thought it was gonna be great get everything done and then sites live oh let's make 10 000 changes you know or i wanted it so specialized um work to where coding was involved but now i want to be able to update it myself and i don't i can't i don't understand the coding and so it's like that kind of fun you know what's interesting in being in you know running an agency and doing what we all do we're in client service we operate to service clients and to do marketing for them. And what people probably don't realize is any client that we get that lacks marketing

sophistication, and that's not a knock. I'm not ridiculing any client, but they haven't been around it. They don't know it. They've started a business and they know they need marketing, but they don't understand it. You would probably think from the outside looking in that that would be the easiest client to work with. It's the hardest client to work with. It is the hardest. Because they don't know what they don't know and they can't, you know, we can only do so much, you know, because we don't own their business, we don't run their business, we don't know

everything in their head. And so when they don't know what they don't know, it can make the process incredibly painful and long. That's where I'm at. That's where I'm at. That's how it all happened. There you go. There's only so much Shopify can do. Right, right, right. I mean, yeah.

There is not an app for that. Right, right, right. It's not a plug-in that works. But I want it. But I want it. I don't understand. Yeah. So that's

been mine of just so my never-ending story is a movie never-ending website yes yes your story no that is always a never-ending website there's always one well and two i think people also don't realize that websites are never finished they're always being updated they always need tweaks it's always but it's like oh i thought you said it was done it's like it's a really good point and something that i think a really great point i would love for anyone hearing this it's either working on a website or maybe a business that's listening to us you have to realize that the evolution of your site never stops you have iterations 1 1.0. Let's get a homepage, the core functionality, and a contact us done, and let's launch 1.0. 1.1 can come 30 days, 15 days later.

You don't have to solve every one of the world's problems in 1.0. Right. And that's the way most development thinks. But again, depending on the level of knowledge and sophistication of the client, you know, they're, they're thinking, how do we get done? And it's never done. Yeah. So Alex, any big reflections on 2020? I think back to like the March, it was like the March that never ended. And I know that we started working at home and it was kind of like, oh, we're to be gone for like two two weeks maybe and I think we were lucky enough to like come back

in pretty soon but we also kicked off like four scan source projects at the same time so I was like woo like coffee in the morning I want to work in my pjs and stuff but I'm like what's that cat like fingers are typing every morning like trying to work on four scans projects at home and coordinate with everybody here so that was a a wild time that was what that was interesting because it's natural human mind was the same way like okay you know i mean owning the agency like yeah but when we all go, and I knew we were working from home, and what was going on, and there was so many more outside influences than you normally have.

Yes, we all live in the world when we know that, but we're all kind of being impacted by the virus and everything. But yet, the work was still intense and going and improving, which was, thank God, you know, like it's a good thing. We all kept our jobs and I kept the business, but it's a good thing. Nervous laugh. Yeah.

Nervous. Yeah. Me too. And so, but so we benefited in some ways from it, but it was like, okay, it's, this isn't again, not because even owning the business and being invested, like, it wasn't a break, you know? But you naturally go home and it's a little bit like, okay, it's gonna be, not that it's not gonna work.

Change of scenery, and that was really off because it was wearing sweatshirt, PJs, whatever, but it was still going. And it was also like, while we were adding new projects, we were also having to basically completely redo all of our current clients because they all had to go online they all had to update their website they all had to figure out ways to do curbside pickup they all had to you know so it was multiplied you know amplified that whole month really so i know it was interesting it was

kind of i wonder what the i don't know what the, like the memories, hopefully this all gets behind us. You know, like there's this part of me that's like afraid, like, like, look, being in South Carolina in a conservative state, we've been, you know, we were able to get back together using precautions. We have a very spaced out workspace here. So we've been lucky and benefits, you know, some people have had a lot worse. Of course. workspace here so we've been lucky and benefits you know some people have had a lot worse of course but i do wonder like and you know i'm almost afraid you know the vaccine's going out and all this stuff and it's like but i'm almost like i feel like is there just going to be covid 24 you know like like part of me you know is like it's like afraid to get excited about going back to football games in august because like you know i want to be positive about it but

it's like okay when can you really go? All right. It's in the rear view mirror. Right. I don't know if we'll get there. I mean, at the rate that they have to give out the vaccine and everything, like it's, it's a holding, holding your breath game a little bit. Cause you don't want to get too excited.

Yeah. This is really a damper for the, we're releasing this on a new year's day. It's like, yeah, by the way. Well, but the thing is, it hasn't really hampered what I, I mean, I'm just living, we're working, we're doing like, it's like yay 2020 by the way well but the thing is it hasn't really hampered what i i mean i'm just living we're working we're doing like it's not stopping anything but it's like it's obviously impacting stuff so it's just like how's 2021 really gonna be you know as far as like some of our just normal freedoms or expressions of of going out like we're planning a family trip in march and it's like I'm just tired of having to think about it

in the back of my head. Can we just do normal stuff? I think marketing-wise, it's going to be interesting to see how many people are online, what they're able to do. User experience on their website too. How are you really going to keep people

if everybody's online? I think it's going to be interesting to watch businesses. I think that's absolutely right because, you know, and Josh and I and Riley and I talked about this, like that genie isn't going back in the bottle. Like a lot of people that maybe were slow to e-commerce

or slow to online, you know, behaviors and stuff like that they aren't going back yeah and so it's going to be crucial that the user experience kind of comes along with that because and i said this on like on a post i did on linkedin a couple days i was like most websites still suck like it's or they just aren't good enough for where we are i feel like you know it's kind of like and again is it it's never done but i i think there's just a lot of ways to go with especially online shopping and stuff and like we're a shopify partner we build a lot of shopify websites and it's great uh for what it is but we haven't quite found as i think just a overall development universe like the perfect online shopping experience that brings in like ar and vr and like like yeah you can kind

of see what that dress will look like on you or that pair of shoes or whatever it's kind of getting there but i feel like there's going to be a lot of innovation as far as that goes in the next year or two I love on Amazon I can like see what this little vase will look like in my living room and you just like doop and you know do that yeah yeah but I also love too like how Instagram like the shopping and just being able to literally just not have to leave you know it's just like bing bing okay but then also my I was just gonna say my poor card I have a whole file It's just like, bink, bink. It's dangerous. I was just going to say, my poor card. I saved, I have a whole file. Yes, it's like, please stop.

Please get her off Instagram because she is just buying everything. My ads are too easy because I just save all the stuff I want. They're like, oh, well, we know she'll like this. I'm an easy targeted audience. Easy target. You're raising your hand in some. I'm raising my hand in some, and I know how this works, which is the sad part.

I'm still giving in yeah that's crazy any uh anything for 2021 like on your radar I know you guys both are kind of looking at trends and doing things like that but I guess you keep being in the marketing vein or anything that's caught your eye I think it's interesting to see, and we've done this already, like starting out, um, you know, how direct male pieces are playing in and how things that people can actually touch are really playing into it because people can't go out and shop as much anymore. And, you know, we've said that, but how can we still get product to people and make a difference? And I think it's going to be more of like the touch and the feel and like, you know, we're sending out, we're working with a lot of fabric people right now is kind of what I'm

thinking and it's how can we get samples in their hand versus them coming in for like conferences and that sort of thing so just trying to find different ways of doing things that are still cool and innovative and people want to be a part of yep that's cool yeah no I agree with that too and I think it's just expanding like I feel like I have to like release my mind we're kind of stewards of of marketing innovation and like people telling them and recognizing that again things have changed and like again even what no matter what happens you know people are not going to be going to conferences in march you know like for the most part, you know, like not, I'm not wishing that to happen. It's just reality and probably not, you know, this year for the most part. So thus, you know, how do you think about how you interact with them and how you create

those personal touches? I think it's going to be important. So on that end, I mean, you're both in account service. So, you know, we kind of reveal behind the curtain here with the agency. Here we are. And, I mean, the whole agency is. Like, you know, I joke sometimes, like, oh, we have account managers and creatives. But, like, you know, we're serving clients. We have business because of clients. So the whole agency survives on client service.

But what's kind of been your perspective of the job and how you feel about it? I like being able to be upfront and honest because for me, what comes up comes out. And so I like that of you i mean yeah you do have to have those hard conversations but i to a degree enjoy those um just because you're dealing with real issues but you're also like speaking the truth as long as it's um the truth and you know so i i enjoy that and i like to be organized so this is as long as you're organized and your follow-up game is good like you know so those are you know things I enjoy about it yeah no I definitely feel the same way I'm an organized person but I like being the middle man in a way I think like I mean being here in the beginning to like I wore a lot of hats so I liked being creative and having like

strategic ideas that are also kind of creative and getting in a room with like the creative team and kind of being like, here's what they want to do. Here's some options that I'm seeing other people do, you know, and it's not so much just here's my AE hat and I have to write emails all day. It's kind of nice to work with a team that's small enough to have opinions that aren't just strategy, strategy, strategy all the time. You guys both, I mean, in client service, you're kind of the, I call it the orchestrator of the business, like in a lot of ways. I mean, you either, I think you either embrace that or you shy away from it and the best account managers kind of embrace it. Because at the end of the day, you aren't, it doesn't,

I think when you're the orchestrator, it doesn't mean you're playing when you're the orchestrator it doesn't mean you're playing the best violin or the best singer or the best insert thing here but you're kind of making it all go I mean is it something you guys embrace I think so I like it I like this is gonna sound so cheap I like challenges I like playing up to people's like strengths and stuff and finding like the perfect thing to whoever, you know, like that. I feel like successful, you know, when I do that or like I like the challenge and I like having it all work out at the end or, you know, seeing something on paper that we've written out. Like, hey, here's, you know, the landing page of the client wants and we create the brief and the creative request and everything goes through. And then you see it when it's done. Like, I like that because I know I had a hand in each piece.

And I feel like you get to know, like, our team really well. And you're like, that would be a great project for blank. And they would really excel at doing this because, you know, so I think that's fun, too, of being able to you get to know your team really well and their strengths. Then you're able to like you said kind of combine all of that and and get some shit done what's the hardest part of the job um for me delegating sometimes because i get like excited about like i'm a weird in between of like creative and strategy so it's me sitting there writing just strategy that i'm supposed to be doing but being like but what if we did this you know so it's kind of there writing just strategy that I'm supposed to be doing, but being like, but what if we did this?

You know, so it's kind of like I have to sometimes keep my mind just straight on one thing or else I get ADD and go everywhere. But delegating, I guess, sometimes. Mine is the turnoff, like not responding to that 930 email or that like that's my struggle is or i'll wake up in the middle of the night and i'm like shit i'm up i could hammer out some emails right now i'm like no caitlin it's this happened last night 3 30 like lay back down go to bed because you're going to be like tired you know what i mean so mine is definitely the turn off that meme that's like the the waitress that wakes up in the middle of night she's like i forgot to bring ketchup to table 32 like that's me sometimes yes yes i didn't send that email yeah no or i could just man can

you imagine how much stuff i could get done if i just did an hour of emails in the middle of the night like but what like you know so for me it's finding the work-life balance and that shut off i have i had to like i used to like keep a pen and paper next to the bed because I wake up, I do the same thing. I came up through account service in my original days and have the same mentality. And it's hard to shut it off. And I do feel like my best ideas are coming in the middle of the night or in the shower. I don't know what that is about. Maybe it's your only time where you're not like, I don't know.

You need an Expo marker and a whiteboard or something but it's hard to it's hard to shut it off and you know I remember you know and even now like I don't not being in the throes of every single project it's not as much as you guys but I'll get those emails and like everybody has a smartphone now and like so it's like you know unless you just put it away or put it on silent or whatever, it's hard, really hard for me to kind of like not, you know, but I also don't, you don't want to set that X. It's like you, there's this fine line of look, and I think we're very available to our clients, you know, like we, I think I've, I've,'ve uh beat you guys up well i guess but you're also

naturally that way let's be honest i don't want to i'm not taking credit you guys do great at it it's it's i think ingrained in in our agency to be available and to provide great customer service but at the same time we're all allowed to have lives and it's like when you know and maybe and someone would say well it should never shut off you know like and maybe and someone would say, well, it should never shut off, you know, like, but. No, it has to. It has to. You have to woos off for a second. Like I get home and take my watch off because I'll set my phone down, but I don't want to like the emails.

Like, yeah, at 730, I'm like, we're done. The phone's on silent. Like it's going to. And I try to not ping you guys too much. I'd do it to Riley. But, you know, I'm hopeful that she. The it but it's you know but i usually do on slack which i think most people have silenced at a certain time which i'm fine with i'm happy that that's that way but like it's more like documenting the thought than expecting it to be answered in that moment

oh yeah but we've all i I think, been trained of, okay, Ryan, respond, respond, respond. We got to respond. We got to respond. Yeah, right. I saw it. I saw it. Because if you don't get slack,

and then you get an email, and then you get a book. But, you know, like, I don't text you. No, you don't. If I send you a text, you know, like, I needed that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I don't think I play that card, like, too hard. No, no.

But I think we're all, like... Who's in the room producing the show like you know throwing things at me but uh what if someone so someone's listening and like they're trying to get into the ad agency business or they're considering a change to the attitude what like from with you guys role would you tell people is like you know what would be the point of advice in consideration of this kind of role like anything that comes to mind flexibility flexibility flexibility multitasking multitasking collaborate that was and then also i think

not that you can't have feelings but don't get your feet like you know what i mean because like you said you like to be super creative but when someone comes in and is like that idea sucks and you're like all right well literally i just spent 30 minutes thinking about it and you know whatever so but i think it's that of like put your big girl pants on and make it happen make it happen and yeah and as long as in the end it turns out great for the client and the client's happy who gives a shit whose idea it was you know what i mean like really like it got done it's done like yeah you know i have to be a bull in a way yes yeah you kind of have to like will things to happen a lot i feel um it's not just kind of like well whenever they get it to me so you kind of have to be the bad guy sometimes and you have to be okay with

that i mean we're all friends here i don't want to make it sound like we're like the bullies of the group or anything no but like it's it's got you have to be able to go up to somebody and be like hey i need this and this was the timeline like can we make it happen or not because i gotta tell the client if it's not gonna happen you know yeah it would never get done if left to the creatives and not because they don't want it to be done or whatever but it's just not in their dna of most of the time to kind of have that because it can always be better i was just gonna say they're perfectionist they want it to be better the idea can be better and like you know like my my saying is like done is better than better right you know like it can always be you know like it's never perfect perfect you know uh but it's like you have to kind of evaluate it did we hit

the strategy is it doing is it moving the needle or as best as we think it can for the objective? And then kind of roll with it. But I don't know. It's always an evolution. And nothing's ever done. No, no. And that's the crazy thing. We talked about websites.

But a lot of what we do with social media management get that post out and let's make a better one tomorrow you know like we're gonna post four more times this week like it doesn't mean you know put something out that you don't feel good about or you're not like proud of but they don't all have to be home runs yeah or they don't they're just not all gonna be right and we don't know sometimes you don't know what's a home run when you think about some of the things that have been successful for some of our clients. Yeah. Like, yeah, sometimes we know it.

We're like, yeah, we got to get that out there. That's going to be good. Yeah. But sometimes you don't. And you're like, okay, that did better than I thought it would have. Yeah. Like, what was the one video we put? Not to bring Josh back into it when he's not.

Not to talk about Josh when he's not here. But when, like, Radical, we posted the video. I think of him doing a mic test. And it is our most engaged piece of work. To this day. I think to this day it might still be. Because people just shared it and thought it was funny and stuff. So it's like, I think that's also another thing that I think our team does really well is kind of getting off the beaten path.

Like not everything has to have a message with it. You know, not everything has to be like, come by for this burger or something. It can be a burger video that's just funny and people are like, yeah, I like that. You know, and that's getting, helping with engagement without having people think about it. I like it.

What's your, as we kind of close out, what's your take on what's happening with TikTok? I know that was not in the show notes, by the way, but it just kind of hit me because it's been coming more and more to my radar as I've begrudgingly, you know, I watch it, but like I'm not engaged like as much as I am on other channels, only from a client perspective because we run a digital agency. So I know the platform, I'm understanding the platform, but my own personal interest in the platform. But what, how are you guys,

are you guys getting more, are you guys more engaged in it or are you ignoring it other than when, if you have to do it for work? I'm engaged. See, I'm ignoring it. I'm in there. I like it. I quote, I have a, like a small dictionary in my mind that I just pull out weird little, you know, like I'm the, I'm the person that remembers like little lines and stuff and like communicate with people that way sometimes, which could be annoying. And I get that, but I also like going on there. I think I'm geek. I like a little bit of geek about it too, just because I know what we could be doing on there. So when I see ads that are, that I'm watching all the way through, cause I don't realize it's an ad. It's like, it's just a different, different source there. You you know it's a different way of

thinking about how we could be doing ads too because having people watch them and not realize that that's what they're watching or feeling like they're being advertised to constantly and I think that's just the platform to do it on yeah there's a formula to it though like I'm the more I've been watching it's like and it's gotten you know was, you know, it was what, 10, 15 seconds maximum length. And now that's extended or, you know, I don't know if it's a minute now. And, but there's still some, a weird formula to it all. Like I, I'll watch 20 videos and there'll be about completely different things, but there's a formula to like 15 of them. Yeah.

And so. They definitely track and know what you're into or how long you watch a video determines, you know, if you start getting more videos like that or whatever. So it's very interesting. It's definitely a learning curve, I think, for a lot of people too to like realize what they're doing as far as advertising on that platform too. And I like too that they're doing a lot more.

I think there's more opportunity for collaborations too there because while the ad's not sponsored, so you're not just flipping through it, people are like, oh, here's this curling iron or whatever, and they're using it, and you saved the video because you like the way that their hair turned out, whatever. You're going to go back to that and see, okay, well, I like that curling iron.

I might just buy it. There's a whole ADD to it all because I don't know like if it because even myself who is ADD uh will be watching it and if it doesn't get like I watch three videos and if it doesn't get to it in two seconds like I'm gone and like so it's creating even more of that kind of attention but all the videos that do well are like getting right at it they're you know like even the informational ones it's like yeah they've turned what was normally have been a five minute instruction video into 20 seconds you know

i've seen some information ones that have almost made me download the app and get on it like just because i was like oh no shit i had no idea like let me just learn something how many pieces that I'll watch on TikTok that end up on Instagram pages you know because they're just taking content from that too and it's really getting spread around so have you so you both admitted I can admit we've bought from Instagram oh yeah yes have you bought anything because of TikTok yet? I have not. Except cranberry juice. I bought the cranberry juice. Speaking of curling iron, so I asked for one for Christmas.

Because that's the first thing I thought of was the curling iron. But I haven't tried it out yet. We'll see. I got it for Christmas. But I saw a video and they had short hair. And I was like, oh, cool. I'll try it out. And we'll see how it goes.

So that was the first thing? That was the first thing I've bought. You need to keep trying. Because that's one thing I know, and don't get me wrong, I ask that question more out of curiosity, but I know it's driving. I can see where it's going. I think the ad product's going to get better and some of that integration's going to happen and the

e-commerce stuff, it's all coming. But I do think that most of this year the platform was kind of evolving and i think if you asked most people it's probably like 20 had bought something from i think that's gonna that's changing quickly as people get more and more engaged in and then marketers like us get better and better at advertising on the platform i think if it makes sense to sell on tiktok then you should. Because it's kind of like, why not?

It's free. If people like it, they're spreading it around. Like, if you do the For You page, it's going to end up on your For You page. Like, it's just going to happen. And I think there's a lot of, like, beauty bloggers that are making a ton of money on that thing right now

because all they have to do is show, you know, if they're on YouTube doing it, make it a TikTok. Like, if you're already making the content, make it a TikTok. You know, I think there's a big opportunity for brands there to work with people and collaborate too. I love it. Any final thoughts as we close up? Open mic.

It's been great having you guys on. It's been good. Yeah, it was nice. It wasn't so bad. No, it wasn't so bad. Hey, it's famous, right? I know, it was. I know. It's been good. Yeah, it was nice. It wasn't so bad. No, it wasn't so bad. Hey, it's famous, right? I know, it was. I know.

It's not too bad. We appreciate you guys in general and for coming on and we'll make it less than two years in between, Alex. Yeah, I know.

Maybe I'll get invited back after this one. Like, share, and comment. Cool. Well, we appreciate everyone listening to this episode of the Radcast. You know where to find us, theradcast.com. You can find me at Ryan Alford on Instagram, and we'll have the social channels for the ladies up on the produced show. If you watch us on YouTube, which you should be

because Riley spends a lot of time producing the video content for this, and it's a lot more engaging, adding context to everything that we're talking about so stay tuned for the next episode we'll see you next time yo guys what's up ryan alfred here thanks so much for listening really appreciate it but do us a favor if you've been enjoying the radcast you need to share the word with a friend or anyone else we'd really appreciate it and go leave us a review at apple or spotify do us a solid. Tell more people. Leave us some reviews. And hey, here's the best news of all. If you want to work with me directly, if you want to get your business kicking ass, and you want Radical or myself involved, you can text me directly at 864-729-3680.

Don't wait another minute. Let's get your business going. 864-729-3680. We'll see you next time.