By: Lindsey Nolan
Cam Steed is the Founder & CEO of Smashed Abacus, a digital agency specializing in customized social media research and reporting for B2C brands. Through Smashed Abacus, Cam leverages his extensive online experience and expertise for those trying to uncover the full potential of social media best practices, measurement and analysis.
Cam has worked in the Digital and Social Media space for almost a decade, starting his career with the ad agency Publicis in Toronto before moving to the social media monitoring company Sysomos, where he worked directly with teams at Apple, Google, Clorox and ABC-Disney.
Since launching Smashed Abacus in 2013, Cam has helped brands like NBC Sports, the Edmonton Oilers and lululemon better understand the social media landscape, how they contribute to that landscape and what their consumers think and feel about their product(s).
He has also been invited to speak at popular social media conferences throughout Canada and the US, where he educates and shares his unique background with other thought leaders in this rapidly evolving space.
Cam graduated from the University of Toronto in 2006.
We managed to sit down with Cam Steed of Smashed Abacus and get some of his insights on marketing. Take a look at what he had to say about the digital marketing industry.
Q: What are some of the worst mistakes a business could make when it comes to content marketing?
A: SELL! SELL! SELL!!
Too many businesses (often that are new to social media) see it as a Sales tool, as opposed to a Relationship tool. Just as no one would want to listen to a radio station that is all Ads, or talk to a person that’s constantly giving them the “hard sell”, people don’t want to see brands on social media using their accounts to constantly sell their products and services.
Q: What do you think is next for content marketing? How will it evolve in the coming years?
A: There is already a huge transition away from written text to images and videos. Sites like SnapChat, Instagram and YouTube are seeing rapid gains, in terms of volume of content posted, as people would rather watch a video than read a paragraph of text. I imagine this trend will continue for the foreseeable future.
Q: Social media marketing is free, right?
A: Yes, and no.
In it’s most native form, the only investment required by an individual to do social media marketing is their time. Network registration and content production are free. But in an increasingly noisy and congested space, some brands may elect to put a few ad dollars behind their content in an effort to make it stand out.
Q: A small business owner has to wear many hats and time is always tight. What are some social media time management tips you have to help them stick with their social media campaign without losing a lot of time?
A: Scheduled posts!
This is the easiest way for a SMB owners to carve out some time to schedule their content for the coming day/week/month and then not have to worry about it again.
Q: According to you, what are the top three mistakes committed by organizations today in leveraging digital marketing?
A: They don’t engage/respond to their audience.
They use it for hard selling.
They use the wrong platform for what their business is, or the story they’re trying to tell.
Q: Which are your three favorite digital marketing tools?
A: Hootsuite, Sprinklr and Shareablee.
Q: What are the top 3-5 skills you look for when hiring a candidate for digital marketing profile?
A: Excellent communicator and creative writer.
- Strong interpersonal skills.
- Outgoing and social.
- Able to work independently.
- Strong understanding of the social media landscape, and networks.
Q: Who are three people you respect when it comes to digital marketing?
A: Gary Vaynerchuk.
Sairah Hearn (lululemon digital team lead)
Donald Miller (Founder, StoryBrand)
You can meet Cam Steed at MDMC on April 13, 2017, he will be discussing How Not to Be Obsolete: Everyday Social & Digital Strategies for Everyday Businesses from 3:00pm – 3:40pm.
Author: Lindsey Nolan is a senior Digital Marketing student at the University of Missouri – St.Louis, a member of the Pierre Laclede Honors College, and an active member in the Iota-Xi chapter of the Delta Zeta Sorority.