Social Media CX Podcast

Your brand content might be too safe to build trust.In this final episode of the Social Penetration Theory series, I’m talking about the deepest layer of human connection online: feelings.Because while most brands say they want loyalty, advocacy, and emotional connection, their content is often designed to avoid risk instead of create relationships.And customers can feel it.I share the story behind how getting laid off in 2009 eventually led me to build B Squared Media, why “think conversation, not campaign” became our foundation, and what 14 years in social media customer experience has taught me about trust.We also unpack why so much content feels emotionally empty right now, especially in the age of AI, and why the brands standing out today are the ones willing to sound human again.This conversation is also the foundation behind our free Talk Worthy Content Course because trust is not built through content calendars or one-off campaigns. It’s built layer by layer through conversations people actually care about.In this episode:Why safe content often creates forgettable brandsThe real reason emotionally resonant content stands outWhy customers trust human brands more than polished onesWhat AI still cannot replicateHow stronger customer relationships are built over timeMentioned in this Episode:Talk Worthy Content Course: https://bsquared.media/courses/talk-worthy-content

Most brands think they have an engagement problem when they actually have a conversation problem.Because facts matter. Credibility and data matters. But if your content stops at “here’s a statistic,” you’re probably creating passive engagement instead of real conversation.This week, I’m digging into why some of the smartest, most accurate brands online are still struggling to get people to respond and why algorithms are increasingly rewarding conversation over broadcasting.It’s part two of our May Series on Social Penetration Theory—and how it can help explain why so much brand content gets seen but not responded to.We’ll get into:Why facts alone rarely create meaningful engagementWhat LinkedIn’s analytics reveal about where reach is actually happeningThe difference between passive consumption vs. conversation-driven contentHow to stay compliant without losing personality or warmthWhy conversation is becoming more valuable than reachMentioned:Free Talk-Worthy Content Course: https://bsquared.media/courses/talk-worthy-contentConnect with Brooke Sellas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brookebsellas

AI is everywhere in customer service right now. But faster doesn’t always mean better.In this episode, I’m joined by Matt Price, founder and CEO of Crescendo AI. We talk about what’s actually changing in customer experience, and where I see a lot of brands getting it wrong.We get into why “just adding a bot” often makes things worse, how so many teams are still operating like production lines, and what shifts when you stop thinking about efficiency and start thinking about engagement.Matt shares what he’s seeing across hundreds of contact centers, including how AI is changing customer expectations, where companies are creating friction without realizing it, and why the real opportunity isn’t automation… it’s redesigning the entire experience.We Talk About:Why adding AI to one part of the process can backfireThe “fast food” approach to customer serviceWhat I think companies still misunderstand about CXWhy customers are fine with AI (until they’re not)How better handoffs between AI and humans improve outcomesThe pressure CX leaders are under right nowWhat you’d do differently with unlimited capacityMentioned in this Episode:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/growthspecialistWebsite: https://www.crescendo.ai Email: matt.price@crescendo.ai State of Social Media Care Report: https://bsquared.media/the-state-of-social-care-2026

At Social Media Marketing World, the most valuable conversations don’t always happen on stage.In this special replay episode, Brooke Sellas shares real, unfiltered hallway conversations recorded immediately after her session at Social Media Marketing World 2025. From navigating B2B2C audience challenges to rethinking engagement metrics, sparking real conversation on social, and deciding how (and when) to respond to comments, this episode captures what social media strategy looks like in practice, not theory.If you’ve ever struggled to get people to engage, measure what matters, or prove the value of social care, this is a behind-the-scenes look at how those problems actually get solved.In this episode:How to approach content when you’re speaking to multiple audiences Why people aren’t engaging with your posts—and what to changeWhat “conversational content” actually looks like in practiceHow to think about engagement rate (and why there’s no perfect formula)Why your campaigns might be too big, too soonHow to use polls and simple prompts to build momentumMentioned In This Episode:BSquared MediaSocial Media Marketing World

Customer experience doesn’t break in one big moment. It breaks in the gaps.In this final episode of the CX Under Pressure series, I’m pulling together the biggest patterns from the last four conversations and where things tend to break down.It’s usually not one big failure. It’s gaps in how teams operate, how decisions get made, and how customer signals actually get used.This episode is a look at what’s behind that—and what separates teams that stay reactive from the ones that don’t.In this episode:Why most brands are still getting wrong about customer relationshipsThe real reason customers escalate (and why it’s usually not about anger)How disconnected systems create broken experiencesWhere AI is helping—and where it’s making things worseWhy listening to customers isn’t enough (and what to do instead)The difference between reactive vs controlled CXWhat metrics that actually matterMentioned:State of Social Care Report (2026): https://bsquared.media/the-state-of-social-care-2026 Ep. 61 with Tyler Stambaugh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfBpi7AY7nI Ep. 62 with Katie Robbert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIEwppGapcY Ep. 63 with Lisa Martin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8nfxpGW7Ec Ep. 64 with Scott Lee Holloway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqmaCVTZglY 

AI is moving fast — but is your brand keeping up in a way that builds trust or quietly erodes it?In this episode, I sit down with Lisa Martin — former NASA scientist, tech media strategist, iHeartRadio host, and host of CMOs Unscripted — to unpack one of the most pressing questions in business today: How do you use AI in customer-facing environments without sacrificing the trust you've worked so hard to build?Lisa brings her signature blend of scientific rigor and journalistic clarity to the conversation, and she doesn't hold back.In this episode, you'll learn:Why most AI initiatives fail to deliver ROI — and what leaders are getting wrong about use case selectionHow AI is fundamentally changing the trust equation in public, customer-facing channelsWhat "human in the loop" oversight actually looks like in practiceThe non-negotiable guardrails CMOs should insist on before scaling AI in social and digital channelsWhy transparency and accountability aren't just compliance checkboxes — they're growth strategiesWhat some big brands are doing right (and why they're still the exception, not the rule)The three metrics leaders should be measuring beyond cost savings and automation ratesHow to push back internally when AI rollouts feel rushedConnect with Lisa Martin:X/Instagram: @LisaMartinMediaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisamartinmedia/Website: https://www.lisamartinmedia.com/Podcast: CMOs Unscripted (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cmos-unscripted/id1817565884)Interested in More?Download The State of Social Care 2026 Report (https://bsquared.media/the-state-of-social-care-2026)Rate & review the show: RateThisPodcast.com/SMCX

As part of our March series, CX Under Pressure, we’re exploring what’s really shaping customer experience in 2026, from rising CAC to fragmented journeys and the human side of loyalty.In this episode, I sit down with Tyler Stambaugh to unpack why acquisition is easy to test, but retention is personal. We talk about discount dependency, vanity metrics, and the uncomfortable truth that many brands are training customers to expect incentives instead of value.In this episode:👉Why retention feels “emotionally distressing” for founders👉How discounting creates transactional behavior👉The “Pavlov’s dog” trap in e-commerce👉The 80/20 rule in customer revenueIf CX is under pressure right now, retention is where that pressure shows up first.Mentioned:Magnetiq Tyler Stambaugh on LinkedIn

Marketing metrics focus on output: content published, engagement generated, and response times. But customers don't come to social media to be engaged. They come to be helped.When social care is measured with marketing metrics alone, teams optimize for volume and speed. A team that responds to 500 tweets in a day but leaves frustrated customers without real solutions creates churn.In this episode, we break down the signals that help leaders understand whether social is influencing acquisition and retention—not just activity.Mentioned in this Episode:Download the 2026 State of Social Care Report Leave a Review:Enjoying the show? Leave a quick rating and help us reach more CX leaders: ratethispodcast.com/smcx

This episode is one of my favorites. Because it’s real talk about what customers actually experience… not just what we think they do.I sat down with the brilliant Jeannie Walters, CEO and Chief Experience Investigator at Experience Investigators, to talk about what’s really broken in most customer experience strategies—and what to do about it.We got into:Why most CX “strategies” aren’t actually strategicThe difference between process maps and journey mapsWho should really own customer experience (spoiler: it's complicated)How tiny micro-moments either build or erode trustCX is tested in real time, by real customers, in messy, unplanned moments. And social media is one of the first proving grounds.Mentioned in This Episode:Jeannie’s new book → Experience Is EverythingDownload the 2026 State of Social Care ReportJeannie’s company → Experience Investigators

Most social care teams aren’t failing; they’re just stuck inside broken systems.In this episode, I unpack the most eye-opening insights from our 2026 State of Social Care Report, including why reactive teams are burning out, how leadership is missing critical early signals, and what predictive social care actually looks like in practice.I’m sharing:The top reason customer insights never spark changeWhy dashboards don’t drive decisions (and what does)A simple weekly practice that transforms your entire CX strategyHow to know if your org is ready to scale social care with impact, not just outputIf you’re stuck playing defense or overwhelmed by volume, this episode is for you.👉 Download the State of Social Care Report + 2026 PlaybookWe’ll benchmark your current social care program against the maturity framework from the report.📊 Request a Social Care Audit—🧠 Mentioned in This Episode:2026 State of Social Care ReportConversations That Connect by Brooke Sellas🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Rate & review here: ratethispodcast.com/smcx

If you’re doing all the right things on social but still struggling to show results, you’re not alone. In this episode, I unpack why content isn’t the issue … and what actually is.We’re officially in the Experience Economy. And that means your social media strategy must evolve beyond campaigns and content calendars. It’s time to think in terms of moments, trust, and real conversations.I also pull back the curtain on our upcoming State of Social Care Report 2026—why we skipped 2025, what’s changed, and how the best brands are using social care to close the experience gap.🔗 Mentioned in This Episode:Rate the Show: ratethispodcast.com/smcx👉 If this episode shifted your thinking about CX, social media, or brand trust, please subscribe, share it, and leave a review at the link above!

Let’s talk about the thing that’s slowly killing your social media engagement: robotic replies.Automation is efficient. AI is fast. But if your tone sounds like a bot, you’re missing the real opportunity: connection.In this episode, I’m sharing The Humanization Reset. It’s a 5-step framework to make your brand sound more like a person (yes, even when using macros, templates, and AI tools). You’ll learn how to:Lead with empathy instead of instructionsMirror energy like a human, not a systemAdd just the right amount of brand personalityClose conversations in a way that builds trustUse the “Read It Out Loud” Rule to pass the human checkPlus, I’m sharing real before-and-after examples and an action step that will majorly shift how your brand sounds online.Mentioned in This Episode:eBook: Social Media Customer Service for BeginnersRate the podcast

You never get a second chance at a first impression. And on social, that impression takes about three seconds.In this solo episode, I’m diving deep into what Joshua McGee and I only scratched the surface of: how content clarity and polish are forms of customer care. I walk you through a 5-point platform optimization audit you can run today—on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok—that will instantly level up your posts and your CX.We’re not just talking about engagement here. We’re talking about empathy, accessibility, and real alignment between your brand and your audience.Plus, I share:The tools we use to format and optimize across platformsThe #1 question I ask when auditing contentA reminder that your audience feels your lack of intention🔗 Mentioned In This Episode:Talk-Worthy Content (Free Course) How to Optimize Social Media Content for Better Customer CX with Joshua McGee CanvaDescript👀 Want to see how your content really performs?Run the 5-point audit and let me know what you uncover. DM me or tag @bsquared.media with your biggest takeaway.Subscribe, review, and share if this sparked something for you! And as always: Think Conversation, Not Campaign.™