Individuals
TeamsCommunicators know how important monitoring the media landscape and scanning for trends or potential crises can be—and many social media pros keep track of their brand mentions and interactions online. However, social listening can give you much more than a list of praises sung by your fans or concerns brought by your critics. In this panel, communications experts across industries will explain how you can use social listening best practices to better understand who your followers are, target consumers and entice them to act, use feedback to inform your products and campaigns, and avoid digital pitfalls that can tarnish your organization’s reputation.
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Kirsten Hamstra
Director of worldwide social marketing
Lenovo
Kirsten Hamstra is the director of worldwide social marketing at Lenovo, the world’s largest PC maker. Her team is charged with scaling social across all areas of the business, driving brand awareness and revenue. Prior to Lenovo, Hamstra built a global social program from the ground up and led an award-winning team at SAS, a leader in business analytics software. Hamstra has also had roles at Edelman Public Relations, Ketchum, John Wiley & Sons Publishing and CNN.
Kevin Goddard
Head of Social Media
Amazon Web Services
Kevin Goddard is the Head of Social Media at Amazon Web Services, where he built the social media program from the ground up. Goddard has been working in online marketing and social media since before we knew what to call it. One of the leaders in online community creation, he has worked with prominent brands including Microsoft, LEGO and Amazon.
Miri Rodriguez
Senior Storyteller, Author "Brand Storytelling"
Microsoft
Microsoft is a member of Ragan’s Communications Leadership Council. Miri Rodriguez is the CEO of Empressa.ai, a groundbreaking AI company that’s reshaping the future of work for women. An accomplished author, Rodriguez's seminal work, “Brand Storytelling,” has been translated into four languages and earned numerous awards and prestigious nominations.
At Microsoft, Rodriguez continues to inspire as a Senior Storyteller, where she leverages her extensive knowledge and empathetic approach to craft narratives that resonate on a profound level. Her global perspective, futurist insights and authentic delivery have made her a top in-demand speaker and consultant.
Committed to social advocacy, Rodriguez's volunteer efforts span from training leaders of social enterprises in Africa to mentoring students and professionals in the U.S., helping them forge personal brands rooted in empathy, passion, and purpose. She also imparts mindfulness and happiness through her platform, Be Mindful Be Happy.
Rodriguez travels around with her husband while her kids attend university, and her personal journey is interwoven with her professional endeavors. Her travels around the world not only provide inspiration for her work but also reflect her deep-seated belief in the power of human experience and technology to transform lives.
Josh Margulies
Director of marketing
Jacksonville Jaguars
Josh Margulies is director of marketing for the Jacksonville Jaguars, overseeing grassroots, digital and email marketing, along with social media and paid media. He led the team to record social media growth and harnessed its robust analytics department to drive unprecedented ROI for ticket sales and marketing campaigns. Prior to joining the Jaguars, he was vice president of marketing for the Arizona Coyotes.
Lauren Thomas
Senior manager of communications and social media
Intuit
Lauren Thomas is senior manager of communications and social media at Intuit, where she leads social media for TurboTax. Before joining Intuit in 2018, she managed social media at Cricket Wireless, a subsidiary of AT&T, where she continually tapped into emerging trends to innovate the brand’s approach to social content and campaigns. Thomas executed the brand’s first live social videos, including Facebook Live fan Q&A’s with WWE Superstars Dolph Ziggler and Sheamus. She also spearheaded a record-breaking 24-hour livestream that was recognized by Guinness World Records. In addition, Thomas supported the Cricket Wireless team in launching multiple viral videos, including the “Unexpected John Cena Prank,” which generated more than 40 million cross-channel views, gained recognition by YouTube as one of the top 10 ads of the month—for two months in a row—and was nominated by The Webby Awards as #TheYouTubeAd of 2016.
