Lisa Sicard of Inspire to Thrive is an incredible blogger and social media expert. Her knowledge of marketing and social media trends is always up to date.
For many years, Lisa has been at the forefront of social media. Her expertise lies in hooking an audience and keeping them engaged.
Are you interested in finding out more? Let’s get started with the interview.
Table of Contents
Interview with Lisa Sicard
1. Hi Lisa, It’s great to have you here. Before becoming a social media expert, your early history appears interesting. Tell us more about it.
When I was 14, I started delivering weekly newspapers. Then I started typing their classified ads in that newspaper. As a graphic artist, they taught me how to make ads, and I fell in love with making ads because I’ve always been artistic.
During my early 20s, I worked as an art director at another weekly newspaper. After that, I got a degree in fine arts while working full-time.
Later, I got into sales and marketing at newspapers.
2. How did you get into advertising and sales?
I saw salespeople earning a lot more money, so I moved over into sales at the first opportunity. It was easy to sell ads as I could also design them.
Afterward, I worked for 25 years in sales and marketing at that daily newspaper. We were the first daily newspaper to have a website in the early 1990s, and I was a digital team member. I then worked on a medical scrub website on nights and weekends. That’s when I got into social media and made the biggest sale on Twitter.
I was on the social media committee at the newspaper and began teaching the newsroom how to tweet. That is when I came up with the concept for my eBook on tweeting. So many people back then did not understand how to tweet or use Twitter.
As clients frequently requested my assistance with their social media, Facebook and Twitter became my specialties, and Inspire To Thrive was born.
Going full-time with the business was a big step for me, but fortunately, several clients said they would use my services if I did. That’s how it all began:)
3. You started your blog Inspire To Thrive in August 2011. How has been your blogging journey so far?
My blogging journey has had its ups and downs. It is hard being a one-person blogger and managing social media for clients.
Last year was one of my better years as I started ranking more in the search engines, and organic traffic took off. It’s come down a bit with the recent algorithm changes this year, but I have faith it will come back, as I’m always working on it.
I am updating old content and learning more about the ins and outs of SEO. I’ve seen keyword rankings rise and fall for so long that I’m used to it and do my best for the readers.
4. Is there anything readers should know about everything you’re doing now?
I’m currently working on updating the over 500 posts I have on Inspire To Thrive.
PRO TIP: Update old blog posts for good SEO.
I’m focusing more on Twitter, Instagram, and alternative social media networks. I also want to offer more affiliate products for my blog readers. I’d like to be able to provide special offers and such that they can use. I’d love to come up with a product someday.
5. In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of social media automation?
To scale your business, you need to automate your social media.
I love Agorapulse tool for responding to people on social media. I started using Agorapulse for the fabulous reports I can easily create for clients. This tool makes it simple to schedule posts across multiple social accounts.
MissingLttr is another tool I enjoyed using this year. I use it for myself only. It is easy to share my blog posts and have them shared with this social media automation tool. I like how they create different content for you to share with one post.
6. As far as we’ve researched, Twitter seems to be your favorite platform. What makes Twitter stand out the most?
Well, Twitter has been my favorite social media network for years. It is still one of my favs. The other is Gab, specifically Gab Groups.
Until recently, when the algorithm changed, Twitter was the source of the most traffic to my blog. It’s becoming more like Facebook in terms of not showing everyone your posts(tweets). Not as many engage on the network as they used to.
I think there may be too much fragmentation now with all the networks available today out there. There used to be 4-6 social media networks, but now there are probably more than 30.
I loved how Twitter used to be, and I was hoping that if Elon Musk ever took over, he would bring some of it back.
7. What is the #1 social media marketing tip you wish every beginner should know?
The one tip is to engage with others and share others’ content.
People will stop following you there if you appear too selfish on social media. They want to engage and have you help them along the way. If you never engage with your audience, you send posts out daily like a bot.
8. How do you define your successful content strategy?
A successful content strategy answers your readers’ questions and helps them with their problems.
Content should rank well on the search engines, and you will be able to provide solutions and hopefully earn some money from those solutions to your reader’s problems. It’s about the relationships you form with your readers through your content. They must trust you before they make any purchases from you.
9. How do you keep yourself updated with the latest marketing trends?
Read a lot! I read a lot of other blogs like Moss Media Biz, Erik Emanuelli’s Biz Sugar Blog and Mastermind, Small Biz Trends, Tricky Enough, and Search Engine Journal (to name a few),
I’m reading more about SEO and writing for the web than ever before because I believe organic traffic is more powerful than social media traffic. The social media traffic is beneficial when you are just starting because SEO can take 12-24 months to work. And, once SEO works, it changes, and you are back to square one or two.
To stay current in blogging, we must constantly learn new things.
10. How is your typical workday structured?
I’m not a big fan of having my day fully structured.
I enjoy the freedom to work when and how I want. I enjoy keeping a to-do list nearby to help me stay focused and productive.
I am a morning person (waking up around 5-6 a.m.). I prefer to write my blog posts in the morning and then work on my social media client workload in the late morning and early afternoon. I’m usually done by 5 p.m.
I take breaks to go for a walk or work on a puzzle to unwind and get my creative juices flowing again.
I may take part of Fridays off but work a little on the weekends. I do have some scheduled appointments with clients because I provide training to them.
11. Do you have a separate blogging office or work from home?
I have an office/library where I work.
I moved from Rhode Island to Maine two years ago, and my office overlooks a mountain and a lake. The funny thing is, I don’t often look out when I’m working. Maybe it’s something I should do to stop and take a breather.
I’ve also learned over the years that you need a good ergonomic chair in this business and must take breaks from sitting.
12. What do you enjoy doing when you’re away from your laptop?
I love to spend time in nature when I’m away from my laptop. I go for hikes and walks on the trails in my new area of northern New England.
I enjoy snowmobiling with my husband, growing things in my garden, and trying new recipes.
I’ve started volunteering at a local health and wellness center for a few hours once a week to get away from my computer and meet new people in the area.
Recommended Tutorials for Further Reading:
– Update Old Blog Posts for SEO
– Image SEO Tips for Beginners
Final thoughts about Lisa Sicard’s interview
I learn something daily from Lisa’s posts and am amazed at how she engages her many followers and keeps up with hundreds of daily conversations. Her professionalism, hard work, and dedication to her craft impress me. Her blog is worth reading if you’re looking for quality advice.
Which part of Lisa’s interview did you find most interesting? Would you like to ask him a question? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
