Converse Digital

Converse Digital Social Selling Workshops & Training, Social Media Marketing Strategy, Digital Marketing Strategy,

New Orleans based social media, digital & mobile marketing consultants.

Seventeen years ago, we tried something that felt pretty crazy at the time.Instead of treating Social as a highlight ree...
02/17/2026

Seventeen years ago, we tried something that felt pretty crazy at the time.

Instead of treating Social as a highlight reel, we turned Mardi Gras into a weeklong research study.

We live tweeted the parades. We invited a handful of influencers. Later, we strapped an early livestream “backpack” to a blogger, put him on a float and broadcast his entire ride while he answered questions from viewers in real time.

But behind the fun, there was a simple question:

Can Social actually change brand perception in a measurable way?

Before we started, we asked people what they thought of when they heard “Mardi Gras.” Crazy. Flashing. Beer. Family. Food. Tailgating. Ladders. New Orleans. Church as a control.

Then we spent days simply showing the side of Mardi Gras most people never see unless they get off Bourbon Street. Kids on ladders. Families staking out the same spot year after year. Grills. Coolers. Friends.

Afterwards, we ran the same survey.

Crazy dropped. Flashing dropped sharply. Family and Food rose. Ladders and Tailgating soared. The mental model of Mardi Gras shifted from late night spectacle to family tailgate.

In 2010, we went a step further and segmented the data.

We expected people who had already been to Mardi Gras to be “locked in” on their perception.

Instead, we found that thoughtful, sustained Social exposure shifted their perceptions too, often more than it did for people who had never attended.

For agency owners and marketing leaders, the lesson is powerful:

Social is not just an awareness driver. Done well, it can be a disciplined tool for managing how people connect specific ideas and attributes to your company, even when they have years of prior experience.

If you are not using Social this way, you are leaving a lot of brand equity on the table.

We unpack the full story and results in our latest post. You will find a link in the comments.

Every agency sales deck says it’s “strategic.”But the real test of strategy is how you show up in a sales discovery call...
01/29/2026

Every agency sales deck says it’s “strategic.”

But the real test of strategy is how you show up in a sales discovery call.

Are you just asking checklist questions? Or helping your prospect discover something unexpected about their situation?

The agencies that win don’t just talk services. They imagine smarter futures—and let the silence do the selling.

Here’s one idea we loved from this article: when your insight truly lands, you'll hear it. Not in applause… in thoughtful silence.

Because the best buying happens when they’re thinking, not talking.

If your discovery calls aren’t creating those moments, it may be time to rethink the goal.

Full article link in the comments.

Your agency’s next client is already searching. But the person doing the searching isn’t a person at all. It’s an AI ag...
01/27/2026

Your agency’s next client is already searching. But the person doing the searching isn’t a person at all.

It’s an AI agent—and it’s filtering you in or out based on signals you may not even know you’re sending. Every headline, portfolio page and word choice becomes a breadcrumb for the algorithm to follow… or overlook.

This post breaks down:
- Why AI is the new gatekeeper between your agency and new business
- The key language structures and formats that influence recommendation engines
- How to fine-tune your digital presence so the machines don’t pass you by

If you want a seat at the pitch table, you have to earn the attention of entities you can’t pitch.

There is a quiet trap a lot of agencies and marketing teams fall into when they launch a new product or service.They try...
01/16/2026

There is a quiet trap a lot of agencies and marketing teams fall into when they launch a new product or service.

They try to fit it into an existing line item in the client’s budget.

The client hears “influencer,” “social,” “content,” or “strategy” and instantly maps the new idea onto what they are already buying. From there, every conversation becomes, “So how is this different from our current program?” or “Can we shift some budget from X to cover this?”

That is how genuinely new ideas get reduced to a marginal upgrade.

When we began selling Social Agents, we decided to avoid that trap. Instead of opening with what Social Agents are, we started with a different question.

How does belief actually spread inside digital spaces?

Once we walked clients through how people trust people more than logos, and how employees already have untapped reach, the gap in their current approach became obvious. By the time we described Social Agents, it felt less like “a new service” and more like the missing piece.

The lesson: you cannot sell a new category with an old story. First you have to help your buyer build a new mental “shelf” for your idea. Only then does the proposal make sense.

If you are struggling to sell a new offering, this shift in approach might be worth exploring. The full post is available and we will point you to it in the comments.

If your LinkedIn strategy is still built around “going viral,” you are playing the wrong game.LinkedIn has quietly chang...
01/14/2026

If your LinkedIn strategy is still built around “going viral,” you are playing the wrong game.

LinkedIn has quietly changed what it rewards. The platform is less interested in surface level popularity and much more interested in relevance and real conversation.

Here is what we are seeing:

Posts written to impress everyone usually impress no one. They rack up likes, but very few thoughtful comments, and almost no real business outcomes.

Posts written for a specific professional context behave differently. When you speak clearly to the problems and questions your ideal buyers have, they lean in. They comment with substance. They come back to future posts because they recognize you as part of their circle.

That is what LinkedIn is starting to notice. It is looking at who engages, what they say, and how often they come back. Over time, that behavior creates a kind of “map” of what the network believes you are an authority on.

As marketing leaders and agency owners, this should change how we brief and measure content. Less “How many views did we get?” and more “Did the right people choose to talk to us publicly about this?”

We broke down the shift and shared practical steps to adapt your approach. You can grab the entire article here https://tny.app/1xsq4db0

If you’re writing proposals without first building a “yellow brick road” for the client’s brain, you’re not pitching — y...
01/12/2026

If you’re writing proposals without first building a “yellow brick road” for the client’s brain, you’re not pitching — you’re forcing them to do your job.

Instead, learn how to build your sales pitch so that it reduces cognitive load, and magically, you start winning more deals.

Grab a link to listen to the entire podcast via the first comment.

The people who are best at solving complex problems are often the worst at selling that expertise.So they lean on referr...
01/08/2026

The people who are best at solving complex problems are often the worst at selling that expertise.

So they lean on referrals and reputation, which works until it doesn't. When the pipeline gets thin, the scramble starts. Cold outreach that feels awkward. New “sales scripts” that sound nothing like them. A flurry of disconnected tactics that create motion, but not momentum.

Here is a different way to look at prospecting if you sell knowledge for a living:

Prospecting should feel like service, not pressure.

You teach. You clarify. You make it easy to see the next step. Your value becomes obvious long before you ever talk about a proposal.

When you build a content-driven prospecting system around that idea, you get something most experts crave: a steady stream of qualified conversations with people who already see you as the low-risk, savvy partner.

That is exactly what our 12-week Painless Prospecting Apprentice Program is built to do. Live teaching, office hours, workflows, AI content prompts, LinkedIn prospect monitoring, and unlimited email support so you are never guessing alone.

If you are ready to stop chasing and start becoming chosen, go see if it's for you.

https://tny.app/7qpuw9hv

Think about the last “discovery call” you sat through.Did it feel like discovery, or did it feel like a thinly disguised...
12/19/2025

Think about the last “discovery call” you sat through.

Did it feel like discovery, or did it feel like a thinly disguised creds presentation or sales pitch?

Most agencies try to impress. Fewer try to truly understand.

We tend to get better results with the second approach.

We coach teams to treat discovery calls like a first visit with a specialist. You are not there to perform. You are there to diagnose.

That starts with better questions. Not just “What is your budget?” or “What is your timeline?” but questions that explore the business problem beneath the marketing assignment and the organizational realities that will make or break success.

During the call, listen for patterns. Where are goals misaligned? Where have past efforts broken down? What constraints keep showing up?

Then end the call with a simple recap:
Here is what we heard.
Here is what that likely means.
Here is how we would think about next steps.

When prospects hear their world reflected back with that level of clarity, credibility takes care of itself. They experience your expertise instead of being told about it.

If your discovery calls still feel like pitches, it may be time to rewrite the script.

We break down the full approach in our latest article. Would love to hear your thoughts after you read it.

https://tny.app/kfnpgfsf

The most dangerous moment in a sales pitch isn’t when you present your big idea.It’s the moment after you leave the room...
12/17/2025

The most dangerous moment in a sales pitch isn’t when you present your big idea.

It’s the moment after you leave the room… when your buyer tries to replay your argument from memory to a boss or a buying committee.

If they can’t remember your story clearly — you lose.

I recently joined Mike Lander on his B2B Sales Club podcast to talk about overcoming that exact problem: how to pitch in a way the human brain can easily process, remember, and then retell to others.

Here are a few of the big ideas we unpacked together.

𝟏. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬. It’s about reducing risk. Agencies and consultants love to think they’re selling strategy, creativity, or capabilities.

You’re not.

You’re selling the promise of an outcome and the sense that choosing you is the lowest-risk option.

Once you accept that, you start building pitches differently. You stop talking about what you do and start talking about why you’re the safest bet to get them where they need to go.

2. If you’re in the room, the question is no longer “Can they do this?

It’s:
- Do I trust these people?
- Do I believe they really understand our unique problem?
- Can I imagine working with them every week for the next 2–3 years?

Winning at this stage has far less to do with your credentials and far more to do with how you structure the conversation, how you listen, and whether you come across as human and trustworthy.

3. Build a Yellow Brick Road, not a firehose.

Most pitches are what I call “show up and throw up.”

You show up and dump everything you know in whatever order it pops into your head. The audience’s brain has to do all the work to organize your argument.

That’s a recipe for high cognitive load — which means your prospect is so busy processing your information that they don’t have much mental capacity left to remember it.

The alternative is to build a Yellow Brick Road:

- Each idea is a brick.
- Bricks are placed close enough together that each step feels natural, logical, and safe.
- By the time you get to your “big recommendation,” it already feels inevitable.

Done right, when you finally deliver your conclusion, the client is already there with you: “Of course. That makes perfect sense.”

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰

1. Go in with a clear *plan* for what you want to accomplish — not just a set of slides or a mental checklist.

2. Write out your argument as if you had to present it start-to-finish, even if it’s “just a coffee.” Force yourself to see the Yellow Brick Road on paper before you walk it in the room.

3. In the meeting, talk less and listen more. Be comfortable with silence. Ask “what” and “how” questions. And pay as much attention to what isn’t said as to what is.

Do just those three things, and you’ll already stand out from most of your competitors.

If you want to go deeper into any of this, the entire conversation with Mike covers a ton of ground. Grab it here:

Recently, Tom sat down with Steven and Hannah to share insights about building credibility—the higher form of trust—and ...
12/04/2025

Recently, Tom sat down with Steven and Hannah to share insights about building credibility—the higher form of trust—and the crucial role it plays in every pitch you make. They explored how creating a “yellow brick road” for your prospects isn’t just about logical storytelling but, more importantly, about crafting a deeply persuasive narrative that guides their every thought.

They talked about an often-overlooked truth: people forget 90% of what you tell them in two days. So, it’s up to you to structure your message in a way that isn’t simply memorable, but also delivers what your audience needs to hear, ensuring your presentation delivers substance over flash.

All of this comes back to one point: practice and precision are your best allies. Whether you’re refining your pitch or honing your personal authority, the detailed strategies we uncover in this conversation can equip you to sell more of what you do.

For those who love diving deep into the nuances, the entire discussion unpacks even more strategies and practical tips that you can start applying immediately—with a touch of wit to keep things light. Listen in to explore every detail and discover how building a foundation of trust and substance can transform your sales approach.

� Enjoy the journey and step confidently onto your yellow brick road. Link to entire episode in the comments.

Here is the uncomfortable truth about many conferences:The value is all about how attendees answer two questions: Did I ...
12/02/2025

Here is the uncomfortable truth about many conferences:

The value is all about how attendees answer two questions:

Did I meet the right people?
Were the sessions worth my time?

Which sucks for the meeting planners because so much of what goes into those two answers is out of the MP's control. Or is it?

We created a new 45-minute webinar, “Boost Conference Attendee Delight,” with clarity expert Steve Woodruff to help conference and event planners flip that script.

Steve will show you how to run an interactive PreNote before the first keynote so attendees arrive with a sharp “Memory Dart” that makes introducing themselves simple and compelling. Networking becomes energizing instead of awkward.

Then Tom will walk through the Perfect Pitch approach so your speakers and sponsors can design talks that are clear, story-driven, and built for learning, not pitching.

You will also get Tom’s One Page Perfect Presentation Planning Guide and your own personalized introductory Memory Dart.

If you are planning a conference and want it to be the event people talk about and refuse to miss, grab the registration details in the comments.

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