Brainz Magazine Exclusive Interview
Rachel Pedersen is a Social Media and Digital Marketing Strategist who partners with entrepreneurs to create disruptive, creative campaigns that generate exponential returns. Pedersen overcame the statistical odds as a college dropout, alcoholic, and single mother in poverty and has dedicated herself to creating life-changing business growth that emulates the radical change in her personal life.
Through her digital marketing agency, The Viral Touch, Rachel helps business owners break through the ‘glass ceiling’ of opportunity. Her campaigns bring results that change the narrative, such as achieving 7134% growth for an organic skincare company, generating $3 million in one year for a fitness company, and reaching over 12 million people for a coach. Rachel’s passion for helping others change their life stories is apparent in the energy and wisdom she brings as the founder of Social Media United, the leading online education platform for social media managers. With more than 1100 students from 70+ countries worldwide, Pedersen’s platform supports and trains students - predominantly stay-at-home parents, single moms, and college dropouts - how to develop and leverage their skills to become successful social media managers.
Pedersen regularly impacts the world around her by raising support for 90+ single mothers and their children with food and gifts at Christmastime. She also raised funds to bring water and light to those affected by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and supports Operation Underground Railroad, a non-profit dedicated to rescuing children from sex slavery.
Pedersen has landed global coverage in print and digital outlets, including The Today Show, Cosmopolitan, The Daily Mail, The Huffington Post, Funnel Magazine, and Content Marketing Institute. She is a proud wife and loving mother to three children.
Where does your motto “if we are not having fun we are not doing it right“ come from?
So many times in business, it often feels stressful and exhausting. I really enjoy adventure, experimenting, and failing at different things, a constant reminder that we can have fun in the midst of stress and tension while we work on and in our business. While things at times can be a little stressful you can mix it up a bit. I love escape rooms, they can be exciting but also stressful. I usually frame my days like an escape room and evaluate the workload by seeing if we can do it within a certain time frame while having fun.
What is social media to you?
Social media basically means a place where we can, to a certain extent, share our minds, beliefs, and interests. Connecting with people that you couldn’t ordinarily connect with without the media. Social media gives us the ability to learn very quickly, connect and strengthen brands. Social media became a game-changer for businesses.
What’s your favorite social media platform and why?
It changes sometimes. I most of the time love Tik Tok but right now I am having a love affair with YouTube. I love the calming effect of Youtube. Tik Tok is intense and has lots of bursts of energy and YouTube is more calming and steady.
Do we need to be on all social media platforms?
If you want to drive yourself crazy then the answer is yes. It’s so much work. I will be honest I am pretty much active everywhere but I wouldn’t recommend it, It’s my zone of genius but for others, it’s not necessary. I recommend people to pick one or two that they love and are great at. If you’ve mastered 1 or 2 I would encourage people to have a third but no more than that.
We can create the best piece of content but unless people know about it, what use is it? What are your top 3 tips for sharing content?
Firstly, this is a great equalizer, it’s kind of wild. The best content Is sometimes the content that has not been seen. If you can attach a great hook from the get-go it can lead people to the content. Try a different hook!
Secondly, we often talk about ourselves and we need to be talking about the consumer of the content. Think about what people can take from what you produce, make it about the person who is reading it, then it becomes a game-changer.
Last but not least, this is a wild one, but this is applicable to all platforms. Sometimes we create content based on how we do what we do and then we attract people who want to do what we do. What we all need to do is to take a step back and analyze the customer we want to attract and create content around that analysis.
What content do you believe the business world needs right now?
Empathy is a big one. The past year and a half have taken a lot out of society. We need to support people and think about what we can do to soften the blow of what the world has gone through whether it’s physically, emotionally, or financially. We really need to consider the mental frame of the reader or listener and create content with empathy at the heart of it.
What has been your greatest lesson this year?
I would say to just keep going, the wild part of just keep going is some days really were tough. Not every day feels like a grand slam, so many days I felt the weight of the world, I just wish I could fix all of the world’s problems, yet I am tired and have my own challenges, and yet If I can create a couple of Tik Tok’s and if I can help a client’s content to be seen then I am playing my part. It’s so important to be consistent, and serving when you are stuck.
