Thanks for listening! We kick off 2018 with a jam-packed show: The Quick News & Quick Takes segment this month includes stories about a new study of consumer opinions about brands taking a stand (5:30), the newest features and user stats about Instagram (8:00) and there’s new data about the decline of TV news viewership so we ponder if PR pros should even pitch local TV stations anymore (10:40). The Talking Points Spotlight shines on Explore Minnesota’s latest use of its #OnlyInMN hashtag (12:45). And, the three Talking Points in this episode feature discussions about Arik’s eight realistic social media trends for 2018 (13:55), what the data says about the sustainability of content marketing and “Content Shock” and why you may want to adjust your distribution strategy (20:55) and we share our thoughts on the impact of Facebook’s announcement that it will favor posts from your friends and family instead of from news outlets and companies/brands (29:20). Plus, the Talking Points Shoutout for this month goes to Danny Olson of Weber Shandwick. He tells us about his work on Super Bowl 52’s Digital Marketing Committee, for the Host Committee (38:30). In the close of the show, we share details about the next event in Arik’s “sparked” digital and social media training series (46:10). For show notes and links to the stories we talked about, visit http://www.TheTalkingPointsPodcast.com/. If you have feedback or a suggestion for an interview, article or topic, reach out to us on the show’s Facebook group, just search for “Talking Points Podcast Group.” Or, find each of us on LinkedIn.

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