Social Media Week Chicago: Tamron Hall Reveals Why She’s a Brand’s Dream Consumer

As she readies to start her new daytime talk show, award-winning journalist and former MSNBC and Today Show anchor Tamron Hall is joining WHOSAY CMO Paul Kontonis at Social Media Week Chicago 2017 on Thursday, November 16.

Hall and Kontonis will lead the chat “Do I Have Your Attention? Fan Engagement Strategies with Tamron Hall” during which Hall, a bona fide influencer in her own right, will discuss the ways great content (organic and/or sponsored) can make a fan willing to invest in her brand with their attention and engagement.

We talked to Hall about her favorite social platforms, the way she uses the to connect with her fans and the things she looks for when partnering with brands:

WHOSAY: What’s your favorite social platform for building your brand and why?

Tamron Hall: Favorite social platform is Instagram. It’s more visual and tends to get more traction, especially as it relates to brands. You find more major entertainment stars, i.e. Beyoncé, who reach out to fans more on IG.

WS: How do you use your social networks to stay in touch with and engage your fans?

TH: I try to reach out at least every other day. It’s important for me to stay in regular contact with my fans because I don’t want them to believe I just see social media as a platform for my career. If they invest in the “Tamron” brand/lifestyle they will invest in all of my projects from journalism to entertainment.

WS: What do you look for when deciding to work with a brand?

TH: I ask myself if this a partnership I would want for a lifetime. I’ve always been brand loyal. As a makeup-obsessed teenager, to the woman who is constantly taking screen grabs of articles mentioning the hot new products for beauty and my home. I am a brand’s dream consumer as I love sharing things I feel worked, products they lived up to my expectations. With that said, I want consumers to feel that way about brands I’m associated with. I want them to feel I’ve invested. Sure we may fall in love with something new after a few months but it’s the satisfaction of trying the product and liking it enough to mention to friends that’s important to me.

WS: Who are some of the people you follow online?

TH: I follow a mix of people from news, entertainment to oddities. It’s a rainbow and it varies from Twitter which is more of a news source for me to IG, where I tend to seek more of what’s new, now, next.

WS: How does your experience as a journalist affect how you look at all the content you see in your social feeds? How do you filter out fake news?

TH: I personally don’t feel “fake news” is a major factor for me. Twitter is my reliable news source and there I follow credible journalists and news outlets. IG has not mastered how to promote news yet. For example, if you post a crime story it’s hard for people to “like” an image of a crime victim. I tend to promote Deadline Crime with images of me in the field. That gives the follower something to “like” while promoting the show.

#SMWCHICAGO takes place this November 14-17. You can secure your pass by clicking here. We hope to see you there!