Kelli Hayes Smith discusses the challenges of content creation and posting on social media, emphasizing the importance of intention, clarity, and purpose in marketing strategies for travel advisors. She highlights the pitfalls of posting without substance, the impact of industry jargon, and the need for a structured content plan and calendar.

Takeaways

• Posting without clarity leads to frustration and burnout.
• Consistency and intention are more important than quantity in content creation.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to the Social Takeoff Podcast
• 05:24 The Importance of Substance in Content
• 11:09 The Use of Acronyms in Content
• 17:01 Avoiding Panic Posting

Trends aren’t bad.
Views aren’t bad.
Engagement isn’t bad.

But hollow views are useless.

In this episode, I’m breaking down why so many travel advisors feel like their content is “working” — but their business isn’t moving. We talk about the difference between being liked and being hired, why instant gratification keeps you stuck, and the four questions every post should answer before you hit publish.

This is not an episode about trends vs. no trends.
It’s about turning attention into traction — without losing yourself, your voice, or your confidence along the way.

If you’ve ever:

• Chased views that didn’t turn into clients
• Felt discouraged by likes not leading to bookings
• Wondered why your content feels hollow even when it performs

This one’s for you.

• The 4 questions every piece of content should answer
• Why being “liked” and being “hired” are not the same thing
• How validation-driven content keeps you stuck
• Why followers don’t equal growth (and never really did)
• What client content actually looks like in practice
• How to show your value without “proving” yourself
• Why perspective beats facts every time

Lyric: “I can change everything about me to fit in”
Song: Mirrorball — folklore

(And why we’re done doing that.)

👉 Get your free Wanderlust Campus account:
https://wanderlust-ceo.com

👉 Follow me on Instagram for daily marketing insight:
https://www.instagram.com/kellihayessmith

✨ If this episode resonated, please leave a quick review — it helps this show reach more advisors who need to hear it.

00:00 – Real life, real marketing (and why views aren’t the enemy)
01:10 – When trends become useless
02:05 – The 4 questions every post should answer
03:20 – Why instant gratification keeps us stuck
04:45 – Do you want to be liked… or hired?
06:50 – Showcasing value without proving worth
08:55 – The follower myth (and why it’s outdated)
10:40 – What client content actually looks like
13:00 – Storytelling, decision-making & real examples
15:45 – Why validation-driven content feels hollow
18:10 – Confidence vs. performance
20:25 – How to shift your mindset before you post
22:45 – Mirrorball, people-pleasing & showing up as you
24:20 – Final thoughts + what to do next

A lot of travel advisors think their marketing isn’t working — when really, their expectations are off.

In this episode of Social Takeoff, we reset how social media actually fits into your business, why checklist marketing is holding you back, and what it really takes to build trust, community, and momentum online.

This conversation is about letting go of pressure, unrealistic metrics, and comparison — and replacing them with clarity, perspective, and intention.

If you’ve been posting, following the rules, and still feeling frustrated… this episode is for you.

• Why “posting more” doesn’t equal bookings
• The unrealistic expectations most advisors place on social media
• Why likes, views, and followers don’t measure success
• How checklist marketing creates burnout and false failure
• The real role social media plays as a gap closer in your business
• Why perspective builds trust more than facts ever will
• How your language (even one word) can shrink or strengthen your value
• Why community changes businesses — and virality doesn’t
• A healthier way to look at metrics without letting them control you

You’re allowed one data day per month.

That’s it.

One day to review metrics as data, not validation — and then you get back to building with clarity and confidence.

➡️ Get your free Wanderlust Campus account: https://wanderlust-ceo.com
➡️ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellihayessmith

🎧 New full episodes of Social Takeoff drop every Tuesday
🧼 Bonus Friday episodes: The Soapbox

Song: You’re On Your Own, Kid
Lyric: “Everything you lose is a step you take.”

Let go of pressure. Let go of comparison. Let go of checklist marketing.

Clarity comes next.

Most travel advisors aren’t “bad at marketing.”
They’re letting platforms decide whether their marketing is working.

In this final Reset Episode, we’re talking about what happens when you let algorithms, trends, and engagement metrics dictate your confidence, your content, and your strategy — and why that approach quietly steals momentum from your business.

We’ll talk about:

• Why likes, views, and comments are not real KPIs
• How reacting to trends and algorithm chatter pulls you off-center
• The difference between content that’s “good for Instagram” and content that’s good for your business
• Why proactive marketing creates clarity, confidence, and compounding growth
• How to identify the conversations and lanes you actually want to lead

And I’ll leave you with one clear action to reset how you approach content moving forward — without chasing trends, burning out, or second-guessing yourself.

✨ This episode is part of the Reset Series, all tied to the Taylor Swift song This Is Me Trying — because showing up, recalibrating, and choosing clarity counts.

Resources & Links

• Create your free Wanderlust Campus account: https://wanderlust-ceo.com
• Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellihayessmith

🎧 New full episodes drop Tuesdays.
🔥 Bonus mini-episodes (The Soapbox) drop Fridays.

Welcome back to Social Takeoff — and to reset episode two.

If marketing has felt overwhelming, frustrating, or like one more thing on an already full to-do list, this episode is for you.

In this reset, we talk about why marketing feels so heavy for travel advisors — and why the problem usually isn’t effort, discipline, or motivation.

It’s expectations.

We’ve been taught that marketing should:

• work quickly
• create instant results
• reward consistency immediately
• look like what’s working for everyone else

And when it doesn’t, we assume we’re doing something wrong.

In this episode, we unpack:

• Why marketing overwhelm is often caused by unclear expectations
• How comparison and constant consumption make marketing feel impossible
• Why doing more isn’t the answer
• How to release pressure without giving up momentum
• What it looks like to reset instead of quit

This episode isn’t about fixing everything.

It’s about understanding what marketing is actually responsible for — and what it’s not.

👉 Get your free Wanderlust Campus account:
https://wanderlust-ceo.com

👉 Follow me on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/kellihayessmith

Welcome to Social Takeoff — and welcome to the reset.

This episode is the first of a three-part reset series dropping on New Year’s Day, created for travel advisors who feel overwhelmed, frustrated, or discouraged by marketing.

If marketing felt heavy last year…
If you tried to learn all the things…
If you showed up even when it was hard…

This episode is for you.

In this reset, we talk about why marketing feels so overwhelming, why trying harder isn’t the answer, and why the problem usually isn’t motivation or effort — it’s clarity and direction.

This episode is about:

• Releasing the pressure to do everything
• Letting go of perfection as the starting point
• Understanding why progress matters more than polish
• Giving yourself permission to reset without guilt
• Seeing yourself and your voice as part of your marketing

This is not about throwing last year away.

It’s about realigning, refocusing, and rebuilding intentionally.

You showed up. That counts.

Now let’s move forward with clarity.

👉 Get your free Wanderlust Campus account:
https://wanderlust-ceo.com

👉 Follow me on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/kellihayessmith

So WHY do you wanna forget the follower count - and start turning people into fans of your business?? Today, Kelli answers just that!

LINKS

Instagram

Wanderlust Campus use code kellihs at Check Out