Viral vs. Valuable Content with Russ Mangsen & Alex Fischer - The Long Game - Ep. #103

Going viral sounds great. For most local businesses, it's the wrong goal entirely. In this episode of The Long Game Podcast, Ryan sits down with Russ Mangsen, social media strategist and host of Networking Over Nine, and Alex Fischer, Team Richards' marketing manager, for a round-table conversation on what's actually working in content and marketing right now, and what most business owners are getting completely wrong. The conversation kicks off with Judy's Pancakes and how she's a case study in why follower count and business success are not the same metric. They also get into the state of SEO, why every caption, blog post, podcast description, and social video is now part of your discoverability footprint, and why the businesses showing up first in AI-powered search results are the ones that have been putting out consistent, keyword-rich content for years.  What You'll Learn: Why follower count is one of the least useful metrics for a local service-based business, and what to track instead How to think about the viral content question honestly: when it helps, when it doesn't, and how to know which situation you're in Why having multiple brand pages for different arms of your business creates more leverage than trying to be everything on one page The difference between Facebook and Google ads, and why running ads before building an organic presence is a common and costly mistake Why Russ replaced the term SEO with "searchability," and what that shift means for how you should think about everything you put out How AI-powered search is changing discoverability, and why the businesses already putting out consistent content are positioned to win Why shares and saves are the metrics that actually matter on Instagram right now, and why likes have become almost irrelevant Why your social media presence and your in-person presence need to match, and what happens when they don't If you're putting out content consistently but not seeing it translate into real business, or if you've been wondering whether to run ads or chase viral moments, this episode gives you a clear and honest framework for making those decisions with the right goals in mind. Interested in connecting? GUESTS Russ Mangsen Owner, Marketing With Russ, Inc | Host, Networking Over Nine [email protected] | marketingwithruss.com  Instagram: @marketingwithruss @networkingover9 Alex Fischer Marketing & Growth Manager, Team Richards | Podcast Producer & Content Creator [email protected] | afischer.info  Instagram: @aj_fischer @alfish____ HOST Ryan Richards | Branch Manager, Northpoint Mortgage | NMLS 1987735 [email protected] | www.financewithteamrichards.com  204 Turnpike Rd, Westborough, MA 01581 Licensed in MA, CT, FL, NC, NH, PA, RI, ME, TN, VT Follow us on Instagram @financewithteamrichards @the.longgamepodcast #TheLongGamePodcast #FinanceWithTeamRichards Chapters: 00:00 Welcome and Guests 00:52 Viral Versus Brand 06:26 Authenticity and Monetization 09:30 Multiple Pages Strategy 14:03 Ads That Actually Work 16:35 LLMs and AI Search 20:36 Hashtags and Algorithm 24:16 Modern SEO Searchability 29:00 Online Reputation and Authenticity 32:20 Recap and Wrap Up