At Something Social, we believe what goes around comes around. We also believe in the golden rule (and something that’s arguably more important than the previous belief), treat others the way you want to be treated. So that’s why we started #SomethingSignificant. Every month, we share a new way to give back with you. with you a new way to give back. Whether it’s volunteering at a local food drive, or spreading awareness about an issue close to your heart, your Something Social team is here to encourage you to do #SomethingSignificant.

In a month focused on travel and gift giving, there’s a major amount of heavy lifting that can be done to reduce how much waste we’re generating. Which is why we felt it appropriate to leave 2018 on a Zero Waste Note. Trash is For Tossers is a blog rooted in the philosophy of making sustainable living easy. Written by Lauren Singer, the blog is a creative guide to reducing waste and encouraging environmental responsibility.

You may know, Lauren as the viral sensation popularizing the Zero Waste Lifestyle. After three years of living a zero waste lifestyle, Lauren did a TedxTeen talk that you can watch here. Our favorite part? Lauren’s talking points are distinctly focused on being easy. “I’m a normal, lazy person,” she says, “I wouldn’t be living this lifestyle if it were difficult.”

As an Environmental Studies major, Lauren had always talked the talk of loving the environment, but she had her “aha!” moment when she witnessed a fellow Environmental Studies student bring her lunch in a single use plastic bag with plastic utensils every single day. “I would sit there and think, we are supposed to be the future of this planet and here we are with our trash, messing it up.”

She’s used the reach of her highly influential blog to not only make Zero Waste living accessible, but she’s turned it into a store and a product line. Lauren’s store, Package Free Shop, offers solutions and resources that are essential to reducing your personal plastic use. The shop stocks everything from her all-encompassing Zero Waste Kits to bamboo straws to personal hygiene products sold in plastic-free containers. Package Free Shop has made an impact, reporting that since opening, the company has helped divert 4,025,600 plastic straws, 3,061,240 plastic bags and 1,419,260 non-recyclable bottles out of the landfill.

Ready to follow in Lauren’s low-carbon footprints? Her top tips for going no waste are pretty simple.

Bring your own bags. Shop in bulk goods sections and farmers markets to avoid plastic.

Make your own products.

Buy your clothes second hand.

Konmari your lifestyle.*

Grocery Shopping + Farmer’s Markets in Los Angeles

Erewhon Natural Foods: At their locations, you can find a good selection of standard bulk foods like grains, beans, nuts, seeds, snacks, herbs, spices, teas, and more.

Sprouts throughout the city: What you can purchase in bulk here varies by location, but options include grains, beans, nuts, seeds, granola, snacks, baking supplies, dried fruits, and more.

Santa Monica

Co-Opportunity Natural Foods: Has a large bulk section, which offers the standard selection of grains, beans, nuts, seeds, granola, dried fruit, snacks, herbs, spices, and teas, as well as a few particularly exceptional offerings: nearly 30 different types of bulk coffee, machines for freshly ground almond, cashew, and peanut butters, and bulk liquids like honey, maple syrup, kombucha, and apple cider vinegar.

Culver City

Co-Opportunity Natural Foods: Has a large bulk section, which offers the standard selection of grains, beans, nuts, seeds, granola, dried fruit, snacks, herbs, spices, and teas, as well as a few particularly exceptional offerings: nearly 30 different types of bulk coffee, machines for freshly ground almond, cashew, and peanut butters, and bulk liquids like honey, maple syrup, kombucha, and apple cider vinegar.

Rainbow Acres: Bulk dry goods (pantry staples like beans, grains, nuts, and snacks), bulk liquids like soy sauce, and a big selection of herbs, spices, and teas. They also have bulk cleaning supplies like borax, beeswax, and soaps.

Long Beach

Bring Your Own Long Beach: At this spot, you can stock up on bulk home and beauty products, like shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand soap, body lotion, jojoba oil, Castile soap, baking soda, laundry detergent, dish soap, dishwasher detergent and more. They also sell zero waste goods for the home. Find them at a pop-up location or at their refill station.

Eastside LA

Broome Street General Store: You can find nontoxic and refillable soaps and household cleaners made by Common Good.

Sustain LA: Package-free household cleaning supplies and bath and beauty products; you can bring your own container or purchase one of theirs to fill up. They pop up at Farmer’s Markets in Highland Park, Atwater Village, and Altadena, but they have an online store you can check out as well!

Composting in LA

Composting isn’t tough. Figuring out what to do with the scraps when you don’t have the yard space (or a yard!) for a compost bin is the hard part. But the good news is you have options!

First, take a look at the options your waste management company provides. If you live in a house, this one is a no brainer! The city will just pick up your compost for you when you put it in your green bin. Don’t have a green bin? You can request one through your waste management service! (They’re legally required to provide one upon request!)

If you live in an apartment or just aren’t in control of your waste management options, but still want to compost, it requires a little more leg work. That’s where Epic Renewal comes in. For the low cost of $30/month these green thumbs will provide you with a 3 or 5 gallon compost bin, pick it up, AND compost it. For more info on Epic Renewal, check out their website here.

The best spots for second-hand clothing in Los Angeles

Melrose Trading Post (Your non-stop shop for second hand goods of truly any kind.)

Wasteland (A must for the brand-oriented thrifter.)

Crossroads (They’ll buy your unwanted threads too!)

Squaresville (Seventies jumpers and sparkles galore. Perfect for the retro diva.)

Jet Rag (Check out their $1 sale every Sunday!)

Goodwill (Pro-tip: go to the locations in rich neighborhoods.)

Our favorite Zero Waste products:

Silicone Bags

String Bags

Travel Mugs

Articles to continue your education:

This very seasonal guide on how to wrap gifts zero waste.

Lauren’s Beginner’s Guide to Zero Waste Living

Zero Waste Swaps: Personal Hygiene

Kaeleigh’s Fave DIY and Customizable Face Cleanser Recipe (She uses it daily!!)

If you haven’t read Marie Kondo’s The Lifechanging Magic of Tidying Up, get on it.*

Written by our Brand Communications Coordinator, Kaeleigh Morrison.

What are your fave Zero Waste Living tips? Tweet us  @somethingsocial or tag us on Instagram- @somethingsocial.

 

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When brands tell us they are struggling to use social media to grow their business, we are skeptical. Not skeptical that they aren’t seeing growth, but that they are fully using each social media tool to its full advantage. Social Media Marketing is a modern melt of art, strategy & experimentation to create an impactful comprehensive digital plan. Like any proper experiment, you need structure to measure your results. To help you and your brand kick off 2019 with a bang, we’re breaking down the four keys to growth in the digital space.

The Four Keys to Growth:

Goal-Setting

Planning

Metrics Measurement

Responsive Strategy

Goal-Setting

In order to set out on your brand’s growth journey, you need to lay a strong foundation. You’ll be happy to learn that this step has more than likely been executed little by little over the course of your business. To know which social methods to utilize, you need an idea of where you hope to go as a business. Grab a pen and paper and start with the following exercise:

Where do you want your business to be in one, five, and ten years? Don’t inhibit yourself by thinking about how you’ll get there, just let your inner visionary run free. Be as specific as you can, but make sure to get everything out on paper.

For Example: Perhaps you’re a small business owner looking to increase revenue over the next year.

Brainstorm the details. Now that you have all your grand ideas and concepts written out, continue to brainstorm the ones that stick out to you. (Feel free to brainstorm on all of them if you have the time!) Some of our favorite methods for brainstorming are free writing, list making, or mind mapping. Choose a method that works best for you, but utilize this time to get very specific about each one of your concepts from the previous question.

For Example: You have identified that a key step in increasing revenue is to both triple the number of unique shoppers in your brick and mortar and e-commerce stores and double the number of actual sales.

Sort it out. Now it’s time to prioritize. Take all of the big dreams and essential details from your brainstorming steps and decide on each plan’s attainability, required time commitment, financial impact, and desirability. Use these rankings to identify your most important goals. In order to move on to the next step, you should be walking away with a few goals that are SMART: Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Based. For more on setting SMART goals, check out this article from The Balance.

For example: Increasing your company’s revenue by growing your customer base and boosting sales is a Specific goal that can be Measured through actionable steps such as implementing a focused digital content strategy and a number of unique and targeted, paid ad campaigns. It will take time and effort, but it is realistic and Attainable. The goals of growing your customer base and boosting sales are Relevant because they will directly affect your company’s revenue. You want to complete this within a year, so it is Time-Based.

Planning

At this point, you should have been able to identify a few loose goals that you can begin working on immediately. Don’t overwhelm yourself by making a game plan for every one of your business dreams right now. It’s time to get specific and calculated. The best use of your time is to map out the execution of your most immediate goals. Create a plan for each your goals with the following exercise:

Focus on why the goal is important to you and what it will mean once you achieve it.

Determine specific actions you can take to achieve the goal.

Define the metrics you will use to track the progress of this goal.

Clarify how your business will use your digital platforms to achieve this goal.

For example:

Growing your customer base and boosting sales is important in increasing revenue for your company. To achieve this, you must 1. Implement a focused digital content strategy 2. Run a thorough analysis of your audience and your competitors’ audiences and 3. Run unique and targeted, paid ad campaigns. To measure the achievement of these goals, you will use the completion of your action items, the levels of traffic to your store and website, and the number of leads and sales as benchmarks for growth. You will use paid and organic social media advertising to promote your business.

Metrics Measurement

Now that you have an understanding of your business’s goals and the role your digital platforms will have in achieving this goal, it is time to run a diagnostic on your brand’s current performance in the social media space. It is critical to have a precise understanding of where you are starting in order to accurately measure growth down the road.

Every goal will have a unique set of metrics to focus on, depending on the function of your social media marketing strategy. We’ve broken down the must-measure metrics by function below.

Brand Awareness – Reach, Followers, Likes, Visits, Shares, Mentions

Community Engagement – Followers, Engagement Rate, Shares, Impressions, Content Type

Web Traffic – Traffic Sources, Click Thru Rate, Website Interactions

Generating Leads/Sales – Click Thru Rate, Conversion Rate, Cost Per Click, Cost Per Lead

Brand Advocacy – Followers, Shares, Mentions, Comments, User Generated Content

Download and fill out this spreadsheet to record your benchmark analytics. There’s a tab customized to each one of the above goals! For more on the importance of measuring analytics, read our post on it here.

For example: If you are emphasizing paid ads to generate leads and sales, the primary metrics you might want to emphasize are the number of actual sales, conversion rates, and cost per conversion. Your secondary metrics might be click through rates, cost per click, and cost per lead.

Once you have run your diagnostic, be sure to return to these analytics and measure your growth. Set dates to hold you accountable to these goals. Check-ins can be weekly, monthly, or annually (or all three!), just make sure you’re taking the time to analyze your performance, and adjust course accordingly.

Responsive Strategy

Now that you know where you’re starting, create some goals for metrics benchmarks to support your overarching goal and break those goals down into actionable initiatives and campaigns.

For example:

To best optimize your paid ad initiative, you will need to emphasize lowering each ad’s cost per conversion. Lowering cost per conversion requires increasing the sales driven by that ad. You can do this by performing a deep audience analysis on competitors with high ad-driven sales, creating a highly specific audience that is the most likely to make a purchase after clicking, and A/B testing to optimize your content strategy.

 

We have covered so much in this article, so it is absolutely natural for you to be feeling a grand sense of overwhelm. Remember to take each one of your business (and personal!) goals one action item at a time. Progress is made simply by putting one foot in front of the other. When measuring your progress, it is important to remain flexible and responsive. A goal you set today might become irrelevant or may need a serious re-working down the road, and that’s ok! Change is inevitable, so adjust your course accordingly.

Don’t forget to celebrate your successes! It is key to continue to motivate yourself, and our favorite way to do this is to take note when you are hitting the benchmarks you set for yourself, your company, and your team.

Written by our Brand Communications Coordinator, Kaeleigh Morrison.

Have questions about goal-setting and growth? Want to share your progress? Tweet us  @somethingsocial or tag us on Instagram- @somethingsocial.

 

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Happy Go Lucky Exhibit

Images courtesy of @sunnyhues_official, @blinker_bell

The latest in Insta-worthy experiences is Sunnyhue’s dreamy Happy Go Lucky Exhibit. Flush with pastel mermaid moments, a diamond-encrusted hallway, and an ocean of sunflowers, Happy Go Lucky is the perfect pop for your feed during this month of chilly, rainy days. Sunnydays is hooking you up with a special holiday offer of 20% off ticket prices when you use code ‘THANKS’ at checkout. Buy your tickets here.

Atrium in Los Feliz

Images courtesy of @meetjakob

New on the Eastside is the industrial and spacious, Atrium. Declared a “dinnertime star” by Eater LA, this hidden gem is not to be missed. Tucked into a Vermont Ave alleyway, Atrium flipped a previously unoccupied warehouse space into an elevated dining experience featuring a variety of LA flavors, including Grilled Cauliflower Shawarma, Dry Aged Steak with Szechuan Sauce, and Roasted Squash Agnolotti.Their olive-green, plush velvet booths and lush foliage are sure to make for the perfect escape.

Cha Cha Matcha

Images courtesy of @chachamatcha

You already know them and love them so matcha, and now they’re coming to the West Coast. Cha Cha Matcha opens a new storefront in our neighborhood, West Hollywood, on December 7th. Cha Cha incorporates Ceremonial Grade Matcha Powder into their drinks to raise the bar on the quality of their pretty green sips. If their New York location is any indication of their new spot, every corner is sure to be a must-’gram.

Love Actually Live

For The Record returns to The Wallis with a multimedia musical celebration of Richard Curtis’ beloved holiday movie, Love Actually. The world premiere production of Love Actually Live, presented by special arrangement with Universal Pictures and Working Title Films, will transform the Wallis’ Bram Goldsmith Theater into a giant, immersive, cinema for the modern day. The production will include songs from the hit soundtrack, including “Christmas is All Around,” “The Trouble With Love Is,” “All Alone On Christmas” and more. Performed live by an all-star cast and 15-piece orchestra. Click here for tickets.

Highly Likely

Images courtesy of @jadeandjunipergoods, @kimfoxfoodphoto, and @handandrose

Brought to you by the owners of Cafe Gratitude and Juice Served here, popping up in the up-and-coming neighborhood of West Adams is Highly Likely. Not only is the natural light out of this world, but the breezy atmosphere of light wood and plenty of plants is beautifully accented with a graphic mural. The daytime menu of bowls, sandwiches, and salads features specially sourced ingredients like @bubandgrandmas bread, Niman Ranch bacon, and a HiLi Hot Sauce brewed and bottled specifically for Highly Likely’s kitchen. In the evenings, the menu transitions to a late night menu, featuring unique bites and apps like Nacho Fries, Burrata Toast, and a Grass-Fed Burger to pair with their lineup of French wines.

Check out their pop-up events with rotating floral trucks and a Sunday Suppers pop-up dinner series hosted by Chef Kat Turner (@katturnerwashere). Check out the Eventbrite for tickets to their next event here.

Santa Monica Pub Crawl

Images courtesy of @smpubcrawl

The 10th Annual Santa Monica Pub Crawl kicks off this Saturday at 5pm in Santa Monica, CA. Drink around the city’s best bars and restaurants to raise money for those in need during the holidays through a partnership with Westside Food Bank. With your SMPC wristband you will receive drink and food specials at the participating locations.

Participants are asked to dress in Santa/Holiday attire so that the streets of Santa Monica will be filled with merry cheer. Crawlers must sign up online, Pay a $15 entrance fee (in advance), choose a route and collect their wristband and map at their official starting location. (see all routes here) For more information on the crawl, check out their website.

Poppy’s New Year’s Eve Party

Smack dab in the middle of West Hollywood, Poppy has always been one of our favorite spots. This year they’re serving up a New Year’s offer that can’t be beat. Tickets start at $94 for a 5-hour premium open bar premium open bar and live music from one of The h.wood Group’s best DJs. Before the stroke of midnight, raise a glass of complimentary champagne and join the DJ in a live countdown to 2019. Have a little extra holiday cash to throw at your NYE celebration? Pick from a selection of VIP table packages featuring priority admission, reserved seating, and bottle service. Click here to buy your tickets.

Prohibition New Year’s Eve

Images courtesy of @prohibitionnye.

KCRW hosts their annual Prohibition New Year’s Eve party at the glamorous and historic Union Station. General Admission tickets start at $185 and include an open bar of champagne and premium spirits. LA based duo CLASSIXX will take the main stage at the midnight hour to perform an energetic, disco-inspired DJ set. Further musical support includes internationally touring saxophonist Justin Ward, Los Angeles’ own DJ Gadachy, Jackie Emerald, MDA DJ’s Daniel Minaya & Mogli, along with jazz ensemble Lyndsay & the All Nighters, and burlesque performances from Dollhouse Entertainment. Click here to buy your tickets.

Written by our Brand Communications Coordinator, Kaeleigh Morrison.

What are your go-to holiday spots? Tweet us  @somethingsocial or tag us on Instagram- @somethingsocial.

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