Marta Tryshak: Embracing Social Responsibility within the Social Media World
Being driven by your values and conscious of your social footprint are critical elements to better branding, social media campaigns, and simply being responsible with your online content. However, this can seem daunting. Our interview with Marta Tryshak of the TryMus Group shares how brands and influencers can embrace social responsibility online while creating effective campaigns.
Marta Tryshak is a managing partner at TryMus Group and a digital marketing professor at Seneca College. She has a strong background in social media and influencer marketing, even being named one of Marketing Magazine’s Top 30 Under 30 in 2012. Later, she received a Notable Award for Best Personal Brand for her reputable Candian women’s lifestyle blog, WithLoveGabrielle, which is currently under construction for a relaunch.
With her business partner, Marta started the TryMus Group, a social media marketing and consulting agency. “TryMus” combines her last name and her business partner’s last name. She brought together a diverse group of people to build long-term client relationships with a strong focus on social responsibility.
What is TryMus Group?
“TryMus Group is a social media and influencer marketing agency. Our focus very much is on strategic narratives and social responsibilities. So for us, the aspect of social media is not just storytelling to make sure our clients have the conversions… but the important part is how it’s done and the social responsibility behind this.”
It’s no surprise that social media can harm our mental health. So, the TryMus Group works diligently with its clients to ensure that they have effective campaigns with socially responsible footprints.
“I think that the biggest challenge is really having an ongoing relationship, so having these short one-off partnerships. So for us, we really prioritize a relationship. We not only see the benefit that it pays off for our clients, but we find that an ongoing relationship with influencers… because there’s continuity, there’s context. There’s meaning behind that.”
TryMus Group Campaigns
While Marta says that she is very proud of all of TryMus’ campaigns, she especially enjoyed a recent campaign with Happy 2nd Birthday, a clean skincare brand formulated with cancer patients in mind.
“And I think a lot of the influencer work that we’ve done with them, especially with survivors has been incredibly meaningful… Being able to have the opportunity to get to know these people and hear their stories has been very impactful.”
Another campaign that stood out to her was TryMus Group’s work with HillCrest mall. HillCrest mall recently underwent a massive renovation and expansion and hired the TryMus Group to help market its reopening.
One of Marta’s favorite parts of the campaign was installing beehives on top of the mall and using influencers to show this off. The beehives aspect of the campaign led to many customers asking HillCrest mall if they could see the beehives and buy the honey, which led to great publicity for the mall. The TryMus Group was the first company in Canada to install beehives like this. It resulted in a unique and socially responsible campaign that had great results for the mall.
“When it comes to metrics, you weren’t so much looking when it comes to the reach or engagement from the traditional standpoint. Our focus was very much reaching our community and being able to engage with them and that’s a very difficult metric to measure… We were looking for community attraction.”
Evolving with Social Media
Social media is constantly evolving, making it challenging to stay on top of changing trends and landscapes. Marta shared the following when asked about how TryMus stays on top of social media’s constantly changing landscape:
“So every single Monday, our team, we have a meeting and it’s called a social meeting and our social media coordinators are responsible for putting together a list of everything that happened in our industry [in the] previous week. And we have an hour and a half where we sit down and discuss it.”
TryMus Group has recently started sharing highlights from these meetings on their Instagram if you’re interested in learning more about them.
Marta’s Advice for Brands and Influencers
As someone with extensive experience working as both an influencer herself and with many brands through the TryMus group, Marta is in a unique position to advise both sides on influencer marketing:
For brands, Marta shares,“When it comes to our clients [brands], we need to make sure that they understand that fact that this is first of all.. A labor of love, but the second thing, you’ve gotta be in it for the long haul. [Infuencer marketing] is not a quick fix, it’s not a quick solution.”
Many brands come to talent agencies expecting that influencer marketing will change their performance online instantly, which isn’t the case. So, as a brand, Marta advises you to look at influencer marketing as a long-term marketing strategy.
If you’re a small brand, Marta specifically shares, “focus on your customer… whenever you consider and put your customer first because at the end of the day, you know, that’s what it’s about…. The content carrier more value… I think that’s going to give you a lot more traction if you’re carrying value for a client.”
If you’re an influencer, Marta advises you “to have very honest conversations” and keep in mind that businesses you work with are at different stages. Both the brand and yourself are businesses, so it’s important to have honest and transparent communication about expectations, pay, etc.
The Future of Social Media
Marta anticipates that influencer marketing will continue to evolve, noting that “People want real. I think for a couple of years we wanted a beautifully curated, ideal world, but I think after what we’ve gone through and what we’re going through… people are beyond the fluff, people want substance now.”
Another thing she’s excited to see is increased accessibility online for those with disabilities.
“And this includes the platforms introducing features that accommodate these [disabilities]… actually making it accessible to creators to be able to implement that to them more naturally.”
Future Plans
One of TryMus Group’s biggest goals for 2022 is focusing on content accessibility for people with disabilities, especially people with visual impairments.
Marta also shares that TryMus is also heavily focused on continuing to be inclusive and making that a core aspect of the way they develop content. Another significant goal is focusing on sales that are more educational-forward.
“I think the educational component will lead them to more informed decisions. So instead of trying to sell someone… I think what we’re focusing on and making sure that our sales team focuses on is the fact that educating the client to come to a decision that works best for them.”
Lastly, Marta wants to continue promoting a healthy work-life balance within TryMus. For example, she shares that if someone is on vacation and messages a coworker about work, the other coworker will ignore the message to encourage the person to enjoy their vacation and step back from social media.
Social media may be on 24/7, but humans are not made to work like this. To accomplish this, Marta is working to provide essential tools for her team and support their time off and mental wellbeing.
Amy DeYoung is a freelance blog post writer covering influencer marketing and business topics. As the daughter of two business owners, she's been fascinated by all things business from a young age, which led her to graduate from college with a bachelor's degree in business. When she's not typing away, she spends her time reading nonfiction books and mystery novels, baking scrumptious desserts, and playing with her dog.
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Marta Tryshak is a managing partner at TryMus Group and a digital marketing professor at Seneca College. She has a strong background in social media and influencer marketing, even being named one of Marketing Magazine’s Top 30 Under 30 in 2012. Later, she received a Notable Award for Best Personal Brand for her reputable Candian women’s lifestyle blog, WithLoveGabrielle, which is currently under construction for a relaunch.
With her business partner, Marta started the TryMus Group, a social media marketing and consulting agency. “TryMus” combines her last name and her business partner’s last name. She brought together a diverse group of people to build long-term client relationships with a strong focus on social responsibility.
What is TryMus Group?
“TryMus Group is a social media and influencer marketing agency. Our focus very much is on strategic narratives and social responsibilities. So for us, the aspect of social media is not just storytelling to make sure our clients have the conversions… but the important part is how it’s done and the social responsibility behind this.”
It’s no surprise that social media can harm our mental health. So, the TryMus Group works diligently with its clients to ensure that they have effective campaigns with socially responsible footprints.
“I think that the biggest challenge is really having an ongoing relationship, so having these short one-off partnerships. So for us, we really prioritize a relationship. We not only see the benefit that it pays off for our clients, but we find that an ongoing relationship with influencers… because there’s continuity, there’s context. There’s meaning behind that.”
TryMus Group Campaigns
While Marta says that she is very proud of all of TryMus’ campaigns, she especially enjoyed a recent campaign with Happy 2nd Birthday, a clean skincare brand formulated with cancer patients in mind.
“And I think a lot of the influencer work that we’ve done with them, especially with survivors has been incredibly meaningful… Being able to have the opportunity to get to know these people and hear their stories has been very impactful.”
Another campaign that stood out to her was TryMus Group’s work with HillCrest mall. HillCrest mall recently underwent a massive renovation and expansion and hired the TryMus Group to help market its reopening.
One of Marta’s favorite parts of the campaign was installing beehives on top of the mall and using influencers to show this off. The beehives aspect of the campaign led to many customers asking HillCrest mall if they could see the beehives and buy the honey, which led to great publicity for the mall. The TryMus Group was the first company in Canada to install beehives like this. It resulted in a unique and socially responsible campaign that had great results for the mall.
“When it comes to metrics, you weren’t so much looking when it comes to the reach or engagement from the traditional standpoint. Our focus was very much reaching our community and being able to engage with them and that’s a very difficult metric to measure… We were looking for community attraction.”
Evolving with Social Media
Social media is constantly evolving, making it challenging to stay on top of changing trends and landscapes. Marta shared the following when asked about how TryMus stays on top of social media’s constantly changing landscape:
“So every single Monday, our team, we have a meeting and it’s called a social meeting and our social media coordinators are responsible for putting together a list of everything that happened in our industry [in the] previous week. And we have an hour and a half where we sit down and discuss it.”
TryMus Group has recently started sharing highlights from these meetings on their Instagram if you’re interested in learning more about them.
Marta’s Advice for Brands and Influencers
As someone with extensive experience working as both an influencer herself and with many brands through the TryMus group, Marta is in a unique position to advise both sides on influencer marketing:
For brands, Marta shares, “When it comes to our clients [brands], we need to make sure that they understand that fact that this is first of all.. A labor of love, but the second thing, you’ve gotta be in it for the long haul. [Infuencer marketing] is not a quick fix, it’s not a quick solution.”
Many brands come to talent agencies expecting that influencer marketing will change their performance online instantly, which isn’t the case. So, as a brand, Marta advises you to look at influencer marketing as a long-term marketing strategy.
If you’re a small brand, Marta specifically shares, “focus on your customer… whenever you consider and put your customer first because at the end of the day, you know, that’s what it’s about…. The content carrier more value… I think that’s going to give you a lot more traction if you’re carrying value for a client.”
If you’re an influencer, Marta advises you “to have very honest conversations” and keep in mind that businesses you work with are at different stages. Both the brand and yourself are businesses, so it’s important to have honest and transparent communication about expectations, pay, etc.
The Future of Social Media
Marta anticipates that influencer marketing will continue to evolve, noting that “People want real. I think for a couple of years we wanted a beautifully curated, ideal world, but I think after what we’ve gone through and what we’re going through… people are beyond the fluff, people want substance now.”
Another thing she’s excited to see is increased accessibility online for those with disabilities.
“And this includes the platforms introducing features that accommodate these [disabilities]… actually making it accessible to creators to be able to implement that to them more naturally.”
Future Plans
One of TryMus Group’s biggest goals for 2022 is focusing on content accessibility for people with disabilities, especially people with visual impairments.
Marta also shares that TryMus is also heavily focused on continuing to be inclusive and making that a core aspect of the way they develop content. Another significant goal is focusing on sales that are more educational-forward.
“I think the educational component will lead them to more informed decisions. So instead of trying to sell someone… I think what we’re focusing on and making sure that our sales team focuses on is the fact that educating the client to come to a decision that works best for them.”
Lastly, Marta wants to continue promoting a healthy work-life balance within TryMus. For example, she shares that if someone is on vacation and messages a coworker about work, the other coworker will ignore the message to encourage the person to enjoy their vacation and step back from social media.
Social media may be on 24/7, but humans are not made to work like this. To accomplish this, Marta is working to provide essential tools for her team and support their time off and mental wellbeing.