Marketing with heart with Jess Schultz | Ep. 15 Content Magic with Lindsay Smith

In this episode, Jess and I nerd out on content and storytelling! 

Jess is a digital marketer and she absolutely loves working with local clients. She shares how she became an entrepreneur, the meaning of community and authenticity in content and how to balance vulnerability in your content. 

We also chat about some super valuable tips to create impactful content to connect with your audience. 

Don't miss this one! 

05:54 Transitioned from virtual assisting to operational management.

07:41 Tech enthusiast preferring in-person connections with community.

11:48 Authentic storytelling is key for local marketing.

14:03 Independent toy store owner fosters loyal community.

19:25 Marketing success requires testing, monitoring, and pivoting.

20:41 Range of services for marketing and learning.

25:28 Local magazine delivers self-care and mental support.

27:05 Expressing gratitude, asking for support.


CONNECT WITH JESS!
Instagram: @sweetsimplecollabs
Website: sweetsimplecollabs.com
Freebie: Know your audience workbook

Jess [00:00:00]:
It might be controversial for some people I don't know, but anecdotally, I've noticed that people really care about the story.

Lindsay [00:00:07]:
Yes.

Jess [00:00:08]:
And, I mean, I'm not the first person to say that marketing works best when there's a story, right? That's a universal thing that we all accept.

Lindsay [00:00:16]:
If you have an online business, you're creating content. And the way you create content is more important than ever. It's really noisy out, and learning to stand out is the only way. Hey, I'm Lindsay and I'm the host of the content Magic podcast, all about being an entrepreneur and creating kick ass content to market yourself and your business. I have a not so secret superpower for copywriting, marketing and content, and I've helped hundreds of folks just like you show up with a ton of confidence in the online space. I've been doing this content thing for 20 years, and I believe the real magic is a combo of intuition, creativity, and strategy. You can create content for your business without losing your mind. I promise.

Lindsay [00:01:01]:
So tune in every week for tangible content tips, inspiring guests, and some real spicy opinions. Probably mine. Ready to dive in?

Lindsay [00:01:10]:
Let's go. Hi, everyone. Welcome back to content magic. And I have another guest with me. Her name is Jessica, and at the time of this recording, where she lives is very cold. So, Jess, can you share where you are and who you are and what you do and who you help?

Jess [00:01:34]:
Yeah. So I am located in a small community just outside of Edmonton, Alberta. And like you said, it's pretty chilly here. It actually warmed up a bit today. I think it feels like -30 out there now. But for the past couple of days, it felt like -40 something or -50 so it's pretty cold here.

Lindsay [00:01:55]:
Pleasant. So pleasant.

Jess [00:01:57]:
Yeah, it's lovely. You see all those people on Instagram doing the hot water or the boiling water challenge? Those people live here.

Lindsay [00:02:06]:
They do. It's cold.

Jess [00:02:08]:
Or like the ramen noodle challenge. Do you see that one where no people took ramen noodles outside and they hold them up with chopsticks and then it freezes and then they bring it back inside and it's just like a statue of frozen ramen noodles?

Lindsay [00:02:23]:
Okay, I didn't know about that one. Okay, there's another one.

Jess [00:02:26]:
Yeah. Fun trends. Well, and I know about that because segue into what I do. So I am a digital marketer and I help local businesses, mostly in my area. I have worked kind of regionally and beyond, but I help them connect with their audiences and get more attention on their business. So I know when people think marketing sometimes used car salesmen come to mind, or, like, the sleazy sales tactics or exorbitant advertising budgets. But what I do is a little different. I like to call it marketing with heart.

Jess [00:03:06]:
Yeah. It's more about creating a connection with people, because, as you know, I mean, we're in a similar industry. What we really want is for people to trust us and like us and care about our success as well. Right. Like, we're trying to get them to buy in, because if they care about. And again, this is more for local and smaller businesses, because when you're working with local businesses that are catering to people in their area, it's important that those people care about whether or not you succeed. Like the whole support, local, shop, small kind of thing, you have to tap into that and give them a reason to know you as a person and care about whether or not you stick around. That's what I do.

Lindsay [00:03:52]:
Yes. And I feel like this word community keeps coming up, and I feel like that's a big part of what you do. Right. Like, there's a community that wants to support each other. I feel like that's a lot, what you do. Can you tell us your journey to entrepreneurship? Where did it start and how did you get where you are now?

Jess [00:04:13]:
Yeah, my journey is. Well, it's a journey, right? So not a straight line. Ups and downs. I don't know if you've ever watched a television show called the Good Place.

Lindsay [00:04:24]:
Yes.

Jess [00:04:24]:
If you've ever seen that, you know? Jeremy Barami is.

Lindsay [00:04:27]:
Yes.

Jess [00:04:29]:
In this television show, they talk about time doesn't move in a straight line. It basically moves in a bunch of squiggles and squirrels that when you write it out, looks like the word Jeremy Barami. So feels like that. So I started this entrepreneurship journey in a totally different industry. So back I graduated from school as a massage. Yeah, I worked for other people for a bit, actually backing up. Before that, I was a clinic manager, so I got to see the operational side of that business. And then when I graduated, I transitioned into being a therapist myself.

Jess [00:05:07]:
And I worked in that industry for a decade. So I worked for someone else first, and then I had my kids and I was self employed. So I worked for myself. I had a little business out of my house for a bit and then transitioned to in my house, but working for myself. And then in 2019, I realized that even though what I was doing was great for when the kids were little, as they were getting a bit older, I wanted something that had some more time, freedom. Because as you can imagine being a massage therapist. You have to be available at specific blocks of time, and you have to be alone. You can't have your kids with you or bring your massage client in the vehicle while you go on a road trip or on the airplane while you have to be present.

Jess [00:05:54]:
And there's no multitasking, no flexibility. So I was on the hunt for something different. I didn't know what that looked like, but I knew what I wanted my day and my life to look like. So, yeah, started making this shift and doing a bunch of research and learned about the world of virtual assisting first, kind of where this all started and started out as a VA, a lot of people wanted help with social media. I took on a few challenging roles in my first year in a bit that they were kind of more in the realm of, like, OBM operational business manager, even though we didn't call it that. I was a virtual assistant, but I was doing a lot of tasks that had some responsibility and challenge with them, and it was great. Stretched me, grew me, and I realized as I was doing that, that I had this passion more for helping businesses make a plan and take action to reach out. So not so much just creating content and making sure it got out on time, but making sure that there was a reason and a message, and how can we track that? How can we know? Got very curious about all of it.

Jess [00:07:07]:
So then I started a little bit more traditional education. The world of marketing. Yeah, that's where I am now.

Lindsay [00:07:19]:
That's so interesting. I had no idea you were an RMT. We always learn secrets. There's always, like, everybody has so many secret lives, and I love learning that. I love that part of people's stories. So tell me why you decided to focus on local businesses. Where did that passion come from?

Jess [00:07:41]:
It's kind of funny because I am a huge tech proponent, so I love tech things. I really like when you can create systems and integrate and automate. Like, I'm all for it, but at the same time, I'm weirdly old fashioned in the sense that I would absolutely rather meet you at a coffee shop and talk business than a Zoom chat or a phone call. I don't know why, but I really love connecting with people in person. And so I started out working with people from all over the place. But I realized that the things that I enjoyed the most were the businesses and the clients that I could pop in and support them physically and take some content myself, not relying on my clients to send me things. I wanted proximity so that I could have that in person kind of touch. And then it just felt like it made sense that I would work with my local community because I felt really passionate about supporting them.

Jess [00:08:46]:
And also, I would rather be able to physically meet people than have to only have a pen pal kind of online communication.

Lindsay [00:08:57]:
That's so interesting. And I was at a conference this past weekend here in southern Ontario, and there was all these incredible speakers and panelists. But the biggest takeaway from it all was like, people who I've only known online, who I got to meet in person and actually chitchat with and make eye contact with. Right? That was the biggest takeaway of this six hour long conference. Also, there was really good Cookies. I was pretty excited about that, too, to be fair. But we are kindred spirits. Do you love cookies?

Jess [00:09:36]:
Sweets are always another secret life of mine. For a brief period during my massage therapy days, I started a baking blog because I baked so much and people always asked for recipes and I got tired of having to fish through a recipe box to find them. So I just made this little website and started posting my recipes so that everybody could have them.

Lindsay [00:10:01]:
I have a past life as a beauty blogger where pr companies would send me boxes full of nail polish and makeup and stuff and I'd write about it.

Jess [00:10:11]:
And you still love pretty nails to this day?

Lindsay [00:10:13]:
I know, pretty nails. Yes, pretty nails. But pins are not. The pin came out. I know. Thank God. I just went to physio this morning. He was like, you're doing very well.

Lindsay [00:10:24]:
I was like, thank you. I do well with praise. Thank you. And I love when people have all these past lives. Anyways, so tell me a little bit more about how you support your clients and what makes the best kind of content. I know you talked about making content that connects or content that makes connections. So tell me a little bit more about that. Is there a recipe for that? Is there some sort of way to achieve that recipe? That was not a pun.

Lindsay [00:11:04]:
Yeah, it just came out of my mouth. So how do people achieve that? Or does it depend?

Jess [00:11:12]:
It always depends. Right? So I'm sure you are the same with your clients. It would be impossible to give someone advice without knowing what they do and who they're talking to. Because every niche, every market, every industry has a different audience, and those people are looking for something different. It's kind of like on a higher view level, it really matters whether you're business to business or business to client. Right. Or business to customer kind of thing. So if you're doing b to c and business to customer, I think what I've noticed, and this might be, it might be controversial for some people, I don't know.

Jess [00:11:48]:
But anecdotally, I've noticed that people really care about the story. And, I mean, I'm not the first person to say that marketing works best when there's a story, right? That's a universal thing that we all accept. But what I have realized is when my clients infuse a little bit of their personality and their backstory, and essentially when it's less curated and more authentic, it resonates way more, and especially when we're trying to reach a local audience. So it might be different if we are speaking globally. Like, if you're a business that ships everywhere and you're trying to speak to an archetype of a client, but spread out over so many different regions that it has to be a little more generic. It's different. But when you're speaking to your local community, they want to know about you. They want to know about your passion for your business and why you started it.

Jess [00:12:42]:
And they want to know true things. So they want to know when it's hard, and they want to celebrate little wins with you, and they want to help you overcome certain hardships. And I also find that people are so much more understanding for local businesses and anything that's going on with them if they've got that, like, that all marketers are trying to build, like, everyone always talks about the know, like and trust, right? So you want some brand awareness, but you also want that authority and that relationship so that people care. Because if you're faceless, like, imagine a Walmart, for example, right? It's a big company. When something happens, you don't really think about hurting their feelings or hurting their bottom line. If you need to go return something or. We don't care about Walmart feelings. We're not worried about it.

Jess [00:13:41]:
We know that they're going to make money, and we basically assume that they have no soul sort of thing. Local marketing, local business is very different thing. You have a heart for your business, for your community, and they need to know about that because that's the big thing that sets you apart, that you're not faceless and nameless.

Lindsay [00:14:03]:
Yes, and I totally agree. So there's been times over the years that I've worked on and off at this independent toy store in my area, right? It's one woman that owns it. She's owned it for like 15 years. And I feel like it's the same the community. She has a certain clientele and they come back again and again and again. And, yeah, there is this community feel. There is this sort of cheerleader of cheering you on, or when all the closest the stores had to close because of the pandemic, there was, like, a lot of people. One, everybody's kids were bored, so it was like everybody was buying puzzles and games and stuff.

Lindsay [00:14:48]:
So she shifted online and she did well because there was, like, this community feeling of wanting to support, and they were also getting a quality product. There's no doubt about that, right? Yeah, for sure.

Jess [00:15:07]:
100%. All the pieces have to come together, but I feel like any business anywhere does well to ensure that they're offering quality services or goods, that you have a branded message and that you're speaking to what your clients are looking for or customers are looking for. But when the difference between something that's global or digital and local is that kind of. That heart, that community piece.

Lindsay [00:15:35]:
Yeah. And the storytelling piece. And I find that that's. And I said this on threads earlier this week, yesterday. Sometimes I go on threads and I say random stuff.

Jess [00:15:48]:
It's great.

Lindsay [00:15:49]:
Yeah, I know. Because nobody cares. Also, I'm trying to go on the TikTok. I haven't figured out TikTok on the TikTok. Am I showing my whole nother world? I know. Which also, I feel like it's just like Nepoktokois. You can just do whatever you want on there, and nobody cares. Maybe that's the mode I'm in, just making content that I don't give a shit about.

Lindsay [00:16:15]:
So, storytelling, and I find that's what's missing. Like most people that I work with, I find that that's the piece that's missing, and it's often hard to explain. Right. And when I talk about content, I'm sure it's the same for you. When I talk about content, people immediately think, Instagram. I'm like, actually, no. Do you have an email list? Do you have a website? Do you have a podcast? What else are you networking? Right. To me, that all counts as content.

Lindsay [00:16:49]:
100%. So I feel like explaining storytelling in long form content, like a blog post or an email, that part is a little bit easier. Right. And I find there's a bit of a formula to it. Right. And I just said this earlier today. Your subject line is your hook, and then you tell a story, and then you sort of relate it back to what you do, and then it's like a children's story. Right.

Lindsay [00:17:14]:
And then you wrap it up with a bow, and then you put a link right. I feel like that's generally good email storytelling when it comes to social content. I feel like the storytelling piece can be trickier. Right. And I talk about this a lot, this line of vulnerability. Right. The vulnerability piece is what's going to help you connect with people as a personal brand or even some of the clients you work with who are like, it's a one person owned business. Right.

Lindsay [00:17:51]:
Yeah. But you have to kind of decide where that line is. Right. What are you willing to share that can serve as connection? And then on this other side, I have my hand up because we're not using video. I have my hand up and I'm like dividing the screen here and then on this side. Right. Those are the stories that are not worth sharing and you just keep to yourself. Does that come up?

Jess [00:18:19]:
Yeah. And I think it's different. It depends on your industry and who you're talking to. Again, if you were a lawyer or someone who is psychologist, psychiatrist, someone who's in a position with a lot of kind of power and responsibility, you probably wouldn't want to be sharing about. I'm so frazzled, my life is falling apart. I have no idea. Right. Those aren't the kind of stories that we want to hear from those people or like heart surgeons.

Jess [00:18:47]:
I want to keep on believing that you have your life together and that I can trust you with my important scary thing. But the people who are in a little bit more relatable niche.

Lindsay [00:19:02]:
Right.

Jess [00:19:02]:
Like, if you're selling me flowers and candy, I would love to hear that you spilt your coffee on your pants this morning on your way into work and that now you're wearing your flower apron to cover up your coffee pants or something. Right. Those kind of moments are the ones that build connection, where someone can see that you're a real person.

Lindsay [00:19:23]:
The relatability thing.

Jess [00:19:25]:
Yeah. And not everybody is on board for that. And I get that. I think a big part of marketing, honestly, is you test it, you monitor it, and then you pivot. Right. So I have my theories and my ideas, but what you have to do, no matter whose advice you're taking, is you have to test it. Then you have to watch and see what's happening and have a metric, like a way to tell if that's actually happening or not, and then pivot accordingly. And sometimes that means doing more of a good thing if it did work, and sometimes it means trying again.

Jess [00:20:00]:
And that's one of the most wonderful parts of what I do. And also scariest and hardest because you're constantly watching to see if what you're doing is right or not for the business you're working with.

Lindsay [00:20:15]:
Yeah. And I say this a lot. A lot of it is just an experiment, right? A lot of it is just like, let's try this, right? And if it doesn't work, then okay, we'll try something else.

Jess [00:20:28]:
An experiment that's founded on a bunch of knowledge. We're not just looking at things at the wall. Totally.

Lindsay [00:20:36]:
So are you making content for your clients or are you just kind of, like, directing them?

Jess [00:20:41]:
I do both. So depending on what people need, for some people, I have a range of people that I come in contact with. There's the people who have. They don't really have a marketing background, nor do they have any desire to get that knowledge, but they want their business to be shared with the world. So if they have the budget but they have no time and no desire to do any of it themselves, then I end up doing things for people like my company does done for you services. But I also offer things for people who are maybe interested in learning those things and having kind of their hand on the rein, but they need guidance or they need a little bit of a boost because they don't have the time to do it all mean, for those who are listening. Lindsay and I first connected because I invited her into a group that I have which does just that, which is to support the people who, they have some time and they have a lot of drive and desire, but they need some guidance or they want to learn more so they can be the manager of those things in their business and in their life. So that came to life because of that, because I meet a lot of those people and I love working with them, too.

Jess [00:21:57]:
So for them, it's more guidance, information, maybe like content, calendars, power hours, helping develop strategies for them, but not making the content for them.

Lindsay [00:22:10]:
And yes, I agree. I think there's both type of people, right. And I'm always happy there are people who, and it depends on the industry, too. Like a lot of industries, like, if it's like photography or food or like interior design or even beauty, I feel like that's very outsourceable content. But if you're like a service provider and you're a solopreneur, I feel like those are the people who, there's a lot more power if they show up as themselves. So can you tell us a little bit more about that group that you mentioned?

Jess [00:22:51]:
Yes. So that group is called digitally sweet and simple, and it's been evolving since it started. But the underlying goal, honestly, of my entire business, but definitely of that group, is that I want to help people. Everything I do, my goal is really that I want to help you. So I realized there were a lot of people who wanted access to be able to ask questions and be a part of a community of support. They wanted the tips and tricks, they wanted the templates, they wanted some content inspiration. They wanted to troubleshoot their tech issues. But they couldn't have someone on retainer twenty four seven to be helping with everything.

Jess [00:23:36]:
So I created the group, and now we have a lovely little group of people who get together. We have monthly meetings, which is where we met you, Lindsay. And she came in and taught us about good copywriting, which was fantastic. We've had people speak on a number of topics, and then we actually just did our January meeting. We had someone come in who does personal development through art, and they help. Yeah, it was real fun. Her company is called Art with attitude. Look her up.

Jess [00:24:09]:
She's also a member of the group, which is convenient, but she perfect. Yeah. She did vision boards with us. So we did some goal setting and evaluated our last year and what we want our businesses to look like this year and made some visual representations. So, yeah, it's a blend of learning and support. It's been fun.

Lindsay [00:24:33]:
Jess, thank you for coming and sharing your smartitude. Where can people find you?

Jess [00:24:39]:
People can find me on my website, which is sweetsimplecollabs.com, but I'm also on Instagram and Facebook, and I am on the TikTok, although not very active on there. I am. Yeah, I've dabbled in it, honestly. I went back and forth when there was all the privacy stuff going on, like, do I want to be here? I do, but I don't. But I do. But I don't. But I'm there. Yeah.

Jess [00:25:06]:
And I also am a part of Heartheld magazine, which I think you and I have talked about. I don't know if we have or not, but people can find me on that social media page and website as well. Hearthmagazine.com, we're going to put all those.

Lindsay [00:25:22]:
Things in the show notes. What is that magazine? Can you tell us quickly what that is?

Jess [00:25:28]:
Yeah, so it's a local magazine, and it was created to deliver, like, a bit of self care and a bit of mental health support to people's mailboxes. It follows. It tracks with the I'm a bit old fashioned. We're reviving a bit of a dead art, which is print publications. So, yeah, it's two factor for subscribers. It has recipes and self care information, some affirmations, like there's some kid jokes and crafts and stuff like that inside of it. It's really meant to be like a ray of sunshine that comes in the mail. We started it during the pandemic.

Jess [00:26:08]:
The publisher and editor in chief started it, and I jumped on board pretty early on. And then the other side of it is that we also have a passion for supporting local business. So we partner with people, they advertise in the magazine, and then we support them both in print format and digitally to try and get their business out there in the community.

Lindsay [00:26:33]:
Yeah.

Jess [00:26:34]:
So it's an extension of what I do. And it's really beautiful. I love it.

Lindsay [00:26:39]:
I love that you're bringing print back. I used to write articles for actual magazines. I have a bunch of them somewhere. All these defunct magazines that no longer exist, I think they're in a box in the basement somewhere. Thank you so much for joining us. This has been lovely. It's always lovely.

Jess [00:26:56]:
Thanks for having me. Yeah, it was nice to see you.

Lindsay [00:26:59]:
Yeah, you too. That's it for us today, guys. We'll see you next time.

Lindsay [00:27:05]:
Thank you so much for listening. If you loved what you heard, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, or share this episode on social media. And don't forget to tag me on Instagram at Lindsaysmith Creative. And if you do all three, I'll be your best friend forever and invite you to all my birthday parties. That's it for today, and I'll see you next time.