The shift in online marketing and social media with Lindsay Hyatt | Ep. 48 Content Magic with Lindsay Smith

In this episode of Content Magic, I'm joined by Lindsay Hyatt who is also a copywriter as well as a brand strategist and we are getting into ALL of it. 

We talk about what's shifted on social media, how to shed the performative aspect of certain platforms and how to overcome that as well as what it means to go back to more traditional means to market our businesses. 

We'll also dig into the challenges faced by new entrepreneurs overwhelmed by social media trends, the importance of email lists for marketing, and a personal take on using Instagram stories for therapeutic expression as well as connection to our audiences. 

Together, we'll navigate through concerns over privacy, the prevalence of flashy and often misleading marketing, and the reality of entrepreneurship that rarely matches the glamorous portrayals online.

Plus, so much more! If you're marketing your business online, you have to tune into this episode.

And, don't forget to join my FREE Content Genius Bootcamp to learn even more about content and marketing. 

00:00 Pandemic pushed me to start own business.
03:04 Copywriter, marketer, teacher; returns to creative writing.
06:25 Social media feels different: burnout, AI, trolls.
09:39 We can't solely rely on social media.
12:53 Effective, unglamorous email lists succeed for entrepreneurs.
18:03 Interest in investments decreases due to distrust.
20:09 Question your own goals amid peer pressure.
25:09 Instagram's visual; Threads allowed freeing writing instead.
27:44 Cherished memories of kids and embarrassing posts.
29:47 Small email lists can still benefit businesses.
34:24 Promoting local business, brand building, and mentorship.
36:18 Join Lindsay's free content genius boot camp.

CONNECT WITH LINDSAY!
Instagram: @thelindsayhyatt
Website: lindsayhyatt.com
Podcast: Reprogramming with Lindsay Hyatt

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Lindsay [00:00:00]:
Is it getting harder and harder to sell our things, or is this just, like, a perception because we've been relying on social media for so long?

Lindsay Hyatt [00:00:12]:
I think it's both. I think it's two things. I think it's something is happening with the algorithm. I don't really understand it because they're discouraging. And by they, I mean meta, especially like talking about Instagram.

Lindsay [00:00:24]:
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 there, 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 [00:01:09]:
So tune in every week for tangible content tips, inspiring guests, and some real spicy opinions. Probably mine. Ready to dive in? Let's go. Hi, friends. Welcome back to content magic. And I have another. Ay, Lindsay with me. Hi, Lindsay.

Content Expert [00:01:27]:
Hi, Lindsay. How are you?

Lindsay [00:01:29]:
I'm good. Lindsay, can you tell the people where you are, who you are, and who you help?

Content Expert [00:01:37]:
Sure, yeah. I'm Lindsey Hyatt, and I hail from Buffalo, New York. Sunny Buffalo, and I am a copywriter and brand strategist, and I've been at it for a very long time, which dates me, and that's fine. We're embracing that.

Lindsay [00:01:51]:
Yes. Oh, yes. Same, same. So, tell me a little bit about how you came to work for yourself.

Content Expert [00:01:59]:
Yeah. I always kind of had this dream in the back of my mind, like, I would just love to be my own boss. I was the girl who was like, well, I'm sorry, why do we have to be here from nine to five? Like, what is the point of this? Is this what life is? And I just thought something was wrong with me. Entitled millennial, like, whatever. But after the pandemic happened, I had a toddler and a newborn, and my husband lost his job because he worked in the airline industry. And so we had no income because I was on maternity leave, and I was, you know, he didn't have an income anymore, so I started freelancing again, and I realized, like, hey, it actually doesn't have to be that complicated to start your own business? And I saw that I could probably match my corporate salary pretty quickly, and I did, and I felt like, this is a miracle. I can't believe I waited this long. But I do think that there was kind of a perfect storm of circumstances that helped support me launching my business in 2021, and that's what I've been doing ever since.

Lindsay [00:03:01]:
And so what did you do in your corporate career? Same.

Content Expert [00:03:04]:
Same, yeah, I've been a copywriter. My very first job was as a radio copywriter. That's what the first thing I did out of school. And then from there, I went into various realms of marketing in all kinds of industries, healthcare, automotive. I did sell cars for about three terrible months. I've kind of seen it all. And I even had a stint where I stopped marketing, got my master's in education, and became a fifth grade teacher for a while. So I feel like I've had quite the winding path, but underneath it all, it was always the creative, the writing, and that's always what I want to return to.

Lindsay [00:03:41]:
I love when people share, like, their secret. Yeah.

Content Expert [00:03:46]:
Yes.

Lindsay [00:03:48]:
I used to be a yoga teacher. That's my secret background.

Content Expert [00:03:50]:
So cool.

Lindsay [00:03:51]:
I also used to work in radio, but I was the reporter, so.

Content Expert [00:03:55]:
Oh, very interesting. So were you on news radio?

Lindsay [00:03:59]:
I was. So here in Canada, we have the CBC.

Content Expert [00:04:03]:
Love the CBC.

Lindsay [00:04:04]:
Yeah, that's right. So I worked for them for a little while, and it was. And it was interesting. Like, even then, you know, I loved, like, the current affairs pieces. Like, oh, this woman made her house out of garbage. So I'd, like, go and interview her for, like, 3 hours and, like, have to put together, like, some sort of, like, six minute tape. And my producers are always like, lindsey, you have to do more news. You have to do more news.

Lindsay [00:04:29]:
I always felt like news followed this, like, formula, and I was like, it's so lame. I want to do the crafty stuff.

Content Expert [00:04:36]:
So broadcast. Broadcast is no joke. That schedule and the amount of work you're doing, like you said, interviewing someone for 3 hours for a six minute piece like that is a lot. It's a heavy lift.

Lindsay [00:04:48]:
Yeah, yeah. And I like. And, yeah. So I did some new stuff just because I had to, but I was like, I didn't like following the formulas. I just was like, I want to be a rebel reporter. Do all the weird stuff. Anyways, so what I wanted to ask you about. So, first of all, you and I have chatted on threads, so should we talk about threads for a minute?

Content Expert [00:05:13]:
Oh, let's do it.

Lindsay [00:05:15]:
So I shared the other day that one of my. And this is what's so funny about threads. Like, you can talk about your business all day long, and it's like you're talking to nobody. And then I said something about how Emily in Paris has been in Paris for four seasons. She doesn't speak French, and I got 100,000 views. And the people were mad. They were so mad. And I know that you've gone viral a few times on threads, and I feel like there's a lesson here.

Lindsay [00:05:46]:
So tell me about the most recent thing you went viral on, if you'd like to.

Content Expert [00:05:50]:
Yeah, I mean, I have lived that same experience. One of my viral threads was about Blake Lively and her role in her latest movie. And people were infuriated that I thought Blake Lively wasn't to blame for the entire discussion. Very heavy and, you know, deep discussion about domestic violence. I just. I think people don't really realize that when you're an actor in a movie, you are, given what you're prepared. You know, you're prepared to speak to the media, and if you're not, somebody doesn't prepare you. You're not the expert on it.

Content Expert [00:06:25]:
So that was my take on it, and people did not like that. So, like you said, I love to share things that I have learned from my own experience as a business owner and my observations of the online business space, but those are rarely the things that people want to talk about. This time, however, I did make an observation about social media. And as somebody who's worked and played in social media for 20 years, I have seen every kind of up and down and iteration and all the algorithms come and go, and something feels different to me now, which I'm sure we'll talk a little bit of more about in a few minutes. But I just made a comment that social media feels different. It really feels like a mass exodus of people who are tired and burnt out and just, there's. There's way too much AI and trolls and just regurgitated content, and it's just not fulfilling and fun anymore. And that, I think, as last I looked, it had, like, 150,000 views and, like, a thousand comments.

Content Expert [00:07:34]:
Like, just crazy. People have a lot to say about it, but people are enraged. People are looking for reasons to be enraged about basically anything, including Emily in Paris.

Lindsay [00:07:43]:
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. People I know. People were like, you know, it takes seven years to be fluent. And, you know, actually, we're talking about a fictional character here. So, you know, what you're saying is not really very fair. And I.

Lindsay [00:07:56]:
And I also. The learning from that was, like, I didn't give the context because I grew up in Quebec, so French is my second language, so it is. My resume says I can speak French, and I help my daughter, who's in french immersion, with her homework. I know enough that I can do that. I can speak to my daughter in French if she wants to practice. So to me, I just was like, how strange that she hasn't picked up anything. Also, it's a fictional show. Is that a real person?

Content Expert [00:08:26]:
How dare you?

Lindsay [00:08:28]:
I know. How dare I? So, okay, so the threads, I don't know, is very strange place.

Content Expert [00:08:36]:
Threads. You know, I'm kind of bummed because at first, when threads exploded a year ago, I was like, whoa, this is the thing that's gonna. You know, other social platforms have launched and kind of fizzled out. This is the thing that's gonna stick. And it felt different in a good way. People were just kind of putting down the facade and just speaking their mind, and it was sort of reminiscent of 2010 era Twitter, which I freaking adored Twitter back in the day, back in the good old days. But I also realized it was a completely different group of people. It was.

Content Expert [00:09:08]:
I called it all the people. It was Twitter for Instagram people. So it was a bunch of people who had spent their last five years marketing themselves on Instagram and found threads and suddenly didn't know how to have a personality or an opinion or a thought that wasn't a very curated, beautiful photo of themselves, you know? So I thought it was refreshing in that sense. And unfortunately, in the last month or two, it feels like maybe it's people coming over from Twitter now that are really infiltrating the space with garbage. And that feels sad to me.

Lindsay [00:09:39]:
It is a bit sad. So let's talk about social media a bit more. So, I. Something I've noticed, and that's why you said something on threads about how, like, social media is kind of. And I know everybody's been complaining about Instagram, how the views are down, and it's, you know, and I think it just sort of solidifies this idea that we cannot, as business people, we cannot rely on social media as our only marketing channel, which is something I've been saying for a very long time. But, you know, I think, is it getting harder and harder to sell our things, or is this just, like, a perception because we've been relying on social media for so long?

Content Expert [00:10:27]:
I think it's both. I think it's two things. I think it's something is happening with the algorithm. I don't really understand it because they're discouraging. And by they, I mean meta, especially, like, talking about Instagram, they're discouraging people from wanting to put the time into showing up or posting a reel or whatever. These things take time, and people are being discouraged because they spent several years having success with it. So suddenly the success in the lead Gen isn't there. And they're like, why am I doing this? And my mental health is suffering, too.

Content Expert [00:10:58]:
Um, I also think that buyer behavior is changing, and it has changed even from just a few years ago. So I think that that combination is what we're seeing. And, um, a lot I feel like when I made this comment about threat on threads, people are just kind of like, this isn't worth it anymore. And I. In many ways, I think that's a good thing to, like you said, you can't put all your eggs in this one basket of social media, because as we see every time meta goes out, we don't own this real estate. So we have to diversify where we're, where we're connecting with people.

Lindsay [00:11:32]:
And I wonder if, like, you know, some of the. I know it's not even that old school, like our, you know, this podcast. I would consider this long form content. I know a lot of my colleagues use YouTube. Are we going back to blogging? Like, you know, I had a blog 20 years ago. Are we going. Right. It was on blogspot.

Lindsay [00:11:57]:
Does that even exist anymore?

Content Expert [00:12:01]:
Did you do, did you also have a live journal at one time?

Lindsay [00:12:04]:
No, I didn't. I never had that.

Content Expert [00:12:06]:
No. Oh, yeah. That was like, around my space time. Maybe even a little. No, I think it was earlier than my face. Oh, God, here we go. I just turned 40 this year. So now everyone knows.

Content Expert [00:12:17]:
LiveJournal was where you just, you wrote, if you can find your livejournal, people out there who have live journals. Oh, my God, it's so embarrassing.

Lindsay [00:12:25]:
Those are people. Those are people.

Content Expert [00:12:27]:
There are people, though. They are. They were the earliest oversharers.

Lindsay [00:12:32]:
I always joke, like, I'm like, if you know what a cassette tape is, then I think you're my client. Like, those horrible, like, not horrible. The reels of, like, the 20 year olds, and they're trying to open the cassette tape.

Content Expert [00:12:46]:
I can't watch them.

Lindsay [00:12:47]:
It makes the rotary phones. I know. We're not that old. We're not that old.

Content Expert [00:12:52]:
I know.

Lindsay [00:12:53]:
So. And this is something I've been talking about a lot, is like, leaning into an email list and I write and I think it's like, and I had this conversation with my, like, my community group this week about email, and it's like, so much of it is, like, not sexy. I know this, but it's like the not sexy things that work. And I think there's like, especially people who are newer to the space, who are newer, like, you know, they've just quit their job last year and they just started a business. Like, I think there's this weird misconception that working for yourself is very glamorous and very, like, you know, like, I remember being in my twenties and being like, you know, when I was living in Montreal and just being like, I just want my own apartment that's painted with earth tones. And I'm a freelance writer. Yeah, I made it happen and I made like $12,000 a year. So it's like, it's not glamorous.

Lindsay [00:13:54]:
And I think people, this is the other thing. I think I have a lot of tangents. I think so many of us are drawn to, like, the next sexy thing when really we should be focusing on the three things that are working and continue to do those things. Do you concur?

Content Expert [00:14:12]:
Absolutely. And that's kind of what I have built my own platform on, is like, it's not sexy. I think anyone who enters into entrepreneurship, especially if you've come from somewhat of a traditional job setting, you're like, the hills are alive. Like, you're just like, oh, my God. And it does, and it's really exciting. And I do think the grass is greener over here, but it is hard work and it is a rollercoaster ride that many people are not cut out for, unfortunately. But I completely concur that it's the unsexy things that make it work.

Lindsay [00:14:46]:
Yeah. And I think, and I'm definitely guilty of being drawn into the next shiny thing we all are. Right? Like, oh, this cool training, this other thing, this download, whatever it is, you.

Content Expert [00:15:02]:
Know what we are? You know what we're chasing? We're chasing a dopamine high, because when, yes, when we see the new course and you think this is the thing that's going to make me. This is the secret. And I think every new business owner, especially if you're spending time on the online space, you're susceptible to it. It's almost like a rite of passage to go through it because even seasoned people like you and I, who have been in marketing for a long time, and like, I was someone you could not market to, you could not I know this. Hello. This is what I do. I got sucked in. And then I was like, wow, they got me.

Content Expert [00:15:35]:
I couldn't believe it.

Lindsay [00:15:37]:
Do you want to talk about that for a bit? So there's. And I, again, I was talking about that with a colleague this morning. Sort of like, you know, like, I know we see a lot of income claims. I know there's a lot of, like, big names that have a lot of probably ad spend behind them. They've got massive teams. And I think there's this, I would hope, a move towards a more ethical business structure. And again, like, and I was talking about this, I just was like, even if I wanted to charge 25 grand for five minutes of my time, one, my ethical brain would just be like, absolutely not. But also, my people are not in a position to spend that money anyway.

Content Expert [00:16:26]:
Who is?

Lindsay [00:16:28]:
And that's the thing.

Content Expert [00:16:29]:
Who is the 1%? The 1%. And I'm just sorry. There are people, even the people out there, who claim to be like, I'm a multi seven figure business owner, or whatever the line is, those people haven't paid taxes. Those people have no savings, they have a lot of credit card debt, but these are not the things they're going to talk about.

Lindsay [00:16:50]:
I agree. Yeah. And I think so, too. Right? And I wonder. I've definitely been sucked into those things because you see someone else with that success and you're like, oh, it's possible for me. I know you've been sucked into it, and I know you've talked to a lot of other people who have sort of had a yucky experience with it, with sort of courses or programs or whatever that promise something, and then ended up being not what they were promised. So I don't know. Is there.

Lindsay [00:17:23]:
I don't. Is there a move towards more, like, ethical marketing, ethical brand messaging, ethical. I don't, like, I know I am, and I know you are, but are the other people into this?

Content Expert [00:17:38]:
That's a good question. I think that there is an inevitable, uh, that is going to be where it ends up. And I think we've made that. We started to make a movement in that direction. And that's also why a lot of people are not getting the engagement and the leads and the sales from social media, because people have done it already. They've tried your little promise. They've been in your mastermind, and guess what? They're not much further ahead because of it yet. They've spent $20,000.

Content Expert [00:18:03]:
Um, people are being burned, and so less people, I think, are interested in making those types of investments, people are tired and they don't trust as much as, you know, it was. It was easy to trust. People were like, wow, look at her. She's really done it. Look at her on that first class flight to Portugal. It was like one of the hot. Yeah, that was where everyone was going, like, a year or two ago, and they're like, look at me in Portugal on my yacht, and you're just like, wow, she really must have figured it out. I believe in her, but people have tried these things and they don't work.

Content Expert [00:18:33]:
So I think that there is a move towards a more grounded approach. And I. There really needs to be, because we live in the real world. And not to say that you can't be successful or make a ton of money doing something you're great at, but it just really. It got out of control. And so I think it's kind of being reeled back in now, but there are still people out there that are trying to milk what's left of this kind of empty promise environment.

Lindsay [00:19:01]:
Yeah, yeah. And I, like, I always joke, I'm like, I don't want to go to Portugal. I don't want a yacht. Like, I legit want to get my nails done and make sure my kids university is paid for well.

Content Expert [00:19:16]:
And I had. I really had that moment. I had that moment last year when I was like, what am I doing? I don't even want this stuff. This is not. These are not my goals. These are goals. I just kind of absorbed by watching other people. When I launched my business, all I wanted was one thing, and that was freedom.

Content Expert [00:19:34]:
The freedom to make my own schedule, to do work that I enjoyed with clients I like working with and be available to my kids, period. That was it.

Lindsay [00:19:43]:
And that. Okay, let's talk about that for a minute because I feel like. Same, same. Right? Like, I've technically been working for myself for ten ish years because I freelanced for so long. And then I didn't really make a real business until I was like, oh, I guess I have to have a website, right? And I threw up a bunch of random stuff on squarespace. That was it. So I. Same, same.

Lindsay [00:20:09]:
Like, one, I feel like I absorbed everybody else's goals, and it was always this, like, of course I want ten k months because that's what you see online, and it's this, like, weird peer pressure, and you're like, oh, I guess. I guess that's what the milestone is. And I guess that's what everybody needs and. Right, yeah. And I thought about this. And, you know, a lot of my clients, they have part time jobs and their business is part time, or they have full time jobs, and the business is like, they do it evenings and weekends. So I'm not talking to people who have the capacity for that anyway. And I'd like to challenge people to be like, is that what you really want? And, like, we still see it.

Lindsay [00:21:02]:
Like, we still see it in the online space, how I had my $50,000 launch. Here's how I did it. And it's always some fluffy thing that doesn't mean anything.

Content Expert [00:21:15]:
That's right. I know. And as you said, I think after the last year or so, a lot of people have either had to return to a more traditional job, either part time or full time, but I think that that is a good thing. And it, and I almost had to do the same thing. So I know how it feels as an entrepreneur or business owner. It feels like this is it. I failed. But the truth is that everything is shifting.

Content Expert [00:21:39]:
The world economy is shifting. And the best thing we can do to keep our dreams alive is to get some, to get some support, some financial stability so we can focus on the thing we're passionate about and not be stressed and worried all the time. And I wish that was the message more that, like, yes, you are still a business owner, and, yes, you still are an entrepreneur, and yes, you are still successful even if you're doing it on nights and weekends.

Lindsay [00:22:07]:
Yes, I totally agree. And over the years, like, I've worked at this independent toy store on and off just because, yeah, I just wasn't, I just was not making enough. And also I got a discount, and that's where all the Christmas presents came from. But, yeah, and I agree. Like, I don't think it's any kind of symbol of failure. I think it just means you're doing what it takes to be able to show up in your business the way you want to show up, but without the desperate energy, because I know we've all done that. And then you're like, oh, this is terrible. I don't want to show up like this.

Lindsay [00:22:45]:
Desperate for clients or desperate for sign ups or whatever it is. Okay, well, obviously, we didn't have a theme.

Content Expert [00:22:54]:
Those are the best ones, I think.

Lindsay [00:22:56]:
Okay, good. Oh, something I was going to circle back to was this sort of idea of, you know, and I've done some market research for my signature program, and a lot of the people I spoke to was that one. When I say content, people immediately think social media, which is not true. But that's where people's minds go. And I remember one woman I spoke to, she said, you know, it feels very performative. And I wonder if that, you know, which I think is why, to your point, when, like, when threads came out last summer, it was so. Not that, because it was like, especially as writers, because you're just like, oh, I have this witty thing to say. Right.

Lindsay [00:23:43]:
And it's so easy to just, like, spit it out. Whereas, you know, Instagram in comparison, if we're talking about the metaverse of doom, right, like, it's kind of like a, like you have to show up and be like. And, like, put. Do a little dance.

Content Expert [00:23:59]:
And even if, don't forget the people who film themselves crying. I mean, there's equal amounts of that kind of content. I just. People, performative is the perfect way to put it.

Lindsay [00:24:10]:
Yeah. And I like, and I wonder if that's, like, shift. And I have, I've had clients who love Instagram, and they love doing reels and, and to be fair, it's for their niche and for their industry. It lends itself to that kind of platform. But I wonder, and I've said this, can we take the threads energy of this last summer and move it over to Instagram? Can we do that? Or is it. There's no way.

Content Expert [00:24:42]:
I don't think so. I hate to be a downer, I'll be honest. I also loved Instagram, and I want us to love it. The thing that I don't, a long time ago, I gave myself permission to just, like, not pay attention to any damn trend, or, I just don't care. I just don't care. Like, if you want to follow me, great. If not, whatever. I show up on stories because I love to talk to the people who do follow me and interact with them.

Content Expert [00:25:09]:
And even that's gotten to be very low engagement. I think people are more scrollers now, but I don't think you can take it because there's, it's apples and oranges, it's. Instagram is a visual platform, and it takes a certain kind of effort to put something out there, whether it's super polished or super raw, whatever it is, where threads. And the reason I was excited about threads because, like you said, as a writer, is like, there's no better high than fitting that complete thought into 140 characters or less back in the glory days of Twitter. So I love that I could just show up or people could just show up and write stuff again. It felt so freeing. I don't see even the best of threads. I don't see it coming back to Instagram because it's just.

Content Expert [00:25:55]:
I feel like people are moving on from it or just putting less emphasis on being there because they're not getting much from it anymore. I wish it were different because the way Instagram was at one time really felt dynamic, and it just doesn't feel that way anymore.

Lindsay [00:26:12]:
Yeah. Yeah. I think you nailed it. Also. Same. I love talking in my stories, and I feel like I'm talking to myself, and it's always.

Content Expert [00:26:20]:
It's mostly therapy for me.

Lindsay [00:26:22]:
Oh, 100%. And it's always, like, when I'm on a w a l k with the dog, she's listening. Like, that's always when I'm like, oh, wait, I have something to say. Yeah. Like, and I feel like your brain works the same.

Content Expert [00:26:37]:
Yes.

Lindsay [00:26:38]:
Like, you. Like, I had a creative director once when I worked in advertising, and he was like, you know, he used to say, like, what? What Facebook was, like in the early two thousands. You know, when, like, your Facebook status was, like, really funny and witty.

Content Expert [00:26:54]:
Yeah.

Lindsay [00:26:55]:
He was like, just use those as your portfolio. I was like, I can't.

Content Expert [00:26:59]:
Those Facebook statuses, I think everybody is ashamed of them. If you go back and look at, like, 2008, you're like, what was I doing? Oh, no, I know.

Lindsay [00:27:09]:
You know what? Always checking the Facebook memories, because I'm always looking for something that I wrote about my dad since my dad died, and so. But sometimes you see what you wrote in 2007, you're like, who is that person?

Content Expert [00:27:23]:
Yeah. And do you remember you used to write, I'm talking like, you know, maybe this was even when they first rolled it out to colleges, which was the best of times, when you would write to each other on the page of your friend, and you write them like, a very personal note.

Lindsay [00:27:40]:
Remember, you could write on their wall and you could poke them.

Content Expert [00:27:44]:
Those are the memories. Yeah. The poking lot. Obnoxious. The memories that I get. Well, I love getting them of my kids, which is pretty much what I share now. I like to share my kids from my personal Instagram, but some of those memories that come up, and you're just like, what were we doing? We talked about somebody very personal in this post on this public wall space. It's so funny.

Lindsay [00:28:10]:
I said this to somebody the other day. I was like, I'm so glad there was no. I mean, you're only five years younger than me, but there was no social media in high school.

Content Expert [00:28:19]:
It would have, like, I think this all the time. I think phones, I think every single person in my high school would have seen my boobs if I had a phone. Like that could do things in high school. I think I got my first Nokia when I was like a junior or senior. I was so cool. Okay. But, like, I think this all the time. All the time.

Lindsay [00:28:44]:
And I know, and sometimes I worry about it. And do you find that your clients are like, are they sharing the same frustrations about social media and kind of, like, where the leads coming from or depending on what kind of clients you have, like, are we going back to, like, Facebook groups? Are we going back to, you know, what was working, you know, five years.

Content Expert [00:29:07]:
Ago is, yeah, I see a few things. I see in the copywriter space. A lot of my friends and colleagues have kind of already been through this where they're, like, realizing, like, this is not really worth my time and energy and mental health to spend all my time on Instagram. Some people have completely left certain platforms and have really focused on LinkedIn or their email lists. I do want to acknowledge that just saying, like, you just go to your email list. It's not that easy because many people, most people have very small email lists, and it feels like an uphill climb to like, but then how do I build it? It's not easy. It's a long, long haul. So it kind of drives me nuts when people are like, oh, just talk to your email list.

Content Expert [00:29:47]:
Because they think like, oh, everyone has 10,000 people on their email list. They don't. So I definitely, email is one of my favorite things, but it can feel daunting to if you don't have a list at all or you have a very small list to be like, well, that's not going to help my business because I have 27 people and 20 of them are my family members. But anyways, I think copywriters have, at least in my space, have kind of been through the motions, kind of alongside with me, and have realized, like, okay, this doesn't work for my business, but it does make sense to spend time here. And then on my mentorship side of things, I see a different outlook just in terms of, especially people who are just getting started, they're feeling that overwhelm. That's very common when you're launching your business or pivoting or starting something new, wherever they're still getting all of these different messages in the online space of like, you have to do this now, do this. And they're like, it's too much. It's overload.

Content Expert [00:30:41]:
So I think that people are still feeling like they have to be everywhere, and they have to do things a certain way, and it's just not the case. But many of them are new to it, so they don't know yet. I rambled so much, I forget what the question was. I'm sorry.

Lindsay [00:30:57]:
It's fine. You answered it. I don't remember what I asked anyway.

Content Expert [00:31:00]:
Okay, good.

Lindsay [00:31:01]:
I was asking about your clients and if they were feeling fed up.

Content Expert [00:31:04]:
Yes. Well, I felt the frustration, just not only with people I work with closely, but just in general. I've seen people that I have followed on Instagram for a few years now that aren't even in my space, you know, health and wellness or business coaches that are like, yeah, I'm just not going to be here much anymore because I think that what was working once just isn't working for them. And I think that there's a bunch of stuff to say there about that. Not just the. The difference in social media, but also maybe in what they were selling and what people are willing to buy. But, yeah, I just. I just.

Content Expert [00:31:38]:
It just feels like a real tides are changing or something.

Lindsay [00:31:43]:
I think so, too. Yeah. And I've definitely been feeling it also as I'm like, you know, launching this free boot camp and stuff. You know, I'm looking at sort of. I'm really looking at different ways to reach new people because I agree. Yes. Email list. Absolutely.

Lindsay [00:32:02]:
100%. It is a long game. What I'm realizing is, like, depending on what kind of business you have, building it, if you have a local business, building it is very different from if you are an online service provider and your audience is everybody. It is a long game. And I think people think, like, unless I have 10,000 people on my list, what's the point? But that is like, years and years and years of building it. And I think, and I think. I wonder if we're still in a place of, like, instant gratification, like, instant, like, you know, obsessively, like, who liked my post? Who's responding, right? Like, I'm guilty of it 100%. Who's talking, right.

Lindsay [00:32:52]:
You know, I know I'm gonna do that. I, like, open up my word games. I'm like, lindsay, take a break.

Content Expert [00:32:59]:
I know. Well, I think that it's. I think it's part of the human condition, the modern human condition that we're looking for validation and dopamine hits and input constantly, and it's gonna take us some time and reprogramming. Haha. Had to do it.

Lindsay [00:33:15]:
Yes.

Content Expert [00:33:16]:
That's the name of my podcast. It's gonna take reprogramming ourselves to, like, move away from that. But I feel like people are craving to move away from that kind of lifestyle because it's really hurting us. I just said the other, like, I realized I have. I've always been addicted to my phone, but I am in a real bad place with it now, and I am automatically getting online, scrolling things, and I don't even know I'm doing it. It's crazy. And when you're a business owner and a lot of your business is online, it's hard to pull away. It's really hard.

Lindsay [00:33:49]:
Yeah. Yeah. You're delightful. I feel like we can talk for another.

Content Expert [00:33:54]:
Thank you. You should tell the people on threadset they think I'm a nurse.

Lindsay [00:33:57]:
Oh, God, do they? Is that one of the things they said?

Content Expert [00:34:00]:
Somebody said that today when they were trolling my social media. I was like, no, I really don't care. Like, you're so kind.

Lindsay [00:34:08]:
Oh. And so where can people find you and how can they work with you? And what do you have on the go right now?

Content Expert [00:34:15]:
You can find me spending way too much time still like a loser on Instagram at the Lindsay Hyatt. We're not losers.

Lindsay [00:34:23]:
We're cool.

Content Expert [00:34:24]:
Well, I just want to have a healthier relationship with it, as we all do. But yeah, at the Lindsay Hyde on Instagram and threads, I'm on LinkedIn sometimes. I've kind of gotten a little bit away from that. But you can go to lindseyhide.com. my bread and butter is I'm a copywriter, so I have copywriting clients, but I don't really actively advertise it anymore because I work really closely with local businesses, which I highly recommend, by the way, if you're struggling to find clients and leads, like get offline, that's my big message this year. And then. But what I am doing is reinvention, which is my four week brand build program. And then also I started something new called the Voxer hotline, and it is a one on one mentorship situation.

Content Expert [00:35:11]:
And I spent a whole year researching what people want and need from this space because I'm so, like, anti coaching and, like, all of that stuff. I just want to give people actual tangible support, and this is what they like. Voxer, this voice messaging kind of set up. It was surprising to me, but it's actually been really. I know. I know. I do. I am 90 at heart, I think.

Lindsay [00:35:35]:
I know. I always say favorite hashtag is 40.

Content Expert [00:35:40]:
But 90, well, I'm just going to embrace it, but it's not that I didn't know about voxer or voice messaging. I was just surprised people didn't want, like, face to face. But people are kind of tired of that. They just want advice on the go and support on the go as they're inspired. So it's been really cool. The Voxer hotline. You can find all that at lindsay hyatt.com.

Lindsay [00:36:02]:
Also, I love that you called it a hotline, I think.

Content Expert [00:36:04]:
Thank you. I was, it's it's in reference to my radio days. I was thinking, like, the good old radio hotline. Let's make a request like, oh, stop.

Lindsay [00:36:14]:
That's super cute.

Content Expert [00:36:16]:
Well done. Retro.

Lindsay [00:36:18]:
Yeah. Um, thanks, everybody. Thanks for joining us. And, uh, don't forget about my free content genius boot camp. Go to lindsaysmithcreative ca contentgenius okay, my friends, we'll see you next time. Toodaloo. 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.

Lindsay [00:36:42]:
And don't forget to tag me on Instagram. Lindsaysmithcreative. 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.

 

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