The Right Collaboration is Key: How to Learn from a Bruised Ego

I'm going to be real honest with you guys. 

My ego was beyond bruised last year, so much so that I didn't even realize the lies I told myself to avoid feeling it.

Back in September, I tried my hand at hosting a solo workshop all about brand clarity. I worked really hard on the content over a period of months so that it would be incredibly thoughtful and valuable to my guests. I was presenting to a group of alumni at a college and later realized that I had relied too heavily on receiving support of the organization to help promote the workshop and get tickets sold. My contact there at the time who set it up is still one of my favorite people in the world, but unfortunately things just didn't work as we had hoped. They did some Insta Stories and sent an email out to their alumni, but it was buried in a long list of events and news. Not great.

It was the day of the workshop and I had sold 3 tickets.

To make things worse, one of the girls was sick. BUT I didn't cancel. I drove my butt downtown and did my very best. I threw my plan of a formal presentation out the window and dove into the content. I focused on providing these two women with a very personalized experience split between each of their budding businesses. 

In hindsight, I see that it's important to have these rough experiences to learn how to do things better, but after it was over, I felt exhausted and defeated.

I decided that workshops weren't for me.

I turned my focus to client projects and on growing a team at Written & Styled. So I did that. I put my head down and got to work. I added some wonderful new clients to our roster and some new amazing team members. 

So why was I feeling like something was still missing? I couldn't figure it out. I went to workshops, met with intuitive readers, coaches, and even a traditional therapist. Of course, it was more of my "woo" women supporters that opened my eyes. I'm told I have a lot of masculine "doing" energy and need to be more feminine and tune-in to my intuition and "feel" - that still confuses me a bit, but I agree and once I let go and connected to what made me happy, it clicked. 

I really missed coaching and working with new entrepreneurs. 

Before the workshop last year, I was collaborating with a co-working space in downtown where I provided free 30-min marketing coaching sessions for a day once a month. That was so fun. It was kind of like speed coaching where I helped people get out of their bubble and see things differently. In near every experience, I'd hear how clear they felt about their business and how excited they were to put these new ideas into action. Some turned into clients. From there, I started taking on one-on-one coaching clients and, in fact, this experience was what gave me the idea for the workshop in the first place.

It just goes to show you need to pick your collaborators well.

This brings me to last Saturday where Written & Styled presented and participated in an incredible panel discussion and speed mentoring event in collaboration with Savoir Collab (Founded by Tamalin Srisook of Savoir Agency) "Telling Your Brand Story" at Industrious West Hollywood (the prettiest co-working space ever).

Scroll down to see my list of top 8 takeaways from our event. 

Over the course of a short 3 weeks we had to work out all of the details, including the panelists, location, photography, food, promotion, etc. Tamalin has been in event production for over 20 years and I'll tell you, she knows her stuff. She loves supporting women-led businesses and loved my idea for the event right from the start.

Yet, it still takes a village! 

Without the awesome support of our panelists and our friends - sending emails, posting on social media and just showing up - it would never have been as successful. 

My goal was to help shine a light on brand storytelling from a group of expert storytellers. And no surprise, these women truly rocked it (listed from left to right in the image):

KRISTEN SCHELLENBERG- PHOTOGRAPHER & FOUNDER OF THE ATELIER LA

TASHA OLDHAM- FILMMAKER & FOUNDER OF MY STORY INC

HAELY WHITE- CONTENT CREATOR & CO FOUNDER OF LIKE TOTALLY

TAMALIN SRISOOK - FOUNDER OF SAVOIR AGENCY & SAVOIR COLLAB

ME - ARICA ROSENTHAL - MARKETING STRATEGIST & FOUNDER OF WRITTEN & STYLED

ERIKA HEET- EDITOR IN CHIEF AT INTERIORS MAGAZINE

MEGAN DIZON- CONTENT CREATOR & CO FOUNDER OF LIKE TOTALLY

The concept of "speed mentoring" is all Tamalin. It's awesome because attendees get to listen to a quick 30-min panel (I think we only got through each of our stories and none of the questions I had prepared!) then everyone is broken into small groups to speak with each panelists. 

The groups rotated every 15 minutes and then we ended with a little networking, photo ops, along with cupcakes and champagne for our birthday girl panelist, Haely. 

8 key takeaways from our event:

1. Partners. Find a collaboration partner that has a true desire to have a good turnout. 

2. Description and pricing. Once you have your event concept nailed, make sure to share the description and pricing with a few friends (who love you enough to be honest) to make sure they get it and would want to go. If not, tweak early. 

3. Promote early. Begin promoting earlier than you think you need to and get creative about how to spread the word. In the days leading up to our event I had quite a few great suggestions from friends that I wish I had plotted out sooner. 

4. Everyone needs to pitch in. Make it clear to those participating in your event that you're going to need their help promoting ahead of time. No matter the budget, it always helps and can make all the difference.

5. You're not annoying. No one ever sees all of your social posts, so don't feel like you're being annoying when you are posting all over the place leading up to your event.

6. IRL Opportunity. Find opportunities for personal connections. We are in front of our screen enough getting talked to, let your guests get involved and help them create relationships with your experts.

7. Photography + Video. Probably goes without saying, but it's so nice to look back on all the hard work you put it. We were lucky enough to have the lovely Stephanie Tusler of TSLR Lifestyle take the gorgeous photos seen in this post. We took a bunch of videos for our Instagram story and shared portions of the event live.

8. End on a high note. Keep the magic alive with thank you emails/notes to your collaborators and guests. Get as personal as you have the capacity for. 

The moral of this post is that I encourage everyone to be OK with failing or whatever you consider less than ideal. It teaches us the lessons we need to do better the next time if we are determined enough to try again. 

"In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or to step back into safety." - Abraham Maslow

With love,

Arica

Don't miss out on future events! 

Get on the list. 

All photography provided by TSLR Lifestyle. Contact stephanie@tslrlifestyle.com for amazing custom content for your brand. 

1:1 Coaching Workshop Week by Week

Running a business while consistently generating new customers and nurturing current ones can feel overwhelming.

As we develop our businesses, there comes a time when asking our family and friends for advice just doesn't cut it. Yet, if we don't have anyone holding us to our goals, it's easy to let ourselves slide. 

So what to do?

With my coaching clients, I've realized that across the board the biggest benefit that I provide is level of accountability. Throughout our sessions we focus on gaining clarity on what is needed to move forward based on their specific goals.

I work with you every step of the way. 

My clients all begin with a 4-week workshop designed to get organized and thoughtful about marketing their business. It's a way to shake all of those ideas, questions and concerns out of your head in order to truly consider them or just let them go.

It's a pretty freeing experience.

Throughout the month, we are focused achieving the following:

• Defined Goals
• A Clear Brand Message, Mission & Target Audience
• Objectives to Meet Goals
• Strategies & Tactics to Support Objectives (specific actions)

 

Here's what it looks like:

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PREPARATION

Prior to our initial session, I conduct a brief audit of your current marketing assets:

• website
• social pages
• email designs, marketing materials, etc.

Next, I provide a Brand Review Questionnaire based on my assessment for you to complete.

 

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WEEK 1

1. Based on the findings from the questionnaire, we'll map out a path from where you are to where you want to be. 
2. I provide a recap of our discussion, action items and access to the recording from our call. 
3. During the week, clients are welcome to contact me via email for feedback related to the action items.

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WEEKS 2 + 3

1. Review progress on action items from the previous week. In some cases, an action item may be a work in progress throughout the month.
2. Review our map from the beginning of the workshop. What I have found is that as we work through items, new ideas or revelations come to light that may end up shifting our path and priorities in small or large ways. 
3. Discuss any new or ongoing action items that should be developed through the upcoming weeks.
4. I provide the recap, new action items and the recording of our call.
5. Again, emails are welcome and newly completed action items should be sent over prior to the next session.

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WEEK 4

1. As in weeks 2 and 3, we will review previous action items and determine aspects that will be considered an ongoing effort. 
2. Review our map and decide if any new alterations are necessary.
3. Discuss any next steps and options for continued coaching.

In most cases, my clients are feeling energized and in a good place with a new productive weekly routine. They may decide to transition to ongoing maintenance with a bi-weekly or monthly session. This allows for the same key component for continued progress in the form of accountability and a line of support on a  less frequent basis. 

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Who might benefit from marketing coaching?

• You have a desire to push yourself forward, but get sidetracked with a ton to do.
• At the moment, outsourcing marketing efforts isn't an option. You need to learn the skills.
• You are open to honest feedback and welcome a third-party objective view.
• You've tried researching, purchased e-courses or continued your education only to still feel unsure about how to apply what you've learned to your business.

If you connect with any of these statements, I invite you to schedule a complimentary discovery session via the link below. Let's find out what you need to move forward.

Cheers to progress!

-Arica

Getting Started Part 3: Find Your Tribe

Be everything to someone instead of something to everyone.

image lovingly shared from @taramilktea

The idea of putting ourselves and our products out into the world where there is so much competition can be truly scary and sometimes even makes us second guess the very choice to go into business. 

I'm here to tell you, you're not alone. Most people have those nagging thoughts about not being good enough or that no one will buy what they're selling. In fact, you can also look at competition as a positive: it means there is an audience for it. 

The thing is, you are good enough.

You have more wisdom than you realize. I mean look, you may not be the only one selling exquisitely crafted handmade pottery or planning beach weddings, but that doesn't mean you won't be incredibly successful. You just need to keep putting one foot in front of the other, start with the right audience (you're tribe) and be everything to those special people rather than being something to everyone.

This goes back to the first part of this blog series about understanding your value and what makes your product/service unique. In the end, we have to lean on ourselves and what makes us and our expertise special and unique. 

So how do we find and connect with our tribe? 

First, we have to flip it and focus on our ideal customer. We have to understand what is important to them. What problems do they need solved that we can help with. A great way to really visualize your ideal customer is to create a customer persona. Depending on your business, you may have 1-3 personas or as many as 10-15. I would suggest starting with your top 1-3 to get started. 

Questions to consider as you develop your personas are:

• Personal Details (household, job title/industry, aspirations)
• Demographics (age, education, income, location, gender)
• Personality (social engagement, communication preferences, hobbies)
• Goals (what drives them)
• Challenges (biggest pain points)
• Fears (what keeps them up at night)
• Solutions (how does your product or service make their life better)
• I also like to pop in a photo of what the potential person might look like. 

To make it a little easier on you, I've created another freebie download in the form of a Customer Persona Template to keep everything organized in one place. You can get access to it here.

Now, when it comes time to actually fill in the customer personas, there are a few ways to go about it:

1. Interview customers (if you have them). Consider providing an incentive for their participation.
2. Send a survey to subscribers (if you have them). Consider providing an incentive here as well.
3. Analysis of customer purchasing behavior (if you have sales). Look for trends to see what interested past customers to make a purchase.
4. Another really fascinating way to get some great information about your potential audience is with Facebook Audience Insights. You will need to set up a Facebook Business Manager Account via business.facebook.com. Just follow the prompts to set up or you can get more help with this link from Facebook. 

Next we put on our thinking cap and hypothesize about other brands that may be of interest to our tribe. The only caveat here is that you will need to think about brands that have a large Facebook following for there to be enough data. Let's go back to the fictitious brand of children's clothing made with organic cotton that I provided when we worked on defining goals in the second part of this blog series. I would probably be correct to assume that the mother who is purchasing clothing made with organic cotton may very well be interested in purchasing other products for her children made with organic or without potentially harmful ingredients. One business that I would consider a contender would be The Honest Company. They make a wide variety of products for baby, personal care, cleaning, and vitamins made without potentially heath-compromising chemicals or compounds.

To get to Audience Insights in the Facebook Business Manager, just click on the stacked icon, hover over "All Tools" and click "Audience Insights". Here is a screenshot of how to get to Audience Insights. 

I typed in "The Honest Company" into "Interests" within Audience Insights to see if they have enough fans for this experiment - they do. See the other screenshot below for where to go.

That's pretty much it. Now you can tour around and view a bunch of really great information about the audience that likes The Honest Company's Facebook page or any other Fan page that you are able to pull up with enough of a following. Cool stuff, right? 

Now that you have your pep talk from me, all the pertinent questions to consider when crafting your customer personas and some really awesome ways to fill in the information, what's next?

Loves, it's time to start crafting content that will connect with your tribe.

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Thank you so much for reading! I looking forward to continuing to help you tell the story of your brand, products/services through thoughtful, valuable and informative content. 

I hope you found value in this three-part blog post series about getting clarity with your brand. Please get on the list for my weekly email to be the first to know about new free resources, ideas and inspiration to keep you moving forward. 

With love,

Arica

Content with Clarity - Written & Styled Weekly Email

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Getting Started Part 2: Define Goals

"A goal without a plan is just a wish." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Hi Love! Thank you for popping over to read the second part of this series to get our ducks in a row and build a strong foundation of knowledge around your brand. These discussions and exercises will inform how to develop the best strategy to attract customers/clients for your business.

If you haven't had a chance to check out part 1 which helps bring clarity to your mission, you can go here to read and see how I suggest you use the free Brand Clarity Workbook that I created for you.

Ok let's get to it. 

I remember way back when I was in one of my first Director of Marketing roles. The business was growing quickly and I think a lot of times small business owners are too busy to think through a marketing strategy. They just want results, and fast. So it means a lot of trial, error and quick pivots. However, I feel this leads to a lot of confusion and frustration for the people running marketing efforts. As much as we want the owner to be happy and for the business to be successful, we also believe patience can be a virtue. In most cases, marketing initiatives require multiple variations of testing before it can be ruled out. One single change can alter the outcome drastically. For example, the day/time you send an email blast can be huge.

So what do we do? Well, first we need to be clear about our goals. This way when we begin to develop a strategy or when we are creating a single campaign or piece of content, we can always check ourselves to ask, "Is this ___ supporting my main goal?" It will help avoid a lot of wasted time on potential projects that don't support the goal. Sometimes you have to know when to say no to efforts that are not the right move in the current state of your business.

Now, when I say "goal", I'm speaking in general terms, but it's important to break down and clear some confusion around the differences between goals, objectives, strategies and tactics.

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GOALS: The easiest way to think of a goal is that it's the "What" not the "How". Goals are what you want to accomplish as a broad primary outcome. 

Example for a children's clothing brand, their "goal" might be: To be the preferred choice of organic cotton, casual children's clothing for suburban mothers in the United States. 

It doesn't matter if the goal is lofty. The point is to keep everyone in the company focused on efforts that support this main outcome.

OBJECTIVES: Here is where we get a bit more realistic and measurable. Objectives outline necessary steps to achieve the primary goal. Think of objectives as actions, such as: increase, double, sell, deliver, convert.

Example for the same children's brand: Grow an email list of women ages 27 - 45 with children, who reside in suburban communities. 

STRATEGIES:  A strategy is the "How" and also the "Why" when it comes to fulfilling the objectives that relate to the main goal. It's both because the strategy is speaking to what the approach will be and it's why you are taking it. Might be easier to understand in the example.

Example for the children's brand: Create authority and credibility via endorsements of the clothing brand and designs by collaborating with top mom bloggers and editors.

TACTICS: These are all the action items to be fulfilled in order to carry out the strategy that will meet objectives and support the main goal.

Example list of potential tactics for the children's brand as it relates to the overall goal, objective and strategy outlined above:

1. Compile list of potential bloggers and editors for outreach.

2. Coordinate a photoshoot to showcase product.

3. Design a visual representation of collection (potentially a digital lookbook).

4. Outreach to media with pitch, imagery and offer of physical samples (or actually provide).

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Now that we have the difference between goals, objectives, strategies and tactics clear, I invite you to download my free Goal Worksheet and fill in based on your particular business.

As always, feel free to share with me via arica@writtenandstyled.com if you have questions or would like feedback. 

Don't miss Part 3 next week, where we will close out this series with a discussion all around determining your target audience and why it's so important to get clear now before you start creating content. I'll be sharing some really interesting ways to use Facebook as a tool to get tons of great data. Sign up here to be the first to know about the post. 

Cheers to creating content with clarity!

-Arica