Jaiden Robinson 00:00:11  Hello everyone, and welcome back to The Rave Social Podcast. I’m your host, Jaiden, and today we have Madi Brown, who is a content creator and content strategist. She’s also a good friend of mine, and we’re really excited to have her on the podcast today to talk about why content creation and content strategy is so important for your business. It just gets more important every single day. So, Madi, why don’t you tell us a little bit about what you do, who you serve, and then we’ll jump in. Yeah.

Madi Brown 00:00:39  So I do content creation and brand photography for different types of brands. It’s usually lifestyle or ecommerce brands. But I’ve been doing this since Covid hit.

Jaiden Robinson 00:00:53  Yeah. It’s awesome. I mean, you’ve worked with some crazy big brands over the past few years, and you’ve really just taken off as a brand photographer and even just your content strategy and things that you post on Instagram. Very valuable person to have in your corner. Like if you’re not following Madi, you really should.

Jaiden Robinson 00:01:12  She shares a lot of good info for free on Instagram.

Madi Brown 00:01:15  Okay, I love that you say that because I’m like, I want to make sure the content I share is not just generic things that everyone knows where it’s like, hey, we all know this already. Like I want it to be helpful.

Jaiden Robinson 00:01:26  Yeah, it’s everywhere on Instagram. Like, I feel like it’s kind of hard to actually find accounts that like really do actually provide a new perspective or different value because, yeah, a lot of people are just saying the same thing over again, and that’s okay. But I mean, if you really want to be good at it, like if you really want to be good at running your own social media, you have to follow people who change your mind and bring new ideas to you. So on that note, what are some things that people do when they are creating content for their brand, whether it be their brand photos or just like content for the brand, what should they be doing? What should they be paying attention to?

Madi Brown 00:02:05  Yeah, well, I think that a lot of people obviously pay attention to the aesthetics.

Madi Brown 00:02:10  The aesthetics is a huge part of it for sure. Like, yeah, I think that people forget that aesthetics in itself has a strategy. But then there’s also the strategy part. So like there’s actually creating the content for your brand. But then it’s like what are the objectives? What is the actual messaging. Because if you are just focusing on aesthetics and not the messaging, then it just doesn’t do anything and then vice versa. If you’re just paying attention to messaging but not the visuals, it doesn’t do much like it’s not very engaging. So you want to do both to have actual, engaging content. A lot of brands don’t know how to marry the two together when it comes to strategy and aesthetic, so it’s just figuring out what you want people to think of when they think of your brand, what you want your brand to portray online, and then just go from there because people can overcomplicate it. And then it’s just like it’s all very simple, but it just needs a little intention.

Jaiden Robinson 00:03:05  Exactly.

Jaiden Robinson 00:03:05  Like it’s simple, but it takes like some real thought as to what you want to come across as and like exactly what you said, like both visuals and the copy or messaging is so important because if you have really strong messaging, but you don’t have a good visual representation of that, like you just look low budget is what ends up happening. Like you end up looking like a DIY brand. You end up looking like not a professional, not an authority. Like people don’t trust you because you don’t look like what you’re saying you do, and what you say you do is probably true. But if they’re not seeing that, like in the video content, in the photo content like the disconnect will for sure be there.

Madi Brown 00:03:46  Two people will have a really good product, so they’ll have a really good mission or whatever, but then they don’t have content that matches it. And so it’s like a bummer to see sometimes because yeah, like people do have a lot to give, but then they don’t know how to effectively showcase that.

Madi Brown 00:04:04  So it’s just like there’s a disconnect for sure.

Jaiden Robinson 00:04:07  Yeah. And it’s so subconscious on the side of your audience. Like they’re not looking at your feet and going, oh, they look DIY or something, but it’s the subconscious feeling that they get when they look at your feed. And they are like like, I don’t know if this is even like a real brand or like they just have these underlying thoughts that you can fix so easily by having like a good visual identity around it.

Madi Brown 00:04:36  I feel like having a good visuals also like you said, helps with trust because yeah, like people will be like, is this an actual brand? Or like once you take your visuals and your content seriously, other people will take your brand seriously. And that’s obviously why I do what I do, because there’s so many people that have such amazing brands, but they just need help to like portray that online. But then also it’s like, I get it because a lot of business owners, they don’t have the space, like they truly don’t have the mental capacity to even go into that.

Madi Brown 00:05:07  But then it’s like ironic because that’s like what will transform their brand. But then a lot of people also put their marketing on the back burner, I’ve noticed.

Jaiden Robinson 00:05:17  Yeah. It is. It’s so interesting. I think business owners are just spread so thin that they don’t know what to focus on. That makes an impact, and then you add the noise of social media to that and they’re just like, wait, so like, should I be focusing on Instagram or my email list or like paid ads or like content, like what is it that I actually need? So that’s actually a really good question for you. What would you say is an indicator that like, they really need to prioritize their content creation over maybe some of these other things that they could be paying attention to?

Madi Brown 00:05:49  Yeah, I mean, I always tell brands, especially when they have a tight budget, to just start with like one thing like focus on one thing and then go from there. There’s brands that will be like, hey, I need to post on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, I need to do ads.

Madi Brown 00:06:04  I do do my newsletter I like, need to do community events, whatever. And it’s like it definitely can be a lot. So I just tell people to focus on the one thing and a good way to figure out, like how to determine which platform to decide on or like if you should do your newsletter first or whatever. Usually what I tell brand owners is just to figure out where their target audience is hanging out the most. Obviously newsletters are really important, but that can be really easy to implement once you get an audience built, like on a platform. And usually that is Instagram for people like Instagram, although it can be quote unquote oversaturated, like the online space is huge, there’s still a corner for everyone. So that’s usually where people start in Instagram. And that’s also like the least foreign to people. I feel like, yeah, compared to like dabbling in the TikTok, which I feel like they both have very different strategies. And then, you know, there’s Pinterest and then Facebook, which Facebook I don’t feel like is really that relevant for most unless you’re doing ads or something.

Madi Brown 00:07:10  But yeah, I just tell people to start with one place first and then go from there. Because if you’re just going to go from 0 to 100, it’s never going to be sustainable and people are just going to burn out. Yeah.

Jaiden Robinson 00:07:22  So for sure, I did love what you said about you got to choose one platform. And once you’ve built an audience somewhere, it really is so much easier to grow these other things or outsource them at some point. Right? Because like, you’re right at the beginning, you’re not going to have all the funds to just invest in an email copywriter, a social media manager, content like you’re not going to have that. So focusing on one is really important. Do you feel like there are indicators that you’ve seen in a business where it’s like, okay, they have like their messaging down pretty good and they have like this and that, but it really is their like visual brand that is lacking. What are some indicators of that? Are they not converting people or are people not sticking around.

Jaiden Robinson 00:08:06  What is that?

Madi Brown 00:08:08  As far as conversions, it’s hard to tell because it could be messaging or it could be visuals. I feel like right off the bat, if I were to go on to a page or Instagram page and the visuals aren’t consistent, I’m going to be like, what’s going on? But also it goes back to the basics where if they’re not posting consistently whatever that looks like for them, consistency is different for everyone or yeah, they have low engagement. Like that could be a messaging problem because sometimes, I mean, I feel like you talk about this a lot too. It’s like sometimes people focus too much on the aesthetics, but then it’s like they’re losing the messaging again. So obviously both can mean different things. But as far as the inconsistency and visuals, and I feel like people also don’t know what they’re saying sometimes. Yeah, they kind of just look at everyone else and they’re like, okay, we’re going to use this type of copy, we’re going to film this type of video.

Madi Brown 00:09:07  But then they’re like, they don’t know what the end goal is like. They don’t know what they want to do with the content. They just are trying to push out content, which I don’t blame people for doing.

Jaiden Robinson 00:09:16  But yeah.

Madi Brown 00:09:17  It can kind of backfire.

Jaiden Robinson 00:09:19  Yeah. And sometimes that’s the place where like you start like you start in a place where you’re like, I just need to get content out. And then you get to a point maybe two months down the road where you’re like, okay, I’m putting this content out. Well, it’s not working the way I wanted it to. That’s at the point at which I think people then realize, oh, I need a strategy, or they want to give up. And that’s when I’m like, well, don’t give up. You just need to tweak some things. Yeah.

Madi Brown 00:09:44  And it can be a very simple. Yeah, it.

Jaiden Robinson 00:09:46  Can be very simple. And I agree with what you’re saying with like the visual part of a brand. Like if you go to someone’s Instagram and there is no consistency in like look and feel and I’m saying like colors are your photos moody? Are they light and airy? Are they mostly product photos? Like what is the vibe if it is inconsistent? I agree it gives you that feeling of like, is this even real? Like you just don’t.

Jaiden Robinson 00:10:13  You don’t look elevated, you don’t look put together and therefore people don’t trust you. Like that’s kind of where that goes. But at the same time, like, I think, you know, you have a problem with like being too aesthetic if you will not post because maybe the pictures don’t look perfect next to each other like that to me is where I’m like, okay, that’s a red flag. Posting is still going to be more important That those two pictures looking perfect next to each other. Because like in the world where you don’t post, nobody’s going to see you. And that is the ultimate goal. But again, you do need to balance the way you look so that you’re perceived correctly.

Madi Brown 00:10:56  It’s like a fine line. And obviously, you know, a lot of it is mindset and just having the confidence in what you’re offering people, but like people, will also focus too much on the minor details and then forget the big picture. And it’s like, yes, details matter. I talk about all the time, but at a certain point, depending on where you are in your business, it is better to just get content out.

Madi Brown 00:11:19  But like, I don’t know, people are just trying their best.

Jaiden Robinson 00:11:22  Yeah for sure. For sure people are trying their best.

Madi Brown 00:11:25  Plan like you want to have a plan, okay, we’re in this stage right now where it’s like, I know my content isn’t perfect, but I’m just going to put it out there, see what bites. And then from there, once you can see like what is converting what isn’t. Or maybe nothing’s converting that to when you need to maybe get some outside perspective or outsource something, whatever it may be. You can’t do all alone either.

Jaiden Robinson 00:11:48  No, I mean, it’s just so much like it’s a lot. This is a side tangent, but like it’s why the social media management industry has changed so much, I would say, over the last year because everything is a specialty, like photo and video. Both specialties like content strategy is a specialty. There’s graphic design. There is people who like schedule, people who write captions like it’s all so like niched out now, which is a good thing and a bad thing, I think, but it’s because like, it, it is like literally too much for just one person to be doing all of that.

Jaiden Robinson 00:12:28  And if you’re in the space where you’re like, well, I can’t afford it, I have to do it on my own, that’s okay, because there will be a point in time in which you can’t hire somebody out, even if that’s not right now. Yeah, but my next question for you is is there anything that people are doing that like doesn’t matter. Like, I know we touched on the grid aesthetic a little bit in that, but like, are there things people are doing either with their content or with they’re focusing way too much on, like X and Y when they’re taking photos and they don’t need to. Yeah.

Madi Brown 00:12:57  I mean, it’s probably like what I said earlier where it’s they’re just perfectionism gets them like they’re overcomplicating things. They’re too worried on the minor details. So a lot of it has to do with confidence and then creating that structure within your content creation process, because a lot of people also kind of just whip things up, but then it doesn’t translate. And I think that maybe people can have a little bit more of a plan.

Madi Brown 00:13:25  I don’t know, I don’t think people plan enough. But then there’s some people that just like with things up anyway. So that’s what I would say is probably just like the minor details that don’t matter as much as people think they do. Or it’s like, I feel like a lot of people too. They won’t post or like they think that their audience is paying attention to things that they’re really stressed about, but they aren’t like they aren’t thinking about those minor details as much as they are. I’m trying to think of an example, like if there’s someone that is in front of the camera talking about something and they haven’t gotten fully ready or whatever, like, I mean, I think it’s important to present your brand how you want it to be presented, but people aren’t thinking about that minor detail as much as you are. Or if you’re filming a video of your product in a scene or something and there’s like a speck of dust on it or something. And yeah, I pay attention to that because that’s like my job.

Madi Brown 00:14:21  But for someone else that’s doing it, like people are not going to be thinking about stuff like that, like you are. And I’m trying to think of other examples, but it’s like those tiny details. That’s what really gets people hung up where they’re like, yeah, like, I don’t know what I’m doing. And I’m like, no, you do. Like, you literally just need to get in the habit. You need to get the confidence. You just need to, like, remember, like why you’re doing it all and just go from there.

Jaiden Robinson 00:14:47  Exactly what you’re saying. People get caught up on minor details, like some things that I’ve had clients of mine be worried about that I sometimes giggle, not at them, but I’m just like, oh, I would never worry about that. It’s like sometimes they will be overly concerned about, like the audio that they’re using on a real. And there’s a couple reasons why that doesn’t really matter. Like, okay, you’re not going to want to use like a screamo audio if you’re like a luxury wedding photographer.

Jaiden Robinson 00:15:16  That is obvious, but pretty much every trending audio is going to be fine for you for a few reasons. One, nobody’s ever going to freak and remember it. They’re not going to remember. And the other thing is that like it is a trending audio. So even if it’s not perfectly aligned with your brand, like maybe you’re very romantic or whatever, and it’s more of like a dance beat that is trending. It’s okay. People know that it’s a trending audio. They are smarter than you think that they are. And it’s like, don’t let that like, trip you up.

Madi Brown 00:15:52  Yeah, and it’s not that serious either. It’s like it’s okay to try new things. Like it doesn’t all have to be this strict content strategy. Like there’s still room to try new things. And I feel like too, what I’ve noticed when I’ve delivered content or photos to clients is the content that I created that I thought was like it was based on literally just my creative experimentation. I was like, they probably aren’t going to like it, but I’m just going to throw it in there as extra content.

Madi Brown 00:16:21  That’s usually their favorite, and I feel like that happens to on social media, like the content that I make, even for myself, that I’m like, I don’t know, like if this will hit, but we’ll see. It usually does.

Jaiden Robinson 00:16:34  Yeah.

Madi Brown 00:16:35  That’s why I always feel like it’s really important to experiment.

Jaiden Robinson 00:16:38  Yes, I think people okay. The word strategy is very I honestly don’t think people even know what that means. No.

Madi Brown 00:16:45  Yeah. It’s a flop.

Jaiden Robinson 00:16:46  It’s because it is like really vague, like it’s just a fluffy word to use. And I will say this like part of my strategy for myself and pretty much all of my clients is to try new things. That’s like something that we’re actively doing is being like, I’m going to try this style of video, I’m going to try this trend, I’m going to try these things that I normally wouldn’t that maybe don’t align perfectly with my conversion strategy, like how I’m selling to people, but it’s still part of my overall plan for my brand and for my account, is that I want to try new things.

Jaiden Robinson 00:17:24  I want to test new ideas and see how they land with my audience. And like, I think going back to the word strategic, like people over complicate that word. I really don’t even know why, but they overcomplicate it to this fact where it’s like, okay, my strategy is like, how many times a week I post, what time I post what my content pillars are, which like, I don’t even believe in content pillars. Like I don’t write content pillars for my clients. Like that’s not strategic. What is strategic is what is your message? How are you going to reach people? How are you going to nurture them? How are you going to convert them like that is strategic, not what audio you’re using and what time you’re posting, which is a good.

Madi Brown 00:18:05  Example to what people get caught up on. That doesn’t matter. Like that’s so true too, because people will be like, oh no, it’s 6 p.m.. Like I can’t post today. And I’m like, just see what happens.

Madi Brown 00:18:17  Just post like just.

Jaiden Robinson 00:18:18  Do it like.

Madi Brown 00:18:19  Happens. Yeah. And then like the shelf life of content is so long anyway. Especially on Instagram. Like it could probably flop within the first hour, but then if it’s a good piece of content, it actually could turn around.

Jaiden Robinson 00:18:32  And take off.

Madi Brown 00:18:33  Later that day.

Jaiden Robinson 00:18:34  Yeah, I keep noticing that too. I feel like that’s becoming more and more like of a thing with the algorithm on Instagram. Is that, like, I’ve actually seen a lot of my content have slow traction for like literally a day, and then the next day it will like, perform how like I would have expected it to, which is just so weird. And I know what I’m doing. Yeah. I’m like, oh, okay. Like it’s all good. But also like, yeah, I put out so much content for myself and my clients that, like, I literally do not have a single brain cell that is available to go look at the views on stuff.

Madi Brown 00:19:08  You’re like, I’ll just get back to that later.

Madi Brown 00:19:10  As long as I’m literally.

Jaiden Robinson 00:19:12  Yeah, I’m like, if we have a problem, I’m going to address it. But like, it’s literally fine. I think you will go crazy if you care about each individual piece of content. That’s just like too much. It doesn’t make anything fun.

Madi Brown 00:19:26  It makes content creation not fun. And that’s something to where I try to remind people is like creating stuff is actually fun. Guys like, you’re getting too caught up on the numbers. Like, obviously the numbers are important. For sure. You want to pay attention to what’s actually working, but I feel like there’s also, as you know, different types of content that will do different types of things, like there’s like the content that is made to reach people, and then there’s content that’s made to nurture your people or whatever. And I feel like to people get caught up on one or the other. Yeah.

Jaiden Robinson 00:20:01  It’s actually like it’s kind of making me laugh because I’m realizing, like if they have good reach content, they like will complain that rightfully so, that they’re not converting anyone.

Jaiden Robinson 00:20:11  And then when people have like, good sales content, they’ll kind of like feel bad that they’re not reaching people. But it’s like those are like literally two opposite things. And like, yes, Sometimes. Sometimes they will have an overlap, and it’s usually a real that you see on your for you page that is connected to a menu chat that makes you believe that all of your content should be high reach and high converting. But that’s why that is on your for you page, because it’s an anomaly. It’s outperforming everything else. Like that’s not normal. That’s not like what you should use as your benchmark and instead focusing on like for my clients, a lot of them follow launches. And so it’s like, okay, well six weeks before the launch, we’re going to focus on reach content 4 to 5 weeks before the launch, we’re going to start nurturing a little bit more than 2 to 3 weeks. We’re going to start converting, getting people to the email list, whatever. And we know that in weeks 2 to 3, we’re not going to be reaching a lot of people.

Jaiden Robinson 00:21:13  We’re going to be nurturing people that are already there. And when you start to understand these concepts, I feel like you enjoy social media more because you’re not expecting every piece of content to be everything, right?

Madi Brown 00:21:25  Every piece matters for the entire goal.

Jaiden Robinson 00:21:28  It’s all moving together. It’s not like what they say about relationships. Like they can’t be everything to you. And it’s like, yes, you’re one real can’t be everything to you. It can’t be your reach, nurture, conversion, everything. It’s not going to be your whole funnel. It’s just going to be part of it.

Madi Brown 00:21:47  I have noticed when posting content for myself too, like there will be a piece of content I’ll put out that gets like not as many likes or whatever, but then I get people in my DMs or on my website, whatever. Sometimes the numbers won’t show up on social media, but they’ll show up in other areas. And that’s like obviously different ways of converting people. And I feel like too. It’s just important to remember for people creating content online, that you don’t want to just stay stuck in the same thing for too long, because then you’ll hit a plateau.

Madi Brown 00:22:21  But you also don’t want to be just like changing things up every week, because then you can’t measure that to anything. And then people are like, what’s going on? So again, it’s like having that balance. And I know people sometimes will have a hard time trying something new because I get it. Like their brand is their baby. Everything needs to be perfect, right? But you kind of have to let that go, especially with social media a little bit.

Jaiden Robinson 00:22:44  Yeah. I mean, every big brand that you’ve ever seen has the major brands, you know, like Apple. I know we always use that one. But literally like Apple, Facebook, all these huge companies, like they only got where they are because they were not afraid to take a risk. They were not afraid of being told no. They were not afraid of doing something that they’ve never done before. They just do it. They just do it. And like, yeah, there’s some things that I have like totally flopped even with Apple even still, you know? But it’s okay.

Jaiden Robinson 00:23:19  Like, you just keep going. And I think that’s so important. Which actually kind of segues me into another question I had for you, which was like, what are some of your favorite or your best, like, investments as a content creator, either for like improving the quality or level of your content or just like helping you as a creator?

Madi Brown 00:23:40  Yeah. You know what? I think my favorite so far has been investing in coaching people when they’re like, wait, you do coaching for content? But then that’s like your profession. I’m like, well, yeah, because I want to make sure I’m also trying new things. I’m also getting new perspectives from other people, and I’m continuing to learn new things because the things I knew like a year ago, I actually disagree with now. Like I feel like, yeah, yeah, I feel like it’s important to just keep changing. And obviously that’s what social media is too, is just it’s ever changing. And that’s what I also noticed with other people that they’re like, maybe they did really well with their content a year ago, but now they’re just like at a plateau.

Madi Brown 00:24:26  And it’s because they’re not changing with social media. And I think another thing to that, investing in my own coaching is that it’s helped me become a better listener for my own content and my own community. I think that’s something that people forget is like they’re pumping out content, but then they’re not listening to people, like they’re not looking at the comments or the stories that people will sign up on, or what people are saying in their reviews or whatever they’re just worried about, like the vanity things like likes or whatever. But they’re not listening to what people are saying. And that’s something that has helped me personally with investing in an outside perspective.

Jaiden Robinson 00:25:04  Yeah, I.

Madi Brown 00:25:05  Think that’s my favorite thing. And then like, something that’s obvious is obviously just investing in fun equipment because you have two with you. I mean, you don’t have to, but I love it. So yeah.

Jaiden Robinson 00:25:17  I mean, I love it to. And I would spend all my money if I didn’t have self-control on just like expensive camera gear that I will use twice a year.

Jaiden Robinson 00:25:26  Like I’m just addicted to it. I love it so much.

Madi Brown 00:25:28  You buy it, you’re like, yeah, I’m gonna do all this stuff. And then, yeah.

Jaiden Robinson 00:25:32  Like I have my Sony that I just got, which is, it’s like the same as, like the G7 X, but it’s like the Sony version and I love it. And I was like, I’m totally gonna vlog. And then I was like, who do I think I am? Like, oh my gosh, are.

Madi Brown 00:25:46  You saying that like.

Jaiden Robinson 00:25:47  I am not gonna vlog? I would love to vlog. Can’t do it. Can’t do it. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Can’t do it. But I agree with you too on it’s too. Oh, I think it does. And like, I don’t know, I’m such like a disk connector. Like I need white space. I need, like, time away from my phone. Like I don’t like to scroll all the time. Like I have boundaries there for a reason.

Jaiden Robinson 00:26:10  And I feel like if I was vlogging, I would not be able to live in the moment, which no, probably wrong. That’s probably not true, but it’s how I feel.

Madi Brown 00:26:20  Not valid.

Jaiden Robinson 00:26:22  But back to the coaching. I agree 100% and it brought up a thought for me where I was like, okay, so the people that you trust to teach you are always learning. Like I’ve worked for SEOs before who constantly they’re learning, they’re coaching themselves, and then they’re coaching us on new sales strategies, on whatever. That’s how it goes in a business. And I think for some reason, when we are the business owner and we’re these small businesses, we feel like if we don’t agree with and like stick to our guns on what we thought a year ago was true, sometimes that feels like we’ve lost credibility with ourselves. But that’s not true. It’s like very normal to year after year. Change what you believe and change what you think works. and especially in this world, especially with social media, because it is always changing.

Jaiden Robinson 00:27:16  So I would say if you do hold the same beliefs that you had a year ago, you are going to probably fall behind and it’s okay to like, change that and believe something new to go.

Madi Brown 00:27:28  Off of what you said about credibility too. I do see that a lot where people are like, well then I don’t know what I’m doing if I actually learn something new. And now I’m like, way, disregard that. But it’s like, I think a perfect opportunity that people can do with that is just taking people along in their content and being honest about where they’re at. I’ve noticed people that do that. They have the most engaged audience. They have more conversions than ever before because at the end of the day, people are people. And it’s okay if you don’t want to pretend like you have it all together.

Jaiden Robinson 00:28:03  And we know you don’t.

Madi Brown 00:28:04  I’m like, no one does. It’s fine. Yeah, we all know that. But I think we forget on social media like we’re in this matrix of social media and we’re like, this person is just doing so well, whatever.

Madi Brown 00:28:15  But like someone that comes to mind that I feel like does really well with this is coming up roses. I feel like Kelsey is so honest with her audience and like, if people don’t know who that is, she just helps people with launches. Like, she like she’s just I think most service providers. Yeah. Like she just helps all creatives with launching their business and their content and stuff like that. But yeah, she definitely does really well with that where she’s like, okay, like I’m obviously like I help people with their launches, but I’ve had flops or like, yeah.

Madi Brown 00:28:51  Or even you, Jaiden. Like how I love the content you’ve been posting lately where you’re like, okay, I used to like post this type of content and I actually, yeah, disagree with it now. Like, yeah, I love how you take people along with you.

Jaiden Robinson 00:29:05  Yeah. And like you don’t lose credibility. Like, I did see a post where someone was like, you know, don’t be too honest because you’ll lose credibility with your audience.

Jaiden Robinson 00:29:14  And I think that could be true to a degree of some sort. But the clients that I want to work with, I want them to see me as not a god, but a human. I want them to know that like I’m pouring my heart and soul into their business. I want the very best for them. And that’s going to require some learning and shifting and evolving. And I know that they want to work with me because of that. Like they want to work with me because they trust that I am going to test it on my own account. First. They want to work with me because they know that I’m going to do things that I just intuitively am like, I think this is what’s going to work.

Madi Brown 00:29:52  Yeah, you embody it.

Jaiden Robinson 00:29:54  Yeah. Like I don’t know everything. And if anyone like claims that they do that psychotic, like there’s just no way you you don’t know. You don’t know. Not on social media Like you could know everything there is to know about engineering, but you can’t know everything there is to know about social media because it is two social algorithms.

Jaiden Robinson 00:30:15  Humans. Very confusing. It’s not a math equation. So that is why you can’t just claim to know everything about it. But yeah, I agree with you. Just investing in a culture. I mean equipment too. Well, that’s really awesome. I have just like two more things before we wrap up. The second to last one is how do you manage being consistent with your content and also being a mom and also being a business owner because you’re creating content for more than just yourself. So how are you able to keep up with all of that?

Madi Brown 00:30:48  It’s ever changing with how I manage all of that. I just talked about this the other week, too. I’m like, I’m not okay. No, I’m just kidding. No, I love that. When you have ambitions like me. I was telling one of my other friends that has a baby the same age as me. I was like, I wish I had no ambitions, like I wish I just could be a stay at home wife.

Jaiden Robinson 00:31:14  That’s so real. This is.

Madi Brown 00:31:16  My life. But I’m very Type-A, so I find ways to integrate that into my everyday life. Like, I can’t do this all alone. Actually, guys, I can’t.

Jaiden Robinson 00:31:28  It turns out, it turns.

Madi Brown 00:31:30  Out because people do ask me all the time and I’m like, wait, no, I don’t recommend this. Not to, like, I’m sure people are like, wait, what is the secret? There’s none. It’s just like a lot of going with the flow, which is really hard for me. So yeah, you definitely can’t do it alone. So like, I have like a babysitter come or I do things on the weekend sometimes or I’m in creating content. It’s really hard to do in the evenings, but sometimes when I put my baby down for the night. Like that’s when I can actually think. And so I’ll do more focused work then sometimes. But I think a lot of it does have to do with like scheduling and planning ahead.

Madi Brown 00:32:12  Like, I can’t just like do things on the fly anymore. I used to be like that prior to having a child. It does not work when you have a child.

Jaiden Robinson 00:32:20  Because you’ll just never get to it.

Madi Brown 00:32:22  You know you’ll never get to it. And then it also just it doesn’t look good on me as a business owner that’s providing services for other business owners, like they need someone they can rely on. And so it’s really important that I find a system that can be reliable. I mean, like what happens sometimes and that’s fine. Like people totally that. But yeah, I have come to the conclusion, guys, that if you can’t do it on your own. Oh shit. So yeah, I’m like, no, I’m sorry. So yeah, I ask for help and then I plan ahead. And then sometimes, like during a busy season, right now, I just do it like I will work when he’s sleeping or I’ll work on the weekends, whatever. I mean, I work regardless.

Madi Brown 00:33:11  I think I’m addicted to work.

Jaiden Robinson 00:33:14  So relatable.

Madi Brown 00:33:17  People are like, what are your hobbies? I’m like, oh, drinking coffee. So just like planning ahead and asking for help. That’s kind of how I’m able to manage things. And I also feel like at some point I’ll probably want to hire like other photographers to help me. It’s just hard because you’re like, I get the business owner side of things where you’re like, I need things to be very certain way, but obviously everyone just needs to get over it and that’s what I’ll have to do. But yeah, I think that as I get through motherhood, that’s probably what I’ll do too.

Jaiden Robinson 00:33:53  Yeah, I love that. And then my last question, They kind of tied together a little bit, but is what is one piece of advice you wish you could give like your younger self? It could be about your business or just in general.

Madi Brown 00:34:06  I mean, one thing that I have thought about a lot is that the first like three years of business, I didn’t really care to like connect with other people in my industry, not because I’m such a people person, but yeah, I just kind of was like, put my head down and like, do my own thing.

Madi Brown 00:34:23  I also felt like too, I just had anxiety around other people, kind of like doing what I do or whatever. Like I guess like I had that fear, which that’s just a limiting fear. And like that does happen, but it is what it is like. No one can be you. So yeah, so I had that mindset and I feel like I would probably tell myself to like, just be more involved in my industry and my local community is even engaging with other brands I would want to work with. Like, I feel like all of the clients that I have today, Most of them, like the bigger clients I work with, are from engaging with them, like forming connections. People always ask me like how I land bigger clients and I’m like, I literally just talk to them.

Jaiden Robinson 00:35:08  Yeah.

Madi Brown 00:35:08  And I it’s not like I’m outreaching. And I’m like, here’s my services. Sometimes I do do that, but most of the time I literally am disengaging, like on LinkedIn or I meet someone in person or whatever.

Madi Brown 00:35:21  So yeah, I would say that’s like the main thing I wish that I did more of, because I feel like I definitely would be quote unquote, farther along if I did make that priority. And then obviously there’s the obvious stuff, like having more confidence because, as you know, imposter syndrome can be hard. And I feel like, yes, for the longest time I’m like, I’m not qualified to do any of this. So I always just stuck with the same services. And I never, like, dreamt bigger because I was like, who am I to do that? I feel like a lot of people have that problem, but just somehow finding. I wish that I had that confidence to have done that earlier on.

Jaiden Robinson 00:35:59  So absolutely, like I feel like the community aspect of things like should be everyone’s first priority, but it is kind of scary, especially at first. Like, I mean, you will get ignored. Not everyone is nice. Not everyone wants to be your friend, you know? So I do think there’s a little bit of risk involved and it can make you feel bad.

Jaiden Robinson 00:36:18  Like if you already have imposter syndrome and then you’re trying to build these connections with this community, and people do ghost you and don’t care about you and want you to go away. Like it can hurt really bad, but it’s not a reflection on you and those people. Like when you get bigger, they’re gonna all of a sudden want to talk to you, which is just kind of funny how that.

Madi Brown 00:36:40  Goes, how it works. Yeah, it’s.

Jaiden Robinson 00:36:42  Just kind of funny how that goes. And then at that point you can just give them grace and say, yeah, I remember when I.

Madi Brown 00:36:48  Tried to wait, this is a perfect Yeah.

Jaiden Robinson 00:36:52  But it’s just true. And yes, I get clients from Instagram all the time, but some of my favorite clients are people that, like, I’ve been referred to through other favorite clients, like my best clients are my best referrals because they get me. They know the type of people that I want to work with. They send them to me, and I have that connection with them already.

Jaiden Robinson 00:37:17  So that’s where that community comes in as well as it’s just like, if you can show up for people, then they’ll show up for you, the right people.

Madi Brown 00:37:25  So I feel like to you, a lot of people are like word of mouth. You shouldn’t rely on that, which I that shouldn’t be your whole growth strategy, obviously. But I’m like, people underestimate it. Like it’s still so helpful for anyone in any industry.

Jaiden Robinson 00:37:38  I mean, I think like at the beginning of most people’s businesses and careers, like that’s where you start. You start with like your friends and family. And that’s why I’m one of those people who’s like, you don’t need to make a new account for your business. You can take your personal account and make it your business account. That’s totally fine, because those are probably going to be your first clients anyways, because you already have some sort of like trust and connection with them. So that’s probably going to be your first client. They’re going to refer you outside of their circles.

Jaiden Robinson 00:38:09  And that’s really when you can start to build a community like an Instagram account community or a TikTok account community or something like that. It’s kind of after you already have a client or two, you know, I think it’s hard to just start from zero and start posting and just expect that someone will find you, like it’s totally possible. But I do think that is a little bit of a harder way to go about it, in my opinion.

Madi Brown 00:38:36  It’s like you don’t have as much control. Like you’re kind of just like putting things out and like you can have this a solid strategy, but you’re still like, it’s still like the ball’s in their court. Kind of. Yeah. I feel like the times that I have put myself out there, whether it’s cold outreach or just literally form connection, it’s always been a situation where they’re like, oh my gosh, like, I don’t even think you would offer something like this or whatever. And I’m like, yeah, like I do. yeah. So definitely community is important.

Madi Brown 00:39:12  And even like, I love what other people do in our community or even what you do or it’s like you, even if it’s just to be about the local community, just having like little events and stuff. Not like anyone has to do that. But yeah, I think that that’s really helpful, even for ecommerce brands or whatever, to implement maybe every once in a while. I don’t know, people just they underestimate the traditional way of connecting with people.

Jaiden Robinson 00:39:37  It’s so powerful. That’s why it’s been around for so long. I love that so much. I feel like this conversation has been so good. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast today. And if you guys want to find Madi, we’ll have all of her like social things linked. But she’s great. She does brand photography, content creation, content strategy, and she’s awesome. So yeah.

Madi Brown 00:39:57  Thank you for having me on Jaiden. Yeah. You’re welcome. Bye.

Jaiden Robinson 00:40:04  First, I want to say thank you so much for being here and listening to my podcast.

Jaiden Robinson 00:40:08  It means the world to me, and I just appreciate this community more than you could ever know. If you love this episode or a previous episode that you’ve listened to, go ahead and head to the leave a review link in the show notes and leave us a review. We would really appreciate it and we’re so glad that you’re here. Thank you.