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Win With Paid Ads
#87: Behind the Brand with Meredith from Paid Ads Academy
00:43:47
In this episode, Ashley sits down with Meredith, the Brand & Creative Lead of Paid Ads Academy, to share the story behind the brand. Meredith opens up about her life leading up to this role, why creativity and branding have always been part of who...
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- [00:00]
A
Welcome to the Win with Paid Ads podcast for small business owners, entrepreneurs, and really anyone who has anything you want more people to find. Whether you're starting from ground zero or scaling an eight figure business, you are exactly who this podcast was created for. Because you being the best kept secret helps no one. Right? That's why in every episode, I'll show you how you can use paid ads to hit your goals 10 times sooner. It's time you finally learn how to win with paid ads. You or someone on your team can do this. I'll show you how to score and be known by more. Let's get started. I'm excited to introduce you to someone here on the team at the Paid Ads Academy. And what's so funny is so many of my clients inside the Mastermind, they're like, am I in a separate mastermind? Because I'm with Meredith. So I'm really excited to introduce you to our brand and creative lead, Meredith McConnell. What's really cool is Meredith and I were actually very good friends prior to getting to work together, and now we just get to have fun and do work things and we're like, is this work? This is amazing. So I'm really excited to introduce you to Meredith.
- [01:02]
B
Hi, guys. Hello.
- [01:04]
A
So, yeah, Meredith and I, her and her husband, y', all actually were our small group leaders.
- [01:09]
B
Yep. You remember. So funny.
- [01:11]
A
It was. It was like the best. So let's go back, talk about how we met, what that looked like at the beginning, and then we'll do our, like, evolution, because I want them to hear your story of where were you, what were you doing when we met? Like, I want to hear the story. And then we'll talk about how all this led up to you being so good at branding. And then we'll really talk about launch Reds Live and the whole story. You like it?
- [01:31]
B
Wow. Okay. Well, where do I begin? So I started off as an elementary school teacher, and I, in high school, was given the superlative for most likely to be a teacher. So here I am, not a teacher anymore. But I always just pictured myself as working with kids and. And learning that process of teaching them how to read and how to learn math. And when I got into it, there's just so much more to teaching these days than just teaching. And so as time went by, I tried different counties and different schools, and it just didn't feel right. So then I actually just started curating post on Instagram.
- [02:22]
A
Yeah.
- [02:23]
B
And starting to really deep dive into, like, what I find enjoyment out of outside of teaching when I'd Come home. Like, what is something fun I could do besides, like, watch Netflix or read a book or, you know, just be outside. Like, what. What could I do inside?
- [02:40]
A
Yeah.
- [02:40]
B
And just spend some time doing. And I just really fell in love with, like, watching how people interacted online and how they took photos. Like, I'm not a photographer. I don't want to be a photographer. But, like, how do they lay out their photos? How do they take flat lays? You know, I just have always had this love for pop culture.
- [03:01]
A
Yes.
- [03:01]
B
And I've observed this. Yes. I just. It's just something innately within me. Like, I'm not ashamed to say that, like, when I grew up, I was watching, like, E. News and, you know, know the. The Life of the Rich and the famous on BH1. Right.
- [03:20]
A
Yeah.
- [03:21]
B
Like, TRLI.
- [03:22]
A
God, this is making so much sense. I'm like, this is why you're so cool.
- [03:24]
B
I just. I am infatuated with it. Like, I. My dad took me to the Academy Awards when I was younger. Like, I walked the red carpet. Like, I mean, I don't want to show the pictures because I'm like, front bangs. Like, I mean, I just. I just. Just loved it. I love New York City. Like, we talked about that the other day. Like, I love, like, just big city life, which is so funny because, like, I am not like, this super outgoing personality when you meet me. But I think that over time I've learned, like, I am not a shy person. I'm just reserved. And then when I get to know someone or I feel comfortable in an environment, like, then my personality is more comfortable. Totally comes through.
- [04:12]
A
It does.
- [04:12]
B
Anyways, so I just started to really love, like, what, like, how I could create visuals online.
- [04:21]
A
Yeah.
- [04:21]
B
And in your house.
- [04:22]
A
I don't know if you realize, like, you wanted to curate at home, your own home. And I think, like, the visual online home.
- [04:30]
B
Yeah. Yeah. So I just. I started to get into Pinterest scrolling. And, you know, that's when Pinterest started to become big. Like, at the end of college.
- [04:40]
A
Yep.
- [04:40]
B
And I just. I loved it. Like, you know, I would buy the magazines, like, at checkout and, like, look through Us Weekly like, you know, just what's going on in pop culture. And so I worked for a network marketing company for a couple of years. What I really loved about it was curating the photos and figuring out what the strategy was to post online, not the actual, like, product and, like, what I was selling. And so I just continued to do that. I continued to develop my Instagram, like, I don't have a lot of followers or anything, but it's just something I enjoy to do. Yeah, there wasn't, like, a big goal in mind. It was just, like, something that I liked, almost like a hobby. And then I had someone reach out to me that was like an acquaintance and was like, friend of a friend. Hey, we love how you run your social. Like, your personal social media. Would you want to run our company social? I'm like, what in the world? Like, of course. And so I was still teaching at the time I started a tutoring business. I was, like, trying to dabble in, like, what that would look like 2020 hit. And so I just started doing a bunch of different things. Like, I was tutoring, I was teaching online, my first graders. That was a fun experience. Experience. And I started running this company's Instagram account and really learning what that looked like to work with somebody else, work with people that wanted a vision and how to navigate that. And it just happened with word of mouth. Someone knew that I was running someone's account. You know, they were like, oh, you know, if you're looking for a social person, you know, she's running this account. And so then I got hired by somebody else. And at the time, I was running three accounts, teaching and doing private tutoring.
- [06:33]
A
Wow.
- [06:33]
B
And I was just trying to figure out what I wanted to do in this, like, weird pivot during 2020. And during that time, my husband James and I were leading a small group, and that's where we met Ashley and Kyle. Yeah, we. You. Yeah, we. We initially joined a small group, and we loved how open the initial small group leaders were with their story and with their life. And we're like, we don't want to join another one that's just like a cookie cutter small group with, like, cookie cutter answers. So we're like, the best way to form what we previously had in our old small group was to be the leaders and create it ourselves of, like, what we wanted that to look like. And so we got to meet Ashley and Kyle, and we just, I feel, like, hit it off right away.
- [07:23]
A
I was like, she's so cool. We're different. And I love it. Like, that's really what it was.
- [07:28]
B
Yes. And, like, I'm, like, very drawn to, like, Ashley's personality because, like, if you have two of me, like, nobody would be talking in a room. But, like, you know, I just. I pair well with someone that's more outgoing.
- [07:40]
A
Yeah.
- [07:40]
B
And, yeah, it's like two peas in a pod.
- [07:44]
A
We are.
- [07:45]
B
And so obviously that worked out because, like, we continued our friendship outside of small group and through a lot of ups and downs in both of our journeys. And, like, we've just kind of stuck by each other. And so after we left small group, we just continued our friendship and I stepped away from teaching and joined a marketing agency. I was an intern at 30 years old. It's very humbling. And it was a full service marketing agency. So I learned the ins and outs of everything. Everything. Like, I just wanted to go, like, full force. Like, you tell me something to do, I'll do it. I want to be in every single room. Like, Ashley talks about being in rooms with people that know more than you. Like, I was in rooms that, you know, every single type of department in marketing. I was in those rooms, and those people were, like, in their early 20s, like, and obviously, like, they knew more than me. And so I just had a really wonderful experience there. And as I stayed there throughout the past couple years, I was ready to move on and, and see what else was, you know, out there for me. And during that time when I was kind of thinking through, like, after I had my daughter, like, what does this look like the next, you know, season of my life, like, being a mom now? And I watched Ashley, you know, alongside of her, like, as she was growing this business. And I just kept peeking over, I kept peeking over, like, you would, like.
- [09:12]
A
Like, the stuff on Instagram.
- [09:13]
B
I'm like, I think Meredith is approving of this. Yes. I'm like, I'm Ashley's biggest fan. Like, every single post. I'm like, yes. Like, this. I'm so proud of you. Like, you're really doing was just really, really cool to see. And so eventually I left the marketing agency and moved over to Ashley and started off two days a week.
- [09:33]
A
Yeah, I came to you. I was like, knocking on Meredith's door. I'm like, you're so good at this. We need help. Like, I'm not doing it. You know, like, we had. I was so grateful because we outsourced our social media to multiple people in multiple scenarios over the course of time. And I'm so grateful because everyone, like, I remember Chelsea owned it for a good amount of time. She did such a great job. Like, I loved the evolution, but I knew, like, there was a moment where I was like, okay, this is the moment where I'm like, gonna decide we're going to keep outsourcing this, or is this the time is a signal that we should take this in house? And I was hesitant because I was like, man, am I really going to invest this much in just social? Like, I'm ads person. I don't even care about organic is what I tell myself. And I'm like, no, this matters too. And it's like a brand thing is what I feel like I've kind of put together. And so. Yes. Yeah, you. I was like, meredith, what needs to happen for this to happen?
- [10:28]
B
Yeah. And I like, I was hesitant with social because I knew that social was something I loved. I feel like there is just a next step.
- [10:35]
A
A level above it.
- [10:36]
B
Yeah, a level above it. And so I, you know, thought about dabbling in it, but I was like, I just had this gut feeling, like there's just something else. Like I feel like it could be with Ashley, but I just don't know if I want to commit to this specific social.
- [10:52]
A
Yeah.
- [10:52]
B
And so we kept having conversations and.
- [10:54]
A
You like kind of held firm to it too. And I was like, it's like I wanted her to be like, I would love to do the social. And I would have been like, amazing. But she was like, I don't know if just like, I want to play a role in it. But like we didn't know what it was going to be.
- [11:08]
B
Yeah. Yeah. And so we met in, I think it was in December.
- [11:14]
A
Yeah.
- [11:14]
B
Like around Christmas time. And you know, there's. There's always so much going on with you. But she was like, there's this happening and this happened. I was like, oh my gosh, like this girl is just going non stop. And something about Ashley, which a lot of you guys probably know this, but Ashley is really good at seeing what's inside of someone and like speaking into that even if they don't believe in themselves.
- [11:38]
A
Crying like always do. I really do.
- [11:41]
B
And that is something that I've like just so admired about you is something that like, I mean, my husband could say it and it's like one thing. Right. But if like somebody that's like outside your family, like, that's like, you know what, I see this in you. And it's not like you're just saying it just to say it. Like you're saying it because you truly see the value in different people and it's just wonderful. And I felt that from you.
- [12:09]
A
Yeah.
- [12:09]
B
And I felt like this pull. And so I quit my job and I started two days a week. Right.
- [12:18]
A
And that seems like a year ago, 10 years ago, but yes.
- [12:21]
B
Yeah. And it's just so started to evolve over the next several months of, of the two days a week. And I Took her course. And I've just learned so much, and I just wanted to fully step in. And so we had another conversation about, like, what that could look like. And I knew that branding, like, the more I kept seeing, like, like what it means to be someone in branding and. And like, looking at the visuals and how it. It's not just the visuals. It's how you make people feel.
- [12:52]
A
Yeah, it is.
- [12:52]
B
And how you le impression on a person when they interact with your company. And that's kind of how we can, you know, go into lunch, rides, live. Because it wasn't just like, I want everything to be pretty.
- [13:08]
A
Oh, it's not that at all. Yeah, I think. Yeah. So basically, Meredith had two days a week, and I feel like it was some social advising, but also you were coaching, like, you were doing some, like, support. I was like, here's. She was. She was learning all the ad stuff too, because her husband has a business as well. So there was, like, mutual, mutually beneficial reasons for learning ads, which was a good thing because she saw the value in learning advertising, probably from all my posts. She's probably sold on it. And so it's like she was standing firm to, like, I'm not going to be the social media poster and I will step in and do some of this coaching kind of to support you. Because she wanted to help where she could. But it eventually has evolved into Meredith being the brand and creative lead. And I didn't realize how many things would go to Meredith. Like, I was like, I don't know. You just see branding. And I was just thinking, that's the last thing I'll invite. I told myself that is the last thing I'll invest in. And it's like, we don't even have an account, someone with the finances yet, which we're hiring, because I put other things that I realized were more of a priority.
- [14:13]
B
And.
- [14:14]
A
And now what I'm realizing is just how much creating a brand allows people to know that this is like a something. Like, it's. They're part of something. You're creating something. It's not just another thing. It is something in particular. And I feel like that's what you've helped us do. And so we're not. We're still going through. I don't even know if everybody does. We're still going through, like, what we're calling, like, a brand evolution, not a rebrand.
- [14:35]
B
Yes.
- [14:36]
A
But like, you're leading that too.
- [14:37]
B
Yes. So we talked about as a team and with our. Our coach Melissa, about not framing it as A rebrand, but as an evolution. Because we don't want to say that, you know, the, the brand is like a rebrand. It's one and done and we're not starting over. Yeah, we're not starting over. We're elevating. We're taking it to the next level. And so we always want to continue to do that. And so if we call it a rebrand, it just seems so final. And as we grow as a business and I mean you guys have seen firsthand, like the business has just grown so quickly, so fast. And because of that, like we don't want to stay stagnant in like a year from now. Like where the business could be, could be just so much even more elevated. And we want our brand to reflect that. And so we just, we don't want to be finalized in our decision making and just continue to elevate it over time.
- [15:35]
A
So Meredith is behind the scenes working with a team that's helping us just evolve, like just elevate a little bit. And so that's going to come with a few things. Some logos, more designs, different colors, like some of that. But, but that's actually not just what Meredith does. Like Meredith, very recently you think about brand protection, like what, what, what is our like non negotiables as a brand? It's probably still some stuff we should talk about. I feel like there's a, we haven't had to talk about it. I feel like you get, we get it but we probably should write it down. But it's like what are our non negotiables? Like Robert helped film some content with some other things that we've done. And like Meredith just putting an eyes like, ooh, this might not be perceived the right way because of how it was said because they don't have the context for this and we don't want it to be like it's those little things that you don't think about that could actually cause someone to sit there and be like, I just lost trust. And they don't realize they lost trust. They're going to still watch it, but they don't realize that that one little thing showed some incongruence or inconsistency and created a break in trust that might be harder to build back. And that's why having someone else from the like more strategic, high level lens, like what are we doing as a brand? Even down to like what I wear and don't wear. Like Meredith even said, oh yeah, I like this story that you did because you're wearing the colors, like, you had, the bright you had. It was like. It was like this was the brand. Even when you were just walking and talking, all these little things that are like, what is our brand? What do we do and not do? And you've a joke. I'm like, you're the brand police. But it's like you really are saying there are some guidelines we're gonna follow on how we're going to communicate, how we're going to show up, how we want people to feel, and you've helped develop that.
- [17:01]
B
Yeah. So something you might not know about me.
- [17:03]
A
Oh, man.
- [17:05]
B
Was that I used to be a softball player. What? I was the catcher. So I.
- [17:13]
A
You sat there with pads and caught.
- [17:16]
B
Oh, yeah. I think my mom actually sent me a picture recently of it. So it was in middle school. I loved softball, which is so funny. Like, I didn't play softball in high school. I loved it.
- [17:30]
A
Wow.
- [17:31]
B
And I loved playing catcher, specifically because you're in every single play. Right. And so, like, even if you know they're not hitting you the ball or whatever, like, you have to be in every single play whether they hit it or not. Right. And I love that about branding, because you're basically in every single play. So that's the best analogy ever.
- [17:55]
A
You're really speaking my language today, Meredith. She speaks to me in analogies. I'm like, ah, I understand now.
- [18:01]
B
Yeah. So it's just like, with events. Like, I work with Lacy and I'm in that play. Right. I work with you in, like, podcasting and visual and, like, just like the overseeing the VIP days. That's a play in client delivery.
- [18:15]
A
You're putting together the assets that we're using.
- [18:17]
B
Yep, yep. And so it's just like being a part, like, yeah. Right now, the assets, it's just being a part of everything. And I love that. I love overseeing with social. Like, I love approving. I love the strategy behind it. I love. It's really. Right now it's internal and external, but I love being a part of the place for the clients and a part of our team. So it's just really fun for me to, again, go from where I was teaching and, like, being able to teach kids, but also kind of taking that element and being able to teach clients is, like, a very similar aspect to it. And just building on everything, like, layer by layer of, like, where I am now.
- [18:56]
A
You're using all of your gifts, like, the teaching and the creativity and the, like, it's all coming together because you're right. So for those of you that don't know. Meredith is helping us internally at the company with our branding and in our mastermind and highest level, our two top tiers, she coaches weekly. So she's on there looking at their branding and their messaging and their creative and their ads because she just make, I mean, things just look better and are communicated better when she has that filter. That's why even on our VIP days, whether it's a VIP day or a group VIP day, whatever it is, she's a part of that. Because you, you just don't want me picking out visuals or creative things. Like, I know where I want it to be. I can be the vision of create this thing, but actually creating that thing is not my best gift. I can give you inspiration, but it's like even Meredith, one of the things that you do that people have communicated to me that they love is when you, when you start out each of your calls with like a little nugget, like, here's an idea and here's why, like you, I think sometimes when you were talking about this earlier about how I can see things in people, I think I see them where they are five years from now. Like, what I mean by that is you don't have to have ever worked at a branding company and ever done branding. You're just the best at it and we didn't need for you to prove it on a resume for seven years that you did branding for this company for you to be qualified to do it. Like, I feel like this about the company. I'm like, I never ran a company. I'm rolling a multi, I'm about to run an eight figure company. I didn't have that on my resume, but I was ready for it and I was ready to do the work to be there quicker. And like, I see that for you and I see that for the clients we work with. I'm like, you don't have this business, but you could if you would just advertise it, right? Like you, you, you, you have all, like every single one of us has these gifts and these skills that, that are innately something that like we were gifted with. And if you just use that, like I, I feel like I have been gifted with. I love, I mean, I love the teaching, you know, that I do. And it's, it's like being able to connect with people. I love humans, I love communicating, I love challenging people. It's like the athlete in me, like all these competitive things are, it's all coming together. Everything that you've done your whole Life has come together for this. And so for you, for the team, for my clients, I think people on paper were like, am I ready for this? Can I have this role? Can I be here? But it's like, forget the freaking paper and think about what are you best at and most passionate about, that everything else has led up to this moment for. And let's just go ahead and start there. I feel like that's what we're doing.
- [21:19]
B
Yeah, I agree.
- [21:20]
A
Yeah, it's really cool. So Meredith gets to work inside and outside, and that's why I wanted to have her today, because there's something I'm really proud of that we did. She did. And it was really having our brand elevated what feels like overnight, in my opinion. And so what we did is. So there's two types of events. And for those of you that have listened to all of the podcasts up until this point, you've probably heard of the events that we did in person the past two Januarys. And so if you really think about it, there are two types of events. There are sales events, and there are fulfillment events. Both are required for a business. Like, you have to sell and you have to fulfill, right? And some people love to sell, but don't love to fulfill. Some people love to fulfill, but they're scared to sell. And so thank goodness I've invested in the selling part because I was good at the fulfilling part, but I wanted to have both. And so we did these events. So we've done two types of events. We've done. Let's bring every. Let's advertise an event. Let's bring people together, let's train them, and let's share with them how they can partner with us. That's a sales event. And we've done that, and we've grown and we've learned. But what we've realized is I love the fulfillment events. And what we found is we enjoy the. We love the challenges so much because no matter what, people walk away happy. Either they're happy because they got so much value from that challenge. And they're like, this is the best thing I've ever attended online. I mean, you were there. It's cool to watch people love it. And there's a certain percentage of people that love it so much. Like, we wanna work together. We would love to partner together. And so we've gotten so much fulfillment out of that that I was like, okay, well, maybe we just do events for our clients instead of doing events in person for sales events. And so I was like, Meredith, this event, I want to go all in. We had a six figure budget for this event. Because I was like, this is us being the. Like I say, we choose to be the best on purpose and for a purpose. I'm like, being the best is going to require us not doing $5 box lunches. It is going to require us not doing a canva graphic that I made to put on the stage. Like, this is going to be an investment and elevating the company so that people feel a part of something. And so we went to Meredith and we were like, meredith, we want something. We want a theme. I think like, we were. I think I was like, we need a theme for this. And I think that's all the direction we gave. And then Meredith, talk about your process for how you. You. I brought you that and you worked with Lacy. And we created the most incredible, beautiful event that all of our clients and on social media said this is one of the most beautiful events. Like people that have been invents their whole life said that. I've never seen something so thoughtful and intentional that felt like something. So how did you do this, Meredith?
- [23:54]
B
Oh, my goodness. The pressure.
- [23:56]
A
I know. We want to know.
- [23:59]
B
So because I love pop culture and because I'm always immersing myself in it, I have a good idea what's going on, what's trending. Right?
- [24:09]
A
Yeah, you do. You're so trend. That's the best way to describe you. You're freaking trendy.
- [24:12]
B
Thank you. Wow. It's an honor.
- [24:15]
A
Yeah.
- [24:16]
B
So I knew that Italian summer, Vintage Italy. Like, that whole vibe is going on right now. And I feel like it was like just on the surface at the beginning of the year. I saw where it was going. I love that, that vibe. It's like elevated. Like old school.
- [24:35]
A
Yeah.
- [24:35]
B
But not like black and white. You know, like there's. There's a fine line.
- [24:38]
A
Yeah.
- [24:39]
B
And so because of that, I just started on Pinterest. Honestly, I tell. I tell all my coaching calls a lot. Like, where how do I start with like a brand if I don't have a brand? Like, go on Pinterest, find some color palettes you like and start there. Right. And. Cause they'll be able to like, give you those visuals. And so I just started typing in, like, elevated themed events, like summer events, like company events. And just kind of figuring out from there, like, it's almost like creating a mood board. I mean, that's what Pinterest is. Right? A lot of it is. I mean, we know it's a search engine. But, like, it's also creating those mood boards within your personal pages. And so I just started pinning a bunch of stuff. And when I looked back at my pins, what was being pinned most often? Because I had a lot of different visions for what the theme could be. And I think the. The most pins I had were that Italian summer, vintage summer vibe.
- [25:38]
A
Yeah.
- [25:39]
B
I was like, okay, I think we could work with this.
- [25:41]
A
Yeah.
- [25:41]
B
And so I created just a very simple, like, collage. Right. So, like, thinking back to, like, when you're in your room in, like, elementary, middle school and you're, like, cutting up magazines together.
- [25:53]
A
Yeah.
- [25:54]
B
Like, that's what I did. But just, you know, I put it in Canva and I pitched it to the team, and they were like, we love it. Like, let's do it. And so I was like, okay. Like, they love it. Like, let's. Okay.
- [26:06]
A
Yeah, we did. There was no debate. We were like, that's it. Go, run.
- [26:10]
B
Yeah. And so I worked with Lacey on just, like, the technical side of, like, what it looks like to throw an event, because I'd never done that before. And Lacey was really good at.
- [26:22]
A
Lacey's our events manager, so she does our events. She does events and hiring kind of different, but it's really important. And she is gifted and experienced in both, so she helps with events, and she also helps with hiring.
- [26:35]
B
Yes. And so because she is so skilled in knowing, like, the big picture of events, she would be like, you know, I'm thinking we should do, you know, these signs. And I'm like, oh, yes, we should do signs. And I also, like, that's just my visual. Like, my love of, like, seeing things visually is like, I love going to a wedding and going into the bathroom and seeing, like, a little, like, hey, good looking on the mirror. Right.
- [27:02]
A
And so, like, details.
- [27:03]
B
I'm thinking through all those little details, like, okay, how can we make this come to life? And so we just went through the. Through the, like, you know, little checklist. And the first thing I thought of was, well, we need a logo at the beginning. And so, like, what could that logo look like? And so we played with a lot. I love that yellow color that we used, like, the stripes. Like, it was. Everything is incorporated. Like, you think about Italian summer and you think about stripes. Like, you think about, like, the umbrellas that are, like, lined up in front of, like, the rocky, juicy red tomato. The juicy red.
- [27:37]
A
Like, a skinny wheel bite, like limoncello, like, aperol spritz.
- [27:41]
B
Like, you just think of, like, this fun, like, vibe.
- [27:44]
A
Yeah.
- [27:45]
B
And so I Just went from there and tweaked it. And.
- [27:51]
A
And all of a sudden, we had this moment where we were by the stage, and I was looking up and looking around the room, and I saw the launch. Your ads live. And the. But I mean, these letters nearly touched the ceiling. Like, you haven't seen it. You have to go to our Instagram. And then, like, the day before, our boxes. Like, we work with a company to do, like, custom gift boxes. And so we sent all of our clients ahead of the Mastermind, and we had some for men, some for women. Like, all the details were thought of, and, like, Meredith even made kind of two different logos for men versus women for some of the stuff. Cause we just wanted to be custom. And we had this moment side stage, and I was like, oh, my God, Meredith. Like, how do you feel? She's like, it's crazy. This went from a graphic and a team chat to, like, look at this. It was so cool. Like, everything was so big. Everything was so put together. It was so intentional. It was so detailed. And I was just so proud because I actually felt like I wasn't just at an event where there were a bunch of vendors and things set up. I was like, we have created an entire experience because of your vision.
- [28:46]
B
Yeah. And I know that we wanted to do something fun for dinner and, like, do something a little bit different. We had the cello player. That was an idea.
- [28:54]
A
And long tables.
- [28:56]
B
Yeah. And I was like, okay, we need to talk about this long table. So me and Lacey got on a call, and I was like, okay, I have an idea. But it's going to be more money.
- [29:03]
A
It was.
- [29:04]
B
And because it was going to be different tables, different linens. Like, you know, you don't think about how expensive linens are until you don't.
- [29:13]
A
Think about a lot of things. Don't. Like, I will never go to an event now and be like, like, shoot, look at that napkin. That's an exp. I touch the napkin, I'm like, this is one of the expensive ones. Like, you don't think about how everything adds up.
- [29:23]
B
Everything. And so I was like, but if we want to create an experience not just for the clients, but also just, like, outwardly, like, you also have to think about how are you going to portray this event to other people that are not part of it that you kind of want to, like, lure in.
- [29:40]
A
Yeah.
- [29:40]
B
How do they want to feel? Like, a little bit of a fomo, like, oh, whoa.
- [29:45]
A
Like, there's something I'm missing out on by not being a part of this event and this community, this whole thing.
- [29:49]
B
Right. And so when you think of intriguing families, you think of, like, these big, long tables where they break bread and they have communion and they just, like, converse over. Over dinner. And so I found, again, like, went back to Pinterest, found some ideas of what it could look like, and showed Lacey. She was like, yes. Like, Lacey. When she, like, she just, like, so affirming. And so she was like, I think you should pitch it. I'm like, okay. And, like, for those of you that don't really know me, like, I'm not a pitcher.
- [30:27]
A
She's like, I'm a catcher, not a pitcher. Literally.
- [30:30]
B
Literally, I am not a pitcher. I am, like, cheering you on on the sidelines. Like, you got this.
- [30:35]
A
Yeah.
- [30:36]
B
And so I was like, I have to go about this in a way that resonates with Ashley. So I'm not going to just be like, okay, this is going to cost a lot more money. But. Right. So I created a visual, and I was like, here. Here's my thoughts. And I had Ashley close her eyes. She did. And I was like, I want you to picture. And so I basically, like, pitched the visual to Ashley.
- [31:04]
A
The feeling of what it would feel like if the room was set up in this way with these tables, with this lighting.
- [31:10]
B
Yes. And just, like, the outcome of it, like, if you wanted something on social to be represented in a way that's like, what is this? Like, I've never seen Ashley's page before, but I've come across this video, and I'm like, oh, interesting. I want to know more. There's that curiosity that you talk.
- [31:26]
A
You have to have that in ads. You have to have that in branding. Like, you have to have something that says, I want to see more of whatever this is.
- [31:33]
B
And then we wanted it for our clients, too, because it's like they're with us all day, working really hard at implementing and launching their. Their ads.
- [31:41]
A
They've invested five figures in a program.
- [31:43]
B
Yeah. And you're at just, like, a company event. It's like, how can we make this more than a company event where it's like, everyone has their blazers on and, like, their name tags, and it's like they come back and it's like this whole, like, I mean, almost like a dream, because we had the twinkle lights and the long tables, and it was so fun to see their expression because we kept it all a secret. And so, yeah, so when I pitched it, Ashley. Ashley was like, I'm sold. Like, and then Lacy, you know, chimed in with like, the additional costs. And, you know, Ashley believed in the vision. And so I think, like, you know, we talk about, like, selling somebody on something. Like, you always say, like, inform me first and then tell me.
- [32:21]
A
And, like, inform me, then advise me.
- [32:23]
B
Advise me. Yes. And so I was like, I informed the vision and then advised, like, on, like, how could we get there to.
- [32:30]
A
Create this vision versus if she was like, hey, I mean, I think we should do this thing because it's this amount of money. She's like, no, I want her to feel what it'll feel like.
- [32:38]
B
Yeah.
- [32:38]
A
And that. And you think about whether it's branding or whether it's ads. That's actually the goal. So often we're like, here's the logistics of what we sell. And I'm like, I don't know why nobody's signing up from these ads. And, like, because you haven't sold them on actually what they want, which is to experience or feel a certain way, truly. So I think we put. We're so used to going in the order of, like, what? Like, we're not thinking about what they want first. We're thinking about what we want to tell them about the thing first, whether it's anything. And so the team knows how to sell me. It's hilarious. Now Rose will be like, this is more. She will not tell me. She was like, so there's two options. And she was like, the one you probably want because this will happen is this. And then always like, okay, I'm already sold on whatever this is. And then I ask for the price. Like, I can't wait to hear the price. And then I already. What I'll do is I'll have a number in my mind. I was like, I would never go above this. And then she'll say, I'm like, it was below the number that I was gonna throw up at, so I think we can do it. But it was like, they know that what I care about is the value. And I feel like that is actually part of our brand. We don't do cheap discounts. We don't do cheap. We are elevated. We are an investment. And we wanna attract the type of buyers that we are, which is people who pay for value. And I'm like, if we're gonna do that, then that's gonna require all of our brains to think, not what is always the cheapest option.
- [33:56]
B
Right.
- [33:56]
A
It's hard because that's how we were all, I think, raised to, like, think about everything. Yeah, but you've done such a good job. So. Yeah, it was really cool. I think watching for all of you listening, you don't have to have. I know you're like, how do I find a Meredith? Well, like you get to a place where learning from someone like Meredith, getting in the room with someone like Meredith who can see things that you can't and if anything, just someone else that can have perspective for you. And just so you know, we were able to get to a seven figure business without having this. Right? But what I definitely knew is we wouldn't get to an eight, eight figure business without it. And so for all of you, the question is, is Meredith? Let, let's just say as we wrap up the episode for someone who, let's talk to two people. Let's help the person that feels like they have no branding. Everything they do is a mess and they're a one man band. What are three things you would recommend for them as they think about branding as it might relate to their ads? Like, what's like, I know yesterday we talked about, or recently you and I talked about with ads, we want to make sure you're sending them somewhere that looks like a someone lives there. You don't want to send them to a bank at home. So let's say what are three recommendations or tips you could give someone just getting started to think about their brand? And then what about someone who has an established brand? You can always take things a step further. So what would you say to the influencer or creator who has 800,000 followers, is killing it with their business, but may want to create another brand or another product or something else in the future? What would you say to the maybe not so established. And what would you say to the established as some tips as they think about their branding?
- [35:28]
B
Yeah, that's a great question. I think. I mean this could go for both though. Okay. My first thought would be to create some type of buy in that's not your product. What do you mean? So if you're selling say sunscreen. Perfect, right? You're selling sunscreen. How can you create the buy in as like why I'm buying your sunscreen and not their sunscreen? Right. Because there's a lot of sunscreen out there.
- [35:59]
A
Lots.
- [35:59]
B
So what are you offering besides like the actual product are you offering, is it family owned? How are you going to shape your story around that? How are you going to be someone that's creating that buy in?
- [36:13]
A
You know what I just thought about the sunscreen. Like, I would go into protection, like I would go into the definition of protection. Like and like protecting their family and protect. You think about kids. It's like that one thing. So that's where you like, the branding part and the messaging part comes in. It's like you could create a brand out of, like, you being obsessed with protecting.
- [36:31]
B
Right. Or storytelling. Like, maybe you, you know, had skin cancer and you, you know, didn't feel like you were being protected and you always wore sunscreen, like, and you develop something out of that, like.
- [36:41]
A
Yeah.
- [36:42]
B
What kind of story can you tell that led you to that business? And how can you shape that as, like, creating that. That brand loyalty?
- [36:50]
A
Yeah.
- [36:51]
B
Right. If it's not, you know, sunscreen, maybe it's clothing and. And maybe you talk more about confidence and, like, share how you've built confidence over time with your clothing. Right. Like, like iconic does and.
- [37:05]
A
Yeah.
- [37:06]
B
There's just other ways that you can go about it without just blasting your product. Right, Correct. And we talk about that with. In my coaching calls is a lot of the ads that I love and that I share are the products off center. And this is more product based, but the products are kind of like lingering to the right or, you know, behind the scenes. And it's more of how can we shape what the product is solving versus, like, being like, buy this product. Right. Yeah. And there's always room for those types of ads.
- [37:40]
A
Totally.
- [37:41]
B
But just being able to shape, like, again, the brand loyalty, like, why am I wanting to buy this rather than this when there's so much out there.
- [37:48]
A
Yeah. And Meredith's right. Like, there's times where you're like, here's the thing that you're looking for, but it's. There's.
- [37:54]
B
That.
- [37:54]
A
There's. There's a difference between here's the thing and why buy this thing over that thing? And that's where branding comes into play. It's like a lot of you have a. What you could sell, but why people would choose you, that's where these other elements matter. So, yes, sometimes your product should be front and center. Sometimes it should be the thing that's complimenting the bigger picture and the bigger reason in the story, and that's what you're so good at helping people do. So that was a great tip. So just thinking about how to position it and why this over anything else. What's the story behind it? What's one more tip or idea that could help either side?
- [38:27]
B
Yeah. And I think the next one would be just adding some cohesiveness across all of your platforms.
- [38:35]
A
Yes.
- [38:35]
B
Yeah.
- [38:36]
A
So that was so bad for us. I didn't realize how bad it was for us until Meredith came on board and she's so funny. It was something like this. I'm not remembering it perfectly, but it was like, yeah, so. So maybe like, for. For Facebook, we could, like, change it to match the name of everything. Like, it was like, I'm like, God, it doesn't match. Like, there were so many things. Or like, she was like, the. The background picture is from like a year ago. I'm like, oh, my God. It still says that. I'm like, oh, no. It had the old challenge name on it.
- [39:02]
B
Yeah.
- [39:02]
A
You're like, that's not good.
- [39:04]
B
Yeah. Wow.
- [39:05]
A
Okay, so cohesiveness is such a good one.
- [39:07]
B
It really is. Because, you know, you talk about breaks in trust and. Yeah, they may realize that it is the same company or same person across platforms, but it's like, do they care enough? Like, are they making sure that everything is up to date and everything is aligned? Yeah.
- [39:25]
A
Because if this is outdated, is their portal outdated?
- [39:27]
B
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do they care about updating things like how you update your course? You know, when things change and. And things like that? It's just. Yeah. Being cohesive. Because what was the stat that you shared? How likely you're. You. The person is to remember your by color alone?
- [39:48]
A
Was it that one?
- [39:48]
B
It was like maybe like 80% more likely to remember your ad if they see it on multiple.
- [39:53]
A
Multiple channels. Yeah, it was like your conversion rate is typically 80. It was. I think it was something like you were 80% more likely to convert a user when they've experienced your brand across more than three channels.
- [40:08]
B
Right. And so if you are on multiple channels, like, you want people to know that that's you on those channels multiple times.
- [40:14]
A
Yeah.
- [40:15]
B
You don't want, you know, a messy, messy here ad on Meta and then a polished ad on. On what? YouTube. And it's like, is that the same.
- [40:25]
A
Company with different handle names and different colors and outdated branding photos? Like, how can you be consistent? So for those of you that are super tech, a super logistics, all she's saying is, how can you have the same brand on multiple platforms? Maybe that's your fonts, maybe it's your colors, maybe it's the naming, but how can you literally have a cohesive thing where it's like, oh, that's very clearly this person. That's it.
- [40:46]
B
And we know we talk about messaging on different platforms, especially when I was working in Organic. Social is like, every platform has a different feel. Right. TikTok is more gen Z and, like, less structured, and Facebook is more like family oriented. Right. Like, you look at those memes that are like different profile pictures for different ones, but you also have to stay consistent even though it's different platforms. So something that comes to mind with us is like, we don't want any type of sarcasm to come out in our messaging because that's not who we are. Right. Because sarcasm can feel like you're being talking down to. Right. In a way. And sometimes with sarcasm, like people think that they're being funny or whatever and that could be their brand. But because that's not us, just because we're on TikTok doesn't mean we need to be sarcastic.
- [41:33]
A
Totally.
- [41:34]
B
So just continuing that in visual but also messaging, staying consistent.
- [41:39]
A
So good. All right, that was great. Do you have any other last final bonus that's coming to mind?
- [41:44]
B
No.
- [41:44]
A
Okay. Those are two really good tips. There's so much more. And one thing I know about Meredith is like, if I gave her like an idea and was like, hey, I want to find the top 10 branding mistakes, she would find them and she would get them. But one of the things I love is I'm like quick to fire and she's like, quick to think about it. Which is why we're a great team.
- [42:04]
B
Right.
- [42:05]
A
So I hope that was really helpful as you've gotten to know Meredith. And I think this is just another example of what we're creating and why I think it's so special is it is just not me. Like, there, there is Meredith. We have Lacey. We have all this. These experts and team like growing together to serve our clients. And it's like so fun to watch. That's why I joke. But someone was like, I love this extra mastermind ran with Meredith because they love getting to learn from her perspective. And the reason that Meredith is a part of even our clients coaching and at our middle and top tier is because you're at. Some people are getting mad that like this audience isn't working or this ad isn't working. I'm like, it's actually the messaging and the creative or not only. What if it's not the ad at all? What if it's where the ad is sending to creates distrust and the branding is off? So that's why this was a part of the business that I wanted to be able to arm our clients with, to be able to help them. And so Meredith is working on all types of stuff behind the scenes just to help our clients win with their ads and also win with their creative. So if you. Speaking of winning, if you've not joined the Win with Paid Ads challenge. We would love to get to meet you. Meredith's on those. She support the whole teams on the challenge to be able to see how they can support you and winning with your ad. So if you are in a place where you're ready for your ability to have more visibility you belong in the Win with Paid Ads challenge. We will link below this video and this podcast and just know that if you see something beautiful that the company creates and she's already planning our next events for our next clients like she's already in the play doing so many things and as our brand evolves just go give Meredith a high five on social media because she is the brain and the strategy behind it. We are so grateful to have her. I hope you love this episode and we cannot wait to see you on the next one. You're the best Meredith.
- [43:46]
B
Thanks.