Staying on Trend is the Best Trend with James Strawder

WELCOME TO THE BACK 2 BUSINESS PODCAST!!!!

The Jada Willis Experience has officially rebranded to the B2B: Back to Business podcast as of NOW! We are so excited to move forward with this brand, we have some AMAZING content planned coming up, and we are looking forward to wherever this new brand takes us!

Who would be a better guest for this "first" episode? None other than my Social Media and Marketing Manager, James Strawder! He's the evil social media genius who created the whole brand.

Get ready for a nice meaty convo! In this first episode, we discuss how important it is for small businesses to have a social media presence, tips for all of you social users, and why staying on trend is the BEST trend you can follow! 

Want to follow James?
Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotdamnitsjames/
Professional Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jxjstrawder/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-strawder-5013881a9/
Website: https://www.jxjstrawder.com

How do you make the right decisions, if you don’t know where you are going? Work with me, and I will get your on the right path.
https://jadawillis.com/work-with-me/

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Transcript

0:00

I'm Jada Willis and this is the Back to Business podcast made for business owners, CEOs and high achievers that are ready to leave their BS excuses behind, get more out of life and see business growth like never before. Let's take the road less traveled and tackle the hard. Are you ready to get back to business and I'm so excited that the first episode of Back to Business under our new name is with the originator of the idea, the genius behind, my marketing manager, James Strouder. Welcome. Hi, guys. So nice to be here. Thank you for having me. Oh my goodness. I Want I can't wait to share you with the world But I don't want to either because once oh my goodness people listen to this and they tap into your genius like I have Then I don't just hey here's the commitment that I'm asking you no matter what happens You have to just make space for me. Okay, absolutely All right, that's a public commitment Going on a recording so like this is gonna live on the internet forever. On the internet forever. Alright so in all seriousness I need everyone to know that I know that you've been paying attention to my socials. Well I have some influence there but really the mastermind behind my marketing strategy my social media strategy is really it's James and I you've taken so much off my plate. Like, I love this stuff. I love social marketing. But you just like, you have that creative eye, you have that design. You really also are constantly looking at the analytics. And I'm like, analytic who? So I am a very creative person. I think at my core, I'm creative. But through working in marketing I found a love for the analytical side too so I love numbers I love crunching data and like putting it all together and so it's just like I don't know both sides are really fun to me because usually sometimes you have people that are like just designers like or we just pay attention to the data and we track results but I really like to integrate the two like constantly in my work Because I feel like it's healthy for me because I have my creative outlet while I'm working so it just makes the job overall more fun Yeah, when you're doing what you love like you're gonna do really well, yeah, absolutely So and one thing I also appreciate is the fact that I have a certain tone and style and You've been easily able to pick up on that style as I'm submitting into our working docs and calendar my information. I'm explaining that. I really want folks to get a feel what it's like to work with you. We have an organized process. And also, you help me stay organized. And then you really are shaping the path and direction. We have strategy sessions, all that good stuff. But I want to get into more about you. Like, so give us, so James, give us a description on the types of services you provide and who you serve and all that good stuff. Absolutely, so I serve anybody, anybody is welcome. But just to give like a little background about me, so I've been in marketing for five years and I feel like my specialty is social media marketing. And recently, my partner has been also coaching me and he's been a mentor for me in graphic design as well. So that's really the part where I've been able to grow my skills in the creative side of things. So the services I offer are mainly social media services, although I also dabble in some graphic design, like content creation, video editing, podcast editing as well, but social media is really the bread and butter of it all. Yeah, my clients are all like social media clients. I'll have a client come every now and then just say like, hey, can you like create a post for me? Sure, I got you. But it really just gets down to I am a social media manager at heart. I love social media, even though I don't keep up on my own social media is personally. Um, I love doing it for other people and that really is my passion. Um, and specifically for small businesses, I love working with small businesses because I feel like I'm really helping them create their brand from the ground up. Um, big, big branding, like nerd. I love looking at branding. Like whenever I'm doing content research, I mainly look at other people's branding and see how maybe I can implement some of their branding elements into what I'm doing. So I'm not stealing, but you know copying is flattery. So yeah, I'm a social media manager at heart, although I do love marketing. I've worked as a digital marketing specialist. I've worked as you know a marketing and events coordinator. Sorry, computer's going a little crazy. And so I just, I, in through working like five years in marketing, like I started out actually as a social media manager for a theater group here in Atlanta. That was my introduction to it. And so I just kind of, you know, made the right connections, moved from there. And I'm at where I am today. And I own my own business, completely work from home, but love to travel, so I'll always travel to meet a client. And then I, yeah, I just love creating content. I think like, you know, analytics are only such a small portion of it, because I usually do like a monthly analytics report for all my clients. But I really love just getting into Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Canva, and just creating content. Because I feel like it's just fun, and I can jam out the music while I do it. You hit some key points. Now you say, obviously, you help small businesses, so I appreciate that. Because that's actually my client group as well, as you know. But this is just for the listeners to learn. But in addition to that, you said dabble, right? So you are, yes, a social media manager. And you're saying dabble in the podcast editing that you do for me and the graphics. But you are phenomenal at it. We say dabble, but like, it's a bit more than dabble. I want to say that. But all those things are complementary to really driving your social media, right? Absolutely. On whatever your goals are. So if it's more engagement, are you putting them back to the website? Whatever the case may be, I think that you can work through that with the client to establish what are your goals, and then kind of use the things that you dabble in to help complement really the social media strategy and the execution of that. So the other piece is that it is so hard, and this is my opinion, but I also work with so many small business owners, it is so hard to find good social media folks, that's what I call them. You can call yourself a social media specialist, call yourself a social media manager. It is just hard to find A, them, and then B, like good ones. And I can tell you what it means to be a good social media manager, but if you were advising our listeners right now, what really constitutes a good social media manager? So a lot of people like to look at the numbers, first and foremost. And I am the kind of social media manager that's like, the numbers will come. Let's get together a strategy, like let's do all the hard work first and the numbers are just the gift at the end of the day. So I think what really makes a good social media manager is someone who one has experience in the field of marketing, two who has just keeps up with trends, like always stay current because that's what's really gonna reach out to your audience the most. And then I always like to just go back to the creative side of things. Look at what they're creating. Look at their other clients that they're working for. What are they doing? How are they servicing them? And just look at their overall experience. I like it. I like it a lot. I agree with that. And I've been through, oh my goodness, a vetting process. I really once I stumbled upon putting you James. It was really after Working through and I had hate to say it but terminating several social media Managers, I was not aware of that. I Had to I did bring it out in public just make sure that you I made the cut yes That's why I see this is why I'm so apprehensive to share your gift with the world. Because I'm like, no, I work so hard to get to find you. But no, in all seriousness, you really, you have a gift, and I want you to be working with my clients. I want you to be working with other small businesses, because I genuinely know that a part of growth, and that's what I help with, is helping small businesses grow, helping CEOs grow, is all about that thing. The biggest thing is social media for your business, for your own personal brand, all those pieces. That's going to make all the difference. To be completely honest, if you're a CEO, a business owner, you don't have time. I have... I don't have that kind of time in my life. Also, your level of creativity is needed, especially on the days where I'm like, blah, I don't know what I'm doing with my life. Um, why am I in business? Like, you know, you compliment and offset, but honestly, it's about having all of the experience, but then also having someone that is actually organized, passionate about what you're doing, consistent with follow up, easy to even get a hold of. I know it sounds so simple, but you don't know what the world's like out there. So I try and pride myself on my ability to follow up. I feel like that's one of my like really big strengths because I hate leaving people waiting. It's just like it irks me. It's one of my pet peeves. So like I try to almost not as not always as soon as you like text me but I always try to respond you know within the day you know I try to not let a response go over a day without being acknowledged or questioned. Oh yeah, you say that, that's hilarious. You respond like seconds. I was like wait, did you know I was texting you? No, really, and I know everyone's listening to me like, listen is this just a love fest or like a pinch of James? I mean yes, but really I want to hone in on, this is the first episode under the new brand name of Back to Business. And like I said at the beginning, is that, so that's James' idea, James' mastermind. After working with me for several months and seeing, do I help? And what are the topics that I'm passionate about? What am I presenting on? This is, I love this because it really is speaking to the core of what I'm helping small business owners with, right? It's getting back to business. It's also getting back to the basics, cutting through the noise, and really getting some clarity on what are you working on in your business. So it only makes sense to me that you were the first person to do it, to be under this new name. Well, I'm honestly honored. You know, like, I mean, creating like essentially an entire brand. Um, and then also being a guest on the first episode, like it's full circle moment. This is a full circle moment. I feel like, I feel like there should be like glitter or something that falls from the sky. I can edit that in. I got you. Oh my goodness. All right. So one thing we also talked about previously is that I would like to know your secret sauce or, you know, what's trending right now. What do the folks need to know? Give your tips, man. Okay, so let me see if I can give a lot away without giving too much away. So I feel like my, I feel like where I really kind of hone in my skills at are just through research. I love research, I love reading, I love snooping, if you will, on other people's Instagrams and other people's social media. I really try to gather what I see other people doing successfully and use that for my own benefit. And I think that's very common in the social media world. You see something that's trending, hop on that trend. That's like, I think, one of the best pieces of advice that I could give you because that's what it's gonna connect to your followers in the moment Like I mean we can always post, you know I I've done posts about you know Educational posts about SEO for one of my clients that have been like, oh like what is SERPs? Like what does that mean? But I found that the content that really Connects with clients or clients, audience, sorry. That really connects with the audience are just the more trendier posts. Like right now we're doing a bunch of Barbie themed posts for one of my clients. And those posts are doing pretty well because they're on trend. They're also just like funny. I love, you know, being funny through my posts and like making jokes and stuff like that. And I really try to let my sense of humor flow into my creativity. So I think that's really helped, but also just posting consistently too. Because, and I think that's a big struggle for a lot of business owners is like they will post, but you know, like you said, they don't have the time to post. Like, I've seen, you know, some businesses post once every two weeks, because they just simply don't have the time. And ideally, you should be posting three to four times every week, and a mix of content at that too. So a mix of static posts, carousel posts, reels, but also pay attention to the content that you're posting about too. One thing that I wanna kinda touch back on is, let's take this podcast for example. I can make this podcast into like five different posts. I can get static posts, I can get reels, I can get blog content. I can get so much content out of one post. So I think where I really kind of see myself succeed is that I take one piece of content and I can morph it into five other pieces of content. Let's stop right there. I'm gonna pin that. You know how a lot of people can stretch a dollar? You can stretch a post. You can stretch the content. Stretch the content, stretch the posts. Listen, I sometimes I'll have clients that are like, I only have this blog post to work with. Fine, let me read through the blog post, let me plan out some things, I can get you five static posts just from that. Just from that one. That's fire, that's, yes, yes. That's such a gift. I mean, those are, I mean, you basically gave four to five, possibly six different points. I mean, like really good, solid information guidance because even if you're, I mean, I have a friend that started, she's a dentist, but started her own practice, right? And I talked to her, this is a few years ago, but I remember talking to her and she's like, yeah, I mean, I can get on the socials, I can get on Instagram, but what am I even gonna say? And I'm like, dude. They're super much. Yeah, it doesn't matter what space you're in, even your clients, there are different purposes, different social media platforms. Yeah, absolutely. And I guess going into more about that, that's also something that I pay attention to with small businesses specifically, because depending on what type of small business you are, it depends on the social media platform you need to use as well. There's not one kind of end-all social media platform that's going to get you results. You know, we have easily 10 different platforms at our disposal for social media purposes. So really kind of honing in on what you're trying to do and your strategy first is going to determine what socials you need to use. And a lot of people like to pick the socials first. And I think that's where a lot of people tend to go wrong in their strategy. Look at the content that you want to push out. Plan content and then build your socials around that content. Ooh, that was good. I knew every episode I find something where I underline it bold. Right there, that was it, pin it. Yes, I had the bold moment. Yes, my dedicated listeners know I underline bold. That was it, all right, constant replay. You pause right here, you replay it, because that was fire. That's the type of knowledge drips that you need from a social media strategy perspective. A plus. So. But like, I do wanna ask you a question. And didn't think to replan this, but man, you know everybody tells me to go on TikTok, and it's just, I don't know, I'm fighting it. I don't want to. I like to watch TikToks and like set timers for it because it can suck your in. Like, I can't, I could literally be on TikTok all day and I would probably regret my life. But, I just, like, what are your feelings overall not not in relationship to me because I'm fighting it I'll be fighting it for quite some time but everybody else thinking right now oh my goodness do I need to be on tik-tok what are your thoughts on that I really don't think you need to be and that may be a controversial opinion I think it is because tik-tok so the way I see TikTok is kind of what I call chaos marketing. And that's a term that I kind of branded because with TikTok, you're not really, you can't really guarantee results like you can with Instagram or you can with LinkedIn, for example. The algorithm on TikTok is forever changing. It's you know, you can't really predict what's going to be viral. You can't really predict what's going to do well. It really just depends on the audience that you're sending it out to. With TikTok, the audience is just so, while it may be large, it's so diverse in the fact that there's so many different things people are posting about. There's no way to kind of guarantee the topic that you're posting about is going to hit with an audience on TikTok. But with Instagram, where you essentially kind of curate your following and curate your audience a little bit, you'll have more success there because it's going to be people that are already interested in that content. It's going to be people that are looking for those hashtags such as, you know, business development or B2B, for example, that are going to really connect with that content. So while some videos do go viral on TikTok, something I never recommend, especially to newer clients, like people that have just started their business, is immediately hopping on TikTok. We all have those low quality TikToks that come on our For You page, and we don't like to see those. I mean, just being really honest. And there's nothing wrong with people posting that kind of content. That's the content they love to post. But it really just depends on, sorry, my computer is going all over the place again. It really just depends on your audience. So usually the posts that I see do really well on TikTok, TikTak, TikTok. I think we should recall it, like we should rename it. TikTok are the posts that are just like, either just so ridiculously funny and crazy, they get like millions of likes. And I really kind of hate that because I want to see small businesses succeed. And a lot of times when I see small business TikToks, because I do get a lot of those, because that's, you know, mainly what I do, they're not always successful. And so I really think that with the integration of shopping through Instagram's platform for small businesses, my official recommendation would be for small businesses that are selling products, Instagram is going to be like the best platform for you. Yeah. But I think for a business that you're doing, CEO mentorship and business advice and business coaching, I think LinkedIn is the perfect spot for it. So it really just depends. Use TikTok more as a secondary strategy. Have another primary strategy as another social media platform. But TikTok is just you know, your side gig on the side. Yeah. And I've seen you know, TikTok even build their business aspect to they now do shopping through TikTok. So that I can see that in the future helping small businesses grow through that platform. But for right now, stick to scrolling through your for you page, maybe getting some content research from that experience. And then post on TikTok and you know, post as much as you're posting on other platforms. But don't rely on that post to get you leads or garner followers. Because I mean, I found that it's pretty easy to get likes and followers on TikTok. Versus other brands that I've worked with, like the reach is incredible. But who you're reaching to is the problem at the end of the day. Oh, that was good. Okay, second one. Second one. Thank you. I'm going to drop some music right there. Underlying goal, who you're reaching to. Be very thoughtful. So thinking about your goals, but being very thoughtful about, are you actually reaching your ideal client? Absolutely. Great to just reach people, but is it going to be there's an ROI to it Really really solid advice. Yeah, I mean this is this is my work with you I At the end of the day I think a quality following of 200 people is going to be better than a following of 50,000 people who don't care about your content Stop it. I can't I can't underline and bold everything. I'm sorry. I'll stop I'll dial it back a little bit. So many good points. I want every small business owner to hear this and to listen to this and say, oh my goodness, I need this dude. And they're going to learn from this. Even if someone's taking over and they're doing their own social media, I do not recommend it right now. But doing that, I think that you've offered a lot for just consideration on their plan, their strategy, and where they're focusing their time as well. And so, I don't want all good things must come to an end. Wait, we've already been on this call for 23 minutes? I didn't even realize it had been that long. I thought we had only been talking for like five. Yeah, it's basically two. So, no, I think that there's so much substance here and like you said we're going to be able to maximize this conversation, but just adding on to your point, I'm not a social media expert. I really enjoy content creation. I really enjoy sharing my craft and being able to teach and reach others. So that's one reason why I invested in you and having a social media manager because I realized, hey, I don't have the time. I really want to make sure, I'm not an expert in this by the way, and I really want to make sure that there's actually a creative strategy and a real ROI here. But I have one piece of advice. Yes, please. Lay it on me. You already know this. One piece of advice, listen, and here's what we've seen too, if you put your puppy, your dog in anything, it's going to explode. I just, that's my view. If you could just have your dog side by side in every post, that's going to be a super win. I mean, honestly, you have the pets available to you. It's free content for you to make. I'm kind of joking, but I'm telling you, Tucker is definitely more famous than I am. I'll say that. That's how I feel about my cats, too. That's pretty. All right. I want to thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I mean, so much out of this, and I want to replay this for myself, but guess what? I have you. I'm going to ask you, you've already given so much advice. Last piece of advice, and then how can folks contact you? Yeah, so my last piece of advice would be staying on trend is the best trend to follow. I think that really just kind of seals it up, like locks the lock, and just throws away the key right there. It's always stay on trend, always make sure you're posting content that your audience will engage with, that your audience is interested in. But the way to contact me, so I have two different Instagrams. I have my personal Instagram, which you are more than welcome to follow at HotDamnitsJames. And then my more professional Instagram is JXJStrodder. You can follow me there. And then my website is also JXJStrodder.com too. So you can submit, you know, a creative brief. We'll set up a little meeting to chat, or you can just like, you know, DM me on Instagram. I pride myself on my availability. And I'll pretty much answer. I'm pretty much working almost 24 seven. I mean, in the world of social media, you kind of have to. So I'm always, you know, aware and I'm always checking for things like that. So reach out to me even if it's just a question. You know, I'm not the type of person that's going to be like, oh you want my services? It's like$60 an hour just to ask a question. No, that's not me. If like the way I see it is I always needed help kind of when I was just starting out. So me being now having a platform to give that information out for free, like I want to share my gift with people. So long story short, that's how to contact me on Instagram and my website or LinkedIn, you know, connect with me on LinkedIn, follow me on TikTok, even though I don't really post many TikToks. Anywhere that you want to connect with me, trust me as a social media manager, I'm on just about every platform. All right, and here's the really great news. Your website is posted right there because you did it right there. It's linked below. Make sure that you're reaching out to James and say, make sure you mention that you heard, you listened, you followed and you watched him on the Back to Business podcast. Thank you so much. I want to do that one more time. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all that you've done for J. D'Arnolo's Consulting and just all that you're going to do. So thank you so much. Dude, I'm seeing amazing things in your future. Like I know it's gonna happen. Woo! And I think, I really think this podcast rebrand is gonna really like set us up for success in the future. You know what I mean? A thousand percent. A thousand percent. To all our listeners, I wanna tell you, I leave you with this, in every episode, everything you want is on the other side of heart. Yes. It's on the daily. You get to choose your heart. Yes. It's on the daily. You get to choose your heart.