Brilliant Business Beautiful Life Podcast

17. Nurturing Rural Entrepreneurship: A Conversation with Jenn Donovan

• Samantha Bell • Season 1 • Episode 17

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Have you ever wondered how to pivot your business from invisible to invincible? In this episode of the Brilliant Business Beautiful Life Podcast, I chat with the remarkable Jenn Donovan about her entrepreneurial journey. 

Known for her ceaseless passion and impressive knack for marketing, Jenn brings a refreshing perspective from her diverse background, transitioning from law to owning a rural shop and now being a successful social media marketing consultant. 

Her contributions as the founder of 'Buy from a Bush Business' and co-founder of 'Spend with Us Buy from a Bush Business Marketplace' bring an infectious drive for success that every entrepreneur can learn from.

Delving into social media marketing, Jenn shares her wisdom about the significance of a strategic blend - including sales and value-driven approaches. She illustrates the importance of creative thinking in growing a business and the necessity of a well-rounded social media marketing strategy with a focus on sales, brand awareness, lead generation, growth, and engagement.

Jenn Donovan, Social Media and Marketing: https://socialmediaandmarketing.com.au/
108 Social Media Content Ideas: https://socialmediaandmarketing.com.au/freebies/108-social-media-content-creation-ideas/


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Samantha Bell:

Today we're getting social. On the Brilliant Business, beautiful Life podcast. We're joined by the vivacious, wonderful Jen Donovan from Social Media and Marketing Australia. Jen is a social media marketing consultant who takes you from invisible to invincible. She is a true multi-passionate entrepreneur. She's a country girl and she has her finger in so many pies it just makes my head spin. Welcome to the Brilliant Business, beautiful Life podcast, where we share simple, actionable strategies, plus the mindset and wellness practices you need to build the business and life you love. Head to 16thavcreativecom forward slash playbook and download your free guide to design the business and life you deserve. Today I'm your host, samantha Bell, and this is the Brilliant Business, beautiful Life podcast. Are you ready for the business and life of your dreams? Let's get started. I'm really excited to have her on the show today.

Samantha Bell:

Jen specialises in helping startups in rural and regional Australia build their business through online and offline marketing, social media and building a community. She lives on a farm in the Riverina area of New South Wales I hope I got that right, jen. She loves her rural life and being an active member of that community too. She's also the founder of Buy from, a Bush business which has over 380,000 members. She's the co-founder of Spend with Us Buy from a Bush business marketplace, and is also the host of the podcast Small Business Made Simple. So welcome Jen. You've got so many things on the go. Your passion is amazing, so yeah, welcome.

Jenn Donovan:

Thanks so much, Samantha, it's been. Yeah, it's so good to have a bit of a chat to you today. It's always a little bit awkward when someone's reading your bio out and you're thinking, oh, did I do that? Is that right? Oh, yes, that is true, yes, but no, it's always wonderful to have your business life summarised. So thank you.

Samantha Bell:

How did it all start? Tell me about you and your journey and how you came to do what you're doing today, because I'm sure there's a lot of stories there.

Jenn Donovan:

There probably is a lot of stories. I guess, as a marketing person, like you know, I sleep, sleep, breathe and dream marketing. Basically, it really is the thing that lights me up when I get to talk about it on podcasts like this and with clients and things like that. But I'm very much a see a problem, solve a problem type of person. I think that's how I end up in all sorts of different areas. You know it's like oh, there's a problem, I could solve that problem. So I guess you know one in the clock, right back like I started my career in law and then I did that for about 15, 18 years type of thing.

Jenn Donovan:

And as my story goes, my best friend and I had way too much wine to drink one night and we just decided to throw in our corporate jobs and buy a shop. We were like let's get a business together. How little would it be just to, you know, run a business together and, you know, not have so much stress and things like that. So I think within like four weeks we found this rundown shop in our local community. We bought it and it was kind of like oh wow, we have no retail experience between us. We have literally no idea what we're doing.

Jenn Donovan:

I guess at the start we did it just to play shops. We just did it because we just wanted to have some fun. But it wasn't long after that that I kind of realized that this could actually be a really good business. You know, it had really good bones to do something with, and that's pretty much where I found my love for marketing. If you want to grow a business in a rural area or a regional area during a drought, you've got to kind of learn to market yourself.

Samantha Bell:

You certainly do, like you really just jumped in, you know, and first diving in, starting before you were ready, all those big amazing things. I guess you were filled with, obviously, joy and passion and just so, yes, we can do this. Did you have moments of like, oh my goodness, what have I just signed up for?

Jenn Donovan:

The very first day when we got the keys, that was the thought of oh no, I'm thrown in my law career for this. What have I done? Very much so. But I think, you know, one of the things we did very early on, which I didn't know was going to be really impactful but turned out it was was we kind of had what we term our first partners meeting, which was really just lunch at the pub on a Saturday afternoon after we shot the shop, and it was kind of like let's do this for seven years. This isn't us, we're not retailers, but we're going to have some fun. Let's do it for seven years and see how we go.

Jenn Donovan:

And I think that one decision was kind of like we based everything off that. You know, should we get this brand in, well, will that help us sell in seven years? You know, should we move to a different premises? Will that help us sell in seven years? So it's without knowing it. We've made this really big start with the end in mind goal, but we just kind of based everything that. Every decision that we made, every decision is probably a little bit big, but you know, big decisions that we made, we based against that one goal and I think that was probably one of the best things that we could have done. And we sold.

Jenn Donovan:

We sold in after six and a half years and we sold three days after we put it on the markets, because we had been working towards this thing for six and a half years and after that I'd always had a mentor in my business helping me with marketing and teaching me, and he actually asked me to go in business with him.

Jenn Donovan:

So I went into business with him and we travelled the country doing marketing and social media to all the small business owners that we could get in front of, mostly in capital cities. And it's rough to say when you're reading my bio it always makes me a little bit, I guess, smile with some memories of you know why, in the clock back probably four years, I would never have told you I was from a farm or that I lived in the riverina. I thought that people wouldn't take me seriously if I didn't come from a capital city, and so that's kind of something I've really embraced, you know, over the last couple of years is, you know, it's actually a bit of a superpower and why not lead into it? So it's funny how life just keeps giving you all these lessons.

Samantha Bell:

Absolutely, and I guess too you didn't want to talk about being a country girl and from the arena and that people wouldn't take you seriously. You compare yourself to other people.

Jenn Donovan:

Yeah.

Samantha Bell:

Big players have been around for a long time and everything is so city focused, so it would have been amazing for the rural community to see someone just really going out there and making a success of what they chose to do and jump in.

Jenn Donovan:

Yeah, look, I think that's the way I feel now, but it's certainly not the way I felt back then and I think, like the pandemic did so many negative things, but I think it gave us some really big gifts as well, because one of the gifts that gave me was I went from home, from my home office on my farm, which I didn't think people would think was a serious business, and then the pandemic come and everyone was working from home and I was kind of like you know, one of. I was kind of like you know, a futuristic entrepreneur I've been doing this for years type of thing. So it was kind of I felt like people again, I could talk about it and I could say it, because people could realize, oh, you can run a really successful business from home in your home office, that you've converted a bedroom into an office and things like that. So, yeah, it's just funny how and it's more all my inner thinking like no one ever said that to me, it was all about me.

Samantha Bell:

Yes, yes, that's so, so important because it's our, it's what we think and say to itself. That's our own perception and it's got nothing to do with what your clients think or what the rest of the world thinks. And you know, plenty of businesses have been built in a in the wardrobe I'm casting with cushions around them in their wardrobe, so true, in the bedroom, and it's it's, it's wonderful, and that's that's a perception that we had because we were all brought up. You know, a real business is a brick and mortar place and now, like you said, since COVID, it's all, all changed, it's fabulous. But I'm really interested to know why you chose the number seven. When you're talking about setting up your business, everything had a seven year focus. People talk about their one year plan, their five year plan, but you've come up with the number seven and that was your focus and everything was worked around that. And then you hit your. You beat your seven year goal by six months. You you've sold it six and a half years, so seven come from Samantha.

Jenn Donovan:

I wish I had a really good answer for that, but I'm actually in the middle of writing a marketing book at the moment. It's all about marketing your rural and regional small business, which hopefully, you know, people might actually get to see it some stage if I ever finish it, but that's one of my stories. I have to say I really don't know where seven come from. Seven, I wonder whether it was kind of you know, people talk about like the 70 or something like that, but I don't remember having a conversation of you know, should we do it for 10 years? Should we do it for five years? It was kind of like let's just do it for seven and see how we go.

Jenn Donovan:

I

Samantha Bell:

It's amazing though it's, it's really proof that what you set your mind to, what you attach to, and you use that as your driver, is what's going to happen. So what you think and what you say to yourself is going to become your reality, isn't it? So you were so focused on being successful and doing this and building it up for those seven years and that was really your, your training round. What you do now and yeah, and retail is so different to an online service business. Talk us through how, all the things you've learnt from your retail experience and how you learnt your marketing. How did you get all the concepts and ideas? Because now that's what you specialize in marketing and social media online. It's a complete flip around.

Jenn Donovan:

Yeah, it is, and I think that one of the best things and at hindsight she's a wonderful thing like to look back now and go yeah, that was really good, but at the time it didn't feel so good. But, like I said, I always had a marketing mentor when I was in my retail business and there was mastermind programs and for years probably three, four years I sat in those mastermind programs that were face to face back then and I would travel to Melbourne, which is three and a half hours from me. I'd sit in a room for two days with not one other retailer, so there'd be like 14 or 15 service space businesses and we would talk about all the different marketing concepts and I would sit there and go. But how do I adapt that to retail? How does this work for retail? And I think every time I open my mouth, the rest of the people must have gone. Oh, for God's sake, she's going to ask how that relates to retail. But it just like. I think it taught me to be really analytical with things and really think outside the box, because Not, admittedly, back then we only had a very small retail presence.

Jenn Donovan:

We were quite. We had an eBay presence and we had an online shop, but, look, it didn't do a lot. Our eBay business was probably more successful than our actual online business that we had ourselves, but our bricks and mortar was, you know, the major contributor as far as a income stream went. So we weren't online as much as what you would be now, probably if we had the same business.

Jenn Donovan:

But I think, being in that room of people who thought differently to me they spoke differently to me I think there was so much that I learned sitting in that room, being different to them and really having to think of things almost, you know, I guess again, starting at the end of mine. So if I want to do that, then why do I do that in retail and having to think backwards from there and it is something that I teach a lot of my private clients and things like that is, you know, what's the goal on work backwards, you know, let's sort of, and so I guess I've introduced that thinking as part of my, I guess, ip as to how I teach people, you know, to grow their businesses.

Samantha Bell:

So powerful and it's really yeah, it's really taught you to be creative in your thinking, into, like you said, if there's a problem, you'll fix it. You're working on how to get around it, and that is the guts of being an entrepreneur, isn't it? You've got to, because nothing runs smoothly.

Samantha Bell:

No, no and if it does, you're in trouble. You need those little speed humps along the way. So talk to us about your social media side of what you do, social media marketing and why it's important. How social media marketing for online service business is different to an e-com business and the whole thing.

Jenn Donovan:

I suppose, like social media is such an important part of our marketing, but probably, I'd like to say from the outset, it's not your only marketing. So if you are just doing social media, then it's probably time to think about what are the marketing? Where else your ideal clients hanging out that you can tap into them and market to them? Because you know again, you know, as your listener has probably heard a thousand times you know you don't own that real estate. You know building empires on Crownland is not a good idea. You know it could disappear tomorrow. You probably, samantha, you probably like me, you've probably seen your social media feed at least a few times a week that someone's been hacked, that they've lost their Instagram account or lost their Facebook account, and again it's kind of like, yeah, you've got no control. So if that's all you're doing, then you know, perhaps it's time to think outside the marketing box. So I just want to say that first up yeah, and that's such an important point.

Jenn Donovan:

Yeah, anyways, social media is still plays such a huge part in our marketing as such. But I guess the biggest difference that I see between service-based businesses and retail businesses and I'm generalising here it's you know, if you're listening you're like, well, that's not me. Then you know I'm trying, I am putting everyone in the same box, but I find often that e-commerce businesses are always in sales strategy mode. They're like buy my candle, buy my candlestick, buy my balloon, buy my dress, buy my shoes. Like it's just bye, bye, bye, bye, bye.

Jenn Donovan:

So many service-based businesses are like leading with value, which is amazing and that is what we're taught to do. You know value first, but it's kind of like how far do I have to actually scroll before I know how I can do business with you or what it is that you actually sell? Or you know it's like almost making themselves hard to buy from and not that sales strategy, like always in the maybe the brand awareness strategy or maybe you're in the engagement strategy, but sort of you know, hold actions, yes, but the actual buy this now a lot of service-based businesses are kind of missed. That that's probably the biggest difference that I see, and I think you've got to have a combination of everything you know you've got to sometimes sell, you've got to sometimes not sell. So I think that is probably where I see how I can help people the most is sort of get that overall strategy just a little bit more succinct, that you're not always selling, but you don't forget to sell at the right times, and things like that. So many service-based businesses are like leading with value, which is amazing and that is what we're taught to do. You know value first, but it's kind of like how far do I have to actually scroll before I know how I can do business with you or what it is that you actually sell? Or you know it's like almost making themselves hard to buy from and not that sales strategy, like always in the maybe the brand awareness strategy or maybe you're in the engagement strategy, but sort of you know, hold actions, yes, but the actual buy this now a lot of service-based businesses are kind of missed. That that's probably the biggest difference that I see, and I think you've got to have a combination of everything you know you've got to sometimes sell, you've got to sometimes not sell. So I think that is probably where I see how I can help people the most is sort of get that overall strategy just a little bit more succinct, that you're not always selling, but you don't forget to sell at the right times, and things like that.

Samantha Bell:

Yeah, perfect, because a lot of my clients are very uncomfortable with the selling. So they're very happy to talk and give the value and to get you know, build that relationship on social media. But when it comes time to saying buy now, they're like no, I can't do it, and so that's a big piece of the puzzle missing, isn't it?

Jenn Donovan:

Yeah, it is Because you know we're in the business to make money, to sell some things. So it's and like, there will be obviously your clients who are doing that are probably getting sales, because there is a certain percentage of people that will just consume that value and go oh, if this is what I get for free, what do I get if I pay? And they're more likely to go and perhaps research that, whereas there'll be certain other people that will be like oh wow, great value, scroll by. Oh wow, more great value, Scroll by. And it's not until they see the post that says join my mastermind or, you know, buy my program or buy my thing. They're like oh yeah, I like this person, what is it that they're selling? So I guess at the end of the day, it's leaving money on the table if you don't sort of have that sales strategy.

Jenn Donovan:

And on the e-commerce side, I guess it's sort of the other side of not everyone wants to be sold to all the time. So it's like what else you got for me? You know, I know you sell candles, but hey, let's have a bit more of a relationship than that transactional one. And you know I have this. I don't know where they're saying come from. I didn't make it up but I love it and it's that people come for the content but stay for the community. So they'll come for your content and they'll hang around for the community and they'll become repeat buyers because of the community that you provide them or refer as through the community that you sort of start to build. So if you're just transactional, you know again you're leaving money on the table.

Samantha Bell:

And that's something you focus on a lot in your business is community building.

Jenn Donovan:

Yeah.

Samantha Bell:

Yeah, so what do you say to your clients to help them build their community?

Jenn Donovan:

community Communities can come in all sorts of different forms. It can come in probably the most obvious one is a Facebook group. But not everyone wants to run a Facebook group and they're getting harder and harder. Like you know, back in 2018, snuckaberg made them a big thing and we had great traction. You know, now traction is, you know, still a little bit iffy. So they're not the be all in and all, but they're certainly community focused if you make them that way.

Jenn Donovan:

But it could be one of the other things I sort of talk about a lot from social media.

Jenn Donovan:

Social media is a really great place to meet new people, but the idea of being on social should be to get them off social. So you meet them on social media, you nurture them a little bit on social media, but then you want them on your email list because that's where you can have really dedicated conversations. You can split your list into everyone who wants to talk about X as opposed to everyone who wants to talk about Y, who doesn't want to hear about X and all of that sort of thing. You have really deep conversations and deep nurturing on your email list. So that's sort of another way that I would look at that A community building is on your email list. You can sort of segment your list. Otherwise, you know, you can just build a community by, you know, having a little, you know DM group on LinkedIn or you know a little group in Messenger or something like that. So it can be really quite simple or it can be, you know, quite complex and you actually have a membership or something like that Exactly.

Samantha Bell:

And you make such a good point about email list building and I think that's one of the things that new businesses or early on in business they tend not to focus on enough. Yes, they don't see the importance all about visibility on the social or having your website right and everything. You've really got to start early to nurture those relationships and also because you own your email list.

Jenn Donovan:

Yes.

Samantha Bell:

And, yeah, you can control all of that and the algorithms aren't going to muck it up for you.

Jenn Donovan:

I know exactly and people say, yeah, but how do you get people to open your emails? And I'm like, well, there's obviously a strategy behind that, but we're never really looking for 100% open. Like, if you can get 20 or 30% of people on your list to open your email, it's probably a lot better than the 5% 2% who might see your social media posts. So you've kind of got to go with the data. I'm all about making business decisions based on some data, and digital marketing is a bit of a gift. That way you can find lots of data to help you make those very strategic decisions as well. Absolutely.

Samantha Bell:

Yeah, it's really helpful to track everything in your business. It doesn't matter what it is, track it and open rates on your emails too. That's a more valuable open than a social post being viewed, because it's someone who's actually chosen to click that link to sign up to your email list and they're actually really, they're more invested in you. So an email open is probably more valuable too. So another reason to spend some more time there.

Jenn Donovan:

Yeah, and look, even I would go so far as to say the open rate isn't your only metric either. Like it's top of mind marketing. Like I send an email once a week to my list and they might not open it but they'll see my name. Like, oh, it's Thursday, there's a new podcast out. I must go listen to that. Like they might even read the email. And like e-commerce. You know, I've got a few businesses that I subscribe to and, admittedly, they probably email a little bit too often. Maybe it's once a day or something, and I definitely don't open every one of those emails. But when I want a new skirt, guess who's top of mind Perseaps landing in my inbox. Yeah, so there's also metrics that you can't measure as far as the value of email marketing, because you don't know how many people you've just reminded to go to your website, even though they haven't opened your email, simply because they saw your email come through Exactly.

Samantha Bell:

That's so, so. True, I talked about social media not being your market marketing strategy, but I'm sort of moving back to social media because that's a question that a lot of people are still confused about, particularly now that it's harder to get the engagement that you once did. It's harder to grow your flow of the list. So what's a good way for someone to put together a really solid social media strategy when you know? Obviously they have to know who they're talking to and the purpose that know their why and connect the dots together. Have you got any little tips for people listening?

Jenn Donovan:

Yeah, absolutely, and you're so right Like, if you don't know, like, obviously, the fundamentals of marketing is know who your who is. You know, I come across so many people who are so many small business owners and be like I hate Instagram. I'm just not, I don't like Instagram, I'm not going on Instagram. You know this and that and all of a sudden we dig into who their ideal client is and it's the people on Instagram and I'm like well, it's not actually about you, it's not about your business and it's about your clients and you know all your customers and being showing up where they are. So that's probably you know. Obviously, knowing who your who is, knowing where they hang out Obviously you want to be where they hang out and also having an idea of what you want to be famous for, so that top of my marketing, if they think handles, you want them to think you, you know, they think social media strategy. You want them to think you, whatever it is that you're actually selling, you want you know to be famous for that particular thing so that you are top of mind when they want to buy it. But I think a good, solid social media strategy comes back a little bit to what I was talking about before, where, you know, having a sales strategy. You know I talk about five different strategies. So there's the sales strategy, there's a brand awareness strategy, a lead generation strategy, a growth strategy and an engagement strategy. I hope I didn't say any of those twice. No, you didn't.

Jenn Donovan:

It's sort of like trying to get a bit of a mix of each one of those and, of course, something that might be a lead generation strategy. For instance, you know I have this lead magnet sign up here. Then it could also be part of your brand awareness strategy. So these things don't stand alone. And, of course, you know, something that is part of your growth strategy could also be part of your sales, or it could be part of your lead gen or something like that. So it's not like you need to think, oh my gosh, I need you know something for each one of those, but you just need to make sure you've got some well rounded strategies that you're not always selling, you're not always just leading with value that you are putting out there. You know your brand awareness. What do you stand for? What's your brand about? This is who I am, type of thing. So there's all that sort of. That's how I sort of talk about how you can get a well rounded strategy.

Jenn Donovan:

But of course there's the other side with social media is it's in the name. You've got to be social, like it is actually called social media. So then I start to talk about, you know, having a reach out strategy, which I call my Hansel and Gretel strategy, basically just spreading breadcrumbs all around social media so that your business name whatever, or your name, depending on you know how your business is run. Is people sort of notice it because you're commenting on this or you've, you know, added some value here, or you know you've shared this person's post or you've said congratulations over there. You're just sort of sprinkling those breadcrumbs to make people curiosity killed the cat.

Jenn Donovan:

Basically, you want people curious enough to go. Is this person who's just commented we're not connected and you know, go over, have a look at your bio and go. It's just insane to really go. Oh, the content's awesome, I'm going to follow them. Oh, there's something I'm going to reach out about that. So you know, again, it's just kind of having that reach out strategy which I think a lot of people, especially with scheduling and I'm not against scheduling, I think you know my business wouldn't survive without scheduling in social media, but you've got to spend the time then to actually go to social media and be social. So, whether that's 10 minutes a day, whether that's 15 minutes every two days, whatever that is, and you know, obviously, replying to the people who replied to you, and also, you know, I think, some love, you know some social love around there as well.

Samantha Bell:

That's it, and that's all part of that community building that you were talking about too.

Jenn Donovan:

Yes, exactly.

Samantha Bell:

You're very focused on helping the rural community. What sort of work do you do in your community?

Jenn Donovan:

Yeah, I guess one of the reasons why I'm quite focused on a rural community is because and this is going to sound really terrible I really should decide whether or not I'm going to say it on a podcast, but anyway I'll say it. But you know, when I was in business, we would get these people from, you know, sydney and Melbourne coming down and you know, talking to us about our businesses and I'd sit there and go. Really, do you really know what it's like to run? You know a business in the country, like you know, things are a little bit different. We don't have the numbers that you have in the cities. I think I probably learn it's not as different as what I thought it was.

Jenn Donovan:

I do actually love to go in and you know help rural and regional small businesses, whether that be through workshops or keynotes or just, you know, one-to-one conversations with them, because I really feel like I do get their business. I get the peaks and the troughs of. You know everything that happens out here in rural Australia. You know there's always, you know, something going on in a community that can impact small businesses. You know, certainly when I had my retail business, if it wasn't a drought and it wasn't a flood and there wasn't bushfires, it was blue-green algae and the tourism, you know, tourists weren't coming and there was always something that you had to kind of go right. Okay, what am I going to do now? Because this is not going to work anymore because of X, y or Z type of thing. So I just love getting in and I feel that there's not as many people out there helping rural and regional small businesses. So I guess that's kind of where my passion sort of lies.

Jenn Donovan:

And, like you know, my big Facebook group by from Bush Business, it sort of started back in 2019, in October 2019, we're going through horrific drought back then. It's hard to believe now when everything is just so wet and so green, but you know, like four years ago it was horrific droughts and it was October. I was traveling around, you know, the riverina and no one was excited about Christmas, because one of the things when you live in a rural area is, if farmers don't have money, towns don't have money. Like you know, if farmers have a really good cropping season, they're going to come to town and they're going to spend their money. It might not be with the jeweler but it might be, you know, with the chemical guy who then employs more people, that they come and spend money in the jeweler, and you know it just injects more money into the community.

Jenn Donovan:

So I guess my thought was you know how can I help like these people get more traction into their business? And a Facebook group just seemed like the obvious answer. And little did I know that bushfires, floods, covid and, you know, a mouse plague were going to come. But again, you know rural and regional communities would need more and more help with. So Absolutely.

Samantha Bell:

It's such a different perspective. Like you did say at one point, marketing and the approach for city is not too different to country, but in reality, the real day to day living in the city, we don't have all those challenges that you do Like. We can be in drought and we might get some water restrictions, yes, but that is not the same as you not being able to as a farmer, not being able to do their core business of crops or cattle dying or you know. It's a really huge impact that we don't understand so much. So I think for the rural community, having someone who really, really understands them and appreciates and values them would be such a lovely breathe out moment. They feel supported and connected and having that community, his community, is different in the country too.

Jenn Donovan:

Yeah, it is yeah.

Jenn Donovan:

Like you know, I think that everyone sort of learnt the value of community during that time and it's like, yeah, that's what we kind of knew. It's beautiful. I'll view that already. And now you know, everyone's kind of learning that power of community. But it is really important. And again it comes to that story of mine of you know, four, five, six years ago I would never have said I was from the country and now I wear it almost like a badge of honour when I get to get in front of you know, some rural, regional businesses doing a workshop, and one of the first things is I say, you know, I live on a farm and I think they're all kind of like she gets it, yeah, straight away. I built that rapport with them. This is like yeah, okay, she knows how it feels to run a business, or she has some idea. Like I don't know everything but, yes, has some empathy for what we're going through.

Samantha Bell:

Yeah, you've got that connector there. And for a farmer to go off what he or she does every single day to jumping on a Zoom call, that's a huge just. They've had a lot of learning that you know that we take for granted every day. Yeah, you're helping them through all of that. It's wonderful. Now tell us about your book that you're working on. I was going to ask you before we started talking is it Secret Squirrel Business? Can we mention it? But you brought it up, so I know that it's okay. Yeah again.

Jenn Donovan:

It's just kind of like obviously I'm a marketer, I love marketing. I've always thought there's a book inside me but never really knew what that sort of looked like. And it was just a bit of a tap on the shoulder from one of my mentors. It's like is there any books out there that talk to rural and regional small businesses about marketing? I'm like I don't know that there is, and so that's just kind of where the idea came from. But it's basically a tips book, so I'm not sure how many tips it'll have in it at the moment. I think at the moment I'm sitting at about 123. So it'll be something like 123 ways to market your business in the country or something along those lines. And the idea of the book is not necessarily to read it cover to cover, but to be able to open it go.

Jenn Donovan:

I haven't tried a Facebook ad. What does Jen say about a Facebook ad? Oh, okay, this is how you sort of do that. Or magazine advertising Jenny hitting me, is that really something in 2023? Yeah, I didn't realize. This, this and this, oh, that's really interesting. I should perhaps look further into that or try that. Or networking you know, if there's not a network, maybe it's time you started one type of thing Draft one is done, draft two is half done, so hopefully it won't be too far away by the time this year finishes out. That sounds brilliant.

Samantha Bell:

Just the perfect type of book that you can pick up and go to I've been thinking about this, or someone mentioned that and just go to that part and then you can guide them along for that little bit and they can try it and pop the book down and pick it up again when they need.

Jenn Donovan:

Yeah, that's exactly what I want people to do, absolutely. And again, marketing isn't that different in the country, but the way we talk about it is just a little bit different, and so I feel that, you know, just putting it on their level, like talking about towns as opposed to suburbs, and talking about community as opposed to this, and just little different things that is just slightly different. I'm excited. It'll be really good, hopefully, and doesn't have a name yet.

Samantha Bell:

Have we got a name to look out for?

Jenn Donovan:

It doesn't have a name yet but, like I said, it'll probably be something like 123 ways to market your business in the country or something Very much have a title. Say what it is Like my business is social media and marketing history. Yes, what we do. My podcast is, you know, small Business Made Simple. Yes, what I'm trying to do. I'm kind of like don't leave them guessing.

Samantha Bell:

That's brilliant. Well, we'll keep an eye out for that and maybe when it's launched you can come back on and tell us all about the book. Yeah, I would love that. So have you got any little last snippets of wisdom to leave for anybody today? I?

Jenn Donovan:

think, probably just reiterating a couple of things that I've said. Just nudges. I love to give people nudges but, like you said, a lot of people when they're starting out, perhaps they don't concentrate so much on email marketing. We tend to go straight to opening our social accounts and working from there. It's never too late to start an email list and it's something that I would highly recommend that people, if you're not doing it, to start doing it. And if you've got a list and you're not nurturing that list, then you know, perhaps have a bit of a think about what that strategy could look like. And also, maybe do an audit on your social media, from what we've kind of talked about.

Jenn Donovan:

Do you ever sell? Do you always sell? Are you sort of building your brand or what is it that you're doing in your social media? And just have a bit of a I guess, a strategic look and go.

Jenn Donovan:

Gosh, it was three months ago the last time I shared a photo of myself or shared anything about my business, so it was six weeks ago since I asked people that they would like to buy something. Or, on the other hand, it's just like that's all I ever do. He's asked people to buy my things Gosh. I need to have a bit more of a well-rounded strategy and just start there just with a bit of, I guess, analysis, audit and a bit more thinking, and maybe go and have a look at some people that you really love on the platforms and have a look about. You know, what does their strategy look like and things like that. So that's probably the two biggest things. And also, social media is your only marketing. Please start to think outside the square because, a it's not a great way to run a business, but B really would hate for you to have lost that and therefore really have that impact on your business in a negative way. Gosh, it was three months ago the last time I shared a photo of myself or shared anything about my business, or it was six weeks ago since I asked people if they would like to buy something. Or, on the other hand, it's just like that's all I ever do, isask people to buy my things. Gosh. I need to have a bit more of a well-rounded strategy and just start there just with a bit of, I guess, analysis, audit and a bit more thinking, and maybe go and have a look at some people that you really love on the platforms and have a look about. You know, what does their strategy look like and things like that. So that's probably the two biggest things. And also, social media is your only marketing. Please start to think outside the square because, it's not a great way to run a business, but B really would hate for you to have lost that and therefore really have that impact on your business in a negative way.

Samantha Bell:

So absolutely that's so, so important and a really good tip to have a look at what you're actually doing and pull that to pieces, because what you think you're doing might be completely different from what you're actually doing, and it's not until you deep dive into that that you figure that out.

Jenn Donovan:

Yeah, absolutely.

Samantha Bell:

Fabulous Well. Thank you so much for being with us today, Jenn.

Jenn Donovan:

Thank you, it's been a pleasure, it's been such a great. I don't. There's a few stories that I've told you that I don't think I've ever told before or, you know, heard myself talk about. So it's been. You've been a great question ask us. So, thank you, oh, thank you.

Samantha Bell:

It's lovely to chat with you and I know our listeners will appreciate it too, and I'll make sure to put links to you and your services in the show notes. And have you got a particular lead generation thing you want to share today, or anything like that?

Jenn Donovan:

Yeah, certainly Thanks, samantha. Probably one of the biggest questions I get asked is you know what to post on social media? So I have a lead magnet that is 108 social media content creation ideas, which is probably my most downloaded lead magnet. It's not fancy. The idea is that it's printable, so it's not full of, you know, pretty pictures or anything like that, but there is literally 108 ways to market your business in that. So you can find that at 108socialcomau, or just go to my website and have a look under the freebie section. My website, of course, is social media marketingcomau Perfect.

Samantha Bell:

I'll pop those those two links down below too.

Jenn Donovan:

Yeah, it's been fun. Thanks, Samantha.

Samantha Bell:

Thanks so much for listening. I'd love to know your biggest takeaway from today's episode, so leave me a comment below or send a DM on Instagram. If you enjoyed this episode, hit the subscribe button wherever you listen to the Brilliant Business, beautiful Life podcast and feel free to share it with someone else who'll love it too. I look forward to seeing you for the next episode and remember the time is now for your Brilliant Business and the beautiful life you adore.