Subscription Box Basics

Become the Go-To Box in Your Niche with Jaclyn Mellone

June 21, 2021 Julie Ball Episode 79
Subscription Box Basics
Become the Go-To Box in Your Niche with Jaclyn Mellone
Show Notes Transcript

#079 - In this episode, Julie is joined by Jaclyn Mellone to talk about how to become the authority or the go-to box in your niche. 

Jaclyn Mellone is the host of the Go-To Gal Podcast. She's gonna be sharing her signature authority ARMOR framework.

Summary:

  • A: Authority brand (00:08:43)
  • R: Right offer in front of the Right audience (00:10:28)
  • M: Mindset  (00:14:08)
  • O: Other people's platforms (00:18:53)
  • R: Relationships (00:23:00)

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Julie:

So you want to launch a subscription box and don't know where to start? Girl, you are in the right place. I'm Julie Ball, a subscription box coach and your host here at Subscription Box Basics, a podcast for new and aspiring subscription box entrepreneurs that want to avoid overwhelm. So grab a coffee, some pen and paper, and let's have some fun! Okay. Hey everybody, and welcome back to Subscription Box Basics. I'm Julie Ball, your host, and today I have a friend of mine that I've known for several years and I know you're going to love her. Her name is Jaclyn Mellone and she helps experts around the globe to help them exponentially grow their business by becoming the go to authority in their space. She's a coach, a strategist, a keynote speaker, a mama, a guac lover, which I love that that's in your bio Jaclyn and she's host of the Go-To Gal Podcast. As I mentioned, it is one of the top 60 marketing podcasts on iTunes. Welcome Jaclyn after that amazing introduction.

Jaclyn:

Oh, thank you so much for having me, Julie. I'm pumped for this conversation.

Julie:

Awesome. I remember this must've been a couple of years ago. We were at the Boss Mom Retreat, and I remember being a little nervous to talk to you because I knew you were so successful. And I knew that when I would loosen up and finally have this conversation with you, that you would be just, I needed to be so supportive and have some answers because you were a few steps ahead of me in my business. You know what I mean? And so it's such a treat to have you on the podcast. A lot of people are going to be meeting you for the first time. So why don't we start with you? Tell us a little bit about your background.

Jaclyn:

Sure. So where do we even begin? And I loved getting to meet you at that Boss Mom Retreat or Boss Mom conference. I think it was back in 2017. I don't know my memory all these years blend together.

Julie:

Yes, I know it was, it was fun. I miss those in-person events. Me too.

Jaclyn:

Me too. Oh. So I started my business online in 2015 and it started with an Instagram account, a podcast, a$65 mic, which I still use that$65 mic. That's the end. And very shortly after I started, I found out I was pregnant with baby number two, and I really didn't know what the business was going to look like. I just knew I wanted to create something to help people and, and to use my different skill sets. I feel like this whole entrepreneurial journey has been such a personal development journey for me too, but it was interesting the mindset, the mindset struggles that I had then that I still struggle with, from time to time. Right. I feel like we never outgrow mindset. Right. It's sort of the same level. But back then, I mean, I didn't even know. I didn't even own my own name. Like I didn't even own JaclynMellone.com. I was like in the witness protection program, I'm like, I didn't want anyone to know what I was doing. I had so many ideas for businesses before and never took them to that next step. And I've had some businesses too that got started and didn't really go anywhere. So I think I was just so afraid of failing. And if people seeing that or judging me or thinking, you know,"Oh, she's trying to start something again or who knows." Right. And so I started a business that did not really have my name attached to it. And not that I was like completely, but there was not really pictures of me on my Instagram account. It was a branded business and I was able to grow community really quickly, but it was hard to sell. It was hard to convert. It was so hard to convert. I didn't feel that it was growing right. And it was interesting to me because as I was joining private communities to learn more about growing my business and as my podcast was growing and people were starting to get to know me as in my voice right through that. But I realized as people started tagging me as the, as the go-to person for this or that. And at the time it was really Instagram, which I never set out to be an expert at, but I was growing so quickly on Instagram. I started getting tagged for Instagram and eventually I was like, I should probably charge these people ror Instagram advice. Right. So I was trying to grow this like$29 a month membership that was painfully slow. But then all of a sudden I was able to charge$200,$300 for consultations and started putting together four figure packages for Instagram consulting. And it was so easy. I'm like, what is this?

Julie:

Don't you love it when it's easy.

Jaclyn:

I started connecting those dots. Right. And like, why is this, why is this like literally landing in my lab easy. Right. And these opportunities my mentors asked me to come speak at their event. I screw the nine to five. I threw out to San Diego to speak at their conference. And I was getting asked to speak on podcasts and all of this stuff, and over here. Why won't people join this membership? Growing faster? And when I finally got that time away to connect those dots and see what's going on with it, it was almost these two different businesses I was building in parallel. It was the branded business didn't have that, that person attached to it. And it wasn't that you can't build a business that said that all businesses have to be personal brands. Right. But it's about making it feel personal and really being known for something with the branded business. It was so broad people didn't really even know what to go to me for. Right. Were just me being me in the Facebook group, talking about what I was doing with my business. People saw what was working for me and wanted to learn more from that. So over the years now that was back in 2016 that I started putting all these pieces together. I realized when I started doubling down, quadrupling down on my strengths and making it really clear what I'm the go-to gal for. And then when my clients started doing this, it just, things started getting easier. And you started becoming that go-to person, which flips the tables. Right? Cause It's not about you going out and finding people. It's those people starting to come to you. And it really comes down to just being clear about whether it's your business or your personal brand, what you're the go-to for.

Julie:

So beautifully said, and you're right though. Like sometimes we don't know it though. Like it could be right in our lap, like you said, and we are so busy with the hustle all the time, or just doing all the tasks that we forget to sit back and reflect on. Like what's really working. What brings me joy, what's easy, what's difficult, all these things. And once you connect the dots that might, you might find that you need to make a pivot. And that can be tough too, you know, because you think that your first idea might be a failure. If you pivot to your second idea and it's, it's not like that, you know, we're our own boss. When you're an entrepreneur, you get to call the shots and if something doesn't feel right, you can change. So I'm really glad that we were going to have this conversation about like, what is authority? What makes you the go-to gal? And how can we translate that into the subscription box world, where you can become the go-to box for your industry? And the way I think of it is when I am talking to other entrepreneurs and they're like, well, you know, I love to hear it when someone says,"Oh, you know, I love subscription boxes, but I'm just not sure which one was the best for me. And then I'm like, okay, well, what do you like? And when someone says something and I can immediately refer a box of one of my students, for example, or if I, if they're an entrepreneur and I'm like, yeah, Sparkle Hustle Grow. That's what you need. Like, that's the goal is to be the go-to box. And in my bootcamp, I talk a lot about, we want someone to come across your subscription box and know that was specifically made for me. Right. So let's start with just authority. I know you have a lot of thoughts about this. Like what makes you an authority on that? Like what makes you the go-to gal?

Jaclyn:

Yes. So authority is this term that's thrown out so much in our industry. It's like, what does this even mean? It's not this tangible thing, Right? It's like we get our hands around this. And sometimes people are like, Oh, well I have degree in this. Or I have credentials. And like, doesn't that make me an authority? And it's like, well, maybe in certain spaces, but in terms of thinking about a community and your prospective customers, thinking of you as that go-to authority, there's more nuance to it. So as I've broken this down over the years, what I've realized is it really comes down to five key things. And I have a, I call it the authority ARMOR framework, so we can make this easy to read on.

Julie:

Yes, bring it on!

Jaclyn:

So, so we'll run through this quickly and then we'll dig into the parts that I think make the most sense to focus on, especially at first for subscription box business.

Julie:

Okay, perfect.

Jaclyn:

So the A is building an authority brand and that's really that clarity around what are you the go-to for, making it really clear. And it doesn't to be the exact name of your business, but for my first business, right. So now it's Go-To Gal, the Go-To Gal Podcasts. But back then it was Chasing Dreams and Littles.

Julie:

I remember, yes.

Jaclyn:

Right? It was such a cute name, but it was like, what is that? What does that mean? What's it about? And people would come to me for time management help. And I'm like, okay, like I have ADHD. Like, I am not your gal for time management, but that was not clear anywhere in my branding or marketing. So really getting clear on what do you want to be the go-to for? And let's come back to I wrote down what you're going to be taggable for. Cause I think that there's a lot of power in that and yeah, let's, let's come back to this after the framework because there's a lot there.

Julie:

Okay.

Jaclyn:

So being really clear on what are you the go-to for and building your platform online. So you have your social media profile or profiles. I don't think you need to be everywhere. Sometimes it makes sense to just go all in on one. A lot of times it makes sense to just go all in on one and then eventually creating what I call an authority platform. And so that could be a podcast, a YouTube channel or a blog. And that is, there's something about these platforms that are different than social media. I could say the same thing on my Instagram stories or in a post. But if I say it on my podcast, on your podcast, on a YouTube channel or on a blog, it holds more weight. And it's this authority that's built into the platforms that people are consuming the content on. So eventually I think it's great to layer in one of those authority platforms, if not more. Okay. So that is the authority brand. Then we go to the first R, which is the right offer in front of the right audience. And that's, that's your box, right? It's what is your box and who is it for as simple as that is, what does that look like? Why is someone going to get it? And who are you creating it for?

Julie:

You have to be clear on that so that you can be clear in your marketing too. And that's at the beginning of your business, which a lot of our listeners are going to be at the very beginning of their business. It's so important to talk about this and think about this and get clarity on it before you launch before you get out there. Because if you aren't clear, then how is your prospective customer going to be clear on,"Okay, wait, what, what is this box?"

Jaclyn:

Yes. And more than ever, people want something that they know is for them. And there's power in knowing that it's not just authority, it's trust, right? Authority is trust. And so, a few years ago, my cousin who does my hair, she's a hairstylist was asking me about Instagram. And now remember I was speaking at events on Instagram growing these Instagram accounts. That is not what I do now, but that is something I've had a lot of knowledge about. And I also know all of, I was telling her about my Instagram strategies and different courses and stuff. Right. So we're having these chats while she's doing my hair and she could pick my brain about anything. Right. And was just got me captive there while she was doing a cut and color. And I'm telling her all these different people to follow. And it was so interesting to me because six weeks later I go back and she's like,"Oh, I ended up buying this Instagram course. And I was like,"Oh, is it from this person? Or this person?" She was like,"No, it was this person I never heard of, but they had an Instagram course for hairstylists."

Julie:

Perfect.

Jaclyn:

And that, and she was like, you know, I saw those people had a lot of success, but I just wasn't sure if what they were teaching would apply to my business. And I'm like, that is it. That is what everyone is thinking right now. And so the more clear we are on who it is that this box is for, right. Whatever it is about, the more trust that that person who's going to buy it is going to have that it's right for them. So niching down and that clarity build that instant trust that,"Oh, this will work for me. Or this will work for my kids" or this will work for whatever it is that they're buying it for, because that's inherently built into who is for and what they're buying.

Julie:

That's the perfect illustration of it. In fact, I was bingeing on Instagram reels the other day. And I saw that someone was selling a course for Instagram reels for wedding planners. And I was like,"Oh wow!" Like that is a very specific audience, how easy that would be to sell it. And listen, I mean, there's going to be outliers. There's going to be people that aren't in your exact target audience, you know, they're maybe not the perfect person for your box, but there's always going to be outliers and we can welcome them as well. But we can't try to please everyone outside of, you know, who we're really targeting with our product and with, you know, our solution that we're, that we're offering.

Jaclyn:

Exactly. Exactly. It's why those of you listening are listening to this podcast about subscription boxes. Right. Because it's not just about Building a business or a brand, but it's, how do we do that for a subscription box. Right. And, and Julie's able to bring something to that conversation that other podcasts can't because it's specific to you. So I love when we're able to make things meta. Yes. That's so meta and like it's working like you are proof if you listening is the fact that this works. Yes. Yes. Awesome. Oh, okay. I'm good. I'm glad to be alive More on that. Okay. So going on to the M in ARMOR is mindset. You can have the best strategy in the world, but if you don't believe in yourself, if you don't believe in the strategy, if you don't believe that it's possible, you can, you can only grow as far as your beliefs in that regard. And so the mindset is such an important piece in the beginning and the middle and the end always, it's just like mindset is always there. And I think sometimes we're so strategy focused that we don't realize how much our own beliefs and our own, you know, day-to-day mindset can, can hold us back. And sometimes it's really obvious. Sometimes we're just literally, you know, paralyzed and indecision and, and can't move forward or, you know, whatever it is that really frozen in our tracks. And other times it's more subtle, right? It's those things that are keeping us playing safe and not, not following those little intuitive nudges to reach out and make that ask or to join that program or to go for that bigger opportunity. And, and when we hold ourselves back, whether it's those big leaps or those little ones over and over and over again, we're not really stepping into what we're fully potential of or what our business's potential is.

Julie:

Okay. So in other words, you have to believe that you are the go-to gal or the go-to box for those people you serve. For example, like I have to believe in myself that I am a good subscription box business coach, and I have to believe that I could stand on stage and talk about it or for my subscription box to translate it back into the product. I have to believe that what I provide in that pretty pink box every month is going to change the lives of female entrepreneurs. Right. So that's what you're talking about from the mindset perspective.

Jaclyn:

Exactly. Exactly. And for, and taking it to the, to the next level of that people are going to pay for it at the, at the price you want to charge. Right. And that people are going after certain opportunities. Right. So whether it's media that it's possible for your box to be featured in these amazing publicity, roundup publications, just like Julie says. Right. So to believe that that's possible for you, if you're like, okay, I know that I can, my box will help people, but you don't think that you can charge a price that you can profit from, right. Or that it can reach the masses or that it can get those types of visibility opportunities. And listen, it takes time, like from the get go, if you haven't created it yet, it might be hard to believe those things. Right. So one step at a time, but yes, our mindset can so often get in the way.

Julie:

I think one of the things, the, one of the pieces of advice that was given to me that helped me so much in that mindset is when I was explaining a concept to someone and they were just like, staring like what? Wow, okay. I get it now. And I was like, Oh, well, I thought I kind of felt like everybody knew that like, that's how it worked. And she was like, you have to remember, I don't know what you know. And so like, you can relate that to a box business. For example, one of my subscription box bootcampers runs a box for families of military that are deployed and like the experiences that they go through. I don't know what it's like during deployment. I don't know what it's like to count down, but you do as the box owner, like your concept, that's what you are really good at. And it might feel like second nature to you, but what, you know, what you've experienced other people, they might not have that as second nature. And so that's where you can be the authority in helping them through it with the solution that you offer in your box.

Jaclyn:

Exactly. And as we grow, our mindset grows, right? It's, it's having that, that belief to hire team members and to write and, and all of these different to have maybe our own role in the business or the opportunities we're going after. I feel like there's so many times where, whether it's imposter syndrome, where we feel like we're not good enough or self sabotage, or even just things like I used to hold the belief that,"Oh, I don't want to have a seven figure business because I don't want to work that much." And I had this belief that seven figure business owners were working 80 hours a week and had all this stress, stress, and pressure and, and all this stuff. I had this belief and that held me back from even setting goals at that level. Right. Not realizing, oh, as you grow, you can hire more help and you can actually work less if you want to, if not more, if you have systems in place and that making more, doesn't always equal and shouldn't equal working more harder, right.

Julie:

Nice. Same thing with the box business, you know, at some point you might outsource that to a warehouse. So selling more boxes, isn't going to bring that much more onto your shoulders. Cause you're not fulfilling, packing and shipping the boxes anymore. Someone else is doing it for you.

Jaclyn:

Exactly. Okay. So that is mindset. And then we go to the O which is OPP-other people's platforms.

Julie:

Nice.

Jaclyn:

This, this could be partnering with other companies or brands and doing cross promotion. This could be doing an IG live together, or it could be publicity or guests blogging or anything like that. It's anytime when you're able to leverage someone else's platform that they've curated, right? They have put together an audience that might be entirely made up of your ideal clients and be a portion of them are your ideal customers, but they have this existing audience and you are getting put in front of them. Now there's power in that for two reasons, one is audience growth, right? So you can grow your own audience through ads or organically or word of mouth, but this other way, you're going in front of audiences that exist, right? So there's this big opportunity to, to grow your own audience through that. But there's another layer to it too, that I think is important to point out. And that is the built in authority piece with it because sometimes, sometimes there are our community needs to hear it from someone other than mom. It's one thing for you to be like, listen, like I'm the mom, I'm the boss, you know, but it's another thing for someone to for another, another company, especially who is already seen as an authority to their own audience to introduce you in your box has that go-to box as that go-to authority. And yes, and this podcast fall into this category, right? So every guest that comes on to the show, Julie is saying like this person's an expert. You're not going to be like,"Are they really, Julie?" It almost feels like a referral from a friend and you, this built in trust and authority of you're getting introduced as that go to, and there's a lot of power in that for one, those new people coming in are really high quality leads, but also sharing that with your existing audience. Right? So they're saying,"Oh, wow, look, who's, who's featuring, you were talking about your box and, and sharing it." And that adds to the authority that your own audience sees on YouTube.

Julie:

Yup. The word that's coming to mind for me is validation. Validation is one of my love languages. And when someone else invites me onto their podcast or says,"Oh my gosh, I love last month Sparkle Hustle Grow box". That just fills my cup and really has that ripple effect on mindset.

Jaclyn:

Absolutely. Absolutely. I'm a words of affirmation gal as well. Oh, so yes. I think it's, it's really powerful. Sometimes we get really caught up in just our own social and day to day and our own platforms, but leveraging other people's platforms can be a great shortcut for authority.

Julie:

Yeah. And I think in our subscription box world, we could translate that into the products that you actually put in the box. I've always said this in the past, think about high quality brands that you can include in your subscription box. Then when you're featuring them, you're automatically aligning with that amazing brand quick example. It was a couple years ago we featured an Erin Condren product in the female entrepreneur world. Erin Condren is well-known for planners, beautiful planners, ones that, you know, there are super fans around. And so when we announced that we were featuring an Erin Condren product, Erin Condren wasn't sponsoring us. They weren't, you know, promoting us or anything, but we were able to align with their existing brand and their platform by featuring them, we p urchased the product to put in the box. So there was, you know, there was a transaction there that people were so excited and they're like,"Oh my G od, Erin Condren, I'm in, I'm in!" And I think that type of, you know, in our world, in the product based world, we can take that other people's platforms to that level all the way to our products. Other p eople's p roducts there we go.

Jaclyn:

Other people's products. Oh my gosh, this is gold! I love that. Oh, that's your gold. And you have full control over that. So that's so powerful. He has other people's products. I love it. Okay. So that brings us to the last R which is relationships. I have been so big on building relationships from the beginning in my business. I came from, I helped my dad start his business back in 2004 in commercial real estate. And, you know, we didn't call it back then, but it really was a personal brand. And so much of it was based on relationships. And we spent all this time building and nurturing relationships and the community, and that had tremendous impact on the growth of the business. So when I started my business, it was like, oh, it's like,"Let's do Zoom chats." Someone's like,"Why do you want to talk to me?" Like it wasn't as, but by building those relationships early on and continuing to throughout my business, that has been such a game changer. And in every aspect of my business, one, it just for my own mental health and just having friends in this space and going through it. But, but also for business opportunities and things that have come from that end doors that have opened that I didn't even know that existed because of those relationships. So as much as we're building businesses that can be automated and systematized and grown online and all this stuff, I think it's really important to keep that relationship element in there in some way, shape or form.

Julie:

I would a hundred percent agree with that. I hear a lot of people talk about this and I agree that people don't want to buy from a brand. They want to buy from a person like they want to get to know you. My team tells me this all the time. They're like, people are interested in what you're doing. People are interested in what your day is like. And I'm like, nobody cares. Like, but when I show up and I start building that relationship, whether that's in an Instagram DM, you know, sending a personal message to someone, thanks for sharing your box or your Sparkle Hustle Grow box on Instagram. Make sure you know about this, that and the other, you know, when I reach out and have those personal conversations, it goes so far, not only to, you know, help that customer make the most of their purchase, but it helps just build that loyal, that loyalty to the brand. And it helps me personally, too, because I'm like you, like, I, I want relationships. Like I thrive in that. And especially when we're behind the computer all the time, and we're not in a, in a place right now where we're doing lots of in-person events. If any, I need that. And so having those conversations is such like a win-win, and building those relationships helps build your brand loyalty. And it's going to turn into conversions. Like ultimately a lot of the stuff we need to see, okay, how does this help me sell more boxes? And so those relationships go so far and have that ripple effect and help you get out of just talking to your own network. It helps you get to the next degree and the next degree. So I want a hundred percent agree with that with the relationships are so important.

Jaclyn:

Yes. And I love that you highlighted it yes. With your, with your customers and community too, because they're the ones that are going to tell their friends and their neighbors that, or maybe they have a contact that is a journalist somewhere. That's going to write about you. I mean, there's, that's how things happen. Right. So yes, you never know. And it's so worth it to be putting that time into the relationship building.

Julie:

Yeah. Okay. So that's your framework. So we understand all these pieces that go into it. And I think it's worth just having a quick conversation about like, why is it even important to do that? For me, what I was just saying is how does this ultimately end up in a conversion? All those things make that sale much easier when someone else has referred you, when you have authority from being featured somewhere, and then someone gets to your website, they're already warmed up and it just makes the sale that much easier. Would you agree?

Jaclyn:

Absolutely! This, the whole idea with all of this is that it's all these elements that are working together and it's not an on-off switch. So this is something that you can start right from the beginning of your business and start building. And there's not a point where you're like, got it. I'm an authority. Now I'm the go-to boss. We don't need to, we don't need to worry about this anymore. Like for good or for bad, it doesn't ever stop, but it's the snowball effect that keeps happening. So you don't need to wait until you're at a certain point with your box to start doing this. You can really start from the beginning. And as you, as you do all of these things, right, you're going to get this snowball effect and have it keep growing and growing and growing. And what it does is it creates this effect of your, the go-to box. And that's where you're the one that's top of the list for opportunities. And you're the one that people are talking about and referring their friends to and buying for their friends and tagging for things. I didn't say I wanted to come back to that, the tag of the idea of being taggable. But yes, the idea is that you start to shift this tide and when people start coming to you and, and doing that marketing for you, right. Creating those opportunities for you, that's really when you get this exponential growth as well.

Julie:

Okay. So let's give our listeners some things that they can do to take action. Like what can they do right now? Most of them, again are going to be maybe in the pre-launch stage or maybe the idea stage where they had some idea and they're like, okay, what's next? How do we, how do we start our journey getting to being that go-to box?

Jaclyn:

Yes. I love that. So when it comes to being, taggable one you want to be clear on who are you the go-to box for, right. And why are they buying your box? And you want to think about what is someone going to say to a friend, or they're going to post in the Facebook group that they're looking for, because it might be, I'm looking for a box on X.

Julie:

Yeah. Okay.

Jaclyn:

Right. It may, a lot of times, it's probably not, it's more vague than that, of what they're struggling with. And so sometimes what you want to be taggable for is not the obvious piece. I'll say for, I'm trying to apply this to boxes in my head here, but let's say you have a box on that helps with parenting, right. And so could you have a box that helps parents be better parents? And so, okay. Let's, that's our, that's our box. That's what we want to be the go-to box for. But how many people are going around and saying like, I'm really struggling with, like, I want a box on parenting, right? Like, I'm sure are some people probably gonna come out. Right.

Julie:

You can narrow it. And there's probably a lot of things that your box can help with under that umbrella of parenting. But if you can get specific to what is someone's struggling with, or really wanting, that's going to be that, that one point where they're going to start looking for help, right. And so with parenting, it could be temper tantrums, right. And so now you say, okay, when, when parents start struggling with their kids, having temper tantrums, that's when they start looking for help and resources on this. And that's where our box can come in and really helping them with all of these, that, that, and that's a symptom of all these other things. Right? And so the idea for that is don't get taggable for parenting or parenting box, but get taggable for temper tantrums for that problem. And this makes it really easy to refer you. So you say we're the box for parents with, with kids that are having temper tantrums. And so then when it's at a play date or in a, a mom group, and someone's like, Oh my gosh, my kids keep having temper tantrums. I have the solution for you. It's this box on parenting that helps with kids that are having temper tantrums. Right? And so that's where there's this little nuance to like, well, what am I the go-to for? Sometimes we want to find what are those, those indicators that someone is ready to go buy our box. That's so interesting that you, the way you positioned that, because I was just having a conversation with Becky Burgess, who is our Facebook ads manager for Sparkle Hustle Grow. And she Voxed me and said, real quick, tell me three solutions that you provide to your customers. Just like she was trying to get me to shoot from the hip, like give me something quick. And she said, her aha moment from my responses was that as entrepreneurs, we are sometimes on an island and you don't have to do it alone. And she's like, that's part of what you build. Like when someone says, I feel lonely in my business, you, you could be that go-to box for that particular pain point where it's like, well, we have a community and we help you connect with other women and do networking and you don't have to do this alone. And so I think I need to reflect on that exercise. Like, what do I, as Sparkle Hustle Grow, what do I want to be the go-to box for? And just, you know, brain dump, just all the things that we could potentially be. And then talk to some of our ideal target audiences and say, which of these do we solve the best? Like, which have we made the most impact? And because asking your customers is okay, you know, like we ask our customers all the time for feedback and for input and how we can hone in, on providing the best product, but also our marketing messages. So that we're clear on what, we are the go-to box for.

Jaclyn:

Yes. Such a beautiful example of that. And yes, there's in that little nuance, there's so much gold. That just makes it really clear for people when they're ready to buy, but also how they can refer you, right. We want to make it easy for people to refer you.

Julie:

Yes. Okay. So you need to figure out what you actually are, the go-to box for. And then do you have any advice on like how to share that in marketing messages or how to start in, like, including that in part of like your email nurture sequence or your Facebook ads or anything like, how do we start putting it out there without saying I am the go-to box for X, Y, Z. Like we want to make it so it's like normal, like, it feels good and it flows in and the messaging.

Jaclyn:

Yes. Well, one, you can totally say I'm the go-to box for XYZ. That's okay too. So that's what it is. We have to be that obvious, right. But also, what that does is it allows you to start creating content that is specific to that problem. So now you're inviting people and there's different stages of customer awareness, right? So you're starting to capture the attention of your community when they're at that stage, where they're aware that they're having a problem with a little, we'll go on this like temper tantrums, right. So they're aware that that problem, but they don't maybe know that there's a solution for it or what that solution is. And so you can start creating some content around that, that leads people to your box as the solution.

Julie:

Like on your blog or a YouTube channel or on Instagram.

Jaclyn:

Yes. Also, if you know that, that's the thing you want to be known for start looking for customer testimonials that illustrate that and how it helped people with it and you get it right. And so you're sharing, you're sharing customers stories. And so they're able to start seeing themselves in, in other customers that you have that had this same problem and are now on the other side of it.

Julie:

That is really, really good advice. And you know what I just thought of, as you were talking through this is we used to actually say this in our marketing. Maybe I need to break this back. We said it without saying it, we said, this is the subscription box, female entrepreneurs. Can't stop talking about basically saying we are the go-to box for female entrepreneurs. So maybe I should bring that messaging back. Oh, so much gold!

Jaclyn:

There's something there.

Julie:

Right? This has been amazing. Thank you Jaclyn so much. I, I know that everyone is probably their hands are cramping from taking down notes and like trying to brainstorm, like, what are they the go-to box for some of them it's going to be like being like completely obvious, but some of us are going to have to dive a little deeper and like, really think about what do we want to be the go-to box for. So, where can people follow you? Because you have your podcast and you have lots of platforms that we can get more information and follow along. So I would love if you would share those right now.

Jaclyn:

Yes, absolutely! And listen, clarity comes from action. So if you do not have clarity from listening this conversation, start to have those conversations with your happy customers and see why did they join and, and start to try out maybe different things and see what, see what your audience seems to grab onto the most. Don't spend six months thinking of the perfect thing to be taggable for, right? You could do different videos or posts and see which one had the most engagement. Maybe that's the thing we want to lean more into. So this is it's all businesses is all an experiment, right? So in perfectly you show up and try it. And it's, we're all on this journey together. So that said, you can come over and listen to the Go-To Gal Podcast, or we talk about everything from mindset to strategy and all of those things about becoming the go-to gal over there. And then for those of you that want to keep taking action with this, I put together a 30-days of authority building action plan. And so it takes through, it's built off of that five-part framework and we give you something to do every single day, a little thing. That's part of one of those five to help you start building that snowball effect of authority. And you can get that for free JaclynMellone.com forward slash plan.

Julie:

I love that because there's nothing better than a guided experience and a guided, like having something to do every single day. It keeps me on track so much better. In fact, what I want to get something like that, and I cannot wait to download it. I'm definitely going to do that. Um, what was the link again is JaclynMellone.com forward slash plan. Okay. We'll put that in the show notes. What I like to do with something like that is actually put it in my calendar as a non-negotiable as if it's a meeting. So even if it will take me say, say five to 10 minutes every day to do whatever that exercise is, I'll put it in my calendar. And I suggest as for our listeners that you do the same thing so that you don't skip it and you actually like commit to completing the exercise. So thank you for that. I can't wait to download it. Guys. I hope you've had some aha moments during our conversation. I feel like I personally did. I'm a lifelong learner and Jacqueline, thank you so much again for joining and sharing your knowledge on becoming the go-to gal or in our case that go-to box.

Jaclyn:

Yes, I'm a lifelong learner too, and this has been so much fun, but thank you for having me.

Julie:

Awesome. All right, guys. Thanks for listening as always. And I'll see you in the next episode,

Speaker 4:

[inaudible].

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