E91. Activating Your Zone Of Genius w/ Victoria Odekomaya

Join us and explore how mission-driven leaders can show up online without feeling salesy by reframing visibility as service. Lady Boss, Victoria Odekomaya shares practical systems for sustainable content, team collaboration, analytics that matter, and why authentic video beats polish.

• reframing self-promotion as service to others
• using content to show transformation and build trust
• focusing on a clear audience and their language
• reducing burnout with lanes, systems and delegation
• elevating team voices to reflect the mission
• setting goals before analytics and measuring what matters
• engaging comments to grow thought leadership and reach
• choosing formats by platform intent and repurposing
• embracing video, strong hooks and bullet-point outlines
• targeting the right viewers over vanity metrics

Find out more about Victoria and the good work she does @ www.thelimstudios.com

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriaodekomaya/  and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/limstudios/

Transcript

Meet Victoria And Her Mission

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Well, here we go. Welcome to Conversations, where today we have Victoria Odekomaya, who is the founder and CEO of Lim Studios, a full service creative marketing agency and 3,000 square foot content studio based in Indianapolis, and I'm assuming that's Indiana. Yes, okay. Known for her content client system, she helps service-based businesses and mission-driven leaders turn visibility into measurable results. After a 17-year corporate career, Victoria stepped out in faith to build a company that now empowers others to share their stories with excellence and impact through her work with organizations, entrepreneurs, and media platforms like Boss Ladies Magazine and the Own Your Brand Show. She's helping leaders build brands that attract, convert, and leave a lasting legacy. Welcome to the show, Victoria. How are you today?

SPEAKER_00 1:02

I am doing well. Thank you so much for inviting me. This is an absolute honor for me. Thank you.

Reframing Self-Promotion As Service

SPEAKER_02 1:09

You are welcome. I'm so happy to be here with you and really to have you unpack some of these areas that we're going to be talking about. And the first is, you know, we we think about self-promotion, right? And so many times leaders don't want to, they're struggling with really putting themselves out there and balancing their calling as well as that marketing piece. So how can they approach this visibility without feeling like they're self-promoting themselves?

SPEAKER_00 1:44

Well, I'm glad you asked that question because I totally understand and I see it every single day. You know, a lot of us we feel like we are promoting ourselves, but the truth is that we are giving other people the opportunity to tap into the talent, the resources, the gifts that God has placed into us. And when we start thinking of it that way, then it's no longer self-promotion. I often like to give the example where when Jesus was coming, you know, we've been hearing about him over and over from like the old, you know, the old testament. But it was paramount that there was steps. I mean, there were talks about the coming Messiah, the coming Messiah, you know, because it was needed for everyone to know about it so we can have that salvation, right? So it's no, we are not not, we're not doing anything different from what the creator has shown us. So the moment we take the focus off of us and start thinking of it as helping to serve others, helping to solve their problems so that they can in turn help to solve other people's problems, then promotion is no longer a self-glorifying thing.

SPEAKER_02 3:02

That's a great way of thinking of it. And it's a total mind shift, I think, for some people when they hear you you saying that. And it reminds me as you were talking, it reminds, I think it's in Colossians how we are to work as if we were working to honor the Lord or something like that. And and that aligns with that. So if we take the focus off of us and say we're here to be in service of, right? So that that I love that answer and how you are able to, you know, connect that to your faith.

SPEAKER_00 3:34

Yes, yes. I mean, I really feel like I am doing exactly what Jesus even did. He said, Go out and tell the world, right? This is our job to tell the world of the good news. So the good news is the you know the salvation that we have, but it's also true our actions is where people see that. So you using our gifts brings glory to God, and people begin to ask the question, like, oh wow, who she can do this or she can do that, or you know, they want to learn more, they become inquisitive, right? And that eventually points to God. But by us using our gifts, I mean, remember the story about the parable of the um the talents. I mean, the parable of the talents, right? Like the one that didn't that went to bury it got nothing. So we are encouraged to use our talents to help others. And the truth is that if we're not helping other people, it's really it's gonna be a very sad, sad world, you know, like people are gonna be stuck in whatever problems that they're having. There's no solution, you know, because we're not using our impact, you know. So I feel like when we start thinking of it as I am able to solve one or two or three people's problems, you know, and using my gift to solve that problem, I mean, it makes it completely easy.

SPEAKER_02 4:48

Yes, and totally different way of thinking about it. Absolutely. And then that leads me to like connecting with our audience. So, what does it look like for a purpose-driven business, right? Because you even talk about that, the the mission-driven leaders and purpose-driven. So, what does it look like for a purpose-driven business or ministry to really turn content into real connection for their customers, their clients?

SPEAKER_00 5:16

Right. So, I mean, it's no news now. Content is really the one number one way where we share information and connect with people. And so it's really important that we tap into that. This are the this is the time uh in this age where this is what we're using to connect with people. People understand, they can on they can see better what you do, the transformation that you you you actually provide by showing them, by speaking of it. So content just makes it super easy, and then connecting with those, the audience, the specific audience, because we cannot serve everyone, whether we want it or not. It's impossible, right? And plus, even if you have several photographers, you know, people are gonna connect with one, maybe two, because of their personality, because of their styles and things like that. So it's important that we are speaking to our target audience, people that we know that we can help solve their problems or they can benefit from us, and doing it with content that resonates with them.

SPEAKER_02 6:16

Yeah, and and you know, content creation, content, you know, putting it out there, it can be so tiring though. Yes, actually, for somebody who like I remember back in 2000 maybe 13, you know, start. So we're talking, you know, over 10 years ago when I was putting things out on a specific page or texting people, you know, at that time, you know, with kind of very different, very different. And even creating some videos back then, which people weren't doing, you know. And and I look now and it's like, I'm tired, I'm just tired. So what say you about that?

SPEAKER_00 6:59

Well, it is it's important to also to understand that we all have our gifts, our talents, our lanes, you know. So that's why I'm even in my personal club business, even though I help people create content and help them market it, I'm beginning to recognize staying in my lane. I am not a CPA. I I understand the numbers a little bit, but for me to crunch the numbers, I don't really need to be doing that. So I think that the sooner we are able to figure out what our lane is, our lane, a zone of genius, the better for us to really make more impact and spend our time more productively. So, yes, content can be tiring. And I'm saying this also as a content creator, it is a lot of work, but I have a lot of system, I have a lot of you know, team that helps make it happen. It's not a one-person job, it can be a lot of work. So don't feel bad about that. I'm telling you that it is a lot of work, but we have a system and we have a team behind us doing it together.

SPEAKER_02 7:58

And and I also think it goes back to knowing your audience. We talked about audience before, you know, who are our customers, who are our clients, and where are they living when they're looking for content?

Avoid Burnout By Staying In Your Lane

SPEAKER_00 8:09

Yes, absolutely. So that way you're not spending, you're not spending yourself to thin, right? We're not trying to talk to everybody, we're really talking to the particular people that we understand their language, we understand their problems, and we can articulate it to resonate with them. And that way, honestly, when we think of content that way and using content that way, it makes it a lot easier for someone to manage, especially if they're starting out, right? Because to be, I mean, to be true, I mean, it's impossible to expect a new, a brand new business owner to like outsource that. I mean, you know, because there's a lot of things that we have to spend money on, like we have to create a website, we have to do this and that, right? So, but simplifying that process for yourself is so important to going a long way. So knowing exactly who, and when I say knowing your audience is really understanding what makes them excited, what are their pain points, what are their goals and aspirations, understanding that and being able to connect with that in a way, and that what that does is also it makes content more effortless. It's not something that you think to do, it's something that you just do. So I'll give you an example. If you know that your audience would resonate with seeing you, say, work on a computer, you know, and then having a conversation with another person on a computer and a Zoom call, kind of like this. Well, you could just turn on the camera on your phone and record that and maybe even overlay a simple text about that to show the behind the scenes of the work that you're doing so they get an a unique insight. At that point, you're not really trying to like set something up and then think about what to create, like it just becomes natural because you understand these people so well, you know what they're looking to, you know, hear or see from you, and you understand what they are, you know, you know, understand how to how to show that to them, like how to communicate that to them. So it just makes it easy. So I often try to tell people, especially those that are starting out, or even if you're in advanced, so like everything that we're doing that we feel like would resonate with our audience is content itself. So if we can just turn on the phone, we can be getting unlimited content, you know, that we can share.

SPEAKER_02 10:31

And you know what I found just for my own my own self-assessment as I'm looking at social media puts, I really gravitate towards people who are just doing just that, they're just doing right, it's it's not all polished and whatnot, it's just their their everyday life, and this is what they're doing, and they're showing that.

SPEAKER_00 10:49

Yes, yes, and that is true, and that's true for a lot of people, you know, and the truth also because with AI, we can really get some overly polished content. But the reality now is that the authentic contents, the less polished ones, are now gonna appeal to people because it's human, it's you know, it resonates, it's authentic, as opposed to the whole polished looking all you know, fancy and all of the things.

Know Your Audience And Simplify

SPEAKER_02 11:16

So, yes, that's right, looking all fancy and stuff like that. I know early on, I remember as I said, when I was doing you know some videos for social media, and I didn't know how to edit. So I would do a take, and then I was like, oh, I'd listen to it, and then I'd do another take instead of like edit, you know, today it's like oh, just edit this and edit that. It's so simple. Back then, I didn't have any software, and they didn't have all the options that you have today. And it was, I mean, that was really tiring. It's like, oh my Lord. So the things, the tools that we have today. I mean, you can have them at the tip of your finger, but I I love what you said about being able to outsource that to somebody who that's their passion, like that's your passion. You know, you and your team do what you do for a reason, right? The people who are who are contacting you and saying, take this over for me, you know, there's a reason. And and and what you said in the beginning where you're not a CPA, you know, I'm not a CPA either. Thank goodness that there are people who are blessed and able to be CPAs.

SPEAKER_00 12:29

Yeah, absolutely. I really feel like when that time is right, outsourcing that is the best way to go. So that way we can focus on our zone of genius.

SPEAKER_02 12:38

That's right. Focus on the zone of genius, people. Now let's talk about when there's there's more than one person. So there's let's just say there's a team, and from your experience, how can teams better collaborate on content? So it's not reflecting just one person, but it's definitely reflecting the mission of the organization.

SPEAKER_00 13:04

Oh, I love this question. Yes, no, I love this question because that goes from personal branding into like the organization, the brand of the organization. And the best thing that I always suggest to people is to hear from other team members. I mean, there is a lot of gold from hearing from the team members that work with you daily, that you know, understands the in and out, and just hear that perspective. So it's not just the one person speaking, and there is a lot, and it does so many things. First of all, people are hearing from a different perspective, but secondly, it helps build that trust with the other team members. They feel empowered, they feel a part of the team, they feel like they are part of building something bigger, you know. And so it just I really love that.

SPEAKER_02 13:52

Yeah, yeah, that's good. That's good because it can't be just about one person, right?

SPEAKER_00 13:58

Especially because it takes a village, right? A lot of the things that we do takes, I mean, even for you, I know you you have a team that helps with something's behind it. It takes a team, so it's always good to even if it's even if it's in a situation where we are maybe not necessarily employee, but more like a collaboration or subcontractor, sometimes that could also be a stronger relationship within that type of real, you know, working partnership too. So, you know, there is a lot of value in hearing from different sides of the project.

SPEAKER_02 14:30

Yeah, and I imagine with content creation too, is what's working and what's not working. So, how how would somebody like take a look at that? Like their posting, their engagement, whether it's higher, like what are they actually looking at to know if something's working?

SPEAKER_00 14:52

Well, I would say what are their goals. So the first thing before we even start working with people are what are your goals and what are your expectations? Because if you don't know where you're going, you're not gonna never gonna know when you get there.

SPEAKER_02 15:06

Right.

Authentic Over Polished In The AI Era

SPEAKER_00 15:07

So if your goal is to say increase followership by like a hundred people, so when you start posting and engaging, you want to look at that number. There's a lot of reports that all of the social media sites provide source every month, you know, that you can see the analytics and see how you're growing, who are unsubscribing, who are staying, you know, and you can also even go down to what content are they watching or are they engaging with, and know that this is more of the type of content I need to be creating to engage more people. So it really starts with what is your number one goal. If the goal is to get more clients or get more, you know, sell more of your products or your services, then we're gonna be shifting and seeing what are the posts that are leading more people to book a consultation or to click the buy buy now button, those types of things. So it really starts with what are the goals. So, for example, we have a client that we're working with right now, they're a nonprofit organization, and Giving Tuesday is coming up. And so we wanted to make sure that the goal was to share to raise more money during Giving Tuesday. And so, like you asked the question earlier about when you have a team. Well, we created content not only from the executive director's point of view, but other team members. We're also getting content from our board members and also contributors, people that are already you know funding them. And so we're creating content from all of those points of view and sharing it, you know, and then we're also looking at the analytics at the back at the back end. How is that more beneficial than all the other giving Tuesdays that they've done in the past to see the results?

SPEAKER_02 16:52

That's good, that's good data. I know for myself when I'm scrolling through social media, whatever platform I happen to be on. And well, and and I have to remember this when I'm thinking of it like from my client. So it takes me a long time to follow someone, like to hit a button. Like I will watch, I will watch, I will watch. And at some point, I may feel moved to you know, follow like whatever it is. But for me, it takes a long time. I'm not quite sure why. And I and I also think that for my customers and clients, they may be doing that with my content too. They may be just watching, watching, watching. They may not be fully invested, even though they like it.

SPEAKER_00 17:46

Does that make sense? Absolutely. And the truth is that that is real. I mean, I'm the same person, I'm usually, and so sometimes when people say things like, nobody's seeing my post, I'm like, Are you are you sure? Because usually they are not looking at the analytics, yeah, you know, they just think that because people are not commenting or liking, they are not seeing their posts. So, but there are a lot of people on social media that they just scroll, they enjoy the content, they would even go back, they might even pin or save you know your your page and go back to it, but they would never interact, and that's okay. So, I think that one the way best way my son, we is like 12 years old, by the way, helped me understand this a while ago was he said, Mom, if one person comments, that is like one whole person, like you're able, like you know, and I was like, because usually we're you know, we're thinking and we're looking for that grand number, like two million subscribers, or two, you know, like say what it's like one person that means you're actually making impact. But the untold story that we don't see is that a ton of people are seeing it. So I just want to encourage anyone that might be feeling like, oh, you know, nobody's watching more than likely people, yeah. And then sometimes you get those people where the you meet them outdoors or you know in different events, and they're like, Oh, yeah, I saw your post, and you're thinking you saw my post, but you didn't actually see it.

SPEAKER_02 19:15

That's right. What do you mean you saw it? Help a girl out, right? But doesn't have to be, does it have and I think that that's uh a struggle for people to understand that. And I love how you know, if it's just one that that's an impact, but you know behind the scenes you're impacting more because for me in the very beginning, like way back when it used to be important for me, like that somebody likes or there's some type of engagement. Now it's like it doesn't matter to me. I'm just I I post when I do, I I need to get better at it again. Like I when I have A rhythm, things are much better. When I post ahead of time, I do better. But I think there's another piece there is that we can post, but how are we doing with our engagement follow-up?

SPEAKER_00 20:16

That's so true, right? Because we it's almost like we post and forget. Yes. That's a true statement.

SPEAKER_02 20:25

You're on to the next thing.

SPEAKER_00 20:27

Right. So we also need to be better at you know engaging and liking and commenting. You know, I mean, think about it, like just the way we were just talking about here, like when if the person that saw us out and about actually commented, the way we would feel, right? You know, that's the same way we're helping others feel because this is not actually uncommon. A lot of people feel the same way. So we can help each other out by, you know, thumbs up, likes, you know, or just commenting that that's you know, a good habit of perform.

SPEAKER_02 21:00

I also tell people who are just starting their business or just getting onto social media that their opportunity to get their name and their voice out there is really important by doing the commenting and things like that, really bringing your thought leadership or whatever it is that you're called to do into conversations and not just be the scroller. You know, because every time that you're commenting, your name is popping up, other people and other networks are seeing it, and that's important as you're building.

SPEAKER_00 21:34

Actually, there's like that's actually a gold mind that you just opened up here. Like, this is like because here's the thing there are people where the the comment section is where they thrive, period. So there's some posts. Usually, when I go on social media, and I encourage anyone to do this really, when you see a trending topic where there's a ton of people on there, like you can get in there and then comment, obviously, and just you know, engage. But if you're if you're doing that consistently, you would find that some other people that are reading those comments begin to see your comments, you know, all the time, especially when it's you know impactful, it's relevant, you know, makes a you know great points, you know. Then so, like you said, you're building your own thought leadership through that way too, you know, because of just being consistently posting and being in the conversation. So that's a place that I know we a lot of people sleep on, but it's a lot of a great, it's a great way to build your brand.

SPEAKER_02 22:36

Good. Then I'm glad I'm giving good information.

SPEAKER_00 22:39

You are yes, you are because you know, like the comment section sometimes get even more interesting. I mean, there's like when I am on Instagram and I follow my favorite people, and I know once they come then, once they've drop the the video, it's like I go directly to the comment section, and that's where you get even more funnier comments, and you know, like it's it just goes crazy. So there's a lot of opportunities in the comment section.

SPEAKER_01 23:07

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:08

And then what about uh and I've heard this and and I don't know if it's true or not, but when a platform adds a new feature and you are able to access that, because sometimes I think people aren't able to access, but if you're able to access, if you access it early, then they'll boost your posts more.

SPEAKER_00 23:29

Is that do you know anything about that? Actually, it makes sense, right? Because they they there's a huge competition amongst all of this platform. Whether we, you know, we that's truth, like they are all vying for our attention, so they're doing a lot of the things to keep people on their platform. So if we tap into what they're doing, they're only gonna amplify the post because you're helping them meet their own goals. So that's the way I say again. It goes back to that goal, right? So, like yeah, they they they need help, they they're trying, you know, there's a ton of them, and before we know it, there's another, probably other ones that are you know popping up as we speak, too, right? So tapping into anything new that they provide or any feature is definitely a great way to take advantage of the platform.

Define Goals And Read The Data

SPEAKER_02 24:22

Another question that kind of popped in my head is I know when I post on whether it's Instagram, it can go to Facebook or vice versa. Does that make sense? Because then it's seen by, you know, some people are on Instagram, some people are on Facebook. Or what are your thoughts? Does it go back to where is your audience, or does it go back to the more times that people see you, the better?

SPEAKER_00 24:49

So I like to take advantage of both. So the way I like to see think I like to think about it is that my audience typically maybe through, and this is for my audience, when they're on LinkedIn, it's usually during the day where in when they're at work. That's right, when they're at work, right? Right. When they are on Facebook, it's usually like during the weekends or evenings, and Instagram, I feel like it's somewhere in between, you know. So it just depends on when I'm trying to catch them. So even if I post the same content on all the different platforms, I'm I'm thinking about what frame of mind they will be in when they see this content on the platform. So sometimes it's good that when I when it and I I completely will take advantage of that posting on Instagram, they see it at one point, maybe during their mid-launch break or something like that. And then when they have a little bit more time in the evening or you know, and they're watching it, they see it again, right? Advantage of both. Yeah, that's good.

SPEAKER_02 25:57

What else might be important to put in here before your last word?

Lurkers, Engagement, And Follow-Through

SPEAKER_00 26:02

Let's see, I would say a lot of people are here that they're they feel uncomfortable getting in front of the cameras. So the shift that we're seeing right now is going from static posts or even photos to videos. A lot of platform app prioritizing video, but video is a little bit more, you know, a little harder because you know, you have to look right, do the makeup if you're a woman, all the things, and you know, the background, whereas in the photo, maybe you can snap and filter and all the other things. But my my thing is like if you can absolutely get on video, and the best way to get over the you know, the fear of not wanting to look awkward is to understand that embarrassment is the cost of entry. That's like what will we like the first or two or three 100 posts, whatever it is that we create, it's gonna be cringe, especially when we look at it, you know, in the future. It's kind of like looking back at some of the old photos, right? I mean, I don't know about you, but when I look, I'm like, oh, what was why did I thought that was cool? You think that was cool? So I think we just need to, you know, get comfortable uh thinking like that, like it's gonna suck, or what it's not gonna look up to par, right? But it's gonna help people going back to where we started with like you are showing up and wanting to use your your talents to benefit people, so try to spend less time on the looks of it or how you know polished it look or like the fear of getting on camera. So, yeah, that would be my one thing and my encouragement to just whatever we need to do. Like, I've had so some of the things that I suggest is having the bullet points of what you want to talk about because half the time I tend to ramble, you know, like and then by time I get back to the points like 20 minutes long, but bullet points, and so that helps us stay focused, stay on point. You put your bullet points on on your phone if you're using it, and then you go, you know, just go on and on and on, and you know, get it out of the way, you know, so that way you're not worried about how you look or what's you know, what's happening, but you're really focused on delivering the value that you came to deliver. And what's the sweet spot for length? Or length? Oh, that's a good question. I think it depends on the platform. So we used to see reels be like one minute less than at one point, it was less than 30 seconds, and then one minute, now it's three minutes and above. So for YouTube, definitely longer than 10 to 20 minutes because the audience on YouTube are coming to learn, they are intentionally typing in how to XYZ. So need the details. So long form is perfect for that. In fact, a lot of us watch YouTube on our on at home now, too. So it's like we're looking for specific content on Instagram or all the other short form platforms, they're a little bit more, you know. You want to, it's really more for like entertainment, quick information, give it to me fast type of situation, catch their attention. So, in that case, I would say maybe about three minutes, but your first five seconds should be the most powerful because if it's not interesting, people move on, right?

SPEAKER_02 29:36

And I imagine that if you're doing long content on YouTube, then there's the opportunity to create from that into the little snippets for the other social media channels.

SPEAKER_00 29:48

Absolutely, and if you're not, you should be doing it right now. Another thing that I would tell you is there's nothing stopping you from sponsoring yourself on YouTube. So a lot of people wait to get to that thousand subscribers or so many views before they become monetized, but that like there's so many more opportunities to make you know more revenue on YouTube by just creating your own content, putting a link to your you know, your discovery call, whatever it is, like your link to your book, whatever it is on there. And in fact, one of the things that we help our clients do is we're not looking for a million views, we're looking for the right amount of views from the right people. So when we create the content and we've curated emailing list of their target audience, we send that specific video to those people. So we might not get 2,000 like me views on YouTube, but we know that the folks that are actually the 20 that watch this are the exact people that we want need to watch it, so that's another way to, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:54

Yeah, that's a good way of thinking of it again. Yeah, changing that mindset for sure. Well, this has been informational. I knew it was going to be Victoria. I would love to give you the last word. What say you to those who are tuning in?

SPEAKER_00 31:15

Oh my goodness. So I would say try everything you can to I was gonna say get rid of the fear, but just do it, and the repetition would help you get rid of the fear. You see what I mean? Like do it. Get in front of the camera, and yes, you will be shaking, or you would like miss use not use the right words or say something, yeah. Just do it because the first, the second, the tenth, or the fifteenth time is not gonna be perfect, right? But in so doing, you're building the reps, you're getting better. And the other cool cool thing is that the quicker you start doing this, the quicker you get to learn what's working and what's not working, and the quicker you're able to pivot. And that in itself is probably the most um beneficial reason for starting. Because the more you do it, the more you learn what's working, the more you can quickly pivot rather than waiting to start.

SPEAKER_02 32:17

Wow, that's good stuff. And where can people find you, Victoria, if they're interested in learning more about what you do and how you can help them?

SPEAKER_00 32:25

We are active on all the major social media at Lim Studios, which is the name of my business. So Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and then on YouTube is also Limb Studios TV, actually. So yeah. If you type in Victoria Odeko Maya or Victoria Boss Lady or Victoria Bus Ladies, you're gonna pop up.

SPEAKER_02 32:51

It is not a common name, I don't think, in the US, is it?

SPEAKER_00 32:55

That is one of the advantages, and that's the reason why I'm leaning into it, too, for my personal brand.

Platform Features And Cross-Posting

SPEAKER_02 33:01

That's good. Well, I appreciate you so much. You are doing great things, and I appreciate you coming on and and really sharing the way you did, you know, very openly about some of the areas that can help us who are part of social media and really providing content for people to learn and grow. So I appreciate you. And until next time, you keep doing great things, and we'll see you soon.

SPEAKER_00 33:25

Thank you so much. You're welcome.