00:00:00 Thanks for joining us on Episode 5 36 of the inspired Stewardship podcast I'm Heather Hyman from Sweet Tea Social Marketing. I challenge you to invest in yourself, invest in others, develop your influence and impact the world by using your time, your talent and your treasures toe live out your calling. Having the ability to reach others is key. And one way to be inspired to do just that is to listen to this the inspired stewardship podcast with my friend Scott Mater. They want immediate access. They want feedback right away.
00:00:48 There are your competitors that maybe showing up more often than you. And so I think that a mistake I see is people just not wanting to make themselves vulnerable and just kind of wanting to again almost just stay how they imagined Business isn't Waas Welcome and thank you for joining us on the inspired stewardship podcast. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent and your treasures for your true calling in. The inspired storage of podcast will learn to invest in herself,
00:01:26 invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world. In today's interview with Heather Hyman, I talked to her about social media as a Christian in today's world. I asked her about how her business helping other Christian businesses succeed, works what mistakes those businesses make and what they should be doing differently. And I asked her about her own story in Journey that got her here today and lots more. One reason I like to bring you great interviews like the one you're gonna here today is because of the power in learning from others.
00:02:16 Another great way to learn from others is through reading books. But if you're like most people today, you find it hard to find the time to sit down and read. And that's why today's podcast has brought to you by audible Go to inspired stewardship dot com slash audible to sign up, and you can get a 30 day free trial. There's over 100 and 80,000 titles to choose from, and instead of reading, you can listen your way toe. Learn from some of the greatest minds out there that's inspired stewardship dot com slash audible to get your free trial and listen to great books the same way you're listening to this podcast.
00:02:58 Social media strategist and the Arthur of the Golden Rules of Social Media Marketing, Heather Hyman has over 20 years of combined experience in sales, social media and business consulting. She's the founder of Social Thrive Business Academy and serves clients internationally from Australia to South Carolina and has worked with such great brands as Chick Fillet and several chambers of commerce. Heather is also an international keynote speaker. She's the podcast host of Business Jesus and Sweet Tea, which I've had the honor of being a guest on. And she enjoys living in Colombia with her husband and three Children,
00:03:40 her real zone of geniuses helping businesses leverage the power of social media to increase their influence, increased their income and make an impact. Heather, welcome to the show. I am so excited to be here. Thank you so much, Scott. Absolutely. And a lot of the listers have told me, you know, they've got a dream inside themselves. I worked with a lot of folks that are either working on a side hustle or, you know, maybe they're in corporate, but they really want to be a small business owner,
00:04:10 So I wanted to bring you on because I think this area of social media and marketing in general but especially around the area of social media, is one that there's a lot of misconceptions about it. There's a lot of misunderstandings about it, and I know how good you are about it. And I've read your book, and it's by the way, that book is a great primer s I really wanted to have you on. So those folks that are kind of struggling in this area can help unpack a little bit more about social media.
00:04:37 And I know you've had a long career. You've helped a lot of different businesses. You've worked on your own businesses throughout the years. Would you share a little bit about your journey and how you've actually kind of invested in yourself and developed yourself over the years so that now you can turn around and help other businesses succeed? Yeah, absolutely. So you know it's awesome, because sometimes what we think we're going to dio in the future or quote when we grow up isn't quite exactly how it turns out. And the reality is I feel like what I'm doing feels like a dream,
00:05:08 and I feel like it's it's really better than anything I could drunk for myself. But if I go back the journey, I think it's so interesting because I it was a special education teacher turned ultimately ended up on this journey in 2000 working at a digital marketing agency where I was more so the project manager, the office manager and then I baked came over the course of around the two year process, moved into the graphic design department and then moved into the Web design department. So I kind of have this,
00:05:42 you know, on the job training in digital marketing before you and I, even what social media is now didn't even exist. And so that's really how I kind of got my foot into this space and then just fast forward with getting married and military moves and really leveraging the power of the Internet to stay connected with military moves that took us other places.
00:06:05 But still, I was virtually able to log in and help clients and work for people. It got me on this path of in 2011.
00:06:15 I went to graduate school, got a master's, and management and leadership had no idea what that really met of what I wanted to quote,
00:06:22 pursue. But what became was this experience of me saying, I'm trying to create a life that allows me to be the wife and mom I want to be.
00:06:30 What does that look like with all of this skill set? And so I pretty much kind of went back into this bucket of the Web design and graphic design experience I had,
00:06:40 and I saw a need in my community. So I developed a website that allowed busy families to find really fun stuff to d'oh.
00:06:48 But it gave them a digital resource to go find it. And so I began using Facebook and Twitter solely to grow.
00:06:55 What was Justin idea in my head to actually becoming a profitable business within about 60 days in what became just me meeting,
00:07:05 a need in having income became this process of businesses reaching out to me, saying, What are you doing?
00:07:13 Can you help me? And one of those was a position that came open with the chamber and so I can't running my own business.
00:07:21 I also worked for them part time, and I began growing their membership by using video and by using social media,
00:07:29 and they were getting results. And so we ended up moving from Kentucky, tow my hometown in 2000 and 14.
00:07:37 And so that's when I kind of reinvented myself again and said, I'm gonna take what I've had all this experience in combined with my background and digital marketing and sales,
00:07:48 and I'm going to now be ableto help businesses and brands that want to show up on social media well,
00:07:56 and it doesn't it doesn't matter where they live. I no longer need to just serve this 30 mile radius in Kentucky,
00:08:02 and so I pretty much then expanded to, also adding in Lincoln and Instagram. And then it's become my brand of sweet tea social marketing where I have just said,
00:08:12 You know, I love this. I love connecting people. I love building relationships because I think all great business connections and personal life are founded on having something solid and truly caring about people and showing up.
00:08:28 And so that's what I based my huge strategy and social media, and it's really just coming alongside, you know,
00:08:35 brands, businesses and nonprofits and helping them really be able to do that themselves. So a part of that journey has been saying,
00:08:43 I don't know everything. I mean, I did a lot of Googling and I did a lot of watching you two videos,
00:08:49 but I've also Scott invested thousands and thousands of my own money dollars by going to conferences, driving seven hours,
00:08:58 not knowing a soul at conferences and saying I'm leaving with a lot of new connections. Ah, lot of new information and getting out of my comfort zone And some of it's been online learning.
00:09:09 Some of it has been going face to face going to events, going to California and meeting up so personally.
00:09:17 Scott, I am always investing in growing myself. Even though my business has continued to grow. Is this era of what we're studying?
00:09:27 It is a culture of something that's always changing, so no one just evolves or has arrived. No matter their financial income.
00:09:35 We have to constantly be students of learning, and when you love what you d'oh, it's actually super fun.
00:09:43 So a couple of things I want to call out there it's interesting because one of the things I tell people the time is we usually can't that connect the dots in our journey by looking forward,
00:09:55 we connect the dots by looking back. You know, it's you talked about. I would never have dreamed I was in tough where I'm going,
00:10:01 You know where I am today and yet it's really cool that I'm here, you know, looking back on it,
00:10:06 there's kind of an arc and a journey to it. But as you are living in, I'm sure it kind of felt like,
00:10:10 Ah, what the heck is going on here? Where am I going? Ah, a little confusing.
00:10:15 A little intimidating, right? Yeah, very much so. I mean, in a little piece of that journey in between the I'm in this digital world and fast forward to I own a business kind of like in between there before we started having kids,
00:10:28 I was working for a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, and I'm like, What on earth does this have to do with anything?
00:10:34 But I was like the communicator with the parents. I was educating the parents. I was helping them feel comfortable that their kids were about to have surgery and then a big part of my job was going into the operating room,
00:10:47 recording spinal surgeries in doing all this video. And I'm like, What? I can't even watch like the Health Channel on TV,
00:10:57 And I'm standing here like operating like our video taping video and all this stuff in this operating room. This is crazy,
00:11:06 but I look back on how important video is now in what I'm doing, and I'm just going. I didn't understand that then,
00:11:12 but it just was keeping me, like in this loop of this, constantly realizing like this, technology is always evolving,
00:11:20 and it's changing and not to be scared to just keep learning. So, Heather, I know that you work with a lot of Christian business owners.
00:11:28 That's kind of one of your focus is, and you work with them on their social media strategy. You work with them on helping them grow their business.
00:11:37 Would you share some of the insights that you've learned working with, you know, a wide variety of businesses,
00:11:43 large and small, about what the what the owners are doing around growing themselves? I mean, either they're doing it well,
00:11:53 or maybe using gaps to that's that's probably an area where you seem both Yeah, so I think this is an interesting bind.
00:12:00 But I see a lot of businesses that if they self identify as small, they have this false perception that they have to create a video and content that looks super highly produced,
00:12:19 as if they have the ad budget or the marketing team of Starbucks and Target, when in fact the exact opposite is true that I think it is to their advantage that they don't have 79 executives and 15 people of red tape to be able to make a decision to say,
00:12:37 Boom, we're just gonna test this out for three weeks and see what this does and how this helps us on Twitter and they can just implement.
00:12:44 And that's a benefit rather than I think. Many of them think that it's a negative and to that same point,
00:12:52 having video that you just do with your phone. As long as you have content that's good. That can help people that allows yourself to maybe be vulnerable to show up to educate,
00:13:02 make people smarter, make them say, like, yes, I need that in my life. It doesn't necessarily matter that like the dog walks by in the background.
00:13:11 Or if the UPS guy honks the horn as he's driving by to make a delivery. You know, those are things that many business owners as I'm out and about talking with them,
00:13:22 that they feel that that is unprofessional. And it's because they're comparing themselves, everything they've watched on ABC and NBC News,
00:13:32 you know, for the last 20 years. So it's a shift that I feel that we're like right in the middle of that.
00:13:38 Many people are just kind of They have it wrong in their head, and it's really just they need to take a shift.
00:13:43 It's a mindset change. You know what's a limiting belief, too? I can totally still do this.
00:13:49 I can so show up. I can still thrive. I still can grow. And in fact, the things that they might think are a detriment,
00:13:55 I believe, is an asset. It makes him seem more human. I mean, you know, and again people don't really want to do business with nameless,
00:14:04 faceless entities. They want to do business with people, you know, um leased a large extent. You know,
00:14:11 there's that attraction of I I feel like I know this person because I'm actually getting to see a person.
00:14:18 It's one of the reasons why big companies have spokespeople, because now all of a sudden, you identify,
00:14:24 you know, good or bad, you identify their brand with that person. You know, sometimes that ends up biting him too.
00:14:29 But it could be a good thing. Thio, Um, so, yeah, that I think you're right.
00:14:35 And I will tell you, because I've been in the corporate world for a long time. I mean,
00:14:40 I did that gig, um, and now I tell people It's like when I'm coaching, I want to work with a business that has,
00:14:46 like, 0 to 5 employees, you know, just starting out, not yet grown real big. Maybe they do have a couple of employees,
00:14:53 but they're not there in that beginning stage. Not because there's anything wrong with growing a business to have 50 or 100 or 1000 employees,
00:15:01 but it's just that's not where I want to work with you. Once you get to that point, I'm gonna hand you off to somebody else,
00:15:05 you know, because I just I don't enjoy it, you know? So It's funny that, yeah,
00:15:11 that I think you're right. That that small mindset of thinking that's an evil thing when in reality it could be good is a big,
00:15:18 limiting belief for a lot of us. So kind of on that same note, and that may be one of them.
00:15:24 But what are some of the biggest mistakes that small business owners make when it comes to the actual social media and marketing piece?
00:15:33 Um, you know, is it just that that not being willing to put it out there unless it looks perfect or is there other things?
00:15:39 I think it's a couple of things. Some of the key things I No one would be. The idea of becoming vulnerable makes a lot of people uncomfortable.
00:15:50 And the reality is social media. Is this space where we are serving and showing up people that want instant gratification,
00:16:01 they want immediate access. They want feedback right away. There are your competitors that maybe showing up more often than you.
00:16:10 And so I think that's a mistake I see. Is people just not wanting to make themselves vulnerable in just kind of wanting to again almost just stay how they imagined business Isn't Waas in?
00:16:23 Just like hesitating with this shift, I believe that businesses can have in this era that is to their benefit.
00:16:32 Another one, I think, is a mistake. Is this concept of social media is on Lee gonna work if you are a super outgoing,
00:16:42 extroverted with a super bubbly personality And that that is the on Lee person or brand is gonna work for you,
00:16:52 you know? And yes is it may be easier for certain types of people to create certain types of content.
00:16:58 Is it easier for certain people to maybe to hit the record button t create that video? Of course.
00:17:05 But you know, life, I don't think is necessarily about always going the easy route. And I think that it's is putting yourself an unnecessary box when you say it's only gonna work for certain people.
00:17:18 So if you've got dry sense of humor, show up in your brand with your dry sense of humor.
00:17:23 But that doesn't mean that you can't still leverage video. It doesn't mean that you can't still show up and tell that story about what separates you from your competitors and use that to your advantage.
00:17:35 So Those are the two biggest May steaks that I see people making, and then the 3rd 1 It's almost may be the opposite of what you might think,
00:17:44 but I see many people saying social media is awesome and they go from nothing to quote wanting to be on seven social media platforms overnight and they get burnt out.
00:17:57 They don't have a strategy, and they look if I'm just being honest, they look average and pour on seven places because if you're just getting going,
00:18:08 that's super intimidating to try to be thinking about content seven platforms. So I like to tell people to just say,
00:18:16 Take that burden off of yourself, start somewhere and that somewhere should be the top platform where your idea audience spends the most amount of time and the platform that you would enjoy the most.
00:18:29 It's unless you're paying someone else to help you. If you just detest Twitter and that's the platform you choose,
00:18:36 it's going to be really hard for you to fake Twitter like all year long, so I think it's super important,
00:18:42 and I don't think people talk enough about it, but you need to get over your dislike of the platform and just,
00:18:48 like, educate yourself a little bit more, but it helps it. It's so much more fun and more beneficial to your audience if you like the platform that you're showing up on.
00:18:58 But you would be better served to show up 25 minutes a week and just dive in with amazing content just on lengthen,
00:19:08 then for youto have, like, two minutes worth of content on seven platforms. So it's that idea of filtering down and be awesome.
00:19:16 One or two places Yes, it of mediocre on 17 volume does not necessarily make up for, uh,
00:19:24 that that lack of quality. Yeah, so Heather in your book, The Golden Rules of Social Media Marketing and again a great resource for folks.
00:19:36 And I'll definitely have links to all of that in the show notes. You share about this idea that you know your customer craves clarity.
00:19:44 We've kind of been talking about the business owner up to this point, But can you talk about how you can help a business owner because I think a lot of times it's like as a business owners like,
00:19:54 yes, we know that customers want to know exactly Now, how the heck do I actually clarify my message?
00:20:01 So how are there some tips or some techniques or some tricks that business owners can use to kind of help them zero in and figure out?
00:20:08 What is that clear message that I need to be telling my client by customer? So I think it's this idea of simplicity and not from a People aren't smart,
00:20:19 you know. Some people are like people have the attention span of a goldfish. That's not what I'm saying,
00:20:24 but what I am saying that there is something to be said for being so clear in your marketing that 1/4 grader would understand it.
00:20:31 And that being said, when you think of your social media and you think of I'm trying to be able to be seen and be heard by my ideal people,
00:20:42 that it is so clear when someone lands on your lengthen profile that exactly what you do if you're an author,
00:20:50 if you are a speaker in like your number one income stream is trying to become a speaker, well,
00:20:55 that's not something that should be buried down like three paragraphs down on your summary like it needs to be bold.
00:21:03 Titled I am a keynote speaker. I am a video live video expert with that thing that you want to be seen as to be able to be recognized by those event planners are the pure person that you want to perceive that.
00:21:19 Hey, I need what you have. Even if you are the local restaurant that has that Southern comfort food in this particular city,
00:21:27 Just make it really clear exactly what you d'oh! I was, um I was teaching yesterday my college class on social media analysis,
00:21:35 and I had a screenshot of this brand called Sticker Giant and we're looking at their instagram profile. And I'm just talking to my college students that were mostly sophomores and juniors.
00:21:46 And I'm like, Okay, look at this Brands instagram feed. And who looked on Lee Don't look at their photos.
00:21:53 Just look at their bio at the top and literally the first sentence says something like We so stickers and labels like super clear.
00:22:03 Very boring. But like you need stickers, you need labels. This Brian called sticker trying can help you.
00:22:09 And so just may don't make people dig, because at the end of the day people when they're on social there,
00:22:17 scrolling there, just going. And so you've got to be, you know, scrolling stopped the scroll worthy.
00:22:25 And so your messaging needs to just be so clear on how you can help people. So just make yourself easily able to be quote found guilty of doing that thing.
00:22:37 If I can't go to your profile and see really right away how you help me, Well, then my next question is,
00:22:45 can I look at your last three posts and have any idea that what you tell me is so important?
00:22:51 And that's the type of people that you want to help our your last three posts, able to convict you of being guilty of doing that and serving people in helping people with that area.
00:23:02 So just make it really simple and easy on. This is how I help people, E. I think sometimes we we run into the trap of.
00:23:11 We try to be really, really clever with those sorts of things without, and then you know, somebody else will look at it and be like,
00:23:19 What the heck does this mean? You know, so is having a set of cold. I sometimes look at your stuff and and you know,
00:23:26 because I know I've been guilty of that where I thought I was being clever about something. And then later other people tell me,
00:23:33 Actually, no, I have no idea what that means. It's just confusing. It's not clever, you know.
00:23:39 But in my head it was like, What is really witty? You know, it's like, No,
00:23:43 because I'm thinking the example that used a sticker giant. We make stickers and labels. It's kind of boring,
00:23:49 but it tells me what you d'oh You know, it's not exciting, but cool. Okay, I need stickers.
00:23:55 I'm gonna call you. Um, you can follow Heather on Twitter, As at Heather Hyman spelled H u M A N.
00:24:05 She's also on linked in an instagram. Under that tag. Her website is sweet tea social marketing dot com,
00:24:13 and she goes under sweet tea social marketing on Facebook as well. I'll have lakes all of this over in the show notes.
00:24:19 Thanks so much. Thanks so much for listening to the inspired stewardship Podcast. As a subscriber and listener,
00:24:31 we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way toe Live your calling.
00:24:41 If you enjoyed this episode, please, please do us a favor. Go over to inspired stewardship dot com slash iTunes rate all one word iTunes rate.
00:24:56 It will take you through how to leave a rating and review and how to make sure you're subscribe to the podcast so that you can get every episode as it comes out in your feet until next time investor time,
00:25:11 your talent and your treasures develop your influence and impact world.