Ep. 51 Social Media with Lollie Moore
Brad Post, Create the Movement, host
Lollie Moore, The Unicorn Agency, guest
Brad Post, Create the Movement, host: Welcome back to Create the Movement podcast. This is Brad Post, and I am excited to be sitting with a new friend of mine. Can we be friends, Lollie?
Lollie Moore, The Unicorn Agency, guest: Yes, we can totally be friends.
The Unicorn Agency – ‘Likes’ Into Leads
BP: Lollie Moore with The Unicorn Agency. She’s here in Tulsa – social media specialist, online marketing specialist. Welcome to the podcast.
LM: Thank you. I’m excited to be here. Thank you guys for tuning in.
BP: You are in an exciting time in your business. Right? Launched The Unicorn Agency recently.
LM: Yeah, I just had a baby and the baby’s called The Unicorn Agency. We just launched and we handle social media marketing. We do consulting and website analysis. The goal is to help small businesses turn those ‘likes’ that they’re getting into leads.
BP: Awesome. Turn ‘likes’ into leads. I love it. So, tell me a little bit about your story. I know we talked before the recording.
LM: Well, I’m a professional unicorn. No. I came directly out of college with a degree in English. I spent a decade in the tattoo world.
BP: You said you were an award-winning tattoo artist.
LM: I am an award-winning tattoo artist and a multi-time cover model. So, I had this great tattoo adventure and loved every minute of it. Still do. Still tattoo. But I broke my leg really badly in 2014, and my insurance did not cover very much and I ran through my savings. And I thought, “What do I really love?” I’ve always loved advertising and marketing, and I started looking for a position that had a little more security. I went to work for a startup here in Tulsa, and was there for about a year and a half before kicking down the doors and coming out in a blast of glitter with The Unicorn Agency.
Exciting Marketing Trends
BP: That’s awesome. What’s one thing that’s really exciting in your business right now?
LM: I have to split it into two questions. One, I’m a tech geek. So, on one side I’m really excited about augmented reality and virtual reality right now, and what it does for business. And that’s just what I’m personally geeking out on. I think in the marketing world what’s really on fire is we’re all really familiar, if not almost jaded, by the idea of influencer marketing. But we’re really seeing this movement of micro-influencers and these smaller movements. And that’s supporting a local scene and a lot of situations. And I think it’s fascinating to see ‘no harm, no foul,’ but the death of the corporate spokes model and trust in a celebrity voice. These real-world people that are getting out there and sharing their experiences. The micro-influence sphere is really fascinating to me.
BP: That’s awesome. One thing that I wanted to ask that’s kind of off script, but we talked before, so you do a lot of consulting: website, SEO, social media. You also do workshops for individuals, or also for corporate. Right? Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
LM: Absolutely. Everybody has their own level of expertise in social media. In a sales position, and/or as a business owner, you’re trying to leverage every available channel to drive more sales. So, what we do in a workshop is go over best practices, you get examples in copyrighting, you walk away with a best-practices. After that, I’m available to you for Q & A pretty much until the end of time. We cover pretty much whatever it is that your particular needs are. So, if you are a Level 7 General Ninja, but you just don’t understand PPC, we can work on that. And if you’re just starting out with a brand new business and have to establish your presence, then we build an entire workshop around that. So, it’s very much a consumer concierge experience.
Lollie’s Favorite Productivity Tools
BP: Perfect. I like it. What is one productivity tool or software that you use every day? I’m sure there are multiple ones. We just did a Facebook Live video.
LM: If you just even discount Facebook and Twitter, I am Buffer fangirl. I’ve been a Buffer fan for a very long time. When I was working for this startup I onboarded them as well for their social media. It’s just a very user-friendly platform. They’re a super-friendly company, so if there’s ever a glitch they’re very great with customer experience which is really critical to me. And social media, especially if you’re a small business owner, you can’t stand there and be posting a new post every hour on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram. So, it allows you to be able to keep things in a cascade and moving along even while you’re doing your job. Their price point is really affordable for a small business. It’s something that they can see an ROI on.
BP: Absolutely. We use Buffer as well. I had a conversation yesterday: do you prefer Buffer over Hootsuite?
LM: Yeah, it’s such a user-friendly platform. And for people who have never been active on social media before it’s really great. The send you updates, a report card on how things are going. ‘High five’ is when things are really succeeding, and when you’re trying to motivate your sales team or your customer service team to engage. It’s really great. You hear that Buffer? Send me more things. I already have their socks and a lot of stickers.
BP: Really.
LM: I’m gunning for a hoodie now, guys.
BP: I think we got pens and stickers.
LM: I caught a typo on a video so I got socks. Gunning for the hoodie, though.
BP: Images on there, I think it’s called Pablo?
LM: Yeah. I’m not very familiar with Pablo. But speaking of platforms I use, I use Canva – canva.com. A lot of free templates, a lot of very inexpensive templates, and a quick turnover with a lot of very pleasing, contemporary layouts. And the dimensions already set up for you for whatever the format is that you need. And what I really like about them is, no offense small-business owners, but if I have to see another red and white sign, I’m just going to have to tear up everything. They really allow you to browse and find something that speaks to your brand and doesn’t look like the traditional cut-and-paste art.
BP: And you don’t have to have a degree in graphic design.
LM: No. And that’s such a great way to put it. You don’t have to have a degree. You go in, you upload your own photos, it’s a free service. You download them. You can even download them in high enough resolution for print models. So, it’s a great platform – Canva. I’d like to see Canva and Buffer get married and then we can all live happily ever after.
Startup Challenges
BP: What would you say is the biggest challenge that you’re dealing with in business these days?
LM: Well, I just started my own business. People. But that’s actually probably not even true before I was officially launched I already had my first consultation with a company out of New York. So, being on the grind, I’m not going to say really that the revenue or [] is a pain point for me right now. But I think getting my ‘why’ across enough the tech way is probably one of the biggest pain points. Everybody feel like they’re being sold on something. I just always want to make clear in my messaging that I’m not selling anything. I am offering my assistance in something so that I can help you grow. You’re paying for my time, yes I’m selling you a service, but it’s not the idea of getting better at something. I’m actually teaching you how to get better at something.
BP: That’s great. As long as you’re adding value to your clients it’s such a huge difference. You know? Rather than just a product, or whatnot.
LM: Yeah. And I think for a lot of the consumers that are the customers that I deal with – the business owners – I think going back to ‘likes’ to leads. The pain that they have thousands of followers, but they’re not just blowing out their doors with appointments. So, I think that conversion factors [are] probably the biggest pain point that I see, and I’m able to help them address that in their strategies to get those ‘likes’ into dollar signs.
BP: Without giving the ‘secret to your sauce,’ because they need to come to you, what are some things that you look at?
Engagement and Authenticity
LM: I definitely want to see engagement and authenticity. I did a super-short Facebook Live video before we got started and it’s just about being there, being present, and really telling your ‘why.’ I think Simon Sinek said, I didn’t coin this, but your ‘why’ is your everything. I think that really is the ‘secret sauce.’ Making sure that message is consistent and that you’re offering value. Too often people just want to advertise and they compare it to a used car salesman. Ads from the Eighties: yelling at you and flailing their arms. Nobody wants to hear that.
But if you can approach your consumer and explain why you add value to their life, you have a consumer for life. If you add good customer service into that, they’re now worth ten times what they were from the moment you said ‘Hello.’
BP: I think it would be so much better to invest online or in social media, then one of those blow things with the creepy hands.
LM: Yeah, those dancing, flailing arm guys! I would like one of those just for funsies. But I can’t say if I’ve ever seen one and felt motivated to support that business. “You know what? They’re smart. I need to go get whatever blowout sale they have going on.”
BP: They’ve got balloons out! Or, the dressed up people on the side of the street waving to you.
LM: I am impressed by the sign-turning skills. That’s pretty neat.
The Best Business Advice Ever Received
BP: What would you say is the best business advice that you’ve ever received?
LM: I always have more than one answer for everything. It’s so sad. On a short form, my friend Jerald Barkley who I had the pleasure of working with for a short time. And I’m very happy to call a friend for life, told me to “wear the bastards down.” When you have the data on your side and you know what you’re talking about don’t allow anyone to push you past the point of what you know you deserve and what you’re going for. And that really gave that something that I keep in my back pocket. And when I feel a little beat down I just remember that.
But, Simon Sinek’s work for you ‘why,’ is the other side of that. I know I can wear them down because my ‘why’ is what I’m working for. It’s not that I want to charge you $100 to do a workshop so that I can go shopping and buy new shoes. My ‘why’ is I want to educate you so you can make so many more people happy with your product or service, and that you’re able to provide for your family. And support a community as we’re seeing these monoliths: JC Penney, Macy’s, Nordstrom, closing down. There’s an opportunity for ‘mom and pop’s’ to come back and have this resurgence and I want to be able to help them do that.
Lollie’s Favorite Books and Podcasts
BP: That’s good. You mentioned Simon Sinek. Are there some books that you would recommend to our listeners? Like his books start with ‘why.’
LM: Yeah, yeah. His books are really great. I like ‘The Four-Hour Workweek’ series. It’s an interesting concept. I think it tells you a lot about time management and when someone’s thinking about going into business for themselves, it really gives some insight.
Timothy Hughes, who I mentioned earlier, has a book called ‘Social Selling.’ He breaks down how this is one of the most impressive and high-converting tools we have at our disposal. As you can you can connect with a C-Suite on Twitter and create a conversation or relationship. But, whereas before, you had to get through three gatekeepers: a secretary, a marketing director. So, his book ‘Social Selling’ is really amazing. Ryan Deiss, I’m always afraid I mispronounced his last name, ‘The Invisible Selling Machine.’ It’s a short read. It’s really great and it explains why you need to have an email campaign. It’s not just about social; it’s about all the electronic media.
BP: I get his emails every day.
LM: It’s obnoxious, but you know exactly who I’m talking about. There’s great takeaways and I definitely be taken too literally and to the extreme, but it’s moldable to you your business. For a lot of small business writers, I think a great book to have on hand is Ann Handley’s ‘Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content.’ It’s very simple and it takes the stress out of it. So often, small-business owners, even experienced marketers, we all look at that blinking cursor and just want to throw the screen out the window. You just don’t know where to start. You feel overwhelmed. And there’s a lot of really great tools and tips in there, as well as insight into writing content that’s sticky – that actually works and sticks with your client.
BP: That’s good. Are there any podcasts that you listen to often, or would recommend to our listeners?
LM: Yeah. I like ‘Louder than Words’ which is John Bonini. And again, it’s so strange to try to pronounce these names correctly because I’m always afraid I’m going to embarrass myself and say them incorrectly. But his stuff, the name speaks for itself. It’s about being louder than just the copy that you’re creating. And it really is effective for project runners, anybody that’s in the creative field of any, graphic design, anything.
I also like Ryan Hanley’s ‘Content Warfare.’ He talks to some really great content creators and influencers and just amazing, inspirational people in such a very casual platform that the people are at ease and you really feel like you’re a part. Much like this, I hope that the listeners feel like they’re part of the conversation instead of just being preached to.
BP: Absolutely. That’s good. You’ve got Facebook – The Unicorn Agency. Right?
LM: Yes.
BP: We mentioned it earlier, but you’re working on some videos that are going be on.
LM: Yeah, yeah. The Unicorn Agency May Project is a Tip a Day for May. Each day is going to be a short video tip on how to leverage your social media to build your presence. That’s going to be May’s focus. Each month is going to have a different focus on what you can be doing little by little to start to build this up. And that is applicable for anybody that is into marketing themselves. Whether that’s their profession, or they’re marketing as a performer or a producer of a show. The things that people tend to overlook, or you don’t know what you don’t know. Since I bury myself in best practices I like to pass along those little tidbits.
BP: That’s awesome. A Tip a Day in May that you’ve got be following on Facebook?
LM: But you’ve got to be following me on Facebook at The Unicorn Agency. And my Twitter will be going live soon, as well. We also have the website. It’s getting built right now and it will be announced. So, you guys have got to follow me on Facebook and be sure to talk to me on Twitter @lolliecake. I do the Sales Hacker Chat on Twitter every Tuesday. It’s a really great Twitter chat on Tuesday mornings 11 Central Time. The host, Jordan, has people across all different branches of media and marketing. It’s a really great time. It’s a really great conversation to jump into and always great takeaways.
BP: You’re also Lollie Moore on LinkedIn.
LM: Yeah, yeah. Good old-fashioned LinkedIn. You can find me there and my account is public if you want to connect. I’d be happy to meet you. If you guys have any questions feel free to reach out to me with them. Or, ideas, or suggestions? If you just want to tell me a joke. I love jokes, too.
BP: All right. Lollie, thank you so much for being here.
LM: I appreciate you having me Brad. It’s been fun.
