Marketing in the Wild

This week, Kat is hosting a special guest—her dad, Steven Combs, aka retroCombs! Steven shares how he turned his hobby into a content stream during the pandemic, sharing his love for retro computers through videos, and he emphasizes the importance of having fun and staying authentic while creating content.

Julia chats with Landon Wade, Owner at Goodson Clothing & Supply Co., and they are talking about all things swag and merch—like whether or not those are even the right terms to use! Tune in to learn whether or not you’re ready to order promotional items, how to choose the right swag for your audience and business, and more.

In this episode, Julia talks about getting ready for your holiday marketing (yes, in September!) and what to keep in mind. (And if you’re looking for more tips, make sure to revisit Episode 9: Preparing Your Social Media for the Holidays!)

Although our summer series is officially over, the inspiration from all the conversations these past few months remains with us. Julia shares some of her thoughts to close out the series.

Julia meets with Caitlyn Jennings, the owner and lead photographer at Wilder West Elopements. Caitlyn shares her journey as a wedding and elopement photographer based in Sedona, Arizona. Listen in to hear her talk about the flexibility and lifestyle benefits of owning her business and how she found her niche in elopements!

Episode 102: This week, Julia meets with Taylor Walden, the founder of Simple & Sentimental, a personalized gift business. Taylor shares her entrepreneurial journey from starting with calligraphy to pivoting into personalized stickers and gift boxes.

Episode 101: In this episode, Julia meets with Betty Gurerro, a licensed registered dietitian and owner of "Eat With Betty.” In this conversation, they cover the challenges of entrepreneurship, defining the "why" behind starting a business, authenticity in social media, and the rewarding feeling of empowering clients.

Episode 100: What better way to celebrate our 100th episode with some CHOCOLATE? In this episode, Julia chats with Jenni Farrow, owner and head chocolatier of Jenni’s UGLY Chocolates. Jenni shares her experience with earning accolades from renowned publications, embracing change, and seeking professional guidance to help grow her business.

Episode 99: In this episode, Julia chats with Elaine Kinney, the founder of White Pine Bath and Brew, to discuss her unique business of creating luxury vegan skincare, specifically palm-free soap made from local craft beer! Despite facing challenges like imposter syndrome, Elaine encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to take action and learn as they go.

Episode 98: In this episode, we meet Maggie, founder of Bodega, a subscription service for fresh produce in Elgin, Illinois. She talks about curating products from other small businesses in the area, surprising people with what they’re going get in their bags, and the mindset shifts that have kept her motivated and unwavering in pursuit of her dreams.

Episode 97: Kamea is the owner of Chosen Creative Stationery and the Utah Letter Writing Club. In this episode, she shares with Julia about being part of the first wave of Etsy sellers and the importance of shedding expectations imposed by societal norms to embrace your most authentic self.

Episode 96: Julia chats with Xochil, owner of The Chicago Pattern Maker, who helps businesses with their product development needs. Xochil talks about what it’s been like to be in business for 15 years, the challenges of building a team, her favorite parts about owning a business, and the importance of having community within your industry.

Episode 95: Join in on this week’s episode as we meet Therese, owner of the charcuterie board business Tricky Foods, and delve into her journey of building a business during the pandemic. She shares her experience using Instagram to establish her brand, the reason why she loves sales over marketing, and the most challenging aspects of being a business owner.

Episode 94: In this episode, Julia speaks with speech therapist and board-certified behavior analyst, Rose Griffin, about how she’s built her therapy product business through podcasting, course creation, TikTok, and more.

Episode 93: Julia chats with Christina O’Driscoll, co-founder of the New Growth Project, about her journey into nonprofit-hood: how she and her niece decided to start a nonprofit, why they went the non-profit direction, and what marketing a non-profit is like.

Episode 92: Julia meets with Katie Nelson, a live painter. What exactly is that? Tune in to find out! Together, Julia and Katie also talk about social media and what it’s like to have a “toddler”-stage business.

Episode 91: Julia meets with Chelsea Rose, the president and CEO of the Colleyville Chamber of Commerce in Texas. They chat about how Chelsea got to where she is, what it means to be a business leader, how joy is her business strategy, and the one key thing that makes businesses most successful.

Episode 90: This summer, Julia is meeting with several women business owners and highlighting their experiences and the road they’ve traveled to get to where they are. Tune in to this episode to learn more about the “why” behind this summer series. Whether you are a man or a woman, we hope that these episodes inspire you, encourage you, and maybe even teach you something new.

Episode 89: In this episode, Julia chats with fellow StoryBrand guide, Paige Worthy, about ethical copywriting and how your brand’s voice can humanize your marketing and show your customers that you care.

Episode 88: You may have heard about the Stratos lead generation machine before. In this episode, Julia shares the details of that process so that you can develop your own ways to attract, nurture, and grow your audience and community.

Episode 87: Julia chats with Virginia de Assis, a business coach and seven-figure entrepreneur about workaholicism, aligning your passion with your business, and doing what feels right to serve your business—even when it’s not what you’re “supposed” to do.

Episode 86: Do you feel like you have to run your business in a certain way or that you have to follow specific steps to achieve your business goals? In this episode, Julia talks about giving yourself permission to align your work with your values.

Episode 85: In this episode, StoryBrand guide Annie Schiffmann shares with Julia how she went from improv to marketing and what she's learned about simplifying the content creation process. Tune in to learn how you can also streamline your content creation with her PAGER method.

Episode 84: In this episode, Julia talks in depth about a recent product launch that failed, what she learned from it, and how she is moving forward!

Episode 83: Julia chats with fellow StoryBrand guide Susan Payton, founder of The Business of Stories, to talk about sharing stories: how they build deeper connections, help establish your value, and help attract your ideal customers.

Episode 82: Julia invites a special guest in this episode—her husband, Roger! Together, they announce a new business venture, how it came to be, and why it’s the perfect marketing case study.

Episode 81: Julia speaks with StoryBrand guide Katie Lantukh of Murphy Marketing on finding the balance between success and failure in our copywriting and brand messaging. They also talk about being more empathetic vs. fearmongering, having clarity on using words that mean what you truly want to say, and how compassion can help you serve both your customers and your team better.

Episode 80: In this episode, Julia goes down the rabbit hole (or rabbit trail?) on why she loves Liberty Mutual’s “Research Shows…” commercials and whether or not the “research” actually checks out!

Episode 79: Julia chats with Brooke Greening, a StoryBrand guide and co-owner of Building Momentum Resources, about marketing and sales: how do they differ from each other, why businesses need both as part of their overall strategy, and how to use them to connect with your customers.

Episode 78: It happens to the best of us—sometimes, it’s hard to feel creative or think of your next great idea. In this episode, Julia shares some ways that help inspire new ideas. It may seem contradictory, but tune in to see how she both consumes less and consumes more to be more creative!

Episode 77: Julia chats with Erin Gallagher, whose #hypewoman post went viral after the 2023 Golden Globes. In this episode, Julia and Erin discuss what we can learn about leaning into our own successes as women while supporting and celebrating other women doing the same.

Episode 76: Organic posts, boosted posts, paid ads—oh my! Julia provides an overview of these different ways you can strategize on social media: how to figure out when to invest in paid posts, the difference between boosted posts and ads, and why you should never stop posting organic posts.

Episode 75: Julia chats with fellow StoryBrand guide, Tami Enfield, about their experiences running social media companies. They also dive into why people are intimidated or overwhelmed to run their own social media accounts and how to use social media to achieve specific goals for your business!

Episode 74: In this episode, Julia talks about what #hashtagholidays are and how you can use them creatively and effectively for your social media marketing.

Episode 73: In this episode, Julia chats with Alexi Johnson, owner of the Cocktail Collective, whom she met at a local mixology class. Alexi shares her journey and experience as a black female business owner in Utah and what she's learned about marketing her collection of businesses.

Episode 72: Julia shares some really great content resources and tools that we use ourselves at Stratos for creating social media content. If you are DIYing your own social media, you can use all of these resources, too!

Episode 71: Julia speaks with Meg Kypena about brand archetypes: what they are, how they are different from personas, and how they're kind of like Enneagrams for businesses.

Episode 70: Sometimes you are too close to your own products or services to know what the best way to market is. Julia shares some examples on marketing that's needed to be tweaked, marketing that was scrapped, and marketing that has worked.

Episode 69: Julia chats with Cali Waege, a Pinterest marketer and founder of The Halcyon Hive. Tune in to learn about all things Pinterest: how to use it when you're not churning out weekly blog posts, whether or not it's considered social media, and the industries currently thriving on the pin-sharing platform.

Episode 68: Julia shares about the exciting projects Stratos has been a part of in 2022 and how we're grateful for being able to co-create with our clients!

Episode 67: In this special Christmas episode, the Stratos team shares about products from social media ads that have made it onto their holiday wishlists this year.

Episode 66: Julia speaks with Michelle Sell, a product marketing manager who has worked in the B2B, B2C, and B2B2C world. In this episode, learn about what all these letters mean and the differences between these marketing audiences!

Episode 65: If you're not already using hashtags, get on it! Every social media platform utilizes hashtags differently, but they are a powerful tool for your customers to find you. Julia takes a deep dive in this episode on how to use hashtags and how to brainstorm them for your business.

Episode 64: Julia speaks to VP of Marketing and Technology of Wausau Homes, Amber Gauge, about identifying who your customer is. You may be surprised to learn that your target audience might not actually be who you think it is!

Episode 63: Julia gets personal as she reflects on what it means to feel grateful, even when life feels hard.

Episode 62: Julia speaks to hand-lettering and mural artist, Hayley Barry, about how murals can play a unique role in a business's marketing, how most of history's fine art was a form of PR, and the difference between calligraphy and hand-lettering.

Episode 61: In this episode, Julia talks about the different marketing perspectives when it comes to using social media for your business. Tune in for examples of companies that don't use social media and for reasons to consider when figuring out if social media aligns with your marketing strategy.

Episode 60: Julia and fellow StoryBrand Guide, Schell Gower, take a deep dive into Schell's experience as a fractional CMO, the power in personal branding, and how one kink in your systems can cause a ripple effect in your marketing.

Episode 59: Stratos Operations Manager, Kat, talks about who exactly you should be following from your business Instagram account.

Episode 58: Julia chats with Karsen Murray about what ethical copywriting is and some best email marketing practices you might not expect!