Moving Forward is also available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
James Stephan-Usypchuk is an entrepreneur who helps businesses move forward with social media marketing. Today, James will share what you need to know about making the most out of Facebook for your business in 2018.
Successes at a glance:
CEO and Founder of JSU Solutions.
Helping businesses grow and reach their ideal customers through social media.
James’ story:
James is a survivor. James had cancer when he was really young but thankfully, he fully recovered by age 4. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the experience left a permanent impression that would direct his future and career path. James’ recovery led him to start fundraising. From age 5 to 17, he spent his time and energy at recess and during lunch hour; bringing awareness to cancer research, raising $30k on his own. James didn’t know what an “entrepreneur” was at the time but something sparked something inside of him. Later, in school, James studied design and psychology. Following this, he did his time in the corporate world but this career choice didn’t fulfill him. As social media came to the forefront, James got hooked, becoming an early adopter of platforms like Twitter and Facebook and was an early user of Facebook ads (back when you had to apply for approval). James tied the pieces of his experience and education together and discovered his big why. James started doing freelance work, helping businesses create and optimize social media to grow their businesses.
James’ big why:
At the heart of it, James loves working with people; finding out what they’re passionate about and listening to their stories. Today, James helps businesses communicate their message thru social and digital media. James started out as a freelancer and later, went with the agency model. The agency model allows James to work with a group of clients, offering them a number of services to create marketing funnels. Through the agency model, James and his team are able to better serve their clients and help them reach their goals.
Biggest challenge today:
James shares that he and his team are pivoting. They have traditionally worked with large clients and contracts and are now focusing more on small businesses and entrepreneurs. The challenge is that every business is different and managing lots of smaller clients means understanding each and every one of their needs. There is no one size fits all. Going from 10-15 clients to several hundred presents the challenge of providing each one with the tailored service they need to achieve their goals.
Moving forward past that challenge:
James and his team are moving forward or rather thru this challenge, starting with their intake process. The key to matching their services with the right customers is to be picky. In that regard, they get to know all prospective clients, asking about the product or service, who the target market is and what their future plans are: 6 months out, 1 year out, etc. This allows James and his team to get a really good idea of who or what the business is and a basis to determine whether it’s a good fit. James describes the process as “going micro” and building the “bio persona” of the business’ target market.
Knowledge bursts:
Important considerations for Facebook marketing in 2018.
Every marketer or business marketing its products / services should have a code of ethics.
From a consumer standpoint, develop good media literacy: question what you see, scrutinize.
Finally, know that Facebook or social media marketing is about time. You have 3 seconds to capture someone’s attention. If they click on your website, that’s 15 seconds more. With each increment of time, you are building a sacred trust. Respect it and never breach that trust. Fulfill and deliver what you promise.
Advice to those who are new or haven’t been active on social media:
Everyone wants to be everywhere. Instead of focusing on the platforms, identify and understand who are you trying to speak to. From there, choose the appropriate platform: e.g. if you’re B2B, focus on Facebook and LinkedIn. Don’t spread yourself too thin just to be on every platform.
LinkedIn is a great opportunity to stand out in your branding and message for 2018. Storytelling about wins and losses is especially powerful.
How is James moving forward today:
Invest in people. James learned the hard way that you can’t do everything. As his company has grown, James has put together a team that is growing fast. As such, James is mindful to invest in the talent that works with him.
Support the Podcast:
The Corporate Cliches Adult Coloring Book: makes the perfect stocking stuffer or white elephant gift.
Try out Audible (affiliate link).
Try out Amazon Prime (affiliate link).
Who is James in five years?:
Future James will have a lot of success stories to share and many great service offerings for JSU’s clients. James sees his company serving the startup community in Montreal and Quebec. James also envisions a school where he can pass on his expertise and further scale the learning process for entrepreneurs and students. Finally, James sees that his team is growing, developing and happy with amazing career paths.
Parting wisdom:
“Don’t be afraid and to take risks. Entrepreneurship is all about risks. It can be very lonely sometimes but you’re going to be in this position of wanting to grow your brand or passion. The only person who is going to be your flag bearer is yourself. So if you’re on the fence and not sure what to do … do what I did and say ‘what the hell do I have to lose and just jump into it and trust yourself.’ There’s no better feeling than watching something you’ve worked so hard for literally explode before your eyes and then you have this amazing momentum to carry yourself forward for years to come.”
Connect with James:
Facebook – watch for the new JSU Accelerator
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