Java with Jean
Elevate Your Brand
Multimedia Marketing - Funding Startups
Whether you work in creative digital media or not, marketing functions can be quite time consuming including digital media, content creation, social media, influencer and affiliate marketing, AI graphic design, and similar work it all requires engaging time and attention to detail. The creative content differentiates your work from others to elevate your brand. Maybe it’s a competitive product unique characteristics, benefits or features that separate your product from another’s. Knowing how to hire experts, manage team resources, build an award-winning brand, budget, and all forms of strategy to operations is critical to the successful outcome of running a startup business. This blog discusses what you need to know to elevate your brand using multimedia and startup funding.
As a small business owner, seeking to grow to your business and keep expenses low, is an everyday focus. While I’ve accomplished a lot on my own as a solopreneur in order to grow and achieve the startup results as a small business owner, I did turn to outside resources when needed. I sought after marketing professionals, subcontractors, freelancers, and other business partners to join my team with specific expertise in mind. The scope of work typically included but was not limited to their specific job title, role or responsibilities. I always ensure to outline a clear scope of work, timeline, and gain consensus on each project assignment to ensure success.
I continue to seek out industry experts in defined roles especially when I have a lot on my plate. The experts I’ve hired may have specific marketing niche expertise such as Creative Digital Marketing or Media, Influencer Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Merchandising, Event Marketing, and in other areas to support our needs, especially for my fashion brand. I’ve found that it’s often not possible to have one person manage all these tasks or activities under one roof, as one dedicated individual contributing member. Hence, I’ve broken down my business into key quadrants and manage marketing initiatives in buckets like this.
Creative Digital MarketingAdvertising CampaignsAffiliate MarketingInfluencer MarketingSocial Media MarketingGeneral & Event MarketingSEO MarketingGoogle Analytics/G4 InsightsB2C/B2B/B2D MarketingOther Marketing Initiatives
Now, I don’t think I need to explain these categories to anyone reading this blog but what I’ve learned is that if you break down specific initiatives you have a higher propensity to achieve company goals. I certainly still perform many of these tasks and still lead the creative branding process to ensure continuity but I have learned to delegate and have team collaboration. As a former sales executive in tech, publishing and media, I have managed teams of individuals offering mentoring, coaching and other forms of advice to help them grow in their careers. It has been self-rewarding as a leader as well.
It’s also helpful to assign tasks to individuals who are excited about the work they engage in, dedicated as a team resources focused on certain job responsibilities who collaborate to ensure overall success. These team members are the driving force supporting your creative vision and assisting with integrated marketing, backend systems support, driving conversions, generating new ideas, and so much more. Marketing is key to any startups success.
Since I launched a few brands, I first managed much of these initiatives by myself for several years. Certainly, no easy task to say the least, from product design, development, operational, production, sales, distribution, marketing, and so on as a sole proprietor. But as you grow your business(es), it’s strategically important to learn to delegate, subcontract, freelance, contract, outsource, and partner to break down the required tasks to be proficient and efficient to grow a sustainable business. How to manage the business and use smarting budgeting of funds and investor equity or capital.
It's not always easy letting go of the work when it’s takes time out of your day to coach and mentor others. However, when you realize that you are spending too much time and marketing dollars in certain areas, you’ll find this list requires critical attention, daily, managing startups and small businesses. Sometimes, you just need to use your best judgment and make a call where and when to spend your time and effort, and hope it will stick (work) to achieve the needed success. If it doesn’t, then you pivot and make changes “LIVE” and continue to move forward.
Finding the right person(s) is also just as important to getting these jobs done. A person with great social media marketing experience may not be as good at influencer marketing, as one example, or not quite as good at affiliate partner marketing. Know the differences how to build your team and the skills needed to get the jobs done is imperative. Hiring recruiters is a great resource which takes you away from weeding thru the stacks of resumes, and allows you to focus on other initiatives and then, qualify the top candidates. Money well spent.
You will know when enough is enough. It does take patience, coaching, mentoring, strong communications, and leadership skills to achieve business goals, and to obtain team collaboration with peak performance. It’s an ongoing challenge and process. Never-ending actually but that’s the exciting part – because change is good.
I find that these activities are like the “Juggler” where you are multi-tasking driving change, making change happen, as shared in my previous blog. Leading new business initiatives, to instill the highest quality in product, people, projects, and performance. Customer service has always been my #1 Motto. Don’t take your eye off the end goal when it comes to delivering strong marketing while driving your business towards success.
The next phase is funding. If you are seeking angel funding, or any other type of capital, then this information is for you. I started my businesses with sweat equity as a woman owned business and now am engaged in seeking angel investors to share in the success and growth of both my media and sustainable fashion businesses. Knowing how to invest those dollars in future products, people, and the management of the business is imperative for future growth. While the dollars may be broken down in diverse ways, growth can be achieved by investing time and dollars in specific areas. Of course, there are many other moving parts to the investor equation but if you are a serious investor seeking new partners in media and/or fashion, we’d love to hear from you (info@jeancrissmedia.com). Here are two short videos that describe our funding initiatives.
Learn more about startups and entrepreneurial challenges as you launch on future Java with Jean blogs that will cover IP, trademarks, Boards, GO local, SMART partnering, and much more. Join in our conversation over a cup of java, and let's discuss these topics together. I look forward to hearing your voice. Until our next blog topic, savor your cup of Java.
Java with Jean – a blog series featuring storytelling articles on Entrepreneurship by award-winning author, writer, innovator, and mediapreneur, Jean Criss. Jean is Founder and CEO of multiple e-commerce companies, has published 5 books sold on Amazon, and is passionate about sharing stories from the heart. Jean utilizes her depth and breadth of digital media through creativity and innovation as a global leader in tech, media, and fashion. Join in these engaging discussions on the Java with Jean blog series.
Contact Jean Criss at info@jeancrissmedia.com | JeanCrissMedia.com
