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Effective Online Marketing for Small Businesses with Crystal Vilkaitis · The Confident Entrepreneur With Jennifer Ann Johnson

• 0:37
  Jennifer Johnson: When we think of customer service, we usually think about in-store and in-person.
• 0:40
  Jennifer Johnson: However, with so many transactions happening online, we really need to give some serious thought about how we're showing up online.
• 0:47
  Jennifer Johnson: Whether it's a simple response to a Facebook or Instagram question, or maybe a DM or an email or a Google review, we send and respond to customer issues online all the time, just like in the store.
• 1:01
  Jennifer Johnson: Online, we also need to be at the top of our game.
• 1:04
  Jennifer Johnson: This week's podcast is dedicated to how we show up online and how we can translate great customer service online just as we do offline.
• 1:12
  Jennifer Johnson: Please join me in the conversation, so let's get started.
• 1:18
  Jennifer Johnson: Today, we welcome back into the studio Crystal Vilkaitis.
• 1:20
  Jennifer Johnson: She is the owner of Crystal Media.
• 1:22
  Jennifer Johnson: She's a world-class social media expert, a powerful speaker who helps small businesses shine online and bring their unique brilliance to local and global masses.
• 1:33
  Jennifer Johnson: Welcome back.
• 1:34
  Jennifer Johnson: Thank you, jennifer.
• 1:36
  Jennifer Johnson: I'm thrilled to be back.
• 1:37
  Jennifer Johnson: I am excited to talk about this topic because online is where we're at.
• 1:41
  Jennifer Johnson: We've been there for some time.
• 1:43
  Jennifer Johnson: It changes every so often as to where everybody's interest is lying or where we should be putting our interest, but ultimately, what is maybe one or two of the most important online marketing strategies that a business of any size really can have.
• 2:00
  Jennifer Johnson: And I know we focus a lot on small business because that's you know, I don't even know what the number is, but like 90% of our country.
• 2:08
  Jennifer Johnson: But what are some strategies?
• 2:11
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Yeah, okay, so you have to have some sort of online presence.
• 2:16
  Crystal Vilkaitis: I mean, this is where the consumer is turning to find products and services to buy.
• 2:20
  Crystal Vilkaitis: They're going to their mobile device.
• 2:22
  Crystal Vilkaitis: If you have physical goods, you're a retailer.
• 2:28
  Crystal Vilkaitis: We're searching for black boots near me.
• 2:32
  Crystal Vilkaitis: It's intent-based, it's what do I need right now, and you need to be showing up for those things.
• 2:37
  Crystal Vilkaitis: If we're searching to go out to eat, to find a chiropractor, whatever, we're going to our phones, and so we're really wanting to get that information easily.
• 2:46
  Crystal Vilkaitis: So, as a small business owner, you've got to make sure that you know exactly what your customers, what are they searching for?
• 2:54
  Crystal Vilkaitis: What are they putting in Google to find what you sell and are you actually optimized for those things?
• 2:59
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Are they going to find you?
• 3:00
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Define what you sell and are you actually optimized for those things?
• 3:02
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Are they going to find you?
• 3:03
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Of course, from a search engine optimization standpoint, with your keywords, your descriptions, your titles, that's kind of like the backend stuff.
• 3:09
  Crystal Vilkaitis: But you also have to have a really solid front end for your brand, a consistent brand that clearly communicates your promise.
• 3:18
  Crystal Vilkaitis: How do you help people?
• 3:20
  Crystal Vilkaitis: What can they expect working with you?
• 3:22
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Is there a transformation that they'll see?
• 3:25
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Is there a guarantee?
• 3:27
  Crystal Vilkaitis: What is your unique value proposition?
• 3:30
  Crystal Vilkaitis: And I think that a lot of small businesses can skip that step.
• 3:34
  Crystal Vilkaitis: We're just so excited to do our business and connect with people and to sell and be an entrepreneur or be a business owner that we put, put our stuff online and then you, a customer, can go to your site and be like, I'm not really sure what they do, I'm not really sure if this is right for me.
• 3:51
  Crystal Vilkaitis: You know so copy as frustrating for some, like I know that that's hard writing.
• 3:58
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Good copy that connects with people, that immediately they can say, yes, this is exactly what I'm looking for.
• 4:05
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Or, ooh, tell me more.
• 4:06
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Like I need to learn more about this.
• 4:08
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Um, it's going to come from your copy and you've got to be consistent across the board with the messaging and the look and the feel.
• 4:16
  Crystal Vilkaitis: So, whether that is social media, that's your, your um.
• 4:20
  Crystal Vilkaitis: If you sell online e-com if it's your online site, you don't sell online more like a brochure information.
• 4:27
  Crystal Vilkaitis: If you have local listings anywhere that has your information online, it's got to be consistent, and so that's a starting point and that's really foundational Some of these foundational things that we skip over or we haven't checked in on in a while.
• 4:45
  Crystal Vilkaitis: So I want to make sure that they've got their messaging Use.
• 4:49
  Crystal Vilkaitis: You know, if you're not a copywriter, if you don't have a budget to hire a copywriter, using AI can help write this for you.
• 4:56
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Chatgpt is my preferred.
• 4:58
  Crystal Vilkaitis: There's a lot of different options out there, but that can be a great tool to write this copy and you want to address pain points so people really resonate.
• 5:07
  Crystal Vilkaitis: They're like oh yeah, I'm struggling with that, and then you want to say so that you know like you want that transition, you're feeling this and so that how I'm going to help you.
• 5:17
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Now the solution on how I help you and then also copy that I really appreciate from brands is when they say who this is not for.
• 5:27
  Crystal Vilkaitis: You know like really calling out who, who is this for, who is it not for?
• 5:33
  Crystal Vilkaitis: How we help you, and then integrating reviews, testimonials.
• 5:39
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Integrating reviews, testimonials, customer proof, case studies.
• 5:45
  Crystal Vilkaitis: All of that is really important to have from an online perspective, because I haven't met you yet.
• 5:48
  Crystal Vilkaitis: I have to build the trust, and a lot of that trust comes from hearing from your customers.
• 5:55
  Jennifer Johnson: I love that.
• 5:56
  Jennifer Johnson: You said you need to check in A lot of people.
• 6:00
  Jennifer Johnson: You know our businesses are not crockpots.
• 6:02
  Jennifer Johnson: People.
• 6:02
  Jennifer Johnson: You know it's not a fix and forget kind of thing.
• 6:06
  Jennifer Johnson: You know make it a point to do it quarterly, to go back in and, okay, what do I have on my website?
• 6:13
  Jennifer Johnson: Is that still consistent with?
• 6:14
  Jennifer Johnson: Not that it's going to change every quarter, but just to do a double check because we don't see it always in the first go around.
• 6:22
  Crystal Vilkaitis: It's true, and the customer is changing very fast.
• 6:25
  Crystal Vilkaitis: So what they're searching for, what they need, how they say things to you, is it congruent to what's on your website?
• 6:37
  Crystal Vilkaitis: You have to speak the language that they're speaking, and that's one thing that some professional brands might do, like lawyers or doctors or dentists might have certain copy that they're using that just completely doesn't resonate.
• 6:49
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Say things how your customer would say it.
• 6:52
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Really, talk to them.
• 6:53
  Crystal Vilkaitis: I don't know the exact level, but I think that most copy is supposed to be written to where fourth grader could understand it.
• 7:03
  Crystal Vilkaitis: That's not good as well, yeah, so make sure that it is very understandable, but it's got to connect.
• 7:09
  Crystal Vilkaitis: That copy's got to connect with them.
• 7:11
  Jennifer Johnson: And, like you said, you could use AI to help you if you're stuck, Because I know we can all get into the lingo that we have in our businesses.
• 7:20
  Jennifer Johnson: Like you mentioned a doctor or a lawyer, they're going to have lingo and those of us that are not doctors or lawyers may not have a clue.
• 7:28
  Jennifer Johnson: If they're trying to talk to us in their lingo.
• 7:32
  Jennifer Johnson: We're not going to have a clue what they're saying.
• 7:34
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Exactly, and it's going to be a roadblock right there.
• 7:36
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Yeah, and sometimes we like to have catchy things, like fun kind of cutesy things, and those can work well in certain places and depending on how we're using it.
• 7:51
  Crystal Vilkaitis: But it could be confusing for the customer and, as Don Miller says, one of my favorite business coaches confuse you lose.
• 8:00
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Miller says one of my favorite business coaches confuse you lose.
• 8:02
  Crystal Vilkaitis: So you know, if you're like we've got this seven part framework and we call it the butterfly effect framework or so I'm making up I'm not good on the fly, I'm making this up and, uh, you know, and they're like, and we take you through the wing of this and the all this fun stuff that we do with you, and you're reading this and you're like, oh, this sounds so complex, like overwhelming.
• 8:21
  Crystal Vilkaitis: No, thanks, I don't want that.
• 8:24
  Crystal Vilkaitis: This sounds like work, you know.
• 8:26
  Crystal Vilkaitis: So just be careful with some of those things too.
• 8:28
  Crystal Vilkaitis: It should be like three steps, very easy, on how we support you, speak the language to me, connect, let me hear stories through your customers, um, so I can quickly identify if I should work with you or not.
• 8:42
  Jennifer Johnson: And I love that you mentioned Donald Miller, because that was going to be something that I was going to bring up, and he wrote a book Brand Story.
• 8:51
  Jennifer Johnson: Yeah, Story.
• 8:53
  Jennifer Johnson: Brand, story Brand, and it's all about you're not the hero as the business owner.
• 8:57
  Jennifer Johnson: You are not the hero.
• 8:59
  Jennifer Johnson: Your customer is the hero.
• 9:00
  Jennifer Johnson: You are the guide, yep, and that's all about finding those pain points that they have and then helping them.
• 9:08
  Jennifer Johnson: You guide them to your solution, kind of thing.
• 9:11
  Crystal Vilkaitis: So I'm glad you brought that up.
• 9:13
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Yes, it's so true.
• 9:14
  Crystal Vilkaitis: A lot of businesses are like look how amazing I am, I can help you.
• 9:19
  Crystal Vilkaitis: I am here, yep, and that's as a resident.
• 9:23
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Nobody cares.
• 9:23
  Crystal Vilkaitis: They're like, no.
• 9:25
  Crystal Vilkaitis: So one thing that I teach a lot of our retailers to do is go to AI.
• 9:32
  Crystal Vilkaitis: I use Chetchu PT and put in list the top five pain points my customers have.
• 9:38
  Crystal Vilkaitis: I am a fill in the blank.
• 9:40
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Whatever kind of business you are and I kind of keep it broad to begin with Don't feed it information of.
• 9:45
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Here are some of the examples of pain points.
• 9:48
  Crystal Vilkaitis: No, I want it to just see what it comes up with on its own, because it's hard to see the picture when we're in the frame.
• 9:54
  Crystal Vilkaitis: And AI could come up with some of these pain points that you are like oh, yes, I deal with this almost daily with my customers.
• 10:02
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Then you go to your website and you're like oh, we haven't even talked about it, we're not even pressing it, we're not even talking about it in our social media, our email.
• 10:11
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Like use AI to also help make sure that you're hitting those pain points, and then you could go deeper with different prompts and get more information with it.
• 10:20
  Crystal Vilkaitis: But that's a really good starting point to make sure that you are addressing the pain of your customers.
• 10:27
  Jennifer Johnson: Is your closet overflowing, or maybe your kids' closets are as well, or maybe you just want to redecorate your house.
• 10:32
  Jennifer Johnson: If you're wondering what to do with all that stuff that you've accumulated, bring it all to True Fashionistas, or even ship it to them for free.
• 10:40
  Jennifer Johnson: They'll sell your unwanted items for you, take away all the hassle by doing all the work, and all you have to do is sit back and collect your money.
• 10:46
  Jennifer Johnson: You can reach out to them online at truefashionistascom.
• 10:50
  Jennifer Johnson: Come into the store or check them out on Facebook or Instagram, and that's truefashionistascom.
• 11:00
  Jennifer Johnson: All right, friends, we are back in studio with Crystal Vilkaitis and we are talking about how to market your business online.
• 11:03
  Jennifer Johnson: We were just talking about as the business.
• 11:05
  Jennifer Johnson: You are not the hero, I'm sorry to tell you.
• 11:08
  Jennifer Johnson: You're not the hero.
• 11:09
  Jennifer Johnson: Your customer is, and you're just there to guide them.
• 11:13
  Jennifer Johnson: So, as you're guiding them, how can we use the power of social media?
• 11:18
  Jennifer Johnson: Because everybody's on it?
• 11:20
  Jennifer Johnson: We have this every day like this.
• 11:22
  Jennifer Johnson: We are on our phones all the time.
• 11:26
  Jennifer Johnson: How can we use social media to really engage with our customers, and not always?
• 11:32
  Jennifer Johnson: I'm going to let you take it from there.
• 11:34
  Jennifer Johnson: I have an opinion, but I'm going to Totally.
• 11:38
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Well, okay, so I've been teaching social media for over a decade and a lot of the businesses I work with there's a lot of resistance when it comes to social media for a lot of different reasons, but ultimately it's often fear.
• 11:50
  Crystal Vilkaitis: We do have a fear of putting ourselves out there, of what people will think of the content, of messing up, of how we look, of how we sound, of success, of failure, of so many different things, and so we don't make social media a priority.
• 12:04
  Crystal Vilkaitis: It's back burner.
• 12:05
  Crystal Vilkaitis: And then we often say, oh, I don't have time, and it feels like it's this daunting task that I have to do.
• 12:13
  Crystal Vilkaitis: And there's a lot of frustration around social media.
• 12:16
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Not everybody.
• 12:17
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Some people love it and they do such a great job, but majority of the people I've seen for over a decade it's like, oh, it's this I have to do.
• 12:26
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Yeah, again, oh, my God, you're telling me I have to do this every day, multiple times a day, like no, and so I am very much a believer that you can do other forms of marketing and still be successful.
• 12:39
  Crystal Vilkaitis: It's not only social media is the only way for you to be successful, but the thing is, like you said, jennifer's, people are on their phones every single day.
• 12:48
  Crystal Vilkaitis: We are going to sleep with our phones.
• 12:50
  Crystal Vilkaitis: We're waking up with our phones.
• 12:52
  Crystal Vilkaitis: So now we have an opportunity to get in bed with our customers, like where they spend their time.
• 12:59
  Crystal Vilkaitis: They're scrolling when they watch TV, when they're in lines, when they're at work this is where they show up.
• 13:03
  Crystal Vilkaitis: The average person spends three hours and 16 minutes on their cell phone.
• 13:08
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Gen Z spent that's a day.
• 13:11
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Gen Z spends over six hours a day.
• 13:14
  Crystal Vilkaitis: That's crazy, crazy.
• 13:16
  Crystal Vilkaitis: It's crazy.
• 13:18
  Crystal Vilkaitis: So, but this is where the attention is right, and so, instead of the, I have to use social media.
• 13:25
  Crystal Vilkaitis: You get to use social media, like.
• 13:28
  Crystal Vilkaitis: You get the option, the ability to show up to your customers where they are, wherever they are, on a platform that they use every single day, multiple times a day, and so marketing all of a sudden has become so much easier to build relationships with your customers.
• 13:46
  Crystal Vilkaitis: They get to know who you are and when.
• 13:49
  Crystal Vilkaitis: We are learning about people and we keep consistently seeing them show up on our feed.
• 13:54
  Crystal Vilkaitis: We start resonating, we start liking them, we want more, we start trusting them, and this is how we can build these lifelong customers.
• 14:03
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Now you can also, especially from a product perspective.
• 14:06
  Crystal Vilkaitis: We're doing a lot of shopping here as well, and so I can be.
• 14:10
  Crystal Vilkaitis: The algorithm delivers me the right kind of information based on what it knows of me.
• 14:14
  Crystal Vilkaitis: And if you've got these, you know I'll go back to the black boots.
• 14:18
  Crystal Vilkaitis: You know awesome black boots.
• 14:20
  Crystal Vilkaitis: You're doing a TikTok live and I see I'm like, oh my gosh, that's exactly what I'm looking for.
• 14:24
  Crystal Vilkaitis: I might not even know this retailer, but I'm going and I'm hitting that buy button.
• 14:29
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Shopping is just exploding, especially through, like, social commerce is exploding, especially through TikTok shops, and so we get the ability to connect.
• 14:40
  Crystal Vilkaitis: I think that it's really important for businesses to keep that in mind and to again going back to the pain points.
• 14:46
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Talk about your customer's pain through social media.
• 14:50
  Crystal Vilkaitis: It's not all about you.
• 14:52
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Here's my promotion, here's my sale, here's my event, here's what we do now, like that.
• 14:58
  Crystal Vilkaitis: That is noise.
• 15:00
  Crystal Vilkaitis: People are going to scroll past.
• 15:01
  Crystal Vilkaitis: That it's gotta be about.
• 15:03
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Oh, you have a pain point.
• 15:05
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Here's how I can solve it.
• 15:06
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Talk about your customers.
• 15:08
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Give them tips.
• 15:09
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Talk about trends like give more rich information that really connects to them.
• 15:14
  Crystal Vilkaitis: The algorithms are getting so much better that they'll deliver that kind of content to the right type of people that they will actually watch that content and engage with it if it resonates to them, and the only way it's going to resonate is if it's about them, if it's for them.
• 15:28
  Crystal Vilkaitis: So I want you know I'm definitely have a goal here to help change the mindset around social media and and the other.
• 15:37
  Crystal Vilkaitis: The final thing I'll say about it is that it doesn't have to take a lot of time.
• 15:40
  Crystal Vilkaitis: There is definitely a misconception that social media has to take hours a day.
• 15:45
  Crystal Vilkaitis: It doesn't.
• 15:47
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Some of the best performing content right now on all the top platforms Instagram, facebook, tik TO TikTok is just talking to the camera, like do a walk and talk.
• 15:57
  Crystal Vilkaitis: You know you could sit here, just face it, and that takes you a minute or less.
• 16:01
  Crystal Vilkaitis: You know like it's so quick.
• 16:04
  Crystal Vilkaitis: You can add your captions.
• 16:05
  Crystal Vilkaitis: You can add, you know, if it is I, it's a video base, so I would add those auto captions so people can read it along with what you're saying.
• 16:13
  Crystal Vilkaitis: If they don't have audio turned on cause most people don't have audio turned on add your quick caption and then you've posted, you've connected, um, so it's just there's.
• 16:21
  Crystal Vilkaitis: There's scheduling tools.
• 16:22
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Ai can help write some of this for you.
• 16:24
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Ai can come up with content ideas for you.
• 16:26
  Crystal Vilkaitis: It can map out an entire 30 day, month long strategy of what to post where, and here's the picture you'll get.
• 16:32
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Here's the video you'll do.
• 16:33
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Follow that guide, schedule it.
• 16:36
  Crystal Vilkaitis: It does not take hours a day to do your social.
• 16:40
  Jennifer Johnson: And I will attest to that a hundred percent.
• 16:42
  Jennifer Johnson: And I laugh because we talked about people like I don't want to be on camera, I don't want to do this, and literally.
• 16:51
  Jennifer Johnson: So I full disclaimer here.
• 16:52
  Jennifer Johnson: I do work with Crystal Media I have for many years, and Grecia is who I work with and I was literally just having a conversation with her and we were mapping out a strategy for one of my companies and she's like you're never on video.
• 17:06
  Jennifer Johnson: She called me out.
• 17:09
  Jennifer Johnson: She's like you're never on video.
• 17:11
  Jennifer Johnson: And it's not for the lack of me.
• 17:14
  Jennifer Johnson: I don't mind being on video, it's just I have all these other things that I'm doing and I'm like, oh my gosh, you're right, I may show up on video for one company, but not the other.
• 17:24
  Jennifer Johnson: Why, I don't know why.
• 17:27
  Jennifer Johnson: So I made it a goal.
• 17:28
  Jennifer Johnson: Okay, I put it on my planner.
• 17:30
  Jennifer Johnson: It's actually on my wall, so I do it.
• 17:33
  Jennifer Johnson: Show up on video once a week for that company.
• 17:37
  Jennifer Johnson: Sometimes it takes somebody else from the outside to step in and say you're not doing this, why are you not doing this?
• 17:44
  Jennifer Johnson: And then you do it.
• 17:47
  Jennifer Johnson: And there's something about video.
• 17:48
  Jennifer Johnson: People like to see people on video, whether it's live or recorded.
• 17:54
  Crystal Vilkaitis: It's so true.
• 17:55
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Video is the name of the game.
• 17:56
  Crystal Vilkaitis: We're recording this in the beginning of 2024, and it's the name of the game for social media, and it is the way that you have the opportunity to beat out your competitors, whether it's the person down the street or it's big box, because the majority of people aren't leveraging it, they don't feel comfortable, they don't have a Gracia who's reminding you to do it.
• 18:20
  Crystal Vilkaitis: That's looking at again.
• 18:22
  Crystal Vilkaitis: It's hard to see the picture when you're in the frame.
• 18:24
  Crystal Vilkaitis: So, having that support, giving you those ideas, big boxes are just not going to be.
• 18:29
  Crystal Vilkaitis: They can't they, they can't have that person that you build that relationship with.
• 18:34
  Crystal Vilkaitis: So this is where I just feel like independence and small businesses just have a massive opportunity.
• 18:40
  Crystal Vilkaitis: And there's a lot of headlines right now about personal branding.
• 18:44
  Crystal Vilkaitis: You're hearing so much about personal branding.
• 18:46
  Crystal Vilkaitis: You're hearing that the brand is dead.
• 18:48
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Don't focus on a brand.
• 18:50
  Crystal Vilkaitis: It's all about the personal brand, the PR, the people or the person behind the brand, and you've got to showcase them and there's power in that.
• 18:58
  Crystal Vilkaitis: I don't necessarily feel that the brand is dead.
• 19:01
  Crystal Vilkaitis: I actually think that there's a lot of opportunity for small businesses to create a brand, to have the messaging, to create a brand people want to belong to, and so I don't necessarily believe that.
• 19:13
  Crystal Vilkaitis: But you're seeing so many of the headlines because it is true, we're seeing people sell products, people sell services, people build the relationships, and that's what video is what's going to work best on social Right, and I can attest to that for sure.
• 19:29
  Jennifer Johnson: And one last thing before before we close I want to talk about email marketing just briefly, Because I remember when it was huge and then everybody kind of poo-pooed it.
• 19:39
  Jennifer Johnson: They're like nobody reads their emails, or I'm sending too many emails and they're not opening them.
• 19:43
  Jennifer Johnson: I'm afraid I'm going to lose people, and so they stopped doing a lot of marketing on email sending emails and now we're seeing a resurgence of that.
• 19:51
  Jennifer Johnson: What's your take on the whole email marketing?
• 19:54
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Oh, big fan.
• 19:56
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Actually, at Crystal Media, we're testing running email marketing for our retailers.
• 20:02
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Right now we don't do their email and we're testing doing it for them because I know, again, just finding the time and getting in and sitting down and clicking the buttons and getting your email ready, like people don't want to do it or don't want to find the time.
• 20:16
  Crystal Vilkaitis: But there's so much gold in email marketing and often what we're finding is you'll sell more through email.
• 20:24
  Crystal Vilkaitis: No matter what kind of business you are, you're going to do your selling through email.
• 20:29
  Crystal Vilkaitis: You tend to not see as many sales from social media, but social media can grow your list.
• 20:36
  Crystal Vilkaitis: You just got to make sure that you have an active way that you're encouraging people to join your email list.
• 20:42
  Crystal Vilkaitis: So it grows the list, it builds the brand, it builds the relationship, it builds brand awareness.
• 20:47
  Crystal Vilkaitis: But you've got to get them on your list and this is where sales are happening.
• 20:51
  Crystal Vilkaitis: This is when they show up for the event, this is when they click over onto your website and so, um, I mean, I feel like we could take over retailers emails and with a click of a few buttons, we make them tens of thousands of dollars more because they're not using them.
• 21:06
  Crystal Vilkaitis: There's a misconception that, oh, I don't want to email anybody, that I don't want to be spam, I don't want to be annoyed annoying to my customers.
• 21:16
  Crystal Vilkaitis: They you know, oh, if I have their email address, maybe I'll send you once a month, and that's like they're selling.
• 21:22
  Crystal Vilkaitis: They're scared.
• 21:24
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Yes, and here's the deal.
• 21:27
  Crystal Vilkaitis: If I join your email list, it's because I want to hear from you, I want to know what's going on, and if I don't want to hear from you anymore, I can unsubscribe, and that's okay.
• 21:41
  Crystal Vilkaitis: If you get unsubscribes, people think like, oh, no, I sent an email and 10 people unsubscribed and it's like no, that's okay.
• 21:49
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Guess what?
• 21:49
  Crystal Vilkaitis: They may come back to you.
• 21:51
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Now's not the right time.
• 21:53
  Crystal Vilkaitis: They're binging right now.
• 21:54
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Who cares?
• 21:54
  Crystal Vilkaitis: The reason you have to keep sending for those people that want to hear from you.
• 21:59
  Crystal Vilkaitis: And one of the best ways to get through to people because there isn't an algorithm get into their email inbox.
• 22:06
  Crystal Vilkaitis: You are still competing with other marketers and their work emails and personal emails, whatever, but they have a better chance of seeing your messaging in their email inbox than they do on scrolling through the feed hoping that the algorithm will deliver it to them.
• 22:20
  Jennifer Johnson: Right, yeah, email marketing is definitely a really great tool to be using right now.
• 22:25
  Jennifer Johnson: Crystal, it has been so wonderful having you on my show today.
• 22:30
  Jennifer Johnson: If our listeners want to get in touch with you, how can they do so?
• 22:33
  Crystal Vilkaitis: Yep, best way is my email, crystal at crystalmediacocom, and I also am most active over on Instagram, so if you want to connect there, I am crystalvilkaitis, just type in crystalvilkaitis, I'll pop up, dm me and we'd love to connect there.
• 22:51
  Jennifer Johnson: Fabulous.
• 22:51
  Jennifer Johnson: Thank you so much again.
• 22:52
  Jennifer Johnson: Thank you, jennifer, this is so fun.