Produced By - Content With Personality: The Human Side of Marketing | 156: Victoria Banaszczyk

Starting point is 00:00:00 Nowadays, AI is grabbing a lot of information from LinkedIn. So, for example, if I speak to somebody and I want them to be one of our clients and they look up my name and they look up CenterLuck Media, they're going to get presented with all of this information that I've been posting on LinkedIn. So it's helpful in terms of just building that trust. And it shows that we know what we're talking about and that we're not just some kind of scam artists that are that are not going to provide any value. It really does build that credibility.

Starting point is 00:00:28 And it doesn't have to be the point. place that you convert, but it's a place where you can show that you are an expert, you are trustworthy, you know your area of expertise. So I think that that's really important. And that's why if you're a founder, for example, really having a personal brand is so, so important today more than ever, especially with all of these changes with AI and all of the different companies that are emerging. People want to see the face behind the brand. And I don't think there's a better place right now than LinkedIn to really show who you are and what you stand for. Before we dive into today's episode, please hit that subscribe button.

Starting point is 00:01:04 Your support helps us grow and inspire more people on their journeys. Thank you. Hello, Victoria. Thank you for joining us today and welcome to the show. Thanks so much for having me. I really appreciate you reaching out. So, Victoria, for those who don't know you, can you please introduce yourself? Sure, I'm Victoria Banashtrik and I'm currently working as the head of content for Centerlock Media.

Starting point is 00:01:27 It's a family-owned business. It was started by my husband. And what we do is we help small businesses and local businesses with digital marketing solutions that are affordable. And before we discuss it in more detail and also your area of expertise, can you tell us a bit more about your background, such as where we live, what you do, where you come from? Sure. So my family is originally from Poland. I am first generation American. I'm a dual citizen.

Starting point is 00:01:55 I speak both languages. I originally started in freelance marketing. So I did that while I was getting my bachelor's in business communications, as well as my master's in global affairs. After that, I went into corporate. And I started working in marketing and public relations. So I worked for a property management company. I worked in the commercial real estate industry.

Starting point is 00:02:18 I also worked briefly for a big box gym in Phoenix in Arizona. So they had 24 locations. So I was the head of marketing there. And then after that, I worked for a tech startup for three years before pivoting to doing our own thing at CenterLock Media. And out of Christi, what was your goal or your vision for a career when you studied? Was it actually what you do now or something different? So I guess my whole career trajectory was pretty rocky. I have always been a very creative person.

Starting point is 00:02:52 So I originally really wanted to do something in the arts. Right after high school, I moved to Barcelona. I lived there for a year and studied interior design, but I quickly realized that I am a terrible interior designer. It's just not for me. So I went back to the States to kind of like regroup, and that's when I got my associates degree. So after my associates degree,

Starting point is 00:03:15 I really thought that I was going to pursue art, fine art, specifically in painting. I got into Parsons and California. in College of the Arts. But that very summer, I got pregnant at 21 and that completely changed everything because I had to pick a career that I felt that was more stable for my son and to be able to provide for him. So things really became serious at that point. And that's when I decided to go into business communications. It just felt more natural for me than, for example, finance or accounting in that side of business. And then after that, I got a scholarship to

Starting point is 00:03:49 Thunderbird School of Global Management, which is why I ended up studying global affairs and management. And that kind of helped me to really decide that I wanted to pursue marketing and public relations as well. So is it possible that if you didn't get pregnant, you'll end up maybe as famous artist or artist? Yeah, I mean, it could have happened. There's no expiration when it comes to the arts. So I'm lucky. I do think that I will go back to it one day, especially. with the way that things are heading in terms of AI and things changing in the marketing world. So we'll see, you know, never say never. And do you do that in your free time or still as a hobby?

Starting point is 00:04:32 I do, absolutely. I love painting. I do oil painting as well as watercolor. I can imagine it must be like a great kind of creative break because sometimes or often, I'm sure that you can relate that when you work or create content for LinkedIn or anything else, When you need a break, it's really nice when you have some kind of hobby or creative break that helps you to switch off and focus on something completely different. Yeah, absolutely.

Starting point is 00:04:57 I think we spend so much time staring at screens that it's really healthy to have an outlet that's away from that sometimes. And it helps because it just really gets your creative juices flowing in a different way. And when you take a break, you know, it actually helps to improve productivity, in my opinion, just to show up with a clear mind. And it's so hard, you know, especially with social media. you're just constantly scrolling. If you're not scrolling for work, then you're scrolling for personal.

Starting point is 00:05:22 So that's one way to kind of force myself to get away from all of the social platforms. I feel the same. It's like a scrolling and you have excused that it's for work, but then there is like a line if it's work or if it's entertainment or distractions. So we're related. Yeah. You also mentioned before that after you got pregnant, you still continued studying. So what was it like for it?

Starting point is 00:05:44 Because I can imagine it must be super busy. of course, once you need to take care of your child, but at the same time, studying, how did you juggle everything, manage? What was it like to get back to studies? It was hard. And so what I ended up doing is freelance. And I would start with just reaching out to, you know, one business and helping them manage their social media. At the time, it was so different because this was quite a long time ago.

Starting point is 00:06:09 My son is 14 now. So in terms of social media, there was just Instagram and Facebook. Those were the things that I would manage. Very different. I would also help with like writing email copy, website copy, creating flyers, just anything that I could do for local businesses in the Phoenix area. So I would, I worked with a range of businesses, anything from like a dentist to a dog groomer. I mean, just all over the place. And I did that freelance work just because it was the only thing that would allow me to be able to study, see him and then also, you know, make some sort of income. So that's kind of how I

Starting point is 00:06:42 that and that's why I waited until after my master's degree to really get into corporate because then I could then I had the time because then it was just you know taking care of him and going to work versus also having to study I think it's a great reminder because we often have excuses about time and everything about this raising child trying to make money and studying it just proves that if you don't have excuses you can find a way how to make it work and how to manage everything Absolutely. And I was a single mom too. I was only with his father until he was about six months old. So that, you know, added a whole other layer of complexity to it. But you really, when you're put in those kind of situations, you don't really have the option to fail. There was no, you know, I had to take care of him. So I did what I had to do. And, and, you know, everything turned out great. And now I'm in such a different position. I actually have a one and a half year old. And I just feel like her. experience with me as a mom versus his experience with me as a mom is going to be completely different because I kind of had to grow up with him, you know, versus my daughter. I'm much more established.

Starting point is 00:07:52 You know, we have a beautiful home and a stable family now. So definitely a different life for this. And I can imagine must be very different kind of progression from the work because as you said before, like then, I don't know if it's 10 years ago, social media just with Facebook and Instagram. and now you have so many other platforms plus you now, you have AI and everything moved so much. It must be completely different world as well. Absolutely. I mean, just the very nature of social media has changed so, so drastically. It used to be, you know, something that was supplementary for brands and even for marketing.

Starting point is 00:08:29 And now it is, in my opinion, the central part of marketing. That's where people's eyes are. So it's really become extremely, extremely valuable for brands. And it's become a huge machine. It used to be very normal for there to be one person doing social media. Now there are entire teams with various roles within a social media department. So it's just really, really evolved. And now I'm very curious to see how things are going to continue to evolve with all of the new AI tools and things like that.

Starting point is 00:09:00 It's changing at such a rapid pace. I would argue that marketing probably changes faster than any other industry. I agree. I was going to say the same. that we discussed before, what is it now? And seeing just the progression from, you know, during past few months or years, you see how AI progresses and the tools.

Starting point is 00:09:19 It makes everyone wonder, what is it going to look like in a few months or in a few years? So who knows, maybe we will revisit in the future and it will be nostalgia about how we discuss this. Absolutely, absolutely. Then speaking of social media, of course, you've got a strong presence on LinkedIn. When then LinkedIn comes to the place?

Starting point is 00:09:40 When did you discover the platform or when did you start taking it more seriously? So during my master's, they were really bullish about networking. We have like one of the biggest alumni networks at Thunderbird in the entire world and they still get together all over the world on Tuesdays. So there was always this push towards networking. That's when I first got on the platform, but I didn't, you know, I was just having a profile. I wasn't posting or anything like that.

Starting point is 00:10:04 Then when I was working for a tech startup, they were B2B. So I was the only person that managed social media at the startup. It was quite small. And so I realized, okay, I really need to hone in on one social channel. We were kind of everywhere, but nothing was really that effective because we were just on all of these different platforms, but didn't really have a resource. Everywhere, but nowhere. Exactly. So I, you know, I thought about it and I said, I really need to understand everything about LinkedIn.

Starting point is 00:10:35 And what better way to understand everything about LinkedIn than to post on my own platform and create my own personal brand and be able to experiment? Because when you're behind a brand account, you know, there are a lot of approvals and different things. And you can't just post anything you want. You have to, you know, go through a range of edits and things like that. So I decided I'm just going to start posting myself and see what I can learn by doing that. and I was able to really, you know, build a following through that. And then after a while, it became a habit. And I started kind of like enjoying it.

Starting point is 00:11:10 And I have a lot of friends through LinkedIn now and just like have built this awesome community. And I really, really want to share what I've learned through my experience. And that's, that's been my main goal is just to speak on the things that, you know, I learned throughout my career. And to kind of be that person that I wish I had when I first started to just kind of tell me how it really is without any of the BS. And so that's what I tried to do. I just tried to share some tips and things that I've learned

Starting point is 00:11:40 and just be a little bit more like conversational and candid about it. So that's kind of how I decided to really get into LinkedIn and why I decided to build it. After all, that's the best approach, how to figure out the platform and learn it, that you actually join it and you start practicing by yourself. I think it's a piece for itself. I think you kind of answered this question,

Starting point is 00:12:01 but I was about to ask you, If you remember what you were posting about at first, but maybe you said it was like about your experience and stuff, but do you maybe remember first posts? What were they about? At first, I did a lot of motivational kind of content. I remember at one point I was posting the books that I was reading and like an excerpt from one of the books I was reading and saying something about, you know, the lesson in the book. I was a little bit all over a place. It wasn't just marketing. And then it was a lot of tips. So this was when I think people first started using chat GPT and stuff. So LinkedIn was a little bit different back then. And I think it was still pushing things like these are the five things that you need to do for your copywriting to improve. And so I was sharing a lot of tips and things like that.

Starting point is 00:12:46 I also did share some more personal content, like pictures of my kids and stuff like that, which now I'm a little bit less likely to do because I have the larger following. And I just don't want to put them out there so much. But it's definitely evolved. And I would say it was a lot of experimenting, like I said. So I have tried every single format before I came up with like a content mix that works for me. And I still continue to tweak that because I just think for anybody starting out, that's what I would recommend is for the first like three months do everything. Try video, try carousels, try selfies, try quotes, you name it. And then kind of audit your results and see what resonated with your audience. Because what works for me is not going to work for another person. And that's what I did and that's what really helped me to come up with the content that resonates the most. But you also have to keep in mind that the platform does change. So what worked like two years ago might not work now. Exactly. You said some great points. I can only agree the best way how to find out is to practice. And great point. What works for one person doesn't mean it's going to work for you. So test by yourself and simply see what works. And I was going to say that you said

Starting point is 00:13:54 like experimented with different formats. I like, for example, looking at your content that, for example, sometimes you post funny meme with very brave copy and it really works well because, as you can see, there's a lot of engagement. But for me, that's the content that I find unique and interesting because it's short, its point, it makes you laugh and it stands out. So it's a really great example to experiment with content, see what works and be creative and have fun. Yeah, and I don't know that it works for everyone, but because my audience, is predominantly other marketers and a lot of younger social media managers and things like that,

Starting point is 00:14:33 it works. And I think humor is one of the very best ways to build connection because it is the thing that will get a lot of impressions. It is the thing that will get you a lot of profile views. And then once they're there and they've interacted with your post, then when I do want to share some knowledge and something from my experience, they're going to be served that post later on. And so it's kind of a strategic way to get them to interact with me just based on some relatable content, but then LinkedIn will serve them the stuff that I actually want them to see in the future. And also I think it's good not to forget that after we are people and everyone likes to have a laugh once in a while. So of course, maybe not share it every day, but once in a while

Starting point is 00:15:16 it's really good strategy. Yeah, absolutely. And I do think that, you know, people scroll to kind of take a break. Even on LinkedIn, a lot of people are on there at work, but it's like, you know, when they're on their break or at lunch or something like that. And so it's like, you don't always just want dry content or facts or being sold to. Sometimes you want like a little levity. And I think that's great. And I love to see that that's happening more on more on LinkedIn. The more that I think like Gen Z and younger millennials are on there, the more diverse and fun the content is becoming. And some people hate it and some people like it. But, you know, like I'm not for everyone. So that's Okay. I'm always here for it. I always support such type of content. So please continue.

Starting point is 00:15:59 And I think Victoria, you said some great point already, but I'm sure that you get this type of DMs such as Victoria, how to grow. Can you share any advice? Maybe even go viral. I try not to say that, but there are still people looking for this type of advice. So what will be your answer to this such as grow your brand, increase following, etc? So let's start with, I think really auditing your profile, you want to make sure that what you're posting about aligns with your expertise. If LinkedIn feels that you're an expert in a certain field, then when you post with the same keywords that are in your profile, it tends to get better reach because if it feels that you're an expert, it wants other people to see that content.

Starting point is 00:16:42 If I started writing about accounting, for example, it probably wouldn't push that content as far because it doesn't feel like I'm an authority when it comes to that topic. So definitely aligning your keywords that are in your profile with the keywords that are in your content is a very, very important strategy. Aside from that, I think if you're talking about virality or content that resonates, just saying the quiet part out loud. Like the things that people are thinking but are too afraid to say, that really does tend to connect the most. And that's why there's this kind of joke around creators and social media managers where it's the post that took five, minutes that always performs the best versus the one that you spent hours on overthinking it. Because it's usually those like raw, candid things that you say that other people are like,

Starting point is 00:17:30 yes, you know what? I'm glad somebody said it. That tends to work very, very well. That's a good point. I was thinking the same. I think everyone has experienced like, oh my God, I spent so long writing this post. It didn't perform. Then I shared something I wrote quickly and it performed much better. So that that was a great point. this. Yeah, absolutely. And also, just don't get caught up on one post. I think, especially in the beginning, I would get so fixated on making a post perfect and, you know, rereading it 20 times, which it really doesn't matter that much. It's not about that one post. Don't dwell on it. If it doesn't perform, just continue. Just keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Because it's about

Starting point is 00:18:10 the collection. And what that collection of posts says about you, it's not about one post. And if it didn't perform well, then chance our people didn't see it anyway. So it really doesn't. Just keep going and keep posting and keep learning, right? So always be auditing and looking at your results and seeing which format perform the best, which topic perform the best. And keeping track of that is really important. I agree. I think sometimes we obsess about details.

Starting point is 00:18:36 But I think we would be surprised that people don't really pay as much attention as we think. You know, they don't really have time or bandwidth if you see so much of content to literally read every line and work every single little detail. So it's a good reminder for me as well, not to obsess every little detail. Yeah, absolutely. And I think that now also with there being so many AI generated posts, and I'm not at all against AI, but I do think that some people are just copying and pasting content

Starting point is 00:19:05 and not really putting a lot of thought into it. It's made it so that some of these like shorter posts that are less formatted, even include typos and things like that, end up resonating more. Because there's just like aversion to things that look like they are completely AI generated and not edited at all and don't have any kind of like human soul in it. So just keeping that in mind that sometimes you're better off just, you know, writing something raw and putting that out there than overthinking it, over polishing it, trying to spend all this time on it. And then it comes off as if it's it's too polished. It's too professional. It's too boring.

Starting point is 00:19:45 So I think people are really moving away from that. And I think AI has really pushed people to want content that is a little bit less polished. It's a great point, of course, and I agree. And I think it's kind of interesting that AI, I don't know if some people, of course, I use it as well, but sometimes seems like that people might use it to speed up the process. Sometimes it feels like a quantity over quality. But at the same time, it's kind of paradox that they use AI. But actually, in the end, you're going to enjoy content,

Starting point is 00:20:14 written by human because there is so much AI that everything sounds the same. So if there's actually something written by real person that makes it different, ultimately it's going to stand out compared to the rest, which is quite interesting. And I think it also depends on how sophisticated your prompting

Starting point is 00:20:30 is and the AI you use and the inputs because the more thought you put in and the more information you feed the AI and depending on what tools you use, it really changes the output. So it's no secret that I'm an investor in Magic Post. And with Magic Post, I'm able to, you know, upload my profile. So essentially,

Starting point is 00:20:51 it's reading all of my content and making sure that when I do use it, it's creating things that are in my voice. So I don't have to, you know, try and make it. It doesn't sound like everybody else. It's already learning from the way that I write. So that then I get that output. And I still, even so, I will still edit it down before I post that. So I think that you have to just be really intentional with the way that you use AI. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but it's about how much effort you put in, because if you are going to be lazy about it, it's going to show, and your audience is going to see that. I agree. And I think it's also interesting topic. I'm sure that you've got experience with AI commenting. We could probably discuss it for a long time because

Starting point is 00:21:34 everyone has experience with that. But as you mentioned it before, I find it funny when people comment with AI, and it sounds so formal and so professional that I cannot. I cannot. imagine someone speaking like that in real life but people still comment like this I'm like I would prefer if you wrote like a something brief even with grammatical mistakes but not this no one speaks like this come on it is it is exhausting that's the word I'll use it is exhausting but I will say that I don't I'm not somebody who would like call people out about it I think that some people you know they go into their comments and they get pretty upset about people leaving AI generated comments. But for me, it's like, I don't know if maybe English, you know, is not their first language and maybe they're,

Starting point is 00:22:22 you know, trying to, to use it the way that we used to use grammarly, where it's just fixing what they're saying, you know, I don't know their story. I don't know why they're doing it. Also, we're at this point with social media where it's not just enough to create good content. You have to engage and engage and engage. And so some people are just short on time. and for them it's like a shortcut. And I don't, I'm not trying to necessarily excuse their behavior because I know that it can get annoying. But I just, I don't like to, you know, to judge them or be unkind because they do it.

Starting point is 00:22:56 That's another reason why it's fun to post memes though, because it's a lot harder for them to do that under a meme. It just looks so obvious and even more silly. So I actually really enjoy a lot of the commentary that I get on the funnier post because it's just more just people being real versus anytime you write something that's a little bit more intellectual that's when you really see these like long AI generated comments with like the question at the end that they don't really care about the response to anyway yeah because the comment usually somehow obviously reads the post and summarizes and make something smart out of it but

Starting point is 00:23:36 I actually haven't checked if it's like a meme and something super super brief what it makes then so you made me thinking next time you post something, I will have a look and you'll be curious. It's, like I said, it is kind of irritating, but like I just don't know their story. I don't know why they're doing it. I just don't want to pass judgment. And I would never, you know, call anybody out or be unkind about it. I think, you know, to each their own, I do think that LinkedIn is trying to mitigate

Starting point is 00:24:03 that by really giving comments more weight in terms of the impressions and things like that. I think they're incentivizing people to provide. high quality comments so that they get impressions and more visibility. So that's one of the ways that they're really trying to mitigate that situation. And I do think it's working. And then I've also recently seen that they're testing kind of like a follow button next to the comment. Like when you leave a comment, it'll say that you can follow. And they rolled it out to some people and some people not yet.

Starting point is 00:24:34 So that I think is another way that they're incentivizing people to leave higher quality comments. It's just because, you know, it's like, oh, if somebody, likes what you said, then maybe they'll just follow you right there. And I think that's a positive way to do it to get people to put a little bit more thought and what they do. But like I said, I think a lot of it is just, it's a bandwidth thing too. I think people are trying so hard to engage and they don't have time. And it's, it's hard to keep up in social media. And I really have to spend quite a few hours to build a following. And not, not everybody has that kind of time. You are right. And I think it's also hard.

Starting point is 00:25:11 when you see like people posting, you know, usually about wins and about highs, and then you see that content. And although you don't want to, but you tend to compare yourself to others. So obviously you want to do more. And then you want to kind of speed up the process. So I think that that was a good point that you never know the context and the whole story behind it. I'm not a big fan of it, but you made me think as well. So it's a good point.

Starting point is 00:25:35 I'm not a big fan either. Like I said, I don't want to excuse it, but I just don't know why somebody doesn't. and their story might be different, but also you have to think about it like this. If you look at any of the huge, huge creators that are like 100,000 or more followers, they are not writing their own comments. They have a VA that they can hire that writes their comments. Not everybody can afford to have a VA to write their comments for them. And so these people are just trying to compete without having the same budget, you know?

Starting point is 00:26:05 And like, you know, it is what it is. It's not great. But with the way that LinkedIn works right now with them kind of forcing you to engage to get any kind of followers. That's the situation that it's created. And I don't know if I noticed the follow button, so I will have a look. Maybe I oversaw it or maybe I don't have it. I don't know, but it made me think.

Starting point is 00:26:25 No, so LinkedIn tends to roll things out in waves when they have a new feature or something like that. So some people have been seeing it. And I've seen it. For example, I've seen it on my desktop version, but I don't see it on my mobile version. So I think they're either testing it or slowly rolling. it out in waves. Yep.

Starting point is 00:26:43 Quick one, before we get back to it. If you like this kind of conversation, I've started sharing short videos on YouTube, where I break down what I've learned from more than 150 episodes. Content, podcasting, personal brand, no fluff, just what actually works. Just search Produced Buy on YouTube or don't. and keep figuring out the hard way. And as we are discussing AI, I know that you share it in your content as well

Starting point is 00:27:18 and you also have it on your profile. So I've been interested in AI kind of always even before it got big or you found it important while it started rolling or when did you get interested in AI in general. So when I was working for the tech startup, which I worked for a little over three years, the premise of the startup was to be able to identify whether an image was human made, edited, or

Starting point is 00:27:48 AI generated through the metadata that was attached to the image. So we started, yeah, it's quite fascinating. I would look up the Coalition for Content Provenants and Authenticity. While I was working there, I did manage their social media for about a year as well. So that was a kind of a volunteer role within the organization that I was working. And basically, because that was the premise of the company and that was their goal, was authenticating what was real and focusing on image veracity and provenance, I ended up learning about AI before a lot of other people were learning about it.

Starting point is 00:28:25 I was writing a newsletter about deep fakes before anybody knew what a deep fake was practically. I remember I would try to do research for the newsletter, and I would type like AI or DeFix. I could barely find any stories on Google the first year that the newsletter was going. By the last year, I was so overwhelmed with information. I couldn't fit at all in the newsletter. So I did learn about it quite early on because of that. And we had, you know, a lot of the people that were working for the organization

Starting point is 00:28:53 or advising the organization were top experts within the AI space, especially with regards to like AI ethics, AI fraud and things like that. So I was learning about those things from very early on. And the company was also very bullish in terms of adopting AI early because of that. So I really did get a lot of knowledge and background and information about AI and the trajectory and how it was going to change things, I think, before the average consumer. So that's really where my interest started, I would say. It's really interesting because with obviously AI and how it's evolving and the future,

Starting point is 00:29:31 sometimes it feels like that they are experts emerging all the time, but then there is someone like you who's got actually real expertise, even way before that. So that's what I call, you know, like a real background or real experience. So it's really interesting to see. I feel very, very fortunate because when I was writing this newsletter, one of the features of the newsletter was that we would interview experts within the fields. We would interview people at Qualcomm, you know, Microsoft, people who like really are working

Starting point is 00:30:01 in terms of AI ethics when it comes to law and passing things when it comes to deepfakes. So I got to talk to the people who really are the experts and learn from them. That's kind of how I was able to learn a lot of the things that maybe you don't get to learn just from a surface level Google search about AI. Yeah, yeah.

Starting point is 00:30:22 And are you then still interested in it because of this background or is it because you see it kind of necessary part of now and your workflow and the future? Or what is it like for you now? I think because I do have a bit of background on it, I am one of those people that does fundamentally believe that this is equivalent to the Industrial Revolution. This is going to change the way that we work.

Starting point is 00:30:49 It is going to revolutionize virtually every white-collar job that there is right now. I know that there's some people who think, oh, there's this hype around it and things like that. I don't see it that way. I think that it's really going to change the workforce, how business is done. And we're seeing it right now. And it's sad, but we're seeing it a lot with layoffs. I think marketing has been hit especially hard when it comes to this.

Starting point is 00:31:14 But I'm afraid to say, I don't want to be doom and gloom about it. But I think that other industries both will follow. I think that it's going to impact and make teams a lot smaller, more agile, but a lot smaller. And so I think that learning about it. and knowing, you know, having some kind of expertise in it is really, really important for anybody in terms of job security and in terms of being able to run a business in the future. So that's something that, you know, I really believe. And I think that it's very, very critical to learn about it and to study it as it evolves. I agree.

Starting point is 00:31:51 And I think it's also good to remind that it's never late to start learning that and using it if you haven't started yet. As you can see how it's constantly evolving, you know, it's never like to start. It's better to start now than not to start at all for, you know, for people. Maybe you haven't started yet. Absolutely. Honestly, I think that most people that are active on LinkedIn, for example, have a broader knowledge of AI than a lot of, you know, like the average folks. So I think that's already a start is that we are consuming a lot more information about

Starting point is 00:32:25 AI that other people might not be aware of, especially people who don't work in white, color roles but work in blue color industry. I think they don't really have any knowledge of AI. So just educating yourself, reading, calling experts who speak about it, reading news articles about the large organizations in the AI space and their leaders and hearing what their CEOs are saying. I think that's really important to do right now if you want to stay up to date. Yeah, I agree.

Starting point is 00:32:53 And speaking of AI, what will be some of your favorite tools? You mentioned magic post before that used for writing. But what's like in your arsenal or the tools that you like to use? Sure. So I really obviously like Magic Post, but that's specifically for LinkedIn. Claude has become a huge one for me recently. So that I really like for more long-form content. That's something that I use on a daily basis.

Starting point is 00:33:18 Those would be probably my top two. And then in terms of any kind of AI image generation, there's quite a few that I use there. But I'd say Nanobanana might be my favorite. Yeah, yeah, makes sense. Some great tips, better not use too many and scattered, better to have a few favorite ones that work. And Victoria, we discussed your brand and now this. What about when it comes to actually your work?

Starting point is 00:33:45 You said before that you work in family business. So you tell us more, what's your role, what's like your day-to-day, and tell us just a bit more about it. Absolutely. So the premise is to create more visibility for small businesses. And a lot of these businesses are, you know, things like an electrician, a plumber, HVAC, roofing, things like that. So really getting them to the top of Google and getting them clients and, you know, more businesses is our goal. So the way that we secure those connections are through ads as well as through partnerships and things like that.

Starting point is 00:34:20 And we do a lot of business here in Naples, but we are also all over the U.S. We have clients that, you know, are all over the United States. So that's kind of what we do. My day to day, my husband handles more of the client-facing things. He's just, he is an entrepreneur through and through. So he's the one who started the business and it quickly became very successful. So I, after working for the tech startup, I had kind of a choice. It was, do I want to go back into kind of like the startup or corporate world?

Starting point is 00:34:50 Or do we want to really focus on building something ourselves? And I think with the way that things are changing, like, I said with AI and everything like that, it actually right now feels safer to own your own business, especially one like ours where our clients, a lot of them are blue collar and are not going to be affected as quickly. It felt safer than going and working for another company and, you know, one day getting that call that I'm laid off. So I thought that this is this is the way to go. And so he handles a lot of the client facing stuff and, you know, a lot of like the creating ads and things like that, whereas I handle all of the copywriting, content writing, and that side of things.

Starting point is 00:35:28 And then we also have another employee that handles customer service. I was going to say that it's interesting, then you have experienced, like, both from working for the company and then creating content for yourself. So it can be either, you know, you test something on your own profile and then you can use your expertise or knowledge on the business. But at the same time, interesting to balance, you know, your personal stuff because you are building your own brand. and then for the business because obviously it needs to be professional.

Starting point is 00:35:55 So I think very smart approach to balance these two. Yeah. And we have such, although my husband and I, we're both marketers, we have such different backgrounds. He, you know, he was in the military for seven years and he didn't go to school for marketing and he learned everything on his own. And I think that actually is helpful in the sense of starting a business because he doesn't overthink things.

Starting point is 00:36:19 I think it would take me a very long time. to decide to just start a marketing agency because I have this, you know, process approach. I think that I learned through corporate and through a formal education. And he's just kind of like, send it. Let's just go for it. You know, I'm like trying to copy. I'm like creating brand guidelines and things like that. And he's like, okay, but like we just, we're just going to call this guy, you know.

Starting point is 00:36:45 And so it's a good combination of the two because I keep things a little bit more polished and organized. and he really just pushes things forward because you have to kind of have that scrappy attitude when you run a small business. I think it's a great point. From my experience, I can relate to your approach. I tend to overthink as well. It takes a bit longer. So I think it's good if there is someone just ship it.

Starting point is 00:37:07 Just go for it. Don't overthink. So it's smart. And Victoria, I think like one of the things that people often, for example, struggle on with LinkedIn or when they start a business is how to find your first client. So, of course, it's probably different when it's a freelancer on LinkedIn and it's small business or agency like you. But have you got any advice or recommendations for people struggling to find clients? That's a tough one because we originally, we did a lot through meta.

Starting point is 00:37:36 So a lot of our clients we did through meta advertising. We actually don't, funny enough, get any pretty much any clients through LinkedIn. I keep my LinkedIn completely just for my personal branding and things like that and building, my husband's personal brand, but we get most of our clients through meta just because we are targeting local businesses and blue collar businesses. So you're not really going to see a lot of that on LinkedIn. You see a lot of larger companies and stuff like that. You're not really going to be targeting somebody who is, you know, an auto retailer or something like that. So we have done predominantly used meta advertising for our first clients. And then after that, we do rely on referrals a lot.

Starting point is 00:38:18 So we incentivize current clients through discounts and things like that to get referrals. And we also partner with local influencers and people with larger accounts and things like that in order to get business as well because that kind of provides credibility. And when we do call and we're associated with one of those larger influencer communities, then it's a lot easier to close the deal as well. So I think if I had to answer in one way, it would be through networking and partnerships, I think would be the best way to get your first clients and then use that in order to get recommendations, get referrals and things like that and incentivize them to kind of spread the word. It's actually interesting because usually when I speak with someone on the podcast, it's usually people building their brands on LinkedIn and then looking for clients there.

Starting point is 00:39:09 So I'm glad actually to hear a different approach and just kind of different And, you know, when it's not freelancer, but it's actually for the business from different area or something like this. So it was good to him. For us, LinkedIn is just a kind of a layer of credibility because we don't really get, we don't do DM outreaches and things like that. It's just for us to have credibility and to show that we are real people that have an expertise. So for example, if somebody looks up Centerlock Media and then goes to our LinkedIn and looks at who we are, they know that we are legitimate and that we know what we're talking about. that's kind of the way that I'm approaching using LinkedIn. It's more for just brand awareness.

Starting point is 00:39:49 I'm glad to edit that because my question was kind of similar. It makes sense to me. But if there was someone who would say, what's the point of building your brand on LinkedIn if you don't use it to find clients? Again, I understand it. Now you answer it. But I think there might be people who be like,

Starting point is 00:40:07 okay, what's the point of building a brand and this and that? So if anyone was wondering, I was about to ask such a question, a question, but you just answered it, and it makes sense to me. And also nowadays, you know, AI is grabbing a lot of information from LinkedIn. So for example, if somebody, you know, I speak to somebody and I want, I want them to be one of our clients and they look up my name and they look up Center Luck Media, they're going to get presented with all of this information that I've been posting on LinkedIn. So it's helpful in terms of just building that, you know, trust. And it shows that

Starting point is 00:40:41 we know what we're talking about and that we're not just, you know, some kind of scam artists that are that are not going to provide any value. It really does build that credibility. And it, it doesn't have to be the place that you convert, but it, it's a place where you can show that you are an expert, you are trustworthy, you know your area of expertise. So I think that that's really important. And that's why if you're a founder, for example, really having a personal brand is so, so important today more than ever, especially with all of these. changes with AI and all of the different companies that are emerging, people want to see the face behind the brand. And I don't think there's a better place right now than LinkedIn to really

Starting point is 00:41:21 show who you are and what you stand for. I totally agree. You said it really well. Best time to build a brand, especially as we discussed AI before. And even these days for credibility, it's not like some random person or even scam or whatever. So really helpful. And it's never like to start building in your brand. Then, Victoria, just to be aware of time, I want to ask you kind of lighter questions. So what is it that you like to do in your free time or what are some of your hobbies? Well, now that I have a toddler who just like runs around screaming all the time, we're mostly watching like little kids movies all day, like Elemental, for example, I watch it every night. But in our reality, I love going to the beach. That was one of the reasons we moved to Florida.

Starting point is 00:42:07 So originally my husband was living, well, my now husband back then, it was just my significant other. He was living in Austin, Texas, and I was living in Arizona. So we really decided to come here and live in Florida because we wanted to raise our kids somewhere where you can be outdoors more. And so we love going to the beach. That's one of our favorite things to do. I love going to the botanical garden here. Anything where I can really get outside away from the screens is always welcome. And aside from that, we discussed this earlier, but I do love painting. and drawing, those are definitely hobbies of mine. Do you also share your art somewhere?

Starting point is 00:42:43 I used to. I used to. Actually, that was one of the things that got me into social media in the first place, was that I had an Instagram account where I would share a lot of my paintings and things like that. But I have kind of let it die down, and I'm thinking about reviving it right now. So, yeah, I'll probably post about it maybe sometime on LinkedIn. The funny thing is, I've kept those worlds very separate.

Starting point is 00:43:05 I'm going to art from my business very separate. But now that I'm kind of, we run our own business, I guess there's no harm in sharing it. Yeah. And it would be a nice surprise to the audience. Maybe they had no idea. And now it's like, oh, we didn't know that you've been doing this. Or it's been your passion for us. Actually, do you, Victoria read any books?

Starting point is 00:43:25 And if so, have you got recommendations? Oh, actually, you remind me, of course you do, because you were posting about the books when you started on LinkedIn. I thought they forgot. Absolutely. Yeah. So I love this book. called Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman. It was actually written quite a while ago,

Starting point is 00:43:41 and it's just about how the world kind of changed when we had the television with the adventure of the television and how we started consuming news and things like that. And I think it's so interesting because in a way, it was way before, you know, computers and social media and things like that, but it almost feels more relevant than ever. So I really love that book. I love Ways of Seeing by John Berger. I love the War of Art is a really good one. It's about resistance and it's about how when you really, really care about something and it's something that's dear to your heart and you're passionate about. It's almost harder to start and to pursue it because you're so, so afraid of failure. So I think anybody who's kind of afraid to do something, but they know deep down in their heart,

Starting point is 00:44:29 that's what they should be doing, should really read that book because it's just about overcoming that resistance and going for it. So those would be my recommendations. I might be wrong, but isn't the War of Art from Pressfield or is it different? Or maybe I'm wrong. Oh gosh, I don't remember the author off the top of my head, I'll be honest. I hope I'm not wrong, but whatever. I definitely don't know the first two, so I will check it out to some great recommendation. Then can you please, Victoria summarize where people can find you, follow you, and potentially promote any of your services? Absolutely. So obviously we already discussed Centerlock Media. That is where we work. And it is an affordable digital marketing solutions agency that focuses on local and small businesses. So you can find us at

Starting point is 00:45:15 centerlockmedia.com. In terms of my personal brand, obviously you can find me on LinkedIn. It's Victoria B-A-N-A-S-Z. And that's where you can find me in terms of any kind of like, if you like any lessons in content marketing and copywriting, I share. that probably three to four times a week. And I recently launched a newsletter. So I wanted to do a little bit more long form for my audience. And so I do share a monthly newsletter that is on substack. It's called Toast Social. And I share social media platform updates once a month. So it's going to be the first of every month. And it has an aggregate of everything that happened from last month in terms of all the platform changes, new features and things like that. So it just helps, you know,

Starting point is 00:45:59 anybody who runs their own social or social media managers stay up to date on the latest things. I will, as always, at all the links to the show notes. And do you have Victoria like any plans or goals in upcoming weeks or months and you would be willing to share with us? Well, I recently became a Fabicon partner, so I'm part of their May cohort. So that's really exciting. I'm excited to see the things that that's going to bring. and I would highly recommend anybody who does want to be a creator to check it out

Starting point is 00:46:33 because it's just a great place to showcase or expertise to showcase your rankings and for other companies and brands to find you and be able to, you know, work with you on sponsored posts and things like that. So that's something that I'm really diving into in the next coming weeks. I'm happy to hear that. I actually became a partner before as well. And it's very helpful platform. How does you experience it?

Starting point is 00:46:58 I mean, it's super cool. Like, if we imagine like the database of all their users, different platforms, rankings and everything, I couldn't imagine how it gets up and build something like that. So for me, it's super cool, super helpful, especially like for me, like doing the research when it comes to the podcast or looking for the guests, really cool platform.

Starting point is 00:47:18 And I recommend it to people as well, of course. Absolutely. Then very last question. Is there anything I should have asked you I did not or any final message or anything you would like to leave the audience with? Let's see. I think the most important thing right now when it comes to content, marketing and copywriting is to really show a human aspect and have a unique voice and perspective.

Starting point is 00:47:42 In a world where AI is really integrated into everything that we do, we cannot lose what makes us special, what makes us unique, and the way that we speak and the way that we write. So really try to cultivate. that try to read and try to consume content that is original so that you can maintain that unique voice and, you know, be somebody that's remembered and recognizable. It's a great point. I agree. I feel like people often look for secrets or ways to stand out, but don't forget that what makes you is what makes you unique, what makes you different than others.

Starting point is 00:48:18 So embrace it and use it as your competitive advantage. So it was a great point to finish with. I want to say, of course, huge. Thank you, Victoria. I really enjoy our content. Thank you very much for our time, and it was great to meet you. I will be wishing you all the best. We'll continue following and supporting. And once again, thank you for joining me. Thank you so much for having me. I really enjoyed this conversation, honestly. Thanks for listening to Produce By with Tomen. Check the show notes for all the links. And don't forget to subscribe, like and share your feedback. Speak soon.

Produced By - Content With Personality: The Human Side of Marketing | 156: Victoria Banaszczyk

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