Business – Page 2

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06.15.22

Why I’m a marketing specialist and not a generalist

A few times a month, I receive work inquiries about consulting with a company that is not in the coffee industry. They’ve sometimes found me through my writing on Sprout Social or through a google search. Some have even read my note about taking on only specialty coffee coaching clients, referencing the note in their form, and yet still email thinking that I am the solution to their problems.

05.26.22

10 Lessons from 10 years of freelancing

Today, I celebrate a decade of freelancing/self-employment.

Something funny happens when you give notice at a job: people ask you what you’re going to do next. So when I put in my notice at Groupon a decade ago, after burning out twice, I did it because I was on the edge of a third burnout. I had enough saved up at the time and very few expenses so I was able to leave without thinking of what I’d do next. But because people kept asking, I ended up scrambling for an answer and blurted out, “I’m starting a business! I’m going to do coffee crawls!”

Wow, I was so naive. Fast forward through creating and ending that business, part-time jobs, a “full-time” client that paid me as a consultant, and offering and stopping services, here I am.

One decade is a long time. If you’ve been following along in my journey, you’ll know that I like to celebrate the wins, no matter how small. My freelance-versary is a big win: it’s marked in my calendar, I usually do something to celebrate it, and I write one of these posts to mark where I was in the journey. You can read my 9-year post from last year here.

Here are 10 lessons I’ve learned from 10 years of freelancing:

02.23.22

Why you should still have a website

An argument could be made that because of the existence of Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google merchants, etc., there’s no longer a need for a standalone company website. It’s just another thing to take care of in a very long list of things. Plus, if you’re new to navigating the backend of a website, it can be very daunting to take on.

02.09.22

Hyperbole & superlatives in marketing

My writing/journalism hat and marketing hat are sometimes at odds with each other and this is one of those times. In writing, especially academic, I was taught that superlatives and hyperbole should be kept to a minimum unless they are backed up by a credible source. In marketing, hyperbole is used more often while superlatives without sources run the risk of false advertising.

01.26.22

Influencer disclosure basics

It’s been three years since I wrote about influencer tips so I thought it’d be a nice revisit on the basics. I’ve seen quite a few social media posts now where either the influencers or brands or both weren’t disclosing their relationships.

01.19.22

The nearly immeasurable brand metric of word-of-mouth marketing

Call it brand sentiment or trust barometer or dark social (for example, you screenshot a tweet and text it to a friend) — it’s all the same. Despite all the efforts and all the software created, you won’t be able to capture all of your word-of-mouth acquisition data.

01.12.22

Nostalgia in marketing

In relation to a recent Sprudge piece, I thought I would reflect a little more on the use of nostalgia in marketing. Creating that feeling of nostalgia through advertising is not new. It’s part of emotional marketing and consumer psychology. Being able to create strong feelings inside the consumer (whether it’s anger or sadness or nostalgia) is one indicator of a successful nostalgia-focused marketing campaign.

01.05.22

2022 Word: Intuition

My word for the year 2022 is “intuition.”

12.29.21

f**k email etiquette

Your emails don’t have to be long to be nice.

12.15.21

Gifts for the social media manager in your life

Do you know someone who works in digital marketing or social media or e-commerce? Or maybe they’re a freelancer, WFH worker, or all-around creative person. OR, you manage someone who’s in one of these roles. I’ve assembled a list of gifts that would likely be welcomed.

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about

Jenn is a San Francisco-based writer & photographer. On the side, she munches on chips & hangs out with her dog Zoey. You can reach her via the contact page or on social media @thejennchen.

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All photos were taken by Jenn Chen, unless otherwise noted, & under full copyright. Photos of me in red & orange were taken by Jessica Caisse. Do not use copy or photos without prior permission. Logos designed by Hannah Ellen.