302: How Creators Can Take Control of Their Content with Jacinta Gandy

[00:00:00] Bree: Some of my favorite conversations are the ones that leave me with like, Oh my gosh, I need to like, go write this down before I forget because I have so many ideas or I'm like hanging out with a friend and like taking notes. I'm like, hold on, let me pull up my phone and write this down. That was my conversation that you guys are getting to listen to right now with Jacinta.

She is a brilliant designer. Has created a full service agency that helps you with everything from branding, web marketing, SEO, all the things that she helps her clients with is full service. And today we talked just about how content creators can create this content hub on their website. In such easy ways.

So if growing your website or even starting a website or starting an email list has just seemed overwhelming because you have so much going on already, just with creating your amazing content, this is going to be an episode where you're going to leave with so many notes, whether you are new or experienced in full time, I'm over here, scrambling, taking notes.

So I know you are as well. So be sure to check out our show notes or get your phone ready to take some notes. And let's get started. The

Thrive Podcast. If you're a blogger, influencer, you found the show for you. I'm Brie Pair, your host and blogging coach here to help you take your brand to the next level. At Thrive, our mission is to equip bloggers and influencers with practical tactics and strategies that can transform your brand to give you the lifestyle you want.

We offer tutorials, workshops, and a supportive community to accompany you on your journey. I created the thrive podcast to give you simple, actionable steps that you can use to drive real results in your business. I also wanted to give you a peek behind the curtain of others in the industry that you look up to.

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Hello, Friend. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you, Bree. I'm so excited to be on your show today. I can't wait to dive into this conversation with you. And I would love for our audience and myself to just learn a bit more about you. So can you tell us what you do and also where we can follow you while we're listening?

[00:02:26] Jacinta: Yeah, absolutely. So I am Jacinta Gandhi and I'm the owner and founder of Social Circle. We are a full service design and digital marketing studio. And if you're looking to follow me, you can find me on Instagram. My handle is at Jacinta underscore Gandhi, or you can check out our website, which is socialcircleinc.

com.

[00:02:49] Bree: Amazing. Okay. So full service. So tell me like, what is, what is everything you do? What's like, what's your favorite thing to do with it? Yeah. So full service,

[00:02:59] Jacinta: it's pretty much branding web design and then digital marketing. Um, and we pretty much do everything that falls under that digital marketing umbrella.

So often it's easier to talk about what we Don't do than what we do, But what I will say is that the majority of our clients, they work with us initially on their branding and their website. And that really sets the foundation for the digital marketing and everything that we do moving forward. So when I started social circle about five years ago, I was primarily focused on branding and web design, but I really wanted to make our web design services as comprehensive as possible.

So being able to not just get the website done, but also having a copywriter on staff, also having an SEO strategist, right? Working with a brand photographer to get them photos. So that's really sort of how it became full service because we're really just working with people. And I, You feel like when you start a website, a lot of times people have an idea of what they want.

[00:04:05] Bree: Yeah. But

[00:04:06] Jacinta: things aren't solidified. So really working with clients one on one as a thought partner to really help them build out their dream business. And then after we would launch their website, I'd be like, okay. Congrats, like, you know, how much success and then people would reach out back out to me and say, but wait, like, I miss you as a thought partner.

And now I want to do something else. I want to launch a course or I want to add a new service offering, right? So as the business expands and their services grow, they continue to like, reach out to me. And so then two years ago, we made the shift and we became a community. Full service agency. So now everything in terms of digital marketing.

So whether it's copywriting, it's SEO, it's blog writing, it's, you know, paid ads, social media marketing. Those are all things that we help our clients with.

[00:04:55] Bree: Oh my gosh, what an amazing company that you have built and just that people can come to you for all of that. Because I mean, I, I've myself have my, In my past life, I was a graphic designer and helped some people with websites and stuff too.

And there was always like, there's so many missing pieces. Everybody's like, Oh, I want a new website. And even like with, you know, the girls that I coach or anybody listening to this podcast are like, Oh, I want to update my site. And like, Bree, can you recommend like a blog theme to me or whatever? And I'm always go like, yes, here you go.

But like, Just a warning. It's not going to look like that, like right away, you're missing all these different pieces. Like you need to do a photo shoot or you need like extra copy written. There's so many pieces that go into it. That's take all that extra effort to make it look as beautiful as you're wanting it.

[00:05:45] Jacinta: Yeah, totally. And I think so many people don't realize that, right? Like they look at the design or the aesthetic and they're like, that looks great. And then they don't realize like all the moving parts. And so it's been really nice to have like a comprehensive service that is able to provide that for business owners.

Yes.

[00:06:04] Bree: Oh my gosh. Amazing. So I would love to know, you know, why are you so passionate about helping entrepreneurs have that solid website that can be a hub for their content? Because as you know, like here we're talking to content creators. So like, why is that such a passion of

[00:06:19] Jacinta: yours? Yeah. So I think it's incredibly important for a Number of reasons.

But I will just say that for me personally, like previous to starting this business, I spent over 10 years on the agency side. So I worked with a lot of New York City based creative and media agencies, got to work with a lot of top tier clients. But, you know, I always felt like a lot of this information was very very hard for small business owners to get access to.

And although I think things have definitely improved, um, in the past few years, I still think that, like, I saw, like, this incredible need to sort of just democratize access and information more to small business owners so they could be successful. Because A lot of small business owners have great ideas, but they have like no idea like all the pieces involved and how to get started.

So I really felt like it was a great opportunity for me to leverage a skill set that I had cultivated and really use that for small business owners. And then in terms of having a content hub, that's also huge because I think that as we all know, like it's great to have social media. It's a huge tool that we can leverage in business.

Um, but you know, social media platforms, they kind of have their own ambitions and agendas in terms of their level and trajectory of growth. And so I think that if you're pouring all of your time and attention into certain social media platforms, then you could end up in a situation where, you know, all of a sudden, like you might have a great following, but you don't have a reliable way to get in touch with them.

Or you may have content, um, but you don't own that content. The social media platforms own that content. And so I think as content creators, having that hub of information is actually really, really important.

[00:08:16] Bree: Absolutely. So I would love to just pick your brain and maybe like, let's throw out an example.

Cause I can pick like, it's like, I just reach out there and there's 50 content creators listening more than that, that are like, yep, I don't have a website at all, but I have all this incredible content on my social media. And I understand that as like, you know, a coach, like building a website, building a blog and being able to monetize, it can be more of like a longterm thing.

But I think it is so good to have, like, let's have a long term growth strategy. And then also like, let's have some short term goals and like grab, you know, if you're making money from social media, go for it. That's amazing. But I would love to hear some ideas from you on like, okay, let's say I have a content creator that's come to me.

She doesn't have a website or like, it's kind of barely there. She needs. Oh, to start putting things on it. But she has such an archive of great content over on Instagram. What would be kind of like first steps or like suggestions that you would have for her?

[00:09:21] Jacinta: Yeah, so I feel like the content that she has on Instagram is still great, and that could definitely be utilized.

So I think literally just taking the website. And using that almost as a directory to get to that Instagram content could be a great first step. Right. So I'll just pick like, let's say someone is a food blogger, for example, right. And they have a ton of different like food recipes and videos that they've shared on Instagram and TikTok.

So what's probably happening now is when they are discovered is that, you know, visitors will go to them, they'll check out their page, scroll through their page, look for different. You know, recipes, wouldn't it be easier if they had a website that they can go to? And then now of a sudden there's filters, they can see what are the cool lunch recipes, dinner recipes that you have.

They can learn about, you know, maybe different meal prep ideas or, you know, tools that you recommend for cooking. Right. Um, there's also an opportunity there for you to promote partnerships, like you said, like a big part. Um, for a big thing for food bloggers and other content creators is being able to have those partnerships with brands.

And so your website is a place that you can promote that. So I think it does feel overwhelming to people when you think about, okay, well, I've been spending all this time creating all this social media content now they feel like, okay, so now I have to create content for my website and I don't necessarily think that's the case.

I think it's more about making your website that central location where people can find everything.

[00:10:58] Bree: Oh, that is such a good idea because yeah, that's like a huge thing. It's like, you know, cause I see, I'm like, Oh, you could take this reel and turn it into a blog post. But like, that is a, that's a big task.

Yeah. Right. Like that's, that's a, that's, I think absolutely do that. But that's like, we can't do all of that at once, but I love this idea that you said of like a directory on your site. That's so much more manageable. Yeah,

[00:11:21] Jacinta: and then also you really get to tease that out to your audience, because if you already have an audience that's actively following you on social, social is going to be the place where they discover, right?

They discover that you have a new fashion video or you have a new, you know, recipe that you're launching. So. Why not, like, give them a taste of that and then send them back to the website, right? Um, so I definitely think that's another great way to utilize that resource and so many people, I think it's interesting, I don't know if you are the same way, Bri, but like, for me, I have certain, like, I love, I love fashion.

So I have like certain like fashion, um, you know, bloggers that I follow on Instagram. Yeah. And then I have like a whole different set that I follow on YouTube. And then sometimes I'm like surprised to realize like, Oh, they have an Instagram too. Or this person actually taking long form content. I didn't know that.

So I think the website could also be a great way to help your audience understand like all the different types of that you are producing and where they can find you.

[00:12:23] Bree: Um, yes, because it is so important to have some type of long form content somewhere, whether it's a blog post or YouTube, but yeah, making that be a hub, just like a, like thinking of it as like a super awesome resource content hub for your audience to easily find all of the things that you're.

Creating and promoting, because that's something that like I always find is like, Oh, these girls spend so much time creating this gorgeous reel or this beautiful post, whatever it may be only to share it one time. Yeah, and then it's like, it disappears into the algorithm and I'm like, oh, but you just spent how many hours on that?

Like, man, I want it to live longer.

[00:13:06] Jacinta: Totally. Yeah, that's another thing. I mean, I feel like, let's be honest, like the algorithm is tough, right? So sometimes it can, the content that you have or what you're sharing, can be really good. It just doesn't get the right distribution for whatever reason, right? Maybe the posting time was right.

Like there's a multiple of reasons why, but I definitely think that's another reason why having that website as another content hub is great. And then of course, like, we can't not talk about the power of SEO, right? So even as you're using that, As a content hub, maybe you're just adding, you know, you're embedding the Instagram content that you have there.

If you have long form video, you're, you're embedding that on the website, but also like starting to create that blog content as well is going to put you in a great position because one of the ranking factors is having that rich content. So the fact that like someone who has, I actually think it might be you.

almost a little harder for someone who's just a blogger. They have no videos, right? They have no social media content. So it's like in a way, like you're spending all the time producing video for content, which is very time consuming. And now you just need to like create that, um, as a blog and that content is definitely going to get more life now.

Um, because it's indexable, right? Whereas on social media, maybe it just didn't hit for some reason, but that doesn't mean you need to throw it out. Right.

[00:14:32] Bree: No, and I always tell people like, that doesn't mean that your content was bad, like it, you know, it usually has nothing to do with that. Like you're brilliant content creators, so don't beat yourself up because it didn't perform, but like, let's give it legs in other places.

And when you make that blog post to like, that may Pinterest. Yeah. So you could get traffic from Google SEO or Pinterest. Absolutely. And now a quick word from our sponsor. Are you ready to get paid for your creativity, have more flexibility and make a consistent monthly income without overwhelm? We see you blogging, babe, bloggers, influencers, and content creators work so hard and are not getting paid what they're worth.

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So I would love to know, like, what do you see from your end and even from, from the perspective of somebody that helps people You know, kind of create a solid brand presence, but then even as a consumer, like you said, you love to follow fashion influencers. Like, what are you seeing on your side from that monetization standpoint?

[00:16:44] Jacinta: Yeah, so I think it's such a, a vast topic because there's really a lot that you could do from a monetization standpoint as a content creator, I find it's kind of twofold. I feel like there's one way of like, what I mentioned before is like, if you have like someone who is a food blogger, and for example, you go to their website, and Um, they're promoting like different tools that they use, right?

Like maybe it's like the meal prep containers that they're using, or maybe it's, I don't know, like kitchen tools, like a whisk or something that they're using. So I would say that affiliate marketing is definitely something, um, it's definitely a great way to monetize things. But also I feel like there's also a lot of ways to monetize in terms of just The information, right?

The content that you're, you're seeding out, whether it's creating opportunities to have more, you know, VIP or elite content, right? They're having like, maybe like subscriber only channels or what have you. Yeah. Or you're doing it through like digital products, right? So I think if we go back to the recipe blogger example, like maybe you just create like, a digital download of all your recipes, right?

And now it's like, I don't have to sift through the website. I don't have to sift through Instagram or Pinterest. Everything's just here for me. Right. And so you small that you sell that for like, maybe like a small amount. Right. So I think that there's like a number of ways to monetize. I think what's really important though, is like figuring out what way feels good to you.

Because sometimes people are like, well, I don't want to come off as too salesy or I don't want to be too in their face about it. And I really want to make sure that like what I'm providing, like feels like something that's adding value. So I think it's really around like figuring out like what feels comfortable to you and then like going from there.

But I think I mean, there's a lot of possibilities in terms of how you monetize your content.

[00:18:49] Bree: Yeah. But just in that same vein of what you're saying to, well, first of all, let me say like that came up, we just had a retreat for the gals inside of one of our coaching programs, um, shift. And that was something that came up is I was saying like, you can sometimes just take the content you've already created and put it into an, um, Easy guide, because I'm like, I'll pay for a, you know, ebook that has 20 dinner recipes that I can make in under 20 minutes, right?

Even though I know that's on your site, but like, if you just give it to me in an ebook form, so I just have it ready to grow and I don't have to like sift through things or fight with the ads, like absolutely just take my money. Cause it's going to make my life easier. I don't care that it's duplicate content.

So like sometimes we don't even have to make. Fresh content in that aspect. It's just like, just take what you already got and like, let's repurpose it.

[00:19:45] Jacinta: Yeah. I completely agree with that. That's so true. I think so many times people are like, Oh, I need to create something or it needs to be something big.

And I think they forget that like, The people that are following you and engaging you are there because they love your content and they want to support you, you know, so, um, I don't know if you were following this, but like a few months ago when they were having the whole like, Kendrick Lamar, like Drake beef, like, I got way too into that.

And I saw myself, like, watching all of these, like, reactor videos, and one of the influencers I was following, when I saw his first video, he was, like, letting everyone know that he was, like, selling a t shirt, and so I'm, like, okay, whatever, rolling my eyes, like, nobody wants to buy your t shirt, like, just get to the reaction video, you know, but by the end of it, like, towards the end of the month, when I had consumed all his content, I was, like, Okay, I'm gonna buy a t shirt now, you know, because it's just like, that's amazing.

You want to like, just show support, you know, and it's like, when you particularly when it's long form content, or you're just digesting so much content from someone, you really do start to feel that connection to that, right? And so you're like, okay, if I can like spend 25 in a t shirt, and this is going to make sure that you keep it.

Creating great content, like I'm here for it.

[00:21:04] Bree: It's also fun too, because then it's like, if other people are wearing it, or I love when people show, like, if you're selling swag and people tag you in the content, like reshare it. Cause then it feels like it builds that community bond. It's like, Oh, I'm not the only one out there that follows, you know, obviously not, but like, it creates that little bit of a bond.

And now I'm like, Ooh, I wonder if I'm going to run into nobody else wearing this. Yeah, I'm going to totally say something. If I see somebody out in the wild wearing that shirt.

[00:21:31] Jacinta: Totally. Totally. And I feel like it's also like something that we talk about so much more. I mean, when I meet up with my friends, you know, we talk about obviously like what we're talking about watching on Netflix, but then another topic is like, well, who are you following?

Right? Like what influencers or what like content creators are you following that I don't know about that I need to know about. And it's just like so much fun being able to share that with people.

[00:21:58] Bree: Yes, it's become like another channel of like celebrities that you follow and pay attention to, right, or shows that you watch.

Totally. I love what you said earlier, too, about like, you know, so having like this idea of a content hub for your website, but then also having those things that you can sell, like a paid subscription thing or a VIP thing and like, it's like when you create that hub, It's going to be so much easier for you to add on those extra monetization pieces on your website as well.

Yeah. And just like, it's like another piece of like another resource for

[00:22:33] Jacinta: them. Absolutely. And I think one thing that I see, you know, everybody says, Oh, starting a website, having this website be this huge hub that might feel like a heavy lift. But I would say like, if I wanted to give people just like an easy place to start, I would say to start by like building your email list, because that's one thing that I hear.

Again and again from content creators. They tell me like, Hey, I have this great following. I have all these followers, but yet they don't have a reliable way to get in touch with them. Right. So when they produce a piece of content that doesn't get good reach, that's why it's such a, it's, it's such a letdown, you know?

Um, so I think having that download or that freebie or whatever it is just to get that initial connection to people is so important in terms of just, Having a reliable way to access your audience.

[00:23:25] Bree: Oh, I completely agree. To me, that's like if a website feels overwhelming to you right now, just start an email list.

Like, that's like the easiest thing. And we love using Flodesk over here. Oh, same. I love about them. Okay, good. You're a Flodesk. Oh, yeah. Okay. Well, one thing I love about them, I don't know if you knew this, but like you can use flow desk for free and just collect email addresses with a form. So if you're like, I'm not ready to like pay or I'm not ready to send out emails, you go ahead and start collecting them.

Cause you can do that for free with their forms. And then when you are ready, then sign up and start sending emails. But so there's no reason. Why you shouldn't be collecting email addresses. Wow, I

[00:24:07] Jacinta: actually did not know that. So do they let you send something in advance or it's just the collection piece?

You can't send anything, but you can collect things using their forms.

[00:24:16] Bree: Okay,

[00:24:17] Jacinta: cool. So you could even have like a waitlist or something like that as you figure out like what that, you know, freebie or digital product is going to be.

[00:24:27] Bree: Oh, that's such a good idea of like, okay, this freebie is coming, get on the waitlist to get it first.

Exactly. Yeah.

[00:24:33] Jacinta: Because I think that a lot of folks, they don't necessarily just want to subscribe to an email list, right? So we need to like have them give them some sort of incentive, but I love the idea. And then it's also a great way to gauge, right? Like, is this something that's really gonna like, Ooh, take off, like, is this something that my audience is really craving?

[00:24:54] Bree: Oh, you're giving me so many good ideas. I love the idea of a waitlist for an opt in. I always think of waitlist like has to be something that's paid, but why not be a freebie and generate that buzz and see what they think. Yeah, absolutely.

[00:25:08] Jacinta: And I, I always say like, It's all about messaging and how you market that.

But if we were going to say like, let's create a wait list because maybe we're going to have exclusive content that we don't offer on our social media channels, you could definitely incentivize people by saying like, Hey, I'm only going to let a hundred people in for free. And then after that, I'm closing the doors and there's going to be a price on it.

Right. So tactics like that, just to get people very excited about that and engaged.

[00:25:37] Bree: Mm hmm.

[00:25:39] Jacinta: Ooh, I love it. Love these ideas. I'm so glad I brought up Flowdesk. I love Flowdesk, though. It's a great platform. All of our clients who come to us and are using something else, I won't name the other ones, but like, I'm just like, wait a minute, we're gonna fix that.

I'm like, we're gonna hook you up. You're gonna be so much happier. Let's just,

[00:25:58] Bree: like, let's just make your life easier. Like it's so much easier to use. It's beautiful. Yeah. Yes. They're amazing. I will admit,

[00:26:05] Jacinta: hated email marketing before flow desks. It was just so arduous. Like you'd open up, it just

[00:26:11] Bree: felt so corporate.

[00:26:12] Jacinta: Yeah, totally.

[00:26:14] Bree: Yeah. Flow desks makes me feel, I'm like, oh yeah, I am a creative . Like I can send out emails as a creative. Yes. I'm not like just this business person behind the scenes.

[00:26:25] Jacinta: Yeah, it's an awesome platform.

[00:26:28] Bree: Okay. Well, so having, you know, that content hub on our site kind of empowers us to, I feel like in, in that world of like social media with like those algorithm updates, like we talked about, and, and even with attention spans being so low that, you know, so much, there's so much content out there quickly.

You know, I would love to just kind of like wrap this conversation up with like, how do you feel like having something like a website and just like even keeping it simple? Like how can that be empowering to everybody listening?

[00:27:02] Jacinta: Yeah, so I think it's empowering because it's something that you can actually own.

And you also have a lot more control over how you show up there when it comes to social media and algorithms. A lot of times you have to kind of do what's trending. You know what I mean? Like if you really want to be seen and you want your content to be out there, you have to sort of lean into What's up the moment?

What's trending in order to make sure that like, you know, your content is good enough to get picked up by the algorithm and be shown to new people. Um, but I think having a website, this is a platform that you can own. You can literally control how you distribute the content, what type of content you want to share there.

And I think that is really freeing to content creators, right? Because after all, you're a creator, like you don't want to be boxed in.

[00:27:57] Bree: Yes, absolutely. Oh my gosh. You gave us so many good ideas. I am like so excited. I'm gonna go message my VA and be like, okay, we need to try this. Um, thank you so much for sharing.

Can you just remind us one more time? Like, where can everybody go and find you follow you? I'll leave links, of course, but. Just remind us so they can go and check it out right now. Yes,

[00:28:18] Jacinta: absolutely. So you can find me on Instagram. My handle is at Shacinta underscore Gandhi. Um, and then you can check out my website, which is social circle, inc.

com.

[00:28:32] Bree: Amazing. Thank you so much for being here. You guys go check out Jacinta, give her a follow, and we will see you guys back here in a few days with a new episode.

Thank you for listening to the Thrive Podcast. For resources mentioned in today's episode, head to thrivetogether. blog And if you're a blogger or influencer looking for a community that is ready to cheer you on and be a resource to help you grow, be sure to join the thrive blogging community on Facebook.

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