Summary:  Ashley Stanford, a digital marketing consultant, shares her journey from starting her own consultancy to creating Ice Cream Social, a social referral tool. She emphasizes the importance of networking and building relationships in business. Ice Cream Social is a widget that pops up on websites and offers incentives for customers to refer their friends. The tool is customizable and can be used for events or e-commerce sites. Ashley also discusses the challenges and successes of her entrepreneurial journey. In this conversation, Ashley Stanford discusses the importance of having a strategic plan in marketing, the common mistakes small business owners make, and the steps to take when starting a new business. She emphasizes the need to secure social media handles and build a website as the foundation. Then, she suggests focusing on paid advertising to build an email and SMS list, rather than driving direct sales. Ashley also highlights the importance of staying in touch with potential customers and building trust over time. She recommends her website, AshleyNStanford.com, as a resource to learn more about her and her companies.

Keywords:  digital marketing, networking, consultancy, Ice Cream Social, social referral tool, incentives, events, e-commerce, strategic plan, marketing mistakes, starting a business, social media, website, paid advertising, email list, SMS list, staying in touch, trust

Takeaways

• Networking and building relationships are crucial for business success.
• Ice Cream Social is a customizable social referral tool that incentivizes customers to refer their friends.
• The tool can be used for events or e-commerce sites.
• Ashley's entrepreneurial journey has had its challenges, but she has found success through perseverance and adapting to changes. Having a strategic plan is crucial in marketing to avoid shooting from the hip and wasting resources.
• Small business owners often make the mistake of not having a clear strategy, not knowing their target audience, and lacking patience and knowledge.
• When starting a new business, it is important to secure social media handles, build a website, and focus on paid advertising to build an email and SMS list.
• Staying in touch with potential customers and building trust over time is essential for long-term success.
• Ashley Stanford's website, AshleyNStanford.com, provides more information about her and her companies.

Titles

• The Power of Networking in Business
• Navigating the Challenges of Entrepreneurship Staying in Touch with Potential Customers
• Common Mistakes Small Business Owners Make

Sound Bites

• "Networking is crucial for business success."
• "Ice Cream Social was born from the need to sell more tickets without spending more money on ads."
• "Ice Cream Social offers customizable incentives for customers to refer their friends."
• "When you turn on Ice Cream Social, it actually brings down the cost per acquisition for customers on all of your marketing channels."
• "Just offer the refund. And they're like, no, that's scary. I'm like, trust me."
• "The cost to acquire those customers is so much more inexpensive than the cost to acquire a customer via a Facebook ad."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

03:10 The Power of Networking

12:07 Starting a Consultancy and Learning Digital Marketing

16:05 Creating Ice Cream Social

22:36 Pivoting During COVID-19

24:03 Explaining Ice Cream Social

26:05 Success and Challenges of Entrepreneurship

26:34 Ice Cream Social and its Impact on Marketing Channels

34:22 Common Mistakes in Marketing

45:26 Steps to Take When Starting a New Business

47:38 Building an Email and SMS List through Paid Advertising

51:21 Staying in Touch with Potential Customers

52:14 Ashley Stanford: A Resource for Marketing and Business