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Learn What and When to Post to Social Media with Steph Hilfer

06/24/21 | Dana LaRieal Morales

In this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Viim owner, Steph Hilfer, who is a very enthusiastic, positive and energetic person. I don't think I've ever seen her without a huge smile on her face.  She started Viim (Visual, Integrated, Intentional marketing) in 2018 and went full-time in her business at the end of 2020.  

Steph loves what she does professionally, but any chance she gets to sneak away you'll find her outside hiking with her dog, camping with friends and family or taking some time to practice yoga. She is also a self-proclaimed coffee addict who is on day 6,723 of quitting.

With a background in psychology, Steph is a master at understanding people’s relationships with brands. So while Steph may sometimes live in the clouds surrounded by creative thoughts, she is grounded in solid business strategy that creates a competitive edge to all brands lucky enough to experience her Midas touch.

During our lessons learned conversation Steph walks us through the process of learning how and when to post on social media.  This also qualifies as a Tech Episode so you definitely want to watch the video to get the full effect of what she is sharing with us on the screen share.  We talked about:

  • How to identify your content pillars
  • How to define your top-level brand strategy
  • How to create your posting calendar


How Did You Get Into Business?

When I was 10 I started a babysitting business and I know it sounds silly but at 10 years old there was something innate in me that just said you have to have a business card you have to have a flyer. Now you know my flyer had those little tear-offs of my parent's phone number so that they could get a hold of me and I posted them around our little neighborhood.  We had about 40 homes in the neighborhood and I probably put a flyer on every post.

I also had punch cards to incentivize, but I won't take full credit for the conception of it. My mother bought me the babysitter's club cd-rom and you know they walked you through everything and gave you the tools.  It was like the 1990s canva for babies and it really walked you through. 

I knew that this was a part of what I needed to do to be seen seriously in my babysitting business at 10.  So I think I got into marketing innately. There's something about me that loves being sold too that loves being educated and those two things really are what marketing is. There are several aspects of what marketing is, but those are two important pieces.  

I formally started my very first job as guest relations answering phones. We even had a fancy title for reception and I just started seeing this need for a newsletter and that from there grew my formal marketing career into a marketing coordinator position and then eventually the director of a company's marketing department.  

You know conceptually in my brain, there was the marketing element but execution wise I started as a graphic designer and then got my hands on a camera and started implementing photography into design which then created this opportunity for layout production type of work. 

So, it's just evolved.

What Does VIIM Do?

VIIM does brand identity discovery. After we've discovered who you are what you do and why you do it, I house it in these brand identity discovery books that have everything from your fonts your logos your messaging how your images are displayed and the different visual elements within your brand...how those are massaged and worked through all of your marketing so that there are visual elements tied to your brand everywhere it exists.  

The Foundation

Just like when you build a home you have to have a blueprint and then a solid foundation before you start throwing up walls and trying to have a roof. Social media is just one arm out of your brand identity and if you don't have the foundational work solidified the really solid kind of strategy I'm going to give, your social media is going to want to reinvent itself over time again and again.

It's going to leave your consumers in brand fatigue and they're not going to really know what you really stand for and what you really do and maybe you know what you sell but you don't know why.  Those questions really help your audience resonate with wanting to purchase your product or service and of course, that's why we do social right? If you're a business owner you're trying to utilize this marketing vertical. Social media is no different than newspapers back in the day. It's no different than radio ads back in the day. It's different in how it functions but there has to be an intention just like all the other mediums.

I want to educate and ultimately empower you to see that you can do social and it's not a chore that has to get done but it's something that you can do where you're not recreating the wheel every time. I also want you to get excited about it. Once you see how simple we can break this down it really does make it exciting.


Make sure to check out the YouTube video above to watch the full tutorial of what and when to post on social.



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