Jason Steed

How My Customer Database Rescued Me

by Jason Steed | Sep 21, 2023 | Relationship Marketing

Owner & CEO

How My Customer Database Rescued Me

At minute 15, my podcast host, Kyle Knowles, asked me how I was able to surface after a previous company of mine went belly up in 2002. I had a mountain of debt to deal with as my business partner was nowhere to be found. Here’s a snippet of that podcast interview where Kyle helped me rediscover some of those course-changing moments from 21 years ago.

Podcast Snippet: Start-up Goes Bust in 2002…Now What?

To set the stage, my business partner in my previous company and I had very different visions for building a company. Such polar opposite viewpoints would ultimately be the demise of the company. So it became a big real reality check when I was left the only guy in town holding the bags, and it was suddenly my name on 100% of the secured loans and the debts. That was a very scary place to be figuring out how I would make good on leased equipment and office costs and…everything.

[Podcast transcript]

[Kyle 18:37] So, what did you do?

[Jason 18:41] Almost overnight there was chaos, skepticism, and a smothering dose of reality…questions like, “Who’s where and who owes what, and where are the contracts?” This was a very heavy, scary place to be. And quickly, I had to make the choice either to go in-house or try to build something myself.

Relying on my Customer Database

[Jason 19:35] So there I was, on day one of my newly formed company Targa Media. Not only do I have to take care of the needs of my family with two young children, but I also have to make good on debts and figure out how to stay afloat. I certainly had the option to file for bankruptcy or something to that effect, and I received varying sources of advice on that. And for some, bankruptcy can be a godsend for managing and moving forward. However, I did not choose that path. Instead, I fought through, knowing that I couldn’t burn bridges in Utah; it’s too small of a place where everyone knows everyone else. I just knew I had to have the grit and the courage to talk, negotiate, work through challenges, and make something happen.

“I recognized the value I had for the customers and the vendors who trusted me and were willing to work with me. I made commitments to refer business to them and pleaded for their patience as I tried to build and mature my new business.”

Some factors that I attribute to my necessity to get the ball rolling in such awkward circumstances—where I hadn’t built up a nice nest egg, hadn’t consulted with smart people, and didn’t have other partners to embark on a new venture with—centered around the value of the customer database. I recognized the value I had for the customers and the vendors who trusted me and were willing to work with me. I made commitments to refer business to them and pleaded for patience as I tried to build and mature my new business. Bless Heather’s heart; she was dealing with random collections calls from creditors at home. She was a fighter and a trooper for many, many years. Just as I always say, she was my rock throughout all of this. I wanted to provide for her what she deserved, and she wanted me to continue to thrive and have the energy that I felt as an entrepreneur and business owner, which I believe is part of my identity.

So that was my process of gaining momentum, figuring things out, and valuing the customer database, vendor database, and partner database. I realized that I was working with people, not just company names, corporations, printers, and service providers. These were individuals, and that realization has been, and still is, a driving factor in my journey. The thing that makes me look forward to Monday mornings is the opportunity to work with valued customers and a dedicated staff, and to face new and interesting challenges. I find myself Googling answers every day, just trying to keep up with technology, offer value, and bring rewards into my life and the lives of the people I work with

Full Podcast Episode

You can listen to the full 1:06:30 audio interview from Kyle Knowles at mmmpod.net/jason-steed I’m amazed at how connected Kyle’s and my business worlds have been, and how we made so many of those discoveries during our interview. I had a great time during my hour with Kyle.

Key takeaways:

Why I wanted to be an entrepreneur
What it took to rise from the ashes of one business to start another
How my creative value to our clients has evolved
How I carve out time as a manager to be a maker

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Marketers: Your Customers Need Storytellers, Not Attention-grabbers

by Jason Steed | Sep 11, 2023 | Content Advice, Relationship Marketing

Jason Steed

Owner & CEO

Marketers: Your Customers Need Storytellers, Not Attention-grabbers

By definition, we’re storytellers for our customers. Stories bring life and longevity to our products. Focusing on the shiny one-liners distracts us and our customers from engaging conversations. Stories give your product more meaning through a sincere dialogue. And within those stories, it’s your customer—not your product—who becomes the main character. Let your product bring your main character to life. Your loyal customers have stuck around because of the stories that we marketers and business leaders tell. In contrast, attention-grabbing tactics have no staying power and degrade loyalty

Make Your Customers the Main Character

For those who know me, I’m no word wizard. I tell stories through visuals, audio, and personal experiences. If producing a power-punch headline is hard for you too, take heart—it’s not all riding on that zippy headline.

Storytelling need not be complicated or time-consuming. In fact, you’ll find it to be a lot easier and much more effective than stringing together attention-grabbers.

Marketers make your customers the hero of your story for better engagement

Storyform marketing campaigns extend engagement

Stories Expedite and Extend Engagement

Stories don’t beat around the bush; they have intention. We all relate to stories—it’s how we’re wired as human beings. Stories make for genuine brands and long-lasting relationships. Complex solutions become better understood and more relatable. And relatable becomes memorable.

Example: Marketing to a Decision-maker through Storytelling

Getting the attention of your most valuable customer can sound incredibly daunting. When that person becomes the main character of your story, we storytellers start to better understand our customer’s attributes.

In your customer’s story, you’ll find yourself using use genuine language to describe how this person could interact with your product. How do they use your product? In essence, what makes your customer tick? Your marketing message begins to take shape with words that describe experiences, not product hype. Words like timely, inventive, convenient, on-task, and helpful begin to emerge. More importantly, compelling steps of a more complex marketing campaign begin to unfold. You can tell your story with the end in mind.

“We tend to want to make our products the main character. Don’t do it. Tell your story with your customer as the main character.”

Focus Points in Storytelling

Here are a few focus points for creating a meaningful narrative and staying top of mind

Stories show you how your customer evolves. How does your product extend beyond the initial sale? Consider how your technology evolves with your customer. You’ll also understand how to keep your product viable over time.

Stories make your products memorable. Stories evoke brand loyalty and emotions, making your service more memorable than facts and figures. This can influence decision-makers to remember your brand when the time comes to make a choice.

Stories keep things simple. Storytelling uses natural, authentic language. Simplicity enhances the effectiveness of content marketing efforts, ultimately boosting engagement and conversion rates.

Stories help you get out of the way. Storytelling puts your products in a better perspective, essentially forcing you to see how your customer will interact with the product in ways you likely hadn’t thought of. This can feel uncomfortable, but trust it.

Stories Make for conversations that last. It’s our role and responsibility as marketers and entrepreneurs to be real—to nurture human connections. When we shift from attention-grabber to storytellers we change a product pitch into a lasting dialogue. Extend lifetime customer value through real connection.

Here are more helpful resources around storytelling within your marketing strategy:

Case Study: From Flighty to Grounded

We’ve all been there: Racking our brains for that ultimate tagline; that perfect pitch that sells the sizzle—certain that it’s right on the tip of our tongue.

I was recently in a discussion with a new tech client in the aviation industry. The focus of the meeting started out with us all spinning on a caption that would move the earth. Terms like “Sky-high Solutions” and “Good to Grow” and “Elevate Efficiency” were tossed around, following by short spurts of semi-awkward silence. I ultimately changed the subject with the question, “What’s the average length of your customers’ buying cycle?” Both of my contacts had quite different answers, so we spent some time bullet-pointing a creative brief, then defining a couple of specific audience types. From that discussion came broader topics such as product customizations and convenient feature add-ons. We began crafting a story with aviation mechanics and systems engineers becoming the main characters. Projects and taglines are still yet to be determined, but I’m excited about the context that we can wrap around those details within a compelling story.

About Targa Media

For over 20 years, Targa Media has been helping B2B customers be relevant and authentic in their marketing messaging. From local businesses to global Fortune 500s, our method centers on human motivation. We work hard to understand each product and the people who need it most, and then we build campaigns that match up with emotional triggers. We keep our clients informed every step of the way—from napkin scratches to final designs—so they never waste time or money on dead-end campaigns.

Meet your un-ad agency. We do things a little differently than your average ad agency. More at un-adagency.com

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Imposter Syndrome, and How We Creatives Can Rise Above It

by Jason Steed | Mar 9, 2023 | Workplace Wellness

Jason Steed

Owner & CEO

Imposter Syndrome, and How We Creatives Can Rise Above It

On Thursday of last week I bumped into 4 isolated instances where “imposter syndrome” got brought up. My morning commute gave me a talk show about imposter syndrome. The day progressed with the recurring topic in business meetings, then a wrap up with one of my boys who just started his freshman experience at college. A crazy coincidence, but it got me thinking about this label. Creatives and marketers are more susceptible to imposter syndrome because we’re being judged by subjective standards. Here I’ll share some of my own feelings of inadequacy, and how I’ve overcome many of them, along with 3 ways creatives and marketers can tackle imposter syndrome. PS. No, this issue doesn’t just go away on its own.

Creatives and our Scary Spotlights

Many successful creators and marketers can often feel like frauds, just waiting to be called out. As writers, artists, performers, and creative leaders, our creations are our identity; out there under the spotlight for all to scrutinize. Yikes, we’re shining a light on our very souls! Maybe you can relate? I certainly can, though I’ve come a long way in my own career and personal life. Although not an actual diagnosable disorder, thinking of one’s self as a “creative fraud” can feel pretty real. Imposter tendencies can rob us of joy and fulfillment in our work, undermine our potential, and can even stifle creativity.

Even the best creatives miss the mark. Simon Sinek refers to his 1st Pancake example for creatives. The first pancake is so often a throw-away. It’s the 3rd pancake that we’re most proud of and that’s worthy of serving others. But guess what…there’s never a 3rd pancake without the first pancake.

Simon Sinek creatives and their first pancake

“As creatives and entrepreneurs, if we are to lead by example, let’s start by addressing and correcting symptoms within ourselves.”

Allow me to share a short list of imposter moments in my own life:

Being the teacher’s pet (but not the smartest kid in the classroom)
Performing at youth piano competitions (the end of each performance left me feeling both relieved and guilty)
Being envied or “called out” in Junior High art classes
Being a new dad
Being a veteran dad
Being an entrepreneur (I’ve slowly shifted my mindset from “Maybe I should get a real job, so I can see how marketing is done” to “Maybe I know what I’m doing”)
Leading a team of agency creatives
Writing this blog ;-]

My Personal Turning Point: The Mentors in My Life.

Though I’m in a much better place today, my insecurities have been deep and long-lasting through much of my career. I underwent a 20-year maturity with the help of my wife, friends, clients, and associations such as the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce. I recall my acceptance as one of the Chamber’s 25 local business leaders enrolled in their annual Leadership Utah program. Boy, did I feel like an imposter when I introduced myself and company name that August morning in 2003. I was uncomfortable from head to toe, even wearing a newly purchased blazer and Wingtip shoes that I prayed I was safely hiding inside of. I feel like I can measure my path to confidence, thanks to great leaders within the Chamber who helped me peel away layers of desperate doubt.

Three Ways for Creatives to Tackle Imposter Syndrome

Fail it till you nail it. This is my spin on banning the ugly word “fake” in fake it till you make it. As creatives we simply need to put in the time and effort, realizing there are no shortcuts. Anybody who gets it right the first time is a victim of beginner’s luck, and “luck” sounds pretty fake to me. See my example above about the first pancake. .
Reframe “potential” as part of the journey, not the destination. We all “reach” for potential rather than land on it. As a perfectionist, I’ve often been driven to polish everything. As a result, I would often come across to my peers and co-workers as being unrelatable or incongruent. As human beings we crave empathetic experiences. Our flaws make us relatable and relevant to others. Be the whole package…flaws and all! .
Make small daily corrections instead of taking on those Goliath moments. Realize that feelings of inadequacy apply not just to the big roles but also to smaller daily occurrences. Imposter syndrome is sneaky that way. “Feeling stupid is called “life,” says Dr. Valerie Young, co-founder of Impostor Syndrome Institute.

In Summary

Acknowledge that most creatives and entrepreneurs suffer from time to time with “imposter” labels. Our identity is so deeply tied to the things we produce and display. We make giant leaps forward when we acknowldge we’re all in the same boat…from writers to artists to actors to marketing managers…and the list goes on. Put everything on a pedestal…the good, bad and ugly. Shine the light on it in order to illuminate your own worth and identity. It takes guts. It takes practice. Recognize how your failures are your successes.

Coincidentally, the song Brass in Pocket by The Pretenders has been in my wife’s and my heads all week, “…Gonna use my, my, my, imagination. ‘Cause I’m gonna make you see there ‘s nobody else here, no one like me.” Wow, there are so many nuances in the band name, the lyrics, the timing…clearly, this month’s topic was written in the stars!

Sources:
HBR: Hire leaders for what they can do, not what they have done
HereConsulting: Feeling like you’re never enough—5 ways to combat imposter syndrome
Dr. Valerie Young – Are creative people more susceptible to imposter syndrome?
Simon Sinek: The importance of the first pancake, with Adam Grant and Brené Brown

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My Gratitude Practice for Wiring Creativity

by Jason Steed | Nov 23, 2022 | Workplace Wellness

Jason Steed

Owner & CEO

My Gratitude Practice for Wiring Creativity

Thank Goodness for our Prefrontal Cortex

From one creative to another, I’ve found an unlikely yet effective gratitude-receiving practice that boosts my creativity. Note how I said “gratitude-receiving” rather than “giving gratitude.” No doubt that any form of gratitude is enriching and beneficial, but I want to speak directly to a type of gratitude practice proven to best light up the creative centers of our brains. It’s sort of a practitioner’s approach to a transcended topic, nevertheless, I’ll share an easy formula, inspired by a Huberman Labs podcast, that I’ve found to be quick and reliable tool for my own grounding, centering, and creative readiness.

First off, I’m not personally very consistent with any type of gratitude practice. But I really dig the science behind anything that can elevate my brain above it’s hardwired state of static safety. I know as well that we have to work against the atrophy that will stagnate us in our careers if we let it. So, for those who like the idea of putting up a good fight in the name of an evolving mind, these few tips may be worth a try.

Here’s a quick scientific framing: Gratitude is a mindset that activates our prefrontal cortex. Our brains’ prefrontal networks are the source of many of our enlightening attributes, one of which is creativity. The richest form of gratitude benefits occurs when you a) receive gratitude, and b) construct a story. The combination of those two elements by far outweighs both the biological and psychological boosts from more common practices like giving gratitude or even dwelling on a list of things you’re genuinely grateful for (source: Frontiers Psychology). The process of receiving gratitude simply has more effects on our prefrontal neural networks. There are many scientific studies that support this, and from where much of my idea structure comes.
.

“The richest form of gratitude benefits occurs when you a) receive gratitude, and b) construct a story.”

Try it out…Write your Own Snippet

Write your own short and sweet gratitude-receiving outline. Your formula boils down to the two components I mentioned above: Receiving gratitude in the form a story. Heather reminded me just today that it matters less whether your story involves you or if your story is completely about somebody else. As long as you can intimately relate to those strong emotions of struggle, rescue and gratitude, your brain can resonate equally to either scenario. So, just simply start by finding a gratitude-receiving story that matters to you.

My Own Gratitude Practice – Life of Pi

For my gratitude practice, I like to recall a few powerful scenes from the 2012 movie Life of Pi. Piscine (or “Pi” for short) is the story’s protagonist, an Indian youth stranded on a lifeboat following a horrific accident. In my own interpretation, Pi is also the antagonist, battling a wild tiger who was stranded alongside him. In the end, Pi comes to a deep understanding of an unexpected codependency between the tiger and himself. Their months-long and life-threatening journey gradually intensifies Pi’s self-fulfillment from receiving gratitude, culminating in the tiger’s poignant pause before he steps from Pi’s care back into the wild. Total sidenote: For all of you typography enthusiasts, check out the ending credits. Heather and I researched and found the matching font for our design library. ;-]

Life of Pi Recognizing Gratitude Fox2000

Gratitude can Help Fill your Own Creative Well

As creatives and business leaders, we get to do great and meaningful work. A lot is expected of us, and we don’t have a limitless supply of on-demand energy, focus, and creativity. I believe mindfulness is a powerful way to refuel, allowing us to craft campaigns with greater intention. I lean on other tools in my own life to fill my creative well such as my time with Heather and our kids, trail running, music, and photography. Whatever your tools may be, you might find success in a similar model as what I’ve shared above, with a time commitment of only 2 or 3 minutes a day.

You might find other great resources and advocates for gratitude in their professional spaces: A short list includes Jenny Haase, Dr. Julie Hanks, B.J. Warnick, and Jody Moore. Enjoy the benefits of receiving gratitude, and be grateful for the journey!

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My 20-year Report: Finding our Happy Place

by Jason Steed | Oct 16, 2022 | Workplace Wellness

Jason Steed

Owner & CEO

My 20-year Report: Finding our Happy Place

Look, even our logo got a little happier!

Since opening Targa Media’s doors 20 years ago, I have given highest attention to the human aspect of business. In this post I will touch a little on company culture, but I’ll emphasize a few basic practices that have provided an unmistakable environment for trust, camaraderie, and yes…good old happiness. ;-]

Happiness and “team-focused” behaviors

In a breath, workplace happiness is all about recognizing the right behaviors. Caveat: The right behavior isn’t the same for everybody. Oh snap, this is going to take some time and attention! To help carve away the layers on that statement, I’ll elaborate with my only credible evidence: 20 years of personal experience.

Does the workplace even need to be a happy place? Taleen at the office pointed me just this week to a sound bite from Simon Sinek (source) who stated that we used to be able to gripe about the grind with friends after hours, serving as our prominent path to find bond and balance. But a deliberate shift has taken place due to the jarring post-COVID shift of our work environment and after-work social structure. Bottom line: Today there absolutely needs to be a sense of belonging and well-being during the span of our working days.

Behaviors that Promote Creativity

In our staff, I strive to recognize individual qualities. One employee might be adept at enabling more creativity from coworkers. Another might excel at helping to build trust among the staff. Somebody might have the skills to look out for the best interests of their team. Others might have the skills to be teachable and motivated. Maybe you spotted a trend—all of these items are much more about team collaboration than individual performance. This becomes much more clear when I describe the behaviors that I don’t reward.

I want each of my employees to be “all in” for each other, not for me.

Bringing a Smile to Teamwork

Individual productivity is not the prize. It’s also not the pathway to a happy workplace. In a separate blog post I talk about fiscal productivity as the culprit for contention and a useless measurement for collective morale. To summarize, I enacted a Productivity Perks program in 2014 that looked not at percentage of billable hours but rather at extra-mile efforts to nurture camaraderie, creativity and gratitude. Efforts such as these “soft metric” contributions can often fly under the radar, making it hard to recognize and nurture. But for as long as I can remember as an entrepreneur and employer, I have sought daily to discern, recognize and help perpetuate these qualities. Admittedly, I’m sometimes hit and miss. I suspect I’ll be working at recognizing and refining these soft metrics for many years to come.

Job titles make for squishy rewards. Instead, I prefer to look at talents and capabilities that encourage teamwork. To distinguish between these, a job title is something that is manifested from employer to employee, whereas talents and capabilities are manifested from employee out to their work circles. In essence, we’re creating “team titles,” along with a little help from our clients.

I love the good that comes from our collective creativity. Individually, we can come up with great ideas. However, our team authors a powerful “collective” creative portfolio. In this model, our clients benefit from far more effective marketing campaigns. When we huddle, our team is so much more vibrant and creative than the sum of our individual parts.

I don’t pay my gratitude solely through salary. It’s both vital to employee engagement and innately important to me personally that I applaud in ways beyond monetary salaries and bonuses. Although money is a powerful tool in showing value, it is only a part of the formula. If it were only about money, I wouldn’t be able to afford any of my talented staff. I happily shoulder the attentive tasks of finding non-monetary ways to recognize and reward our team. I’ll speak on this more specifically in a later blog post.

I don’t recognize staff for allegiance to our company vision. We’re all individual, and as a business owner I recognize that I have a lot more skin in this game than other team members. To be clear, we still must all share a common loyalty to the moral and humanistic rules that let us feel secure, valued, and respected. The motivators that ready each of us for the workday are always personalized to our individual goals and trajectories. In fact, it’s actually the variety of these individual motivators that propel our firm’s mission and vision statements. I want each of my employees to be “all in” far more for each other than for me.

Targa Media team-porch1 Maddie Gray Taleen Ericksen Jason Steed Rachel Klein

“In a breath, workplace happiness is all about recognizing the right behaviors. Caveat: The right behavior isn’t the same for everybody.”

Five Humble yet Happy Workplace Tactics:

Though always in flux, here are a few of our current programs and practices that help to promote a happier workplace:.

“Best weekend” report: Just a casual top-of-week catch up on each of our weekend events. Simple, but a great way to set the stage for the week. I confess that my weekend adventures seldom top the leaderboard.
Daily virtual/physical face-to-face status huddles with the entire staff. I’m grateful that our company size allows us to logistically accomplish this each and every day. Taleen, our Chief Program Manager, started this practice as a sanity check during deep COVID 2020, and it stuck! Whether on a daily or weekly cadence, businesses would be well-served to adopt a comparable “everybody in” policy.
We utilize “full team” Google Chats, and we discuss both work-related and non-work-related topics. Just as importantly, we respect team members taking the day off with custom exclusion Chat lists.
Open door policy – My management team and I always keep our office doors open, other than for the occasional video call when the office volume is up.
I share client feedback—both the wins and the losses—with the creatives who lead the project, as well as the whole staff. In this way, I believe we can better one another. Furthermore, it’s our chance to show clients how unified we are as a team on their behalf.

Bottom line: Today there absolutely needs to be a sense of belonging and wellbeing during the span of our working days.