Annie Figenshu of Northern New Jersey on Life, Lessons & Legacy

Annie Figenshu shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Annie, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
I think so many people are working at companies or running their own companies, and they put out so much content with little to no strategy. It’s making them feel exhausted and exasperated. You should only put out content that is going to help you with your business goals.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, my name is Annie Figenshu, and I run the company Downstage Media. I understand that many companies make too much content with too little results. So I consult with you to find a content marketing strategy so you actually hit your goals. I do this by either teaching you how to do it in a workshop, coaching you on your team on how to have a content marketing strategy, or consulting with your business to have a full plan that’s going to help you reach your goals. One thing that people like when they work with me is that I use the improv comedy background that I honed in over 15 years of performing all around the world. I know what it’s like to use words that are going to connect with an audience in real-time. I also have a brain that works considerably faster than most people’s brains work. So my clients know that when they meet with me, they are going to get a number of very creative ideas that are going to help to solve a lot of their content marketing bottlenecks.

Here’s an example of that recently someone asked me, “What are ways that a financial advisor brand can bring in more leads?” They were thinking just something really usual like sponsoring an event, and sure that’s perfectly fine, but I pitched to them three or four or five very unlikely ideas that they could use, and they said, “Yes, that is different, that is unusual. Let’s go in that direction because it will differentiate us from other financial advisors in the space.”

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
I think that algorithms break the bonds between people. If we think about when social media first started up, everyone really enjoyed connecting with one another. But because there was so much content on there and then so many brands came in and so many ads came in, the social media platforms had to create algorithms to assume what you were going to want to see and also what they wanted you to see.

Now, very few people really have that same connection on social media that they had when they were first delighted to reacquaint themselves with people they had lost touch with, such as when Facebook first began.

The antidote to algorithms and AI is analog. So, how can you create a visceral experience that is tangible that people can really hold on to and remember? Is it that you’re actually going to get on a plane and go to see a client? Is it that you are actually going to deliver a gift to a client? Are you going to schedule an event where a bunch of local people in your niche actually meet up for happy hour once a quarter? What is it but analog beats algorithms any day of the week, and for that matter, analog beats AI a lot as well.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
When I first started Downstage Media, I didn’t have a lot of support. I had to completely bootstrap it myself, and I don’t mean from my own personal savings. I mean from the income that Downstage Media was bringing in. My now ex-husband was adamant that I wasn’t to use any of our savings to support my business. No startup capital, nothing. I completely built Downstage Media from scratch with little to no financial support, little to no childcare (even though my children were very young), and little to no resources.

This helped me to become very agile and very creative. So I had to figure out how to make money so that way I could actually afford the things that I needed in order to make my business work and in order for me to be able to take the steps I could take so it could grow.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
One of the biggest issues I see companies making today, even though they’re run by very smart, very accomplished CEOs, is that they don’t bother putting an actual face to their marketing. They want to hide behind LinkedIn company pages. They wanna send out these generic emails that are just from a faceless company. People need to connect with other people. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that. And when your marketing isn’t working, it’s usually because you don’t have enough humanity in it. And that is something that so many companies refuse to face.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope that people will share that when I knew I was in a very difficult personal situation, that I could get myself out of it. And that I could work myself out of it, that I could build a career and build a company that would be able to allow me to make choices so I didn’t have to stay in situations that were ultimately harmful to me and to my children. By grit and determination, I was able to get myself out of a very bad situation thanks to being able to earn enough to have options.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.downstage.media
• Instagram: @downstagemedia
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anniefigenshu/