We were lucky to catch up with Megan Wilson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Megan, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
I often get called an optimistic pessimist. Because of experience, I prepare for the worst in both my professional and personal life. In my personal life, at a young age, I experienced dramatic changes and traumatic losses. My parents have been through 6 marriages total, I’ve lost three of my older siblings, and found myself in dangerous romantic relationships. I don’t take any second for granted and find that being a positive light in someone else’s life is a powerful thing. I also believe that its one of life’s greatest rebellions–to live fully, to dream, and to keep your head up in spite of the negative forces always at play. Life will always be hard but it’s also always beautiful. This is my first source of optimism.
So, in work, I bring this same mentality and focus on optimism. We prepare, we plan, we learn, and we adapt because we know things will go awry at some point–during a photoshoot, when we post on social media, or if a client hits a PR crisis. Having a plan and preparing for the worst helps us stay more positive in the moment as things unfold as we hoped but we don’t loose hope if it does. It helps the entire team and other stakeholders all take a breath and focus on the “why,” which is often where we can all draw a shared source of optimism. We can stay lighter together. This shared optimism brings greater results again and again.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m a journalist turned marketing expert. I believe in the power of not only telling stories, but telling the right ones to the right audiences. And I know so many people aren’t equipped to do either for their brand, nonprofit, or business. I took my award winning background as a writer, designer, and photographer and learned to harness the power of social media, websites, email marketing, and public relations for the greater good. I sought after clients with positive stories to tell and amazing products customers would love.
I now have 15 years of experience in digital marketing and lead a growing team of positive-minded creatives who also lead with heart but have put in the work. Together, we offer customized marketing solutions to nonprofits and businesses of all sizes, local and national. We create social and web-ready content, curate email marketing campaigns, recruit influencers to showcase brands, write copy for all levels of communication, place powerful stories in the news, build websites, and so much more.
Everything we do starts with a plan and a strategy. Our favorite clients to work with are those where we get to do a little bit of everything, because we know an integrated plan is the most effective.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I went to the University of Richmond and studied journalism and studio art. I just went to my 15-year college reunion and I continue to be proud that I use these skills in every part of my day. From writing social media captions and taglines to editing a video interview to producing a photoshoot, my writing skills and art theory comes in handy every day.
For those who want to sharpen your communication and design skills, I recommend starting with consuming more writing. really read newspapers, books, magazines, and even emails. We do so much skimming these days. but when you look closer, you see mistakes, you see words you like, you make note of formatting that worked well breaking down a complex topic. Save it. Recreate it for another purpose. I also recommend keeping a writing guide next to your desk. I personally keep the Associate Press Style Book by my desk: https://www.apstylebook.com/.
The same goes for design. Look at your mail–what made you pause and look closer? What made you throw it out immediately? You can make similar notes on social media, websites. email campaigns you see. Save the ones you like down. Use them as inspiration next time you need to sit down and create your own. Don’t know how a graphic or video was made? Head to Google or YouTube! There’s always someone out there who wants to teach you.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
We look for clients who have goals, who are willing to listen, and who like to evaluate and learn. Marketing is uncomfortable for most brands–it requires a lot of tech skills, it forces you to be in the spotlight, and it touches many areas of the business. From CEO to the night watch, we need access and true partnership. We aim to be one of the easiest teams to work with, but we do work best with clients who are willing to be open, to listen to expertise, and to be invested in the long-term journey together. Brands, industries, trends, apps, and the world will continue to change. Brands who commit to reviewing results, collaborating, and sharing are the most successful. We want to be working toward success!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sweettalkstrategy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweettalkstrategy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweettalkstrategy
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-wilson-a7392011/
Image Credits
Most images courtesy of Ashley Loth of Sound Snap Photography.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
