The Power of GIFs in Connecting With Your Audience w/Deanna Seymour

Imagine if your business branding could be fun, authentic, and massively engaging—all thanks to the simple power of GIFs!

On this episode I'm chatting with graphic designer and content coach Deanna Seymour, who reveals the secrets behind using GIFs to connect with your audience and add more of your personality (and humor) into your marketing.

From pre-existing favorites on Giphy to custom-made GIFs where YOU are the star, discover how these dynamic visuals can boost engagement and help create a strong, relatable bond with your audience.

Building a personal brand that genuinely reflects who you are can be daunting, but Deanna’s journey of embracing authenticity proves it's worth it.  Tune in for a conversation that’s packed with laughs, real talk, and practical tips to make your business shine with personality and creativity.

---

Register for our next Virtual Speed Networking Event here:  https://powerfulwomenrising.com/events/

Learn more about becoming a member of the Powerful Women Rising Community here:  https://powerfulwomenrising.com/community/

----

Episode Highlights:

00:12:33     Using GIFs for Connection and Engagement

00:16:24     Establishing Connection Through GIFs

00:23:56     Building a Personal Brand

00:29:21      Strategic Use of GIFs in Marketing

----

To get Deanna's "Gif it UP!" course FREE, click here:  https://deannaseymour.thrivecart.com/gif-it-up/?coupon=POWERFULWOMEN

Learn More and Connect With Deanna:

https://deannaseymour.com
https://www.instagram.com/thedeannaseymour
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedeannaseymour

Chapters

• 0:01 Unleashing the Power of Gifts
• 12:33 Using GIFs for Connection and Engagement
• 16:24 Establishing Connection Through GIFs
• 23:56 Building a Personal Brand
• 29:21 Strategic Use of GIFs in Marketing

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Welcome to Powerful Women Rising, the podcast where we ditch the rulebook and build businesses with authenticity, integrity and a whole lot of fun. Join host Melissa Snow, business relationship strategist and founder of the Powerful Women Rising community, as she interviews top experts and shares candid insights on business strategy, marketing, mindset and more. Let's get real, get inspired and rise together. This is Powerful Women Rising.

Speaker 2: 0:30

Hello, welcome back to another episode of the Powerful Women Rising podcast. I'm your host, melissa Snow, and we've got a doozy for you today. We got two super quirky weird in the best way funny ADHD brains having a conversation about gifts. I mean, does it really get better than that? I am thrilled to share today's guest with you. Her name is Deanna Seymour and I met her a while back at some networking event. I don't even know what it was, something virtual and just loved her vibe right off the bat and kind of stalked her a little bit online. Loved her even more after I stalked her online and you'll hear why in today's interview. Um, and she's become like one of my favorite business people. I have her pop-up networking event on my list of top virtual networking events for female entrepreneurs that you can grab on my website, powerfulwomenrisingcom.

Speaker 2: 1:30

Her content playhouse that she runs, her monthly membership subscription, is amazing. She just really knows her stuff and if you want to infuse your personality in your branding and your marketing and your content, she is the person to help you. She's just amazing. So I am super excited for today's conversation because I love her and it's such a fun topic discussing gifts they're not gifs, by the way we're going to cover that, but talking about gifts and how they can actually help you to connect more with your audience, to be more visible, to help people know, like and trust you a little bit more, and to attract the clients who are a perfect fit for you and let the ones who are not a perfect fit know that they're not. So Deanna understands the power of creativity, of fun and community when it comes to building a sustainable business, which is one of the reasons I love her. She is all about bold branding, lively design and making less content, but doing it better.

Speaker 2: 2:36

Can I get an amen? With a mix of humor, empathy and real talk, deanna helps you feel more comfortable in your own skin so you can actually have fun with your content and connect with your perfect fit clients. When she's not hosting a pop-up networking party or working with clients, she's probably making gifts or teaching us how to make gifts, hanging out with her family or sneaking in some real housewives, which you will also hear plenty about in this interview. So strap on, wait, strap on. That's probably not what we should say. What do people say? Oh, strap in Good Lord. Okay, you know, I'm just going to leave that in here, because realness is what sells, right. So strap on and let's go. Hi, deanna, Welcome to the podcast.

Speaker 3: 3:22

Hi, thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 2: 3:24

Yes, I know I'm so excited to talk to you. I was actually just recording the intro for Suzanne Kohlberg's episode and I was telling everybody about how you recommended her and then she, without knowing, recommended you and I'm like see people, this is networking.

Speaker 3: 3:39

Yes, I love Suzanne.

Speaker 2: 3:40

She's the coolest. She is Well, I mean, you're actually the coolest, but she's pretty cool.

Speaker 3: 3:46

We all should have a cool cool-off contest. That sounds like there's a cool-off, like we're in perimenopause, like we need a cool-off.

Speaker 2: 3:58

We might need one of those also actually.

Speaker 3: 4:01

So before we dig into today's topic, which I'm super, excited about tell everybody a little bit about you and about what you do. Yeah, so I'm super excited about Tell everybody a little bit about you and about what you do. Yeah, so I'm Deanna Seymour. I am a graphic designer and content coach, so I help people sort of turn up the volume on the fun in their brand if that will help them have more fun. I just said fun twice, that's how much fun it is. Fun times two. But yeah, people who mostly are solopreneurs and they just are like we're having to do everything, and so I feel like if you don't sprinkle more fun into it, it's really hard to get through that task. And we all seemingly left jobs we weren't that happy with to be our own bosses. So I think we should like allow ourselves that freedom. So that's what I help people do.

Speaker 2: 4:43

Yeah, and it should be fun times. Two or three, I know, sparkle it all over. It's funny because a lot of times when I do these podcast interviews, I am thinking about like when we started our business, no matter who we are, except for maybe you you maybe did start your business and we're like I want to do social media, but most of us weren't like I'm going to start a business because I want to do social media. Or like I'm going to start a business because I really want to make graphics Unless you're a graphic designer or a content creator. Like we started our business because we wanted to be coaches, we wanted to help people, we wanted to sell this product. We were really passionate about whatever it was and I think most people are like me we didn't realize like all the other shit came with it. And then we tried. Like for me at least and I think this is big in the beginning of business too, when we're not making money, we're like I need to just learn how to be all the things for myself. And there is certainly a time and a place, even before you're making consistent income, where it is worth it to invest in people like you who have the expertise that we don't Like.

Speaker 2: 5:48

I was telling you before we started recording. So Deanna and I had a console. I was like listen, I need you to help me with some things. One of them was this nine grid that I wanted her to do on my Instagram and she was like great, let's do it. And then I was like, nah, I can do this myself. Probably like 75 hours later I'm like why does my nine grid still not look that cool? And also, it's been 75 hours and in those 75 hours I could have been doing actual, like revenue generating activities.

Speaker 3: 6:17

So yeah, or like having fun Speaking of fun times too, if that's not fun to you, like, get out of canva. I'm like close your laptop back away from canva.

Speaker 2: 6:28

It was super fun for the first like two hours, the last 73, not that fun, yes, okay, so we have a fun topic today. We're talking about gifs, gifs, gif, gifs yes settle it once and for all. Are they gifts?

Speaker 3: 6:46

are they? Gifs to me. They're gifs, which I always joke that it's because gifts are a gift to the world, um, but also like the first word in it is graphic, which is like you can tell I have a rising kindergartner. Like that's gif. Sorry person who made it up, it's g GIF.

Speaker 2: 7:05

Yeah, it's not peanut butter, it's a GIF. Yeah, I agree, they are a GIF. I love GIFs.

Speaker 3: 7:12

I know Everybody does. So I just like, was going to dive in. I got so excited about GIFs. Okay, oh my God, let me talk about GIFs. Oh my gosh, that's why I'm here, I think. Okay, what I wanted to say was that everybody loves gifts. I think everybody does as a gift. But you know, I'm like now I'm going deep in the 90s. I'm like she's all that a bag of chips. No, I have not sent that. But you know, you get the good reactions and it's way more fun than my husband and I send gifts back and forth.

Speaker 3: 8:02

And so then, when it came to my business, I sort of it's funny because you were saying I thought what you were going to say was, when I started my business, I just automatically was making it really fun. You were talking about design and marketing and social media. But people would probably be surprised to know that, even as a former art teacher, when I started my business, it was actually really boring because I was trying to be really professional, because I was like, okay, I'm not an art teacher anymore, like I'm not just running an Etsy shop, I'm not just being creative, like I'm going to help people with branding and marketing and I'm going to be professional. So they hire me. And so I almost like accidentally stripped out all personality out of everything. I took online courses, downloaded pdfs and did everything I was like supposed to do, and then I wasn't getting any clients. And then I got really mad because I was like people like me in real life this is like not translating, like I'm not getting clients, I'm not connecting with people.

Speaker 3: 9:01

What gives? Because people like me not to sound cocky, but I'm not connecting with people. What gives? Because people like me Not to sound cocky, but I'm funny. People like me Like what is going on. And then it was like a light bulb moment where I was like oh, that is not how I'm showing up online, like they wouldn't even know the real me. Because when I'm like making my website and doing my social media and doing all this, like I'm trying so hard to sound professional, my social media, doing all this like I'm trying so hard to sound professional. So when I started peeling that back and infusing more of my personality, it just made sense that I was like this is how me and my friends connect. Basically, my clients are just going to be my friends who pay me. So let me sprinkle in some gifts in here.

Speaker 2: 9:40

I love it. It's interesting. That's one of the things that I talk about a lot with networking, and you and I have had this conversation too, because you run a networking event as well and we talked about, like why networking has gotten so weird and why it's gotten such a bad rep, and I think that's a huge part of it is so many people are showing up as like hello, I am a professional and I am very serious about business and you can hire me because I am so serious and it's like okay, great, but like also, who are you?

Speaker 3: 10:10

Yes, well, I think it's just when we start. It's just so much pressure. A little bit Depends on you. Know where you're coming from. Like I said, I was a teacher. So I had a strict deadline of like, if I don't figure this out, I'm going to have to sign a teacher. So I had a strict deadline of like oh, if I don't figure this out, I'm gonna have to sign a contract that maybe stop teaching for another year. So I had a lot of pressure on me and I looked to people who were successful quote, unquote successful and I was just like okay, I just have to like clone myself to be them, and then I too will be a seven figure business owner and a lot of people talk about, you know, like ideal clients and building authority and all these things that I had like never thought about in real life.

Speaker 3: 10:53

And when I started thinking about it I was like wait, I don't have like an ideal friend avatar, like I've never sat down and been like what kind of friends do I want to attract? Hmm, how should I be showing up If those are the like my teacher friends, like I am the teacher friend who's going to go to happy hour after school and like talk smack about maybe the students, maybe the other teachers, definitely the administrators, you know what?

Speaker 2: 11:15

I mean.

Speaker 3: 11:15

For sure the parents, we are going to have chips and salsa, we are going to have margaritas and we are going to survive, you know, and like, if that's not your jam, and you're going to want to like, go to professional development, about teaching after school, like that's not going to happen. So I never sat down to be like what kind of friends am I going to make when I enter this job? How do I want to be perceived? Who do I want to attract All this stuff? And so that was, I think, part of the piece that was confusing to me when I started business, because I was like, okay, who do I want to attract? Who do I want to do?

Speaker 3: 11:48

And so really and I'm not saying this is great business advice, but like I kind of just started showing up as me, since I am a one-on-one service provider and I work with my clients, and I feel like the cat's going to be out me and see what a rambly ADHD weirdo I am, so like my website should probably show that off a little bit, and the people who like it will want to book a call with me, and the people who are going to be like who was that freak? I don't want to work with her. I don't even have to get on a call with them and waste my time.

Speaker 2: 12:19

Yeah, absolutely. They just come to you or they don't, and that's what you want them to do. Very much like online dating.

Speaker 3: 12:33

Yes, and you know, I think gifts already could be something. There could be people there that are just like oh, why is she using gifts? Like I know I've actually done podcast interviews before and this was more about email marketing. But I came, I talked about how I love to put gifts in my emails and the host was like, oh my gosh, I hate gifts. Like ugh. And I was like, okay, well, like maybe you're not my person, bye, bye. So maybe who knows? Like maybe already just having gifts on my website or in my emails is like positioning me as like not super serious, which is great because I am not not. So let's get that out of the way. Yeah, yeah, but I think it's a great way to connect because there are literally gifts about any subject under the sun shows.

Speaker 3: 13:20

Bravo, housewives, which is one of my favorites. To be honest, I'm constantly naming a housewife and something I need. Like NeNe Leakes Awesome. Like NeNe Leakes Mad. Like. Whenever I write an email, I'm like okay, we got to get this. And that doesn't even include learning how to create gifts of yourself. So there's kind of in my mind there's two types of gifts. I guess there's three types. Technically, is that okay if I get educational for a second. Yes, please, okay, so there's the GIFs that already exist in the world, which is, I feel, like the great starter pack for anybody who's like oh, I like GIFs, I could use more GIFs in my business, so those are the ones that already exist on Giphy in my business. So those are the ones that already exist on giphy. So if you love the show big brother or survivor or whatever you love comic book characters anything, start infusing those in there, because that could start some conversations with people of like oh my gosh, I love this, and they're going to hit reply to your emails or they're going to land on a waitlist page with a funny gift that they relate to.

Speaker 3: 14:28

One time I did a page I was only selling a certain amount of. They were actually custom gifts I was making for people I was doing like a little flash sale and there was only 30 to sell, and so when it sold out, it went to a page with a gift of Ramona Singer from Real Housewives of New York if anybody ever watched that and there was like a famous scene where she was like crying so dramatically on a bed, and so I was like I'm using this for the person who, like, missed the sale. And I said, oh my gosh, they're all sold out. And now you're crying, like Ramona on Scary Island when she couldn't work it out with Jill or something like that.

Speaker 3: 15:05

And for a second that was like one of the first times. I was really like I'm just going to go for this reference, I'm just going to do it. And I thought, oh my God, what if somebody doesn't get it? And they don't even know who Ramona is? They're just like who's this lady crying in a bed? And I was like up for the waitlist for the next round, like they will still get it. But the people who get it and got the reference and were like, oh my gosh, so funny.

Speaker 3: 15:35

I mean, I feel like they were like diana's, my girl like we are forever yes, and I mean there was only probably a few people who landed on that page who really got the reference, but the rest of the people got what they needed to get, which is it's sold out and who knows like. Maybe they Googled it and were like what's she even talking about reference? I also watched that reality show, big Brother. I've done those like in emails a few times. I did like a whole launch. That was like Big Brother spoof-ish but like if people don't get it, they still get that. I'm like doing a challenge, like they don't need to know the ins and outs of Big Brother and the best players ever, but the people who liked Big Brother now we're buds, you know. So that's tier one.

Speaker 3: 16:24

If you want to get started, you just start finding the gifts that you love. Don't worry about if they love them or not, because you will go down a whole rabbit hole and you'll start second guessing yourself and you'll be nervous and you won't want to do it. So gifts you love, stories you love, references you love is the easiest thing because they already exist and you just go to Giphycom and you search for any ones that you want. Then I think the second level well, the second and third level are equal, and that is either you creating your own GIFs, which can either be like the rectangle ones that I feel like in my mind I've been thinking of this whole time, but you know, when you're on your computer or when you respond to someone in a Facebook comment, like it's a, it's a clip from a show, right. And then there's also the stickers, which are like in Instagram, when you do a story and you type in like heart, and there's like a little cat who does like a heart throws a heart up in the air, and they're more cut out, right. So those are the sticker kind, sticker kind. And then there's just the regular ones, and I actually have a course that teaches you how to make either of those, and I think making your own still connects with people. I would say the same amount. I mean sometimes if you do Big Brother and they love Big Brother, like you're, you might even connect more, but when it's you, I think that really ups your authority in terms of your brand Cause then people are like, oh my gosh, she has gifts, like she's so cool, like that's her podcast cover. When you search her podcast, it comes up like now, all of a sudden I'm, you know, hot shit Cause I have my own stickers on Instagram and it's like you just make them and you submit them for approval and then they're there and searchable.

Speaker 3: 18:08

But doing the personal ones, I think, ups your level of like authority. And it is actually really nice when someone signs up for something and like lands on a, let's say, they join your newsletter and then they land on a page that's say they join your newsletter and then they land on a page that's like okay, cool, go check your email, make sure you click confirm on the data. But it's you being like oh right, and it's a GIF of you. Then they're like okay, cool, like I just joined your newsletter and like I said, phase one could be, it's a real housewife saying cheers and they're like oh, she likes housewives, so why? But if it's you, they're like, ooh, she's the real deal, and now I'm connecting with her. Does that make sense? And it puts me on like real housewife level, because now I'm also a GIF, so that's my brand is so awesome that I'm GIFs. I'm a GIF, yeah.

Speaker 2: 19:01

Yeah, and what I would love about what you're saying is that it's just another like out of the box way to connect with people. Like we hear a lot of the same things, right, like tell stories from your own life or, like you know, share the downs but also the ups and record your be real footage. And is it be real? Yeah, that's what I meant to say. I got that. I got the letter B-R-E-E-L confused with B-E-R-E-A-L, and then this is what happens when two people with ADHD try to record a podcast interview together. Sorry, everybody, you know we hear like a lot of the same things about like show everybody who you really are. But this, I think, is a different way to connect with people, like on a different level, and I think that's so fun.

Speaker 3: 19:45

Yeah, and also the movement is fun, right, I mean, I wouldn't suggest every single photo on your website be a gift, because then you would be, like you know, seasick by the end. That's me again giving away my age. You'd be nauseous by the end, but it's a fun little thing when you land, like I said, on a landing page. This is page, this is sold out. What a bummer. You missed this. Or, like, this fun thing's happening. I? Um have one on my about page.

Speaker 3: 20:13

It's like again with the like not I won't say weird reference, very specific reference, because even sometimes my husband is like what are you doing? Like, is this a business? I'm like, yeah, the more you think I'm weird, the happier I am to put this on my website. But there's a movie in the 90s called can't hardly wait, uh-huh, where the kids like graduate high school and, um, there was a guy in there named kenny who has this line freaking love kenny, right with his goggles on his head and he's like, oh, you are far too. Um, what does he say? Oh, my gosh, I'm like messing up the thing in my big moment.

Speaker 2: 20:45

You're you are far too fine to look so sad yes, and so I changed it.

Speaker 3: 20:52

So actually, and this is like a sneak peek of kind of my secret tech behind doing this it's super easy I go to YouTube, I find anything I want and I use loom to just record my screen.

Speaker 3: 21:03

And so I got Kenny saying you are far too far too fine to look so sad, and I just made it like you're far too fine to use those templates, like to be funny, on my about page. And then I'm like maybe he didn't exactly say that, but you know what I mean. You know, but it was just a way for me to like call out that like I'm from the 90s, like I'm genetic, like we're, we know something like we have stuff in common, and it just moves the page along. It's like, of course I have photos of me on there, but it's like not a picture of me, still something to break it up visually and, like I said, kind of gives a nod to like pop culture and where I'm at, how old I am, and you know it connects with people yeah, I think it's a cool way to like interact with people when you're not actually there to interact with them yeah, yeah, and I always go back and forth.

Speaker 3: 21:48

So I do think I personally use a mix of both. Like I think I would argue that the pop culture ones and the ones that are me probably connect equally and I think it's sort of nice to have both of them because, like I said before just repeating myself, but like the authority and the actual connection with me as a person. But also people connect over favorite songs, favorite videos. Oh, this is from the eighties, this is from the nineties. All those things connect just as much as seeing my face and if you're following people on Instagram or whatever, like you probably are already seeing their face a bunch. Our faces are plastered all over our websites. Our faces are, you know, showing up in our reels. So I still think that the pop culture ones do a lot of connecting in their own right For sure.

Speaker 2: 22:39

I just did a podcast episode that came out today actually about the no like and trust factor in business, and I keep thinking about that in this conversation because I think it's such a fun way for people to get to know you and get to like you and get to trust you, like I'm just thinking of you specifically.

Speaker 2: 22:55

We only met very briefly, virtually somewhere, but I could tell like the vibe, right, you weren't like oh, I am very serious about business and branding and I was like, okay, I love her. But then I go and look at your Instagram, right, and there's like a bunch of Pee Wee Herman on there and I like I can name all of the people who are on your Instagram. They're not people, they're like chairs, but still I can name them. And then I go look at your website and it's like super fun and funny and colorful and there's like these references to can't hardly wait which I get, and automatically, like there's automatically a bond with the two of us, right. Then I was like, let's connect, let me put your networking event on my list. Like let's have you on my podcast, let's do all the things. And we don't. Actually, I feel like we know each other really well, but we really don't. I just feel like we do because of the situation that you've created online that's allowed me to know so much about you.

Speaker 3: 23:52

Well, that makes me so happy because that is exactly what I was talking about at the beginning. That was missing in the beginning of my business, and I was. I was struggling. I was like, well, I'm going to have to keep teaching because nobody. And I was struggling. I was like, well, I'm going to have to keep teaching, because nobody like this isn't translating online.

Speaker 3: 24:12

Yeah, and when I really looked at it to find out why it wasn't translating, I was like it's not just not translating. I mean, there was like stock images on my website and like it was like I was definitely like one of those keyboard stock images with a woman with like well manicured fingernails which were hot pink, which is on brand for me still, but like my fingernails never looked like that, like that is not, it just wasn't me. It was just like there were some little glimmers of me coming through. But overall, when I sat down, why is this translating? Like how come nobody?

Speaker 1: 24:41

knows how funny I am.

Speaker 2: 24:47

I was like, literally, there's nothing funny or cool on my website yeah, at all. And nothing that sets you apart from all the other people who do what you do. I think that's one of the reasons that I have been so successful in this new venture not as much when I was a dating coach, because, I don't know, I don't think I was as me when I was a dating coach, but now it's like there are so many people who show up to my events or are members of the powerful woman rising community or who listened to this podcast, just because, like they like me, like they think I'm funny, they think I'm clever, they think I'm weird, whatever, it is Right, but it's like something about me is endearing to them. And I keep thinking about this friend I have, who we went to this conference together and she is like one of the funniest people on the planet. You would love her.

Speaker 2: 25:27

And I remember this woman who was a branding expert air quotes for those of you who can't see came up to her at one point during the conference. She was standing at the door welcoming people in. It wasn't her conference, she was just being herself and she was doing it in a very silly, funny way, and this branding expert went up to her and said I don't know how you expect anyone to ever take you seriously when you act like this. And her and I had a conversation afterwards and I was like here's the thing, though. Like, when you act like that, the people who want to work with you are like oh my God, I love her, like she is the best human. You don't want that branding expert lady to be your client. Like the two of you in a room together is not going to be a good time. So if you acting like this is what makes people like her be like you know, let's go ahead and keep doing that Like. Let's let them be like you know.

Speaker 3: 26:23

Well and it's. It's so hard to do that in the beginning because I remember being like you mean you want me to like repel people. Are you kidding me? Like I need to get money, like I always talk about? I'm very open about the fact that I was a teacher. My husband has always been a line cook. His job does not pay well. He works so hard and does not get paid what he deserves. So my business has to make money and I'm not trying to be like bragging about that. I mean I wish it didn't, I wish we were like independently wealthy and I could just like cool out.

Speaker 3: 26:59

But from the beginning it was very much you, I have to make money. You know I am an art teacher who now like knows how to work QuickBooks, because I have to pay attention, like I have to know that I'm making enough money that I can pay myself my paycheck and things are working correctly. And so the idea in the beginning of repelling people was so scary that I was playing it so safe that I wasn't getting any clients and I was like oh, I kind of get what you're saying, but anybody listening who's like? I know I hear people say that, but it's like sounds too risky, just like. Think about it. Like, are you actually getting the number of clients you want? And could you try it out for six months, three months, you know? Could you just give it a try?

Speaker 3: 27:44

And I was going to say too, with the branding expert, my branding? I always talk to people when I say I'm like I break the rules of branding because I specifically work with service providers, solopreneurs, who show up for their clients like one-on-one, whether that's a coach or a bookkeeper, or like, like I said before, the cat's going to be out of the bag. That's a coach or a bookkeeper. Or like, like I said before, the cat's going to be out of the bag. That's different than me working with you. Know, a health and beauty makeup line or something like I do not do product stuff. I don't do like that kind of packaging, market research, like we want them to feel this way. I'm talking about personal brands and you're, they're gonna see you anyways. And if you love Care Bears, then let's put some nod to Care Bears on your web. Like let's break the rules, like you said, so that you can stand out and so that people can connect with you and probably not connect with you like Pee Wee.

Speaker 3: 28:37

Herman, you mentioned Pee Wee Content Playhouse. My membership is. I loved Pee Wee's Playhouse growing up and I just thought, gosh, wouldn't it be fun if there was like a business playhouse? Can we just make our businesses more fun and support each other? And it's like based off of Pee Wee's Playhouse and there's lots of people who maybe don't like Pee Wee and that's okay because they're not my people.

Speaker 1: 28:59

And then there's also people who are just indifferent to Pee Wee they people.

Speaker 3: 29:08

And then there's also people who are just indifferent to pb. They're like, okay, whatever content playhouse she's in school, I'm into it. But there's also people who, like you said, know every character, watched pb's playhouse, like, feel even more, like enamored with the idea because of what it means to them in their life yeah, so it's not as scary.

Speaker 3: 29:21

I mean, I've worked with people who I shouldn't have worked with. You know you ignore those red flags, so the more you can just like keep them off to the side. Like I'm shook at what that person said. I'm like how dare she say that to your friend Rude who would want to work with her? But keeping those people at bay is good.

Speaker 2: 29:40

Yeah, Because it's not just like are you getting the number of clients that you want, but it's also like are you getting the kinds of clients that you want? Like I don't want anyone in the powerful women rising community who I wouldn't want to like sit down and have dinner with, or like have over to play a game or something Right, Like that's not the vibe, so well and I mean you're going to want referrals.

Speaker 3: 30:01

So if you have jerk clients and they have jerk friends like you, don't you just it's not just like a marketing thing to be like attract and repel, it's not just like a thing Right, it's like in your life, who do you want, who do you want to hang out with? And it goes back to the like ideal friend avatar. Like you're saying, when you have to work with the people, when you're a personal brand, I mean I kind of consider a lot of my clients, friends like at this point, and people in Content Playhouse. Sometimes they leave for a season or whatever. They're like oh, I can't Voxer you now and I'm like are you hitting me? Like you better Voxer? Like maybe we won't voxer all the time and maybe you won't pick my brain or you know you're certainly not going to like send me any content reviews because you're not in content playhouse right now. But like we're going to keep talking. It's not like you have to pay me money for me to want to talk to you, because I genuinely like all the people I work with.

Speaker 2: 30:50

Yeah, so gifts are a great way to stand out. They're a great way to show your personality, help people get to know you a little bit better, attract to the kind of people that you want to attract, and vice versa. So are there places that you recommend, like are better to use gifts than others?

Speaker 3: 31:10

Yeah, I think I've mentioned it a few times You're like, okay, deanna, psycho, we get it. Those little pages where people land. We get it those little pages where people land like that sort of a surprise little happy place. I think an about page is fun. Or like maybe when you're getting into like down towards frequently asked questions, like obviously it's not a hero image, you know. So, like where do you have a lot of words that are kind of boring and you could like punch up the fun just a little bit. Um, so, right before you know, like your frequently asked questions, like let's just like have something funny going into. Like all these things, um, I personally like to put them in a welcome sequence, especially, and the way I write my welcome sequence for my emails is usually my last. One is more of like a thank you for being here, like maybe asking for a reply, but I love to put a fun gift in there to say, oh my gosh thanks. Or sometimes the very first one.

Speaker 3: 32:07

I don't know if you like the movie elf, but I love the movie elf and Amy Sedaris is an elf, she's like, oh my gosh, you just made my day. When he says, debra, you're pretty as a, you look pretty enough to be on a Christmas card, she's like, oh my gosh, you just made my day. And so when people join myf so like those kinds of things, like especially the broader, I mean these shows are like hit shows. You know they're big blockbuster movies. Like, if you're scared a little bit of repelling people like you pick the right gift, people are going to know it. Where else do I put them? I mean, I send them and I'm like you know a little extra when it comes to the fun. But I send one of Jesse Spano saying I'm so excited when I send a proposal to someone, like that's my automated like here's your link to your proposal, I'm so excited to give this to you. And then Jesse Spano's doing that. You know, very epic episode of Saved by the Bell. So I really think like I'm trying to think emails, landing pages, for sure, breaking up spots on maybe where things get a little boring, but they need to be there on a page. And then I almost put one like every week in my email because you know I'm here because I do love gifts, but I think they're great for transitions in emails If you ever struggle because you know I'm here because I do love GIFs, but I think they're great for transitions in emails If you ever struggle because you mentioned like storytelling in emails, and my emails sort of go like the story part and then I have to kind of transition into like what does this even have to do with your business?

Speaker 3: 33:50

Because as much as I like to think people think I'm funny and love me, like, they still also are like what's the point, deanna? So I love using a GIF as a transition. So when I sort of wrap up the story or you know the story ends with like you know your mind is blown or whatever, like that's a perfect place for like a GIF, to like break the train of thought a little bit but still relate, and then I usually change it to like it's kind of like now we're talking about online business. So if you're ever struggling with a transition in an email, think about doing some sort of reaction to what you've already said. That will also get you to where you want to go. That's sort of my favorite, favorite trick. And then, of course, when I talked about the stickers.

Speaker 3: 34:37

If you ever have a summit, if you have a podcast, if you have, you know, a bundle, like anything that you are going to have people also promoting, you want that the guests to like. If you do a story, like, feel free to search with your podcast title and then you can like they can use it if they want. Or like in a summit, like oh, there's a bunch of gifts for you to make stories with here, I think those are the best ways to use stickers. Yeah, no-transcript, it will lead them to your website. I'm not saying that it's like stop doing Pinterest, just put stuff on Giphy, like I don't Find out your number one lead gen strategy.

Speaker 3: 35:58

It is not just put stuff on giphy like I don't find up here number one lead gen strategy, it is not. But I mean it's seo, right, like it's a link on a very like big platform to you. So, um, I actually looked before I came on here because I was like how many views do my gifts have?

Speaker 3: 36:11

so my gifts have 12.8 million views, which is really are like real housewives I really am, um, and I don't think mine have that many views because a lot of them are only tagged with like my name and spit, like I'm not trying to go viral for like being on there, being like what the heck or oh you know, awesome like, so I don't even think mine are that as high as they could be if I started creating gifts for the purpose of like growing my giphy channel. Um, I just want them there so that I can easily search for them when I'm in stories, you know so my podcast name, my first and last name, and I have little video ones.

Speaker 3: 36:52

You know those can be stickers too, it's just. I mean I think it's really fun. Of course, like you started this conversation, I'm the person who like thinks it's fun to do all the things that maybe not everybody like. That's my job right marketing and making things fun but I think it is a lot easier than people think it is, and you can make them in Canva, and most of us, I feel like, work in Canva anyways, so it's not as tricky as you might think.

Speaker 2: 37:19

So if somebody does want your help with that, with making GIFs, with making a nine grid, because they don't want to spend 75 hours to make a mediocre nine grid or any of the other awesome things you do we were talking about Content Playhouse a little bit earlier. That's awesome too. You have a great networking event. What's the best way for people to get in touch with you and find out about all your things?

Speaker 3: 37:43

You just head over to DeannaSeymorecom and that has all the things and, if it's okay with you, we talked about that coupon code. So I'm going to say it because I do have a little course, little workshop for making gifts called Gif it Up. If you go to Deanna Seymourcom and you click on resources and go to my everything page, you'll see it on there. Probably. If you just Google GIF it up, it should come up. And if you can't find it you just message me and I will send it to you. But if you use the coupon code, powerful women, you can get it for free. It's normally 50 bucks. It's just a short little way to show you how to make them in Canva and it's like, like I said, not as hard as you might think.

Speaker 2: 38:20

That's awesome, I'm going to get it right now. Yeah, that's great. Well, thank you so much for being a guest on the podcast. I always love talking to you anyway, but this was such a fun topic and a lot of good ideas, I think, for people to start using gifts and stickers and make their stuff a little bit more fun and find some new ways to connect with people, so I love it. Thank you so much.

Speaker 3: 38:42

Thank you.

Speaker 1: 38:45

Thanks for listening to Powerful Women Rising. We hope today's episode inspired you to keep rising. If you love the podcast, please subscribe and leave a review. It's like giving us a virtual hug and helps more awesome women like you find the show. Click the link in the show notes to get your free list of top virtual networking events for female entrepreneurs. It's time to make real connections and grow your business with integrity and authenticity. Until next time, keep rising and stay powerful.