Episode 120: Relationship Marketing & Buyer Personas With Jessika Phillips

Jessika Phillips helps people master Relationship Marketing, Speaker,  as a relationship marketing evangelist she is often sought after for her approach to marketing. She's the passionate Founder of NOW Marketing Group and host of the largest social media marketing conference in Ohio, Social Media Week Lima as well as the host of a weekly live video show called Magnet Marketers. Biggest Takeaway You Don't Want To Miss When it comes to marketing, the first step is to think about how you are capturing attention. How are you standing out? Attention is the game when it comes to marketing. Usually somebody will take notice of you because you're helping them in some way. Articulate your message in a way that's clear and concise. Create micro-moments that will build the relationship. Make them feel excited to do business with you by creating a unique and enjoyable experience. Show Highlights Who Is Jessika Phillips? [2:00] How do I get started with relationship marketing? [6:00] How do we tie in relationship marketing with buyer personas? [14:00] What does a relationship marketing plan look like and how do I know if it's working? [18:30] What should we be doing on social media to start implementing relationship marketing? [24:45] Describe your FREE social media toolkit? [26:00] Special Offer Social Media Toolkit: https://nowmarketinggroup.com/landing-page/download-social-media-toolkit/ Links Jump & Scale: jumpconsulting.net/scale Magnet Marketers Podcast: magnetmarketers.com NOW Marketing Group: www.NOWMarketingGroup.com Share The Show Did you enjoy the show? We would love it if you subscribed today and left us a 5-star review! Click this link – Bella In Your Business Click on the ‘Subscribe’ button below the artwork Go to the ‘Ratings and Reviews’ section Click on ‘Write a Review’ Transcript: This is episode 120 of Bella in Your Business. This episode is brought to you by my free webinar, Jump and Scale Your Business. It's my three-part training series all dedicated to finding and attracting the right kind of people that will scale your business. Did I mention it's free? Listen, you have to attend this if you want to grow your staff, you feel like you're being held hostage, you have high turnover, you feel burnt out, or you're just not seeing the results you want. Join me for this three-part free webinar series. Register now at jumpconsulting.net/scale. That's jumpconsulting.net/scale. I'll see you there. Welcome to Bella in Your Business, where Bella will discuss anything and everything about your pet sitting business to help you land on target. So get ready—Bella’s got your chute. Let’s jump. Welcome to Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta, your host, and today I've got a treat for you. Jessika Phillips—I met her when I was asked to come speak at Ohio's largest social media convention that she actually puts on. Jessika and I, she's one of those people that you just instantly bond with, one of those people you instantly want to be BFFs with. Today she's on our show to talk about relationship marketing. Did you even know that was a thing? Jessika: Hey, thanks so much for having me. I feel the same way about you and your bubbly personality. I love it. It was your Now Marketing Group that hosted this largest social media marketing convention in Ohio called Social Media Week Lima, not Lima, but Lima. You also host a weekly live video show called Magnet Marketers, every Tuesday. Jessika: Sure! So magnetmarketers.com will give you the sign-up if you're interested in participating in the show and lets you know what we're talking about each week. We go live on the Magnet Marketers Facebook every Tuesday at 4 p.m., talking about how you can be a magnet in your marketing versus a bullhorn. Bella: I love that—magnet versus blowhorn. I want to get into that today, but can you help fill in the gaps for our listeners and explain how you got to where you are? Jessika: Sure, I’ll give you the Cliff Notes version. I worked in corporate America, in telecommunications for about five years. I worked my way up the ranks and loved working with people. This was back in the day when we were transitioning from the big Zach Morris phones to smartphones that could take photos and texts. I was trying to convince people why they’d want photo messaging and internet on their phone, and they’d say, “I just need to make phone calls.” I realized that even though I thought I was a great salesperson, I couldn’t help anyone unless I stopped and listened—figuring out what their pain points were and what their daily life looked like. By using this discovery technique, I learned how the services I offered could actually help them. I got promoted and started working with mom-and-pop shops, helping them market their businesses with little to no marketing budget. I realized people came to these stores because of the people—because they took time with each customer. I used social media to help them tell their story because it was free; it only cost them time. I fell in love with that and decided to start Now Marketing Group. I got pregnant right before launching and got really sick during the pregnancy, so I took that as a pause moment. I decided I wanted to help small and medium-sized companies tell their stories and connect with audiences online through social media and relationship marketing. Bella: That’s fantastic. You said people went to mom-and-pop stores instead of big boxes. I hope bells and tail wags are going off for my listeners because that’s exactly who they are—small businesses built with blood, sweat, and tears. So it sounds like you found this thing called relationship marketing. Can you explain what that is and how we can leverage it? Jessika: Sure. A lot of people have heard of inbound marketing, content marketing, or social media marketing. Those are processes, but relationship marketing is more of an ideology. Instead of constantly trying to win new business, you pause and focus on keeping the clients you already have—doing what you do so well that people want to come back. It’s about creating repeat or referral business by treating others how you want to be treated. You use techniques like social media, content marketing, and traditional marketing to attract, nurture, and retain your ideal clients. Bella: And you don’t just talk the talk—you walk it. As a speaker at your conference, I felt like a queen. You had massage therapists, gifts in our rooms, and even made us bobbleheads. You’ve really mastered that craft, and that’s what you help people learn. Jessika: Exactly, and it all comes down to what I call the CARE approach. C stands for capturing attention—how are you standing out and helping your audience? A stands for articulating your message—people should be able to clearly understand what you do. R is relationship-focused—creating micro-moments that make people feel special. And E stands for experience—how are you creating a unique experience that people will remember and refer to others? It’s not just about getting clients to know, like, and trust you—it’s about getting them to love you so much that they refer you to their friends and family. That’s the real goal of relationship marketing. Bella: I love that. I think the “experience” part is where people get stuck. They think, “I’m just the best dog walker out there.” Can you give a few examples of creating a unique experience? Jessika: Sure. The experience starts long before someone calls you. Sixty percent of the buying cycle is over before they even contact you. That means your website needs to have all the answers they’re looking for—availability, prices, testimonials, and a clear sense of who you are. Make it easy to find and use, especially on mobile. Then, when someone reaches out, follow up promptly. If they leave a voicemail, don’t wait 48 hours to respond. Be responsive. Once they’re clients, keep personal touches alive—leave little notes about their pets, celebrate milestones, or share cute updates. Make them feel like one in a million, not one of a million. Keep in touch through newsletters or social media groups, and treat your current clients like VIPs. No one likes feeling like new customers get all the perks while loyal ones get ignored. Bella: That’s so true. So how does this tie into buyer personas? Jessika: Personas are semi-fictional characters representing real people you want to do business with. Ask yourself: if my ideal client called me today, who would that be? What does their day look like? What are their struggles, goals, and habits? What do they read, watch, and care about? When you understand that, you can speak directly to them. And equally important—identify your negative personas: the people who aren’t a good fit. It’s better to say no to the wrong clients so you can say yes to the right ones later. Bella: Exactly. Saying no can bring more business than saying yes sometimes because it protects your energy and reputation. Jessika: Absolutely. Once you’ve defined your personas and brand message, you can build your relationship marketing plan. Decide what you want to be known for, who your audience is, and how you’ll attract and engage them. Choose your platforms carefully—only be on the ones where you can be active. Then, create a process for converting prospects, nurturing relationships, and measuring success. Bella: What should we measure to know it’s working? Jessika: Measure conversations, not likes. How many people are engaging meaningfully with your posts? Track repeat visitors to your website, time spent on your pages, client retention, and referrals. Churn rate—how long clients stick around—is a great indicator of relationship strength. Bella: That’s powerful. We’ve never talked about churn rate in over a hundred episodes! Jessika: You can also measure client satisfaction through surveys or feedback forms.