We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Annie Schiffmann a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Annie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you’re open to it, can you talk to us about the best (or worst) investment you’ve made. What’s the backstory and the relevant context behind why you made the investment

In 2021 I had a problem. The numbers just weren’t adding up. I was working as much as I could, but my income just wasn’t where I wanted it to be. Every day I would meet with clients and felt like I had a nice amount of leads coming in. But I just couldn’t hit my revenue goals.
One day, though, I heard about an organization of other marketers that I could join. It had a hefty fee to join. And a hefty yearly fee. And I was cautious. I had always been very careful of my business spending.
But I was tired of scraping by. It seemed like a big investment, but one that could be worthwhile, if I really took advantage of the opportunity.
So, I decided to become a StoryBrand Certified Guide.
And because of that, I was instantly part of a community of other marketers. Suddenly, I had a network. I had people that I could call on to help clients with the areas of their marketing that I didn’t know about. And they could call on me.
Because of joining this community I learned the value in focusing in on your strengths, instead of trying to do it all. And because I’ve learned to focus in, I get much more work because people know me for those strengths.
I was able to earn my initial investment back within six months of joining. And my revenue nearly doubled the next year. The year after that my revenue more than doubled. The growth was huge. I was finally hitting my goals.
Obviously, just joining the StoryBrand Certified Guide community didn’t all of a sudden turn on a faucet and new clients started pouring in. Instead, I took to the time look at what this new opportunity had to offer me and strategized how to make the most of it. Then, most importantly, I implemented that plan.

Since then, I’ve found that becoming a part of strategic communities has been a great way to both market and build Downstage Media. I have worked my way to being a Mailchimp Partner and am active in other marketing communities as well. Some of them have a fee to get in, others require more of an investment in time.

One of my mentors told me, “You’re not a nobody, but you need friends.” I have taken that to heart by being an active, helpful member of the communities that I am a part in. And the very first time I truly understood this lesson was when I invested in becoming a Certfied StoryBrand Guide.

Annie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My entrance into marketing is a little unusual. I didn’t go to college for it. I didn’t work at an agency. Instead, I got tired of getting my show cancelled.
For fifteen years I was a professional actress and I would perform in a show a few times a week. The trouble was, though, if there were more performers than audience members on any given night, the show would cancel. And we only had five performers in our show. You’d be shocked how many times our show was cancelled.
It was demoralizing.
Around that time, there was this new thing called Twitter that was just starting. And when I found out about it, I turned to my cast mates and said, I think we can use this to get people to our show.”

I had two very young children at the time, so I took naptime and nighttime to learn more about social media marketing (before that term even existed) than most people. Eventually, people started asking me to help them promote their shows, their books, and their businesses online.

In learning more about marketing, though, I started to understand how fickle algorithms and social media platforms could be. So then I started offering other marketing services that would provide a stronger foundation for the brands I was working with. I started employing StoryBrand frameworks so that my clients could invite their customers to become a hero into their story. I learned the value of an email address and ways to collect and hold a readers’ attention.

Now, my company Downstage Media helps businesses create and automate social media and email content so they can have a presence without the pressure.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

You don’t have to be everywhere.
And anyone that tells you otherwise is headed for burnout.

So often you think that you need to market your business by being on every social media platform. And then also having a podcast. And also having a blog. And also having a YouTube channel.

You don’t.

Instead, you can focus on a couple of platforms. Just make really great content on one or two. And build real relationships with your audience on each one. Then, maybe you can introduce another platform. But that’s after you have truly found your rhythm, are getting results, and have built real relationships on the platforms you’ve already established.

I learned this because I first started trying to keep up with all of the social media platforms. While at the same time trying to put out a bunch of long form content.

It just isn’t possible if you have a marketing team of five people or less.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

The books that have helped me the most, and shaped my business are:
Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller. It helped me see how marketing and narrative structure intersect. Plus, it gave me a repeatable framework I could use to create a number of different types of content.

Profit First by Mike Michalowicz. I didn’t go to business school and needed a method to keep Downstage Media’s finances in order. By employing the methods in this book, I was able to keep my business afloat even during covid when I lost almost all of my clients at once.

Content Inc by Joe Pulizzi. Joe Pulizzi is a mentor of mine and has been a great champion of content entrepreneurs. With this book, I learned how to not only market my company, but monetize my content.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.downstage.media
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annieschiffmann/