We were lucky to catch up with Nadya Durham recently and have shared our conversation below.

Nadya, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I started my brand in 2020 Ichronic Marketing was the original name. Ichornic refers to having a good idea while under the influence, and as most of my clients know, I ALWAYS had a glass of creative juices (aka Pinot Noir) with me at our meetings. Ichornic marketing started as a social media agency that helps people monetize social media for their business with social media management, marketing, and consulting. Yes, there are hundreds of agencies doing something similar, but Ichronic Marketing builds more than just a subscription list of clients, we build connections and help people create their dream brand while marketing it through social media.

Question, could you spell Ichronic Marketing? Think ‘ironic’ and add an ‘Ich!’ Simple, right? Yeah, *mmcht,* not really, bahaha. As much as I loved the idea and meaning behind Ichronic, I couldn’t even write an email without triple checking that I spelled my brand’s name right. The spelling was the harsh reality that it’d be hard for people to find my services and get in contact with me, so it was time for a rebrand.

The most crucial step in rebranding is making sure the dang Instagram username is available! After a few months of research, refinding myself, and a few glasses of creative juice, I ultimately came up with the new name Pynk Marketing. Why Pynk? Well, for one, it’s way easier to spell, I love pink, and it represents all things that Ichronic Marketing was in one word. Pynk represents new life, an elegance of creativity and originality, a feeling of comfort, and being approachable. Cheesy, I know, but I am a cheesy individual. So, Ichronic Marketing has officially renamed Pynk Marketing in early-June 2022. Yet, something about being a social media marketing agency didn’t fit with the new name. Mainly, I didn’t want to do it anymore due to how draining and time-consuming it became. I enjoyed coaching people and having weekly calls to discuss a strategy. That is what drove me, created my passion, and made me feel useful. Still, with thousands of social media mentors and coaches, how could Pynk Marketing stand out?

Realistically nobody wants to pay hundreds of dollars for month-long masterminds, video lectures, or “The Blueprint” for whatever. So, for Pynk Marketing’s rebranding to make an impact, we had to be more than just a coach with “The Blueprint.” We needed to be consultants. But, again, those titles have a stereotype behind them. How can we prove we are different from other agencies…” hey Siri, what’s a synonym for a consultant?” THERAPY, ha! A social media therapist! A social media expert for individuals to talk with (on an as-need basis), strategize and discuss why their reels always get 14k views but never generate new leads or why their friends/family don’t follow their business page. We took that as a sign to be the brand that creates this new area for marketing.

I’d like to note that social media therapy is not an actual degree or doctorate that I can physically obtain. So no, we are not here to tell you why your ex keeps calling or why you’re still depressed after whatever. Except, we can show you the number of times your ex viewed your story and who visits your pages frequently. We can advise you on why you’ve only been getting robot followers lately or the reason behind your sudden drop in engagement the past week, etc. And thus, Pynk Marketing’s rebrand was determined. We decided no more management of social pages or creating hour-long masterminds that no one finishes. The official re-re-relaunch of Pynk Marketing occurred in mid-July 2022. Pynk Marketing became the first agency to offer a social media and marketing therapy service. Helping brands monetize social media for their business with strategy sessions discussing marketing and social media concerns, brand growth, and creating valuable solutions.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was born in Denver, Colorado 1998, a daughter to a mother in marketing and an entrepreneurial father. At four years old, our family moved to Houston, Texas, where I was raised and became a big sister to my headache of a brother (love you, Kam!).

As a kid, my mother would take me to her job over the summers, and I would cause chaos running around the office building. Like any annoyed mother, she started giving me busy work that I slowly started to find…fascinating. The creativity behind advertising a brand and the trill of chaotic nonroutine days is what hooked me into the industry of marketing. I’ve been obsessed ever since. So obsessed that I graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University (Ax’ em!) December of 2022, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing. Even so, securing a job within the industry wasn’t easy, and graduating during the Covid-19 lockdown didn’t help either. Although, during the lockdown, I noticed how social media became such an important marketing tool for businesses. And what’s just as chaotic as marketing? Social media marketing, thus Pynk Marketing was born. Unlike any other marketing agency, Pynk Marketing provides two things brands need in a marketing expert. Budget-friendly services and diverse client comfort.

Pynk Marketing helps brands monetize social media for their business with one-on-one strategy sessions discussing marketing and social media concerns, brand growth, and creating valuable solutions. No crazy nonnegotiable packages or monthly fees. Realistically, we are all balling on a budget, and marketing is too crucial for a brand to be expensive, especially for a small business owner. Because of this, Pynk Marketing is an as-need basis service that works with your budget!

Our two most popular services are Social Media Therapy and Marketing Therapy. This service is a casual one-on-one call where we listen to an individual’s marketing and social media issues. For example:

– Inconsistent post engagement (i.e. 14k TikTok views one day but only 250 views the following)
– Help create a campaign for the holidays or upcoming promotions
– Why holding posts in your drafts for “the right time” to share is wrong
– Not seeing a consistent increase in leads, followers, likes, etc
– Why you only receive robot followers
– and much more!
If you find yourself relating to any of these issues (even issues not listed), you need to get yourself a glass of wine and schedule a call with me asap!

In addition to being a budget-friendly social media agency, I take pride in my brand’s vision. Pynk Marketing’s approach is more casual than any other marketing agency. Our focus is more on building connections than a subscription list, changing the stereotype that business transactions be as tense as a necktie to be ‘professional.’ Pynk Marketing breaks this stereotype by embracing unique personalities. As the founder and CEO of Pynk Marketing, I am the amusing, clumsiest, and goofiest hard-working individual you will meet. I strive to make the transaction fun and comfortable for myself and my clients. No professional attire (sweatpants HIGHLY encouraged), wine glass in hand, a sandwich in the other. Let’s get comfortable and dish on all your struggles with your brand’s marketing. At Pynk Marketing, we help individuals build self-confidence by creating their dream brands and have fun while doing it, because if you’re not having fun, what’s the point?!

How did you build your audience on social media?

If you were to google this question, you’d see a long list of articles all repeating the same thing. Use hashtags, engage with your online community, post five to ten times daily, hold giveaways and contests, etc. These strategies work in time, yet, I’ve found that knowing your niche and being your authentic self is how you consistently build and maintain an audience.

First things first, knowing your niche. If you don’t know what a niche is, you need to schedule a marketing call with me today! Once you’ve decided on your target niche, begin market research to find a problem within your selected niche and create a solution. After a solution is created, boast about it! Social media is a spotlight, and it’s okay to brag about yourself and your products/services. That’s what marketing is!

The second rule in creating an audience is to be your authentic self. We have evolved past the influencer and photoshopped pages and have learned to monetize from our authenticity. Besides, we as humans follow and purchase more from those we resonate with and trust. I found this to be the leading strategy in building an audience. Stay focused on your likes and interests, and never compare yourself to other brands.

I built my audience on raw content that focuses on sharing tips for marketing through social media. I don’t edit any of my social posts, I make fun of myself from time, and my audience loves it. It’s honest and entertaining, and one of the many reasons my audience works with me. Pynk Marketing represents a brand where hard work can be fun and productive. So be your authentic self and create the most loyal and devoted audience for your brand.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Referrals!! I cannot stress this enough! Build your audience and treat them like newborn puppies! They will appreciate the efforts you have put into them and share that experience with their peers. Ever bought an item and gone on for hours boasting about how great of a purchase it is or how charismatic the service was? The same logic applies to the product/service you offer! Granit referrals may not be ready to commit just yet, and that’s okay. Every so often, check up on them and see if they have questions about your offer, but be cautious about becoming a spammy salesperson.

In any case, keep being your authentic self because, trust me, THEY ARE WATCHING YOU. In a good way! In a way you’d patiently watch a cute pair of overalls you’ve been waiting to see restocked. Just keep doing you and provide a phenomenal product/service. They will come around eventually or, at the very least, continue referring you.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pynkmarketing/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PynkMarketing
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadya-durham-99a972150/

Image Credits
Marland Johnson Jr. | Red Wyne Photography Nicole Durham | The Caulk Artist