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

Alright, Stacy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

Across social media, consumers are craving more authentic content and that definitely includes social advertising.

One of the biggest trends with Facebook Ads that advertisers need to take advantage of is creating authentic, low-produced video ads. Consumers are watching more video content and with short-form videos on the rise, online brands need to start making video ads that connect with their ideal customers.

Video helps to build know, like, and trust and with video content taking over the feed, advertisers need to prioritize video ads to capture attention and connect with their ideal customers.

With video, I am also seeing that overly-produced, studio-quality videos are not performing as well as they have because consumers want more authentic content in their feeds, including ads.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

When I was a kid, I received a package that included samples of snacks from a popular brand that gave me a glimpse into how good marketing can make a long-lasting impression. I got a letter from the founder of Stacy’s Pita Chips saying that in an effort to get her new brand out there, she decided to send a package to every Stacy she could find the address for and I was blown away.

I didn’t realize it at the time but fast forward to today and I still remember getting that box every time I see Stacy’s Pita Chips in the grocery store. It wasn’t until later in my marketing career that I learned that good marketing is an essential part of any successful business and there were a lot of people in my community that had amazing ideas but didn’t know what it takes to market their businesses successfully.

Stacy Zeal & Co. is a marketing consulting company that provides online brands with the knowledge and expertise they need to take their sales and visibility to the next level. We help CEOs with big visions focus on the right strategies, systems, and support they need to bring those big visions to life with our Facebook Ads Course, Maximize With Ads, and our Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) services.

I am most proud when my clients take action on something we discussed and start seeing results. We work with brands that are changing lives and it’s a privilege to be able to support them.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

When I graduated college and started working full-time in marketing, I started to realize that I knew so many people that were business owners but were lost when it came to using social media to market their businesses. I started managing social media accounts and giving advice on how to use Facebook to increase their sales.

I quickly realized that my clients also needed somewhere to send this traffic from Facebook so that people could buy their products so I taught myself how to build websites and started building them for my clients.

I balanced clients while working corporate full time and when I started working at Zappos, leading paid social marketing efforts, I got an inside look at how impactful a marketing engine could be. At Zappos, I learned the ins and outs of running effective paid social media campaigns, primarily on Facebook and Instagram, and saw 100s of millions of dollars being generated with ads.

When I started to ask myself ‘What’s Next’ I realized that the only next step for me was to venture out on my own and teach CEOs the expertise they needed to take their businesses to the next level with Facebook and Instagram ads.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I wanted to leave my corporate job at Zappos, I decided to start a Facebook Ad Agency where I would run ads for my clients instead of teaching them how to do it themselves.

After taking on a few clients, I realized that I had put myself back in a position that I actively wanted to get away from at Zappos: building, monitoring, and optimizing ads every day.

While there is definitely a market for done-for-you ad services, I realized that I didn’t want to do that anymore. I wanted to get paid for my expertise so I pivoted.

I stopped taking on ad agency clients but didn’t know what I wanted to do. After some more trial and error, I realized that I loved consulting and teaching so I pivoted to being a consulting company that creates educational content and provides executive leadership to online brands that want to grow and needed the marketing expertise to take their business to 7 figures and beyond.

Contact Info:

• Website: stacyzeal.co
• Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/StacyZeal.co
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stacystyle03
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sreed2582
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@stacyzealco