Paul: 0:29

Good afternoon and welcome to another episode of MarketPulse Pros and Pioneers. Today I am joined by the fantastic Sam Wilcox. Sam, welcome to the show.

Sam Wilcox: 0:38

Thanks. Thanks for having me.

Paul: 0:40

Ladies and gentlemen, bear with us because Sam is not quite a podcast virgin, but she's not used to doing podcasts. So we're I'm going to push her out of her comfort zone today. And we're going to have a barrel of fun while we do it. A little bit about Sam's background. So Sam is the creative director at Purpose Comms, where she specializes in creating purpose driven content strategies for brands, and she's got an amazing track record of crafting award winning campaigns for clients like Court Funeral Care and Boots. She's got over a decade of experience in journalism, which is fantastic for the industry that you're in content strategy and branded content creation. And she's also passionate about using storytelling to make an impact. I love that because that is one of my core tenets of what we do here at Javelin as well. You should, her work has significantly boosted brand perception and engagement for the clients. And you might have noticed me stuttering a little bit because I'm going to, I'm going to call this out, right? I'm going to call this out. I'm just I'm honest on this show. When we do our guest bios, I generally get AI to create the basis of the bios for us. And I read that and ad lib it out. And I'm also going to point out my wife is also called Sam. However, chatGPT kindly translated Sam into being a bloke. Take that for what you want for our AI's biases and perceptions, right? But it kindly wrote everything down as he and his, right? Which is really hard when you realize although you spotted that mistake and corrected it to the guest, you forgot to update your notes. So I just Stuttered all over that, pardon my stuttering, because I was trying to ad lib in my head while I was reading that, Sam. And thank you for bearing with me when you got that horrendous email that stated you were a bloke. Which you're clearly not. My wife rolled her eyes at me when I said what I'd done.

Sam Wilcox: 2:24

Paul don't worry. I've had worse emails.

Paul: 2:27

ha. i have a day at least. I was hi dear, again last night. Hi dear from a guy. Hi, dear. Yeah, it's not really

Sam Wilcox: 2:36

If you're in Stoke, if you're in Stoke, it'd be Hi, duck. Thanks.

Paul: 2:40

Yeah, I love it. So just to come back a little bit on your journey, Sam. Welcome to the show. And, you've got a fantastic experience. I actually, I work with a journalist myself, so I've got a lovely lady called Rachel who works with our clients here at Javelin and I know how much of an untapped industry that is for anybody who's been in it before or is still serving in journalism, who's doing other things. So just walk us through, if you wouldn't mind, like that journey from journalism to founding your own business at Purpose Comms.

Sam Wilcox: 3:12

Sure, so I started off as a local journalist, so working at the Stoke Sentinel, so covering everything from like cattle shows to local council meetings really learning my trade inputting sports reports, all that kind of stuff. And then I moved from there down to London where I started working on women's magazines. And then I later became an editor. And then I did that for about eight years, and then an opportunity came up in a branded content department and it was on a sales floor, so massive culture shift for me from working with a lot of journalists to working in a sales team. And it was my job to come up with creative concepts for clients and really using that journalistic perspective. And I think my background in journalism really deeply shaped my approach to creating branded content particularly now for purpose cons, I think as a journalist, you're trained to dig for the truth and you really have to tell stories with clarity and you're connecting them. with audiences on an emotional level and on an intellectual level and I think these skills are really essential when building a brand's narrative. I think you In journalism, it's really crucial to focus on what matters to the audience and really cut through the noise and be really authentic and create meaningful content. And I feel I've carried this into Purpose Comms by ensuring that every piece of branded content we create really resonates with audiences values or speaks to their needs. It tells a compelling story and I think that's whether that's a social media campaign, a press release, I really try and approach it with a journalist's eye for detail, and then a marketeer's strategy for engagement. But I think journalism really taught me that, also taught me the importance of research and credibility, and I apply these principles to our campaigns to ensure they're not only creative, but also rooted in data and audience insights, and I think that combination really helps us craft content that not only attracts the attention, but also builds long lasting trust and loyalty with our clients audiences. So I think when it comes to it, journalism's really shaped what I do today, and I think it allows me to really merge that storytelling with strategy. And I think journalists, they just know how to tell a good story. It's really instinct, it's instinctive, it's baked into us. And then I think if you combine that with the data, then that's when the magic really happens.

Paul: 5:39

I like it. I like it. And I think you're absolutely right. I think we're all the product of our past experience. And I'm a big fan of people who can be the experts at what they do because they've put together a vast array of experiences to lend them to where they become. So like what, if there was a moment that inspired you to start Purpose Commons, what was that turning point? What was the point where you said I'm going to start my own business?

Sam Wilcox: 6:05

So I think like many marketeers I was made redundant and it was quite a shocker actually. I'd been at the company for 15 years and I was like, Oh, what am I going to do now? And I thought I could go into another corporate, but I, for some reason I just didn't feel it was the right thing for me. And when it happened, I was part way through a master's degree and I was just about to choose my final project. And that was, and it was 60 percent of the market. I decided I'm going to focus it specifically on purpose led branded content and its impact on Gen Z and millennials. And I made that choice because I found that from a personal perspective, all the client, all the clients I've worked with in my past, the stuff That had really created the impact and that had won awards and that had created really great results for clients was the stuff that had purpose at its heart. And for me, I think my creative work is better when it's something I really believe in. So it was that moment, really, I was, I decided, okay, I'm going to do my final project on that. And I'd built my final project with the, Sort of mindset that I'm going to use this as a business plan. So that's how it came around. And I think it's funny at the time you get made redundant and you think, Oh, what am I going to do? And it's a real panic, but actually the cliche is true that it can turn out to be. One of the best things that happens to you. And I think again, that background in journalism and then also the marketing experience, I think it really showed me that successful brands are the ones that connect deeply with their audience through authentic messaging. And I wanted to help businesses find and amplify their purpose and in their external comms. And I really enjoy getting to know clients as well. I love finding out what their mission is, what their audience is, what their goals, and dig into really what drives them beyond profit. And then from there, create strategies for them that reflect the core values, whether that's social media campaigns, newsletters, press releases, ensuring everything ties back to the brand's purpose. But the sort of results that came from the Masters were that authenticity is And brands really do have to make sure now that The messaging is genuine and consistent across all platforms, and it's particularly so with younger demographics. It's not just a hygiene factor anymore, it's really crucial to your comm strategy to, to have purpose embedded in there.

Paul: 8:27

I love, personally, I love working with purpose driven businesses who are, Charities and non profits and where it's easy to articulate what they're doing is not for profit, it's to, for the greater good, for a social good, for an economic good, for whatever. And that's it. It's wholesome because you're no longer selling something that's just trying to get money out of people in a technical sense, but you are actually doing some good with that. Really easy to sleep well at night, but I love the angle that you've got there and I'm quite big on my why as a business and as a person. I love my why and I tell everybody about that. I'd imagine a lot of business owners, and tell me if I'm wrong, a lot of business owners probably don't even realise they have a purpose, right?

Sam Wilcox: 9:08

Yeah, absolutely. And they don't start there, they'll go, I want to just create some content. I feel like I want to do some video content or I feel like I want to start a newsletter. And I think it's taking them back. You can waste a lot of money and you can waste a lot of time creating content that just really doesn't cut through. But I think if you've gone back and you've done the groundwork and you've laid the foundations and you know what your why is and you understand what you're about and why you're doing everything and link everything back to that's where you're going to get the cut through and you're going to resonate. Can create those deep emotional connections with the people you're trying to reach.

Paul: 9:43

I guess that ties in as well with why you are such a big advocate for ethical content as well, right? Like sustainability and ethical morals on those side of things. How do you get businesses to buy into that?

Sam Wilcox: 9:53

Yeah, I think again, it all goes back to authenticity. It's about making sure you're communicating your commitment to ethical and sustainable values without coming across as insincere, because the audience will see straight through that, and it will not do you any favours. And so I think it's really about. Walking the walk and really ensuring that a brand's actions align with the values they're promoting. So I always say to clients, start with transparency and it doesn't matter where you are on the journey towards sustainability or ethical practices. It's just about being really open about that. And I think audiences appreciate that honesty. So admit, there's areas where you might be imperfect and improvements needed, but as long as you're honest about that and I think also consistency is another big thing around that. So don't just talk about sustainability when it's trendy or convenient. It should be woven into everything you do. So from your internal operations, your customer service, all the way through to your external comms, it should be at every single touch point. And I think that's where the authenticity comes in and that's when you start getting the trust.

Paul: 11:01

where I cringe when I see these social media calendars that you can download for free on the internet and it tells you all the days of each year that you should celebrate because of all the diversity and religions and organizations and disability like all of these things right and nobody's saying that none of them are worthy challenge worthy organizations or worthy days but pick the ones that align with you as a business don't Celebrate them all, right? Pick the ones that are closest to your heart, that you can, hands on heart, vouch for and say, Yes, this means something to us as a business. It's not to say that you disagree with any of the others, or you don't support them. When I say smaller business and, To a certain extent, the bigger brands have to, right? They have to be seen to support as many as they can, because then there's a, because they're a bigger business, there's a call of why aren't you supporting us? And I get that difference. But for smaller businesses, really just drill down on the ones that are closer to your goals, aims, and passions as a team.

Sam Wilcox: 11:59

pick something that resonates with you. And then just go for it. And you, and I think audiences then It will resonate with the audience rather than a load of hollow claims or jumping on the bandwagon every time. There's a, there's like you said, one of those dates in the calendar that says you end up greenwashing, rainbow washing. And I think there's been a few examples of when brands have done that and the kickback is quite severe. So it just doesn't do your brand any favours at all. Yeah, just be genuine, I would say is the most important thing. That's the only way you're going to build trust with your audience.

Paul: 12:32

So that moves, moves nicely into storytelling, and I love that. Storytelling. I've come across so many business owners who are terrible at articulating the story they want to tell, but have an amazing story to tell. And the irony for a lot of business owners is if you get them in front of somebody who's a potential client, they seem to be able to articulate that story no problem whatsoever. But ask them to put it down on a piece of paper, and all of a sudden we've got a digital CV. And it's not as, it's not the story you need to tell. So how do you incorporate storytelling that has an impact on the audience then, Sam?

Sam Wilcox: 13:05

I think the foundation for any successful story and content strategy lies in understanding your audience's needs and emotions. So it's and the values. So again, it's that authentic. I keep banging the authenticity drawn but that authenticity, the relatability purpose driven narratives are really essential. So good storytelling, weaves all those things together into content. That really resonates on that a deeper emotional level. So you're providing value in your content that's beyond the product. You're not just talking about the product. You're talking about audience's values and people want to feel part of something. They want to feel like they're, that brand is an extension of them. And I think it's about, Adding value, always adding value all the time. So whether your content is offering solutions, whether you are educating, entertaining, so whatever it is you're trying to do with your content. It's offering added value and then your consumers will then feel really understood, connected, and that's where the loyalty comes in.

Paul: 14:05

And it creates a community feel, right? And I think a community is probably the biggest marketing tool in 2024, other than video.

Sam Wilcox: 14:37

100%. It's all about building. I was speaking to a founder the other day, and she's got a really cool brand. It's like refillable candle pots, and she said to me that the best thing she did in year one of her business was build her newsletters. Her newsletter database and grow a community. And she did that. She said that was the single most successful thing that she'd done in year one of a business over any other marketing strategy. And I thought that was really interesting.

Paul: 15:01

It is because a lot of business owners tend to put off the things that have delayed gratification, right? There's this, it's behavioral science. We err towards what can I get an endorphin or dopamine hit with right now? And also I can bring some money through the door and it's great. And then I speak to a lot of people who after three months that's all dried up and they're like, so how can you help me drive some more leads now? I'm like Best time to plant an orchard was probably 20 years ago. Second best time to plant that orchard is now but I, you're not going to get any fruit this week. And it's a bit of pill to swallow. And I've, I've seen that so many times. So how do you find that a lot of the business owners that you speak to have already swallowed that pill and they've accepted that?

Sam Wilcox: 15:40

And I think they've had, they've been stung occasionally as well. And also, and I think that's, it's really hard. ROI is so hard on content. It's because the metrics aren't fit for purpose. You can't measure the ROI of content marketing in the same way as you measure it on other, in other forms of marketing. But I'm I love that analogy about planting the orchard. It's like content marketing is the seed, right? And you let you plant it and then you have to wait and be patient and grow it steadily. It's not going to give you, Massive results overnight. And it was in the pandemic, actually lots of brands turned off their content marketing and there was research and I can't remember, sorry who the research was by. I did it in my part of my thesis, but basically research showed that actually those brands really struggled to, to build that back up again after. And in almost in those times, it's important to keep it on and not turn it

Paul: 16:38

Keep that connection. I

Sam Wilcox: 16:40

keep the connection exactly. But it's the first thing that people think, oh, it has to go because, oh, that's not giving me a a really clear ROI on my investment. But I think brands are, bigger businesses definitely understand the value, but I think with SMEs, when it, when a lot of them, maybe they're bootstrapped and maybe they are running on low budgets it's difficult for them to justify. But what I would say to those businesses is even if you're doing it yourself, think about what your strategy is before you start producing the content. Think about your strategy, think about your platforms, think about audience segmentation, think about your key messaging and your purpose and what you're trying to say and make sure that runs through every piece of content that you're putting out there.

Paul: 17:21

think there's also an element of creating content about something, and this drives back to your purpose statement earlier on, creating content about something that you as a business or an individual are passionate about, because otherwise it's going to dry up. If you're trying to talk about something you think your audience want to hear, but you don't care about, that's when the wheel comes off after three months, because you've dried up all the content you can think of. But when you talk about something you're deeply passionate about, actually they're just, it's in your everyday life because you come across it all the time, because you see it, because you love it.

Sam Wilcox: 17:53

It's, yeah, you've got to make sure that you, are fully aligned with your own purpose as a business. And only then can you talk about something authentically and in a sustainable way. Otherwise, as you said, it will just dry up. You'll just run out of things to say, but if you take a brand like Patagonia. Like they never run out of things to say and because they're authentic in their messaging and their content has become such a big part of their brand. And I think that is, it's the North Star, isn't it? For brands, Patagonia, if you're looking at specifically at purpose driven narratives.

Paul: 18:29

I think some of my advice would be out there as well is when you're considering what your themes and topics need to be or what your purpose is or whatever, don't try and force that conversation into a meeting when you're not feeling it. Because I've seen a lot of business owners say on Thursday morning, I'm meeting with Sam and we're going to nail down what our purpose is. For example, I know that's probably not a sentence anybody says, but you get, bear with me. And if they're anything like me, like yesterday morning, I couldn't think of a thing to write for my newsletter content for this week. It goes out in three weeks time, could not think of a thing. I was sat racking my brains at the desk and I just wasn't feeling it. So I didn't bother this morning, got up shower, shave my hair off for what little I have. And I thought, do you know what? I do this every time I'm going to be on video. I should talk about what. My preparation is for getting on video and how you can help yourself feel a bit more professional, a bit more comfortable for getting on camera. I thought, great that's this week's content. And actually while I was doing that, I thought of two or three other things I could do for the next two or three weeks. Brilliant. Written them down. And in that same light just work when you're most creative, whatever that looks like for you, because you need that passion to be light when you are writing these things down. It's critical for me.

Sam Wilcox: 19:46

Yeah, exactly. And we do, I think a strategy session is good. I always used to have this problem in an office with brainstorms, for example. I hate that word for a start, but no good comes from them. I've sat in hundreds of the things and no good really comes out of them in the end. Cause I think creativity needs space. I think you need to be able to, it needs space, it needs thinking time. And also a lot of people aren't necessarily creative in a group. If you, in this scenario now, where I'm talking on camera, I'm not going to have good ideas because I'm just constantly thinking, oh, what does my face look like? Am I making sense? And I think if you're in a meeting like that, a lot of meetings happen on Zoom nowadays, don't they? Anyway, you just end up with a lot of people, You always end up with the most noisiest people talking and you also, and then some people just stay silent and you just don't get the best out of any, anyone or anything. So I think it's about a mixture, creativity is about a mixture of collaboration, but then space to let ideas breathe

Paul: 20:46

Yep. And it takes time. It takes time.

Sam Wilcox: 20:49

and it does take time.

Paul: 20:50

a lot of the time. we just want to rush it so we can get to the end results. So we can start creating the bloody content, right? It's not that simple if you want to get it right.

Sam Wilcox: 20:58

It's not, and it evolves over time. And I think that's another really important thing is that. all about, you test it, you measure it, and I always say this as well, there's no point in having a strategy and there's no point in not measuring it if you don't measure it. So it's at both ends, so you make sure you've got a robust strategy where you really know what's coming up. And even if it isn't fully fleshed out content ideas, the themes are there, the content pillars are there, and then that just gives you a framework. Creativity needs boundaries as well. So you've got your framework, your loose framework, and then you, at the end of every month or however long you decide, then you're testing it and you're measuring it, and then you're refining it. It's not about, it's not static. It's not set, it's not set in stone. You can, it's always about improving and building on the data. Thanks.

Paul: 21:47

I think there's bags and bags of actionable takeaways for people who are watching this at home. So I love the fact that you've shared so much freely with us, Sam. And before we start to wrap up the show, I've got two more questions that I ask every guest.

Sam Wilcox: 22:00

Okay. Okay.

Paul: 22:02

of each other when I ask you the question, you'll understand what it is that I'll be coming to next as well, so you can lead into it, hopefully. What's one marketing tactic or practice that you see all the time that you just wish business owners would just stop worrying about or stop doing altogether?

Sam Wilcox: 22:17

I suppose one thing that really annoys me is one size fits all messaging. So putting the same content across multiple channels without thinking about what are the unique characteristics of that platform and, Or the audience segmentation. So I think that for me is always, I think it's almost like a waste of time. So I think a more modern approach to that is about really creating segmented, if I can say it, segmented platform specific content. And that really leverages data and insights and drive that more personal experience. So really tailoring messaging, I think. That's one thing that I think is important.

Paul: 23:02

And then, what's one thing that you, and it can't be the opposite of what you just said, what's one thing that you wish business owners would do more often? What's one thing that they're really missing out on that's key to their success?

Sam Wilcox: 23:13

I think making storytelling a central pillar in your overall marketing strategy, not an afterthought. So really embedding narrative driven content across all your touch points, so whether that's your social media whether it's your customer service just ensuring that consistency in the story being told and incorporating real Customer stories and experiences really allowing you to humanize your brand and make it more relatable. And that authenticity again building that deeper connection. I think storytelling is often an afterthought, but I think it should be core to any any marketing strategy.

Paul: 23:53

And if you're watching along at home and you're thinking, yeah, but I'm not. Like I'm not, I don't know how to write a story. I don't know how to tell a story. Everybody can tell a story. An example, like I went out in spring and my son was six months old at that point, and I took him out in the backpack and I was recording content as I went. Cause I needed to take him for a walk and get him to sleep, but I needed to create content at the same time. So I've got video footage. It's all over internet. Of him in the backpack behind me, smacking me on the back of the head, pulling my necklace and choking me, shouting and screaming at me while I'm trying to talk. And I just released it anyway, because a big part of who I am is I'm a dad. I'm a family guy and I love my family to bits and it's central to me. And it's why part of what I do, part of why I do what I do. Because it gives me more time to have with my family. And that's me sharing my story, right? And I'm quite comfortable and happy sharing that. You can do the same thing. You don't have to go and force your dog into a backpack and, let them jump around in the back, but just be you. Just share who you are with your audience. And I think that's key.

Sam Wilcox: 24:57

Yeah, I think you're so right. People, particularly post pandemic, I don't think people expect like slick, high production value content. They're more interested in behind the scenes, raw, real. I think that definitely has more cut through and and people relate to it more.

Paul: 25:14

People love

Sam Wilcox: 25:15

I think really

Paul: 25:16

guy getting slapped by a baby. it's simple. Everyone, apart from me and also taught me how to focus on talking even while I've got distractions going on

Sam Wilcox: 25:24

it's a good skill actually. It's a yeah, definitely a good parenting

Paul: 25:28

going to say I won every time there might be one or two bloopers, Sam, it's been fantastic to chat with you and you said at the beginning of the show that you are quite unused to doing podcasts and things, honestly, you can't tell You've been a fantastic guest. You've shared a pile of value with the audience. If somebody wants to find out more about Purpose comms or yourself, how can they best reach you?

Sam Wilcox: 25:48

To our website, Www.purposecomms.co.uk, or, you can contact me directly at Sam@purposecomms.co.uk

Paul: 25:58

Perfect.. We'll make sure that's all in the show notes for anybody who wants to follow up. Thank you very much for being a cracking guest. Yeah, you're welcome. And if you're watching along at home, thank you very much as well for coming along and enjoying the experience. I will see you next week on MarketPulse Pros and Pioneers.