Shondell Varcianna With Varci Media

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio, brought to you by on pay. Built in Atlanta, on pay is the top rated payroll and HR software anywhere. Get one month free at on pay. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:31] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio. And this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor on pay. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on the Land of Business Radio, we have Shondell Varcianna and she is with Varci Media. Welcome.

Shondell Varcianna: [00:00:49] Thank you so much for having me.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:51] Well, I’m excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us a little bit about varci media. How are you serving, folks?

Shondell Varcianna: [00:00:56] Yeah, we’re we’re a content writing company. We write blog posts, newsletters and web pages for financial institutions.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:04] So what’s your back story? How’d you get into this line of work?

Shondell Varcianna: [00:01:07] Okay. I’m originally from Canada. I was born and raised in Toronto and my whole career was actually in banking. And when I was 20, I had purchased my first property and I purchased a second one at about 25, and I paid both mortgages off when I was 31. So my girlfriend suggested that I start helping people do the same thing, and she suggested that I start blogging. So I thought, Wait, that’s not a bad idea. So I started a blog and it became popular and over time, magazines and radio stations started contacting me, wanting to hear my story. And that led to companies reaching out to me and wanting me to write for them. So that, in a nutshell, is how the business got started. I was still working my full time job at the time and didn’t have enough time to write, so I started hiring writers and then the business just kept growing. And then I, you know, I quit my job and moved the business to Atlanta, Georgia, which is where we are today.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:06] And then these financial organizations that hire you, are they like kind of large institutional banks and things like that, or are they smaller, like financial advisors? Like who is your ideal client?

Shondell Varcianna: [00:02:19] Both, actually. So we we work from the largest institutions to the local credit union, so we don’t write for financial advisors. It’s just financial, mainly banks, credit unions and mortgage companies. That’s our ideal clientele.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:35] And then if they’re not working with you, how are they kind of attacking this content problem or do they not see it as something that they should be doing?

Shondell Varcianna: [00:02:43] Well, normally with our clients, we don’t do a lot of convincing in terms of content. So if they don’t kind of understand the importance of content, we don’t do a lot of convincing. We kind of want them to come already with the idea of knowing that content is important. So by the time they come to us, they’ve seen us somewhere online or seen us or heard us on a podcast or seen us at an event. And they usually come already understanding that the importance of content, the institutions that don’t outsource typically have an entire department that does different kinds of marketing. The content is one component of of marketing because of course, you know, there’s there’s so many other ways to market their services. So content is one component and the ones that outsource are typically the ones that just don’t have the staff to write content and or they just they have the staff, but they just don’t have enough time. So those are the two reasons why they’ll typically outsource.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:49] Now, one, when one of these institutions raises their hand and say, Chandel, we’re ready, we’d like you to kind of help us be better in this. Are the topics kind of similar from institution, institution or do? Or is there really kind of different types of content that are appropriate for these different types of institutions, you know, but to the layperson, they kind of all look similar.

Shondell Varcianna: [00:04:15] Great question. So the content is always based on who they’re targeting. So we don’t believe in just kind of writing what you think is trending or what’s happening. The content should always be tailored around being a part of the conversation that your ideal customer is already having. So the questions that your target audience has, the complaints that they have, the misconceptions that they have, those are the that’s the type of content you should be creating, addressing their pain points, addressing their concerns, answering their questions and things like that. So different institutions are targeting different people. So if they are targeting the same people, they still may have different questions because they’re in completely different markets. So, you know, somebody a first time homebuyer in New York City may have different questions than a first time home buyer in Columbus, Georgia, just because it’s two completely different markets. So we will be speaking to different people all the time simply because there are different audiences in different markets and different products and people want to know different things. So the content should always be tailored around what their ideal customer wants to know.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:27] Now how do you help? Your people that are doing the writing kind of captured the voice of the company you’re working with, because I would imagine while they are all, I would imagine somewhat similar in the sense that they’re serious and they’re not kind of irreverent at like some maybe some of them are, but I would imagine that’s the exception. But how do you capture the voice of the company through kind of your writers like that seems, you know, so it stays consistent with their brand.

Shondell Varcianna: [00:06:01] Yeah. Wonderful question. And that’s a great question because we we always come in at under as ghostwriters, like by the time we start writing for our clientele, they already have a lot of content either on their website, they’ve got brochures, they already have their own voice. So we are coming in as ghostwriters. So we start before we even start writing. We, we do a client content brief with each of our clients and it’s like a seven page questionnaire that we go through with them. And it gives us a lot of background information on who they are as a, as a corporation, who they are as a brand. What kind of message are they wanting to relate to their ideal customer? And then we also have to get to know their ideal customer because they are speaking to the ideal customer. And we’re trying to bridge that gap between what the institution has, the products and services and what their ideal customer wants. We’ve got to bridge that gap. So we do a lot of behind the scenes work before we even start writing, and then we stop their website, of course, because that is going to give us and their marketing material and their brochures a lot of the content that they already have.

Shondell Varcianna: [00:07:07] We have to study that to get their voice tone, format style to how they want it. And we ask a lot of questions about those things before we start stocking their website as well. So that’s how we get their voice, right. The other thing too is we also come 90, I would say about 90% of our clients, we come up with the topics for them. So we will come up with the topics for them based on what they’re focused on, based on what their ideal customer wants to know. And we’ll also come up with an outline before we even start writing. So we create an editorial calendar and that includes the topics as well as an outline of what’s going to be written in each piece that is approved by our client before we even start writing. So they’re very aware of what’s going to be in each piece. So it is in line with who they are and the message that they’re trying to relate to their ideal client.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:59] Now, in this case, is your writing kind of B to B to C or is it B to B to B in the sense that you’re the people you’re writing for? Are they kind of just individual people that might be interested in a bank or credit union? Or are they somebody part of a company that’s saying, okay, I’m going to use this bank, this I’m changing bank. So this is kind of more of a business decision than a personal decision.

Shondell Varcianna: [00:08:26] We write for B2B and B2C, so B2C is the majority of the content we write. So it’s the the bank, the mortgage company or the credit union writing to their customer who’s going to be buying a house, getting a car loan, getting a credit card, getting investments. So that would be B to C. So we’re typically writing for them. And then we also write for mortgage companies that are targeting brokers. So that would be B to B, so they’ve got their own brokerage and we do write a lot of content for brokers as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:55] So that’s similar, but different because the tone, I would imagine would be different.

Shondell Varcianna: [00:09:00] The questions and everything is different. The broker is not really wanting to know so much about a particular area, school districts, things like that. They were wanting to know how quick can I get my loan approved for my particular client? They want to know the different mortgage products that are out there, the minimum credit, credit scores, so that they can offer that to their particular client. So those the audiences are completely different. The questions are completely different. So the content would be completely different for those two audiences.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:34] Now, when you’re now, let’s talk about maybe some advice for the listener who is thinking about, you know, kind of using this content marketing strategy, which obviously you believe heavily in, right? You don’t believe the written word has. That’s a fad, right? Like the world isn’t going to turn exclusively to Tik-tok for information. Right. You still believe in the written word?

Shondell Varcianna: [00:09:57] It’s actually I actually believe in many forms of content. We just focus on the written word. But I believe in video. I believe in audio, which is what we’re doing right now. I think that you need to provide it all to your audience because you never know how your audience wants to consume content. Some people prefer to read, some people prefer to listen, some people prefer to watch. It’s kind of like when Amazon used to just sell books and then they now they sell Kindle. Now, now you can read the book on your phone and now you could also listen to the book through all. So they’re just providing many ways for their audience to consume content. So we’re focused on the written word, but I believe in it all. I think you should be providing as many ways and make it as easy as possible for your ideal customer to consume content. I do video to get clients, so it’s not again, our company is just written, but I believe that you should you should never limit yourself to how you market because as I said, you never know how your your ideal customer wants to consume content and you always want to make it as easy as possible for them to consume your content.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:03] And then what do you feel about are there rules of thumb when it comes to how often you should publish whatever it is, whether it’s print or video or audio? Is this something that should be happening multiple times a day, once a week, once a quarter? Like what’s a rhythm that makes sense to you and this niche that you serve?

Shondell Varcianna: [00:11:22] I would say multiple times per day on social media, a minimum of one a week on your website. Blog posts can be repurposed and broken into two weeks worth of social media posts, so I’m really big on repurposing content as well. Just always remember, especially if you’re focused on organic content, the more you publish content, the more your audience sees you. Unless you’re getting more high level than you’re doing ads where you can actually target and be very specific with who sees your content. If you’re focused on organic, you’ve got to post often because you’re all of your followers do not see all the content that you post. They’re not always online at the time you post it. Some of them may not even be online for a few days. So the more you, the more you post, the more attention you’ll get on your content.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:09] So you have to create kind of that brand ubiquity so that you want to feel that you want your customer to feel like whenever they look around their names, they’re so reminds them because you never know when they’re going to buy or want to be in the market to buy 100% correct.

Shondell Varcianna: [00:12:23] You never know if they’re ready. They could be ready in six months, but it’s also brand awareness as well. And at the same time, while you’re publishing multiple pieces, you’re starting to create that know like and trust factor, which is what we all need in order for people to do business with us. So over time, as you’re educating your clients, as you’re producing videos, you’re producing written content, as you’re producing audio, they’re getting to know who you are as a brand, and then they can determine whether they even like you, because if they don’t like you, they’re of course they’re not going to do business with you. But all of that helps to build that relationship with your ideal customer so that when they’re ready, you’re right there to help them with their mortgage needs or investment needs or whatever.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:03] Now, how do you when you’re working with a client, maybe early on, how do you kind of manage their expectations when it comes to the results of your work? Because this seems like a long term play, that this isn’t something like you write a post and like, Hey, where’s the customer that came from that like, you know, it’s not like kind of a direct line between one article and then a client like this is something it sounds like it’s a long term investment that you’re really investing in your brand and educating people over time so that eventually you win them over when they are ready to buy.

Shondell Varcianna: [00:13:37] Yes, I believe that. Excuse me. And we’re really transparent that if they’re needing immediate results, then you’ve got to do some type of paper click ads or Facebook ads. You’ve got to you’ve got to pay for some type of ad spend in order to get the immediate results. The organic content is always a long game because it that’s part of building the relationship. And I think you should be doing both. I think you should be doing pay per click ads, social media ads, as well as organic because the organic is good to nurture the long term relationships. You never really want a client who’s just going to come and give you a checking account and then not bring them more, not get a mortgage with you or not get some credit cards or not get a car loan like you want the whole gamut of products with them. And that typically will come through relationships, through how well they know you, how well they like you. Do they trust you to have all those products with you? So that will come typically with the organic content. So I think you should always be doing both.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:43] And is it one of those things where maybe the person who is responding to an ad might be more transactional minded, where the person responding to an article might be more relationship minded?

Shondell Varcianna: [00:14:53] Exactly. Exactly. So and that’s the reason why I think both the you know, the pay per click ads will get the immediate client, but you want to keep the client. And if you’re constantly educating people and when I say educating, I’m more I’m more addressing their pain points. So especially with financial institutions, because you can have customers from 18 until retirement. So if you stick with them along their journey, there’s really no need for them to leave if you’re if you’re helping them along the way. So it’s it’s when they get upset or when they don’t feel like. You’re there for them, then they jump ship. But I mean, when you think about it, once you once you start banking with an institution, you’ve already registered all your bills to get paid with them. Like it’s it’s a hassle to leave and it’s easier to just be with who you already have an existing relationship with. But because there’s so much competition out there, if you’re not part of their journey, if you’re not continuing to build that relationship with your audience, they will jump ship simply because the rates are lower. Or they didn’t even know that you had to have a particular product. But another institution has been in their ear, you know, every week or every day, so they naturally just gravitated towards them. So if you’re as long as you’re a part of that journey and and you’re thinking long term, long game, you’ve you should always have a good relationship with your ideal customer and continue to deepen those relationships so that you continue to get the business.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:20] Now, can you share a story? Obviously don’t name the name of the institution, but maybe they came to you. Maybe they were a little skeptical. Maybe they were burned in the past and they were a little gun shy. But when you started working with them, you were able to take them to a new level.

Shondell Varcianna: [00:16:35] Yeah, we hear some great stories. There was an institution that we were working with, we’ve been with them for. We’ve been working with them for a few years now. But we when we started with them, they really wanted to capture the first time homebuyer in their local area. And we I suggested that we start writing a series of first time homebuyer posts so they would come back. Once they subscribe every week, they would they would get a new a new post about the next step in the home buying process. And about eight months later, the marketing director contacted me and she was telling me about a young lady who bought their first her first home. And she was she she came to them because of the blog post that we wrote and she subscribed. And every week she would get it. And she was thinking about buying but wasn’t sure. And we went into everything. We went into minimum, minimum credit requirements, the minimum down payments that you have different things to look for, different things you should look for when you’re wanting to move into a different area. If you have kids, how to look up school district ratings and all that kind of stuff, like we we went through the whole gamut of what you need to go through at the very beginning to actually the closing day and then moving in and then, you know, things that you need to be aware of, maintenance issues that could come up if it’s not a brand new home and things like that. And she had ended up getting a mortgage with this institution, moved in and came back and shared with them that she was the first person in her entire family to ever buy a home, and she didn’t think it was possible.

Shondell Varcianna: [00:18:09] And as she started reading some of the information that the institute well, some of the stuff that we wrote, she started to educate herself on what was required to buy a home, and she didn’t even think she qualified. But when she started reading the posts on, you know, the minimum down payments, how much you should, how much you need in closing costs, things like that. She started to think, You know what, I’m in a position where I think I could apply. And she applied. Got it. And now she’s living in her, you know, her dream home. And she’s a single parent. So, you know, that was one of those feel good stories where and we don’t always hear these stories. We don’t always hear the feedback when it comes to people buying their first home and things like that. But the feedback we normally hear is, you know, because we’re very big on results. So a lot of times when we write content, they’re doing some type of search engine optimization as well. So we want to know things like, you know, what keywords are they focused on? Are the clients converting? Are they clicking the call to action? Are they staying on the page or are they clicking the internal links? That helps us to know if the content is engaging. So we look at that. That’s the kind of result, the information we get. But those feel good stories when the client’s customer comes back and shares those things with us is heartwarming for all of us, right?

Lee Kantor: [00:19:26] The impact is real. I mean, that’s the thing. It’s it’s indisputable the impact, that’s for sure.

Shondell Varcianna: [00:19:32] Oh, yeah. And I was raised by a single mom. So that particular story really hit home with me because it’s, you know, it’s a huge purchase. But at the same time, you know, when when when a little child sees a mother stretching out and buying a home, then that little child could now start to believe in themselves and say, well, if Mommy did this, maybe I can do this, maybe I could dream bigger. So that was a beautiful story.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:56] Now, before we wrap, you’ve achieved so much and you have an interesting Facebook group strategy. Do you mind sharing a little bit about how you marketing and go to market to find your, you know, target audience and get business from them? Do you mind sharing that Facebook group story, the strategy?

Shondell Varcianna: [00:20:15] Yeah. So we we we don’t use Facebook groups to get our clients, but our clients use Facebook groups to gain clients for themselves so I can share. What we do and what our clients.

Lee Kantor: [00:20:29] Okay, sure.

Shondell Varcianna: [00:20:30] Yeah. But yeah, we actually get the majority of our clients come from LinkedIn. So remember I was saying, well, I don’t know if I did say it, but you should always be where your target audience is. That’s where you always have to be. That’s where you should be focused. Our target audience is on LinkedIn, so we have a complete LinkedIn strategy for Reach Out. I post on LinkedIn every single day. I comment on my ideal customers post every single day on LinkedIn. So that’s just part of building my brand. The team does that as well. We’re very strategic when it comes to LinkedIn, simply because our ideal audience is there for Facebook groups. What I suggest for and this is for institutions that are not and not even just institutions like anybody can do this. But if you are trying to find out what your ideal customer wants and if they are on Facebook, Facebook groups are really, really huge for that. So for our our our clients, they let’s say they’re focused on home buyers or let’s say our ideal customer wants to target people who buy rental properties. So I would suggest that they join Facebook groups where investors are in there. So and they’ve got a bunch of different Facebook groups where people are wanting to buy a house, people are wanting to buy rental property.

Shondell Varcianna: [00:21:50] So join those Facebook groups where your ideal customer is. Once you get into these Facebook groups, just be a fly on the wall. Just listen to what people are saying for a few months. Look for patterns, look for common questions that people have or similar questions. Look for complaints that what are people complaining about? Look for misconceptions? What are people confused about? What do they think? What are they saying? But it’s incorrect. And your content should be focused around those things that your ideal customer are complaining about, questions they have in misconceptions. Now, if you could provide value, if you can answer some of the questions that people have in these groups, if you could address some of their complaints, do that. Don’t. You can’t sell yourself in a lot of these groups, but you don’t need to. If you’re answering enough questions, then on your Facebook page, whether it’s your business Facebook page or your personal Facebook page, it should be decked out. And what I mean by that is it should have exactly what you do. Contact information. Easy, easy way to get a hold of you. All of that should be on your Facebook page exactly what you do.

Shondell Varcianna: [00:22:53] Because oftentimes when you’re commenting in these groups and people see you a lot, they’re going to click to your Facebook page and probably raise your hand and contact you and ask, Can you help me with a mortgage or are you familiar with this particular product? This is my situation. Can you help that? That’s typically how it goes and at the same time, you should be creating content, addressing what they’re talking about in these groups. So it’s a holistic approach. Then you can take it a step further and if you want to get into some search engine optimization, the same things that they’re talking about in these groups, look for Google keywords that match them, and now you can start a search engine optimization strategy. You can also, if you want to start doing Facebook ads, you can also start doing Facebook ads around the complaints and the concerns that people have in these groups. And you can target the same people in these groups. So Facebook groups, in my opinion, are huge for research and for finding topics to to write about, to do video about that will address the pain points that your ideal audience has.

Lee Kantor: [00:23:56] Well. Shontell Congratulations on all the success. If somebody wants to learn more and maybe get on your calendar or, you know, find out more about your organization, can you share the website?

Shondell Varcianna: [00:24:09] Yeah. And thank you so much. Yeah, our website is vast media, VA, RC Media and my my handle everywhere is Shawn del Valle. I’m on LinkedIn most often, but I’m on Facebook as well. I’m on Instagram, not so much on Instagram, but LinkedIn is where you can get a hold of me the most.

Lee Kantor: [00:24:28] And then at your website, medium.com, there’s you have a blog like you have a lot of a lot of education there as well.

Shondell Varcianna: [00:24:38] Yes. Yeah. There’s a lot of free stuff. You can download our blog content checklist. We’ve got a guide, we’ve got blog posts there. I post a lot on LinkedIn as well, so we’re always providing some type of educational piece to help you with your content.

Lee Kantor: [00:24:52] Well, thank you again for sharing your story. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Shondell Varcianna: [00:24:56] Thank you so much for having me.

Lee Kantor: [00:24:58] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you next time on Atlanta Business Radio.

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