Episode 56: On Improving Your Marketing Game, LinkedIn & Authenticity with Jamie Samples (Equestrian Author Spotlight Podcast)

Episode 56: Welcome to the Equestrian Author Spotlight podcast! In each episode, you’ll hear inspirational stories from horse book authors including writing advice and marketing tips to help you write your own horse book. If you are an author, aspire to be an author, or simply love horse books then you are in the right place!

In this week's episode, you'll meet Jamie Samples, a social media specialist, marketing professional, public speaker and founder of Yellow Barn Media. You'll learn ...

• Advice on social media, marketing and branding and why Jamie believes authenticity is the key to creating content that works.
• Thoughts on using LinkedIn, a resource not being fully embraced by equestrian businesses, and tips on how authors and small businesses can better take advantage of the platform.
• And MUCH more!

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Watch Jamie Samples' Interview on YouTube!

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Or listen to the audio only version.

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About Jamie Samples of Yellow Barn Media

Jamie Samples is a social media specialist, marketing professional, speaker and founder of Yellow Barn Media, a full-service marketing firm dedicated to helping small business owners and entrepreneurs excel at social media and online marketing.

​Jamie is a wife, a mother, a horse enthusiast, an animal lover, an American patriot, a country chick and an eternal optimist with endless energy and a contagious smile.

She understands how challenging it can be to set aside time for developing your business. Customer needs, employee schedules, payroll and administrative tasks take precedence. Website updates, blogs, email newsletters and social media posts quickly fall to the bottom of the to-do list.

As a veteran marketing professional she's been involved in all aspects of the industry. She has a bundle of fresh ideas proven to save you time, increase efficiency and most importantly, build or maintain a presence with your target audience. Find out how Jamie can help you take back your day, achieve real results, and create an effective strategy for checking items off your to-do list.

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Jamie Samples Podcast Interview Excerpt

Carly: You are in the business of helping others help their equine businesses run more smoothly. Tell us about your business Yellow Barn Media, what your specialties are, and how your services can benefit authors.

Jamie: I founded Yellow Barn Media as a way to coach and encourage business owners in their quest to find a workable marketing strategy. In the beginning years it was just me, but over the last fifteen years a powerful, experienced team has emerged. We offer a full menu of marketing services that include: Social Media Marketing, Email Marketing, Website Design, Facebook ads, Graphic Design, Copywriting, Search Engine Optimization, Business strategy/coaching & much more.

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Carly: Your Private Facebook Group is a community for equestrian professionals looking to up their marketing game and connect with other like-minded professionals. Tell us about the group and how listeners can join.

Jamie: The focus of the group is to provide creative business strategies to grow your horse industry business AND network with others in the industry. When we work together we can make the entire industry better!

Listeners can join our community just for Equestrian Professionals at no cost, if they are looking to up their marketing game, connect with other like minded professionals and be encouraged, 

Carly: Your blog has excellent content on social media, marketing and branding. You advocate for using LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a resource not being fully embraced by equestrian businesses. Do you have any advice for how small businesses can take advantage of LinkedIn better?

Jamie: When it comes to using social media to market your business, choosing the correct platform can make or break your marketing efforts. LinkedIn is one of the premier social media platforms and it boasts a very professional atmosphere. While Facebook is geared toward the more casual user, LinkedIn was specifically built for professionals in business.

LinkedIn allows users to build a network of contacts through direct introductions or posting helpful information on their own feeds and in groups. While relationship marketing requires effort on your part, you can also encourage others to network with you by putting forth a professional image. (Jamie takes a deep dive on using LinkedIn in her interview.)

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​Carly: This is a tough question to ask you because it's so broad, but if you could drill down into your marketing brain and pull out one tool from your toolbox, what would help authors better market their books? What would you tell them to do?

Jamie: It's very simple really. It's not even a hard question. It's just hard to do for a lot of people. Post consistent content on social media and include video. A lot of people don't want to do video. As a marketer — authors and small business owners are marketers — you need to be creating more content. I'm not going to tell you what kind of content to create. It might be blogging. It might be videos. There's a plethora of things you could do, but just create more content because that's how you're going to reach your audience. The truth of the matter is one post doesn't last that long and then it's gone. Be authentic. That's the thing in business and in life, you are generally attracted to like-minded people.

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Connect with Jamie Samples & Yellow Barn Media

Website: https://yellowbarnmedia.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yellowbarnmedia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/equestrianprofessional/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/joyfuljamie
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/yellowbarnmedia/
LinkedIn: ​https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamieclark22/

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Other resources mentioned in Jamie's interview:

Yellow Barn Media's Facebook Group
​https://www.facebook.com/groups/eliteequestrianprofessional/
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American Horse Publications 
Tell them Carly Kade and Jamie Samples sent you!
AHP website: https://www.americanhorsepubs.org/

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New Podcast Interviews Every Week!

Make sure you never miss a show by subscribing on YouTube or Apple Podcasts. This podcast is made possible by listeners like you. I appreciate your support! 

​Thank you for joining us this week on the Equestrian Author Spotlight podcast I hope you enjoy these Q&A sessions with wonderful equine authors who love all things horses and writing just like me. 

​If you are an author who writes about horses and would like to be spotlighted please let me know. Visit my contact page to fill out a request. I'd be happy to have you on the show, too.

Want a free guide to secrets of horse book authors? Gallop over to https://www.carlykadecreative.com/wisdom.html and join the Equestrian Author Spotlight email list to have the author advice resource delivered instantly to your inbox.

View the Episode Directory

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About Your Host Carly Kade

Carly Kade is an award-winning independent author, horse owner, creativity coach, and the host of the Equestrian Author Spotlight Podcast. She helps fellow writers start, grow, and expand their author careers. Creative writing makes her spurs jingle!

Carly's award-winning In the Reins equestrian romance book series was written with horse lovers in mind, no matter which discipline they ride. The horses are as vital to moving the story forward as the human characters are.

These books are perfect for poolside reading, taking to the beach, or settling down with after a day of horseback riding.

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