FEMME STORIES | Edition 14 | Hattie

The Femme Stories is a blog series celebrating the makers and small business owners who inspire and empower their community, and continue to gift us with their creativity; these are their stories.

 

I have known Hattie, from Funstans, since 2015, I was just starting Copious, she was running her jewellery company, Hattitude and along with Danielle from The Stage Beauty Company, we would come together to put on our Sip n’ Shop Event. Clients would come to shop our Handmade Products while catching up with friends and enjoying a drink. In preparation for the event, Hattie would walk us through how to set up our Facebook Ads, and I remember not completely understanding what was going on, but also being so impressed with her knowledge of Ads Manager. Fast forward to 2020 and I still look to Hattie for guidance with my social media campaigns and now because of her I do understand how to set up and run my own ads.

If you asked me this a week ago I would have said no, but recently I was looking at my old Hattitude Instagram page and there was a post where I talked about running my own social media company, so I guess yes. I have always loved marketing and helping makers sell their products in a unique way.

 I remember when we did ads for our Sip N’ Shop events we would set up ads, how much, if any has Facebook Ads changed?

 I think what has changed is that I know it better, I feel more confident in the backend of Ads Managers. There has been changes to the interface and Facebook is always looking to improve their system to make things more efficient. Still though the biggest change is my knowledge of the system, which has helped me teach it to others.

 You work with a lot of small businesses and local makers; do you think having been a maker yourself this helps you succeed with them?

 Absolutely, creatives brains think and work differently and being someone who can pitch ads and campaigns in the same way that they would think of them helps a lot. Also, being creative I bring that into my marketing and am always trying to market my clients in unique and different ways.

 Did 2020 inspire you to teach the Facebook Ad Class directly to business owners or was that already in the works?

 It was 100% a result of the pandemic, in March our clients all paused their campaigns, which left us with a lot of downtime. It really got me thinking about what I could do to fill the time, plus I was really missing teaching. I used to teach Instagram workshops and I missed connecting and helping creatives in that way.

 You and your husband, Tristan, run Funstans together and you work from home, like a lot of small business, (aside from 2020, the year we all worked from home) what are your pros and cons for working from home and how do you stay on track?

 This year we pivoted, even though we have always worked from home, before 2020 we had grandparents and a nanny to help with our daughter during the day, but this year we couldn’t justify having those expenses and were doing our part for social distancing, so Tristan became a stay at home daddy! He still helps a lot and he is super creative, but we starting outsourcing some work and then were able to keep going forward that way.

 As far as staying on track Tristan is still my project manager and definitely keeps me focused. He gives a push when it is time to get to work, he is always there to tell me when to stop and have lunch, he helps bring balance to the day. It is also nice to not be alone, especially if I am stuck on an ad and need help, he can jump in and brainstorm and let me bounce ideas off him.

 Do you ever find it overwhelming to keep up with all the changes that social media companies make to stay relevant?

 I don’t love when they change the interface up, it always seems to happen the day before I am doing a LIVE webinar and then I am left scrabbling in front of my class. I don’t love when that happens, but I do like that they are always evolving. I like that they are trying new strategies out and I love being the first to dive in and test them out, it gives me a competitive edge in the agency.

 For anyone who is new to your agency, what are the pros and cons to hiring Funstans to run an ad campaign versus learning it and doing it themselves.

 What makes a good CEO/head of your company, is knowing a little bit about everything. You can outsource stuff, but if you don’t know a little about it, you could hire someone who doesn’t know what they are doing. You should know enough about Facebook Ads Manager to be able to go into the backend and understand how your ad is doing. Whether it is your Email Marketing, your Website or Ads you need to be able to ask critical questions to the people running them. I think everyone should learn a little of everything to run an effective company.

 Your next 5-day ad class is coming up in February, what can students expect to get from this class?

 There is a lesson in the morning and then I hold you accountable in the afternoon. It is all LIVE, that way it forces you to actually take the course. I know personally this year I went crazy and got a lot of courses and the ones that were live I was more apt to actually take. This way you can ask me questions as we go through the steps.

 We go through how to add your pixel, and this ads class is special because we will talk about how the pixel will change with the new Apple Update, you won’t be able to track it as effectively, I will go over a work around for that. I walk you through the two ads that I think every maker should have, retargeting your website traffic, Facebook and Instagram followers, plus one that helps you gain NEW followers. We go over the creative content, how to write your ad, what photos work best etc. I think it is a really great class, one that all small business owners should take.

 ** I can personally attest to how great this class is. Like I said in the opening, I have always looked to Hattie for guidance in my email campaigns, social media strategy and now Facebook Ads. By the end of this class I not only had an ad running, I felt confident to go in and switch it up after a month AND I had sales within the first 2 weeks. If you are a maker who has been thinking of taking this class, I 100% recommend it!

 On top of your ads class, daily clients and running your own company you are always giving back to your community of makers and business owners by creating spaces for us to meet virtually like your Brunch + Brainstorm, how have those been going?

 I love teaching and networking, and I really miss going to events to do that, so I started Brunch + Brainstorm to be able to get back to that. It has helped me get to know my followers better and stay in touch with clients that I taught in the Ads Class.

 I will definitely continue them this year, but I am switching it up a bit. Last year I did it all over Zoom, but I think some people were a little intimidated to join in, so this year I am going to move the Brunch + Brainstorm to Instagram LIVE and test that out. I will ask different experts to join me and we can chat about your marketing eco-system.

 Last question I ask everything one this, what are you currently reading?

 I just finished Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, it is set in the 60’s and about this girl born in the swamp, it was really good. I just switched gears though and am now reading To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini, it is about this biologist who travels intergalactically because we are trying to colonize different planets and she finds the first alien artifact, it is SO good! 

I always love a chance to talk with Hattie, she is so smart and knowledgeable in her field and she genuinely cares about her clients’ success. There are so many ad classes out there that promise this or that, but with Hattie’s, her promises actually came through. By the end of her 5-day ads class I had an ad running and started making sales that week! It was empowering to learn something so daunting, and she takes it and distils the relevant information you need to feel confident in Facebook Ads Manager. Whether you know how to, but don’t have the time to run your own ads or you need to learn how, I would highly recommend booking a time to chat with the Funstans team, you won’t find a kinder, smarter, more enthusiastic or competitive marketer out there.