Sassy Digital

Day = made 🥹 when I started Sassy Digital ® ✨] nearly 8 years ago (that makes me feel very very old!) one of my main goals was to try and help as many businesses as possible - no matter their size or budget. The weekly trend report that goes out every single Monday at 1pm is just one of the completely free resources available from my marketing business. Tuesdays you can access a new episode of , where every week we are speaking to a business owner about a topic that you can take practical advice and learn to implement into your own business, there’s a whole host of tips here on social media, and lastly make sure you check out the Sassy Digital ® ✨] blog where there is a lot of blog posts which explain how to do various different things from marketing to website.

I rarely get thank you emails for providing free content, so when I do it really does make my day! 🥹

And of course, if you ever need a hand with anything or would like to find out more about how you can work with me 1-2-1 on your business, from consultancy to website reviews or total redesigns, visit the contact page on the website to fill in your details. I’d love to hear from you, whether it’s a lovely bit of feedback like this, or to have a chin wag about your biz 💗

Work and life can sometimes have a feeling of ground hog day, which is literally my biggest fear: living the same day over and over, not getting anywhere and nothing changing. Now that the new year goal setting overwhelm has sort of died down, I’d really suggest revisiting what it is that you want to achieve this year, and then make a plan to go after it.

Want to take up a new hobby? Do it!
Want to launch a new product? Get on Google!
Want to grow your business? Work out which areas you’re weakest in and find someone to help!
Want to launch a new website? Get building.

We are often the only person who is standing in our own way.

Don’t do the same old s**t. Have an extraordinary year!

What’s in 🙋🏼‍♀️and what’s out 🙅🏼‍♀️for your brands packaging this year? Let’s take a look…

Just a small selection of brands we have worked with on their branding whether that’s a total redesign, packaging, or brand refresh! For more information on any of our packages, flick to the last slide 💕✨ wanna chat? [email protected]

I posted this last January, and after a year of successful launches for both and our clients here at Sassy, as well as observing other launches - I wanted to share a few more thoughts on what TO say when launching...

Of course, launching can be SO terribly daunting especially if it's your first launch, you're 'not a natural marketeer' (you probably are but let's come back to this in another post), or you feel like you're winging it and don't know what you're doing.

The key to a successful launch is infact this....

✨ JUST SAY....SOMETHING ✨ Say anything that comes from the heart. Although I don't really like either of these phrases (reasons to follow), it's better to cobble something together and say something every day than to say nothing at all.

However - if you do immediately go to these two phrases, here's what you can swap them for...

'We hope you love it as much as we do' - No one is going to love your product as much as you do - you need to convince them as to why they need your product in their life. Instead, try explaining some key reasons why your product might be desirable, who it's for, or what pain point it solves.

'Now live' - these is zero call to action OR sense of urgency here. Instead, try inciting some kind of urgency by letting people know what's available, where to find it, and whether it's in limited quantities or not. Of course, there's a lot more to inciting urgency than one post, it's best done over time - but you've got to start somewhere.

Got any specific questions on sell-out launches? Comment them below and I'll answer them in another post!

Hello everyone! Happy New year 🥳 long time no post…it wasn’t intentional but we had so much client work on along with running The Partner in Wine ® Bottle] AND several public speaking engagements I really just ran out of time!

Which is why I also ran out of time to tell you that your favourite yearly content calendar is back for 2023, and this 365 day spreadsheet split into monthly planner tabs, had had a serious GLOW UP!

I changed the look of our best selling digital download so that it better reflected the content calendar that we developed for use at my other business The Partner in Wine ® Bottle] - which was an extension of what the calendar used to be!

She still includes hints and tips for how to use, and she’s also pre filled with essential 2023 holidays and red letter days, she’s also got a handy key on each slide to help you find a balance of topics to help you expand your audience and sell more!

I’ve popped the link on our stories and in our bio if you want to download it, I’ll be planning a workshop later this month to help you take your business goals, and plan your marketing to help you reach these goals!

Happy Birthday to our website and design queen 👸 Becky is responsible for some of our best work, which you’ll know if you’ve worked with her before! Double tap to leave Becky some birthday love!

I’ve seen a lot at the moment about people feeling quite demotivated on Instagram about their posts not being seen, or not getting the results that you want, so I thought I’d share some advice from my own personal experiences of not only running Partner in Wine’s social media to generate sales, but also my other clients!

Here’s three things to consider before you post/when planning your content schedule on Instagram:

1. Time ⏰
Is now the right time to post this? Not just is it the right time of day when people are online, but is it the right time for their mindset? For example, If you’re posting a sales post on a Friday night when people aren’t likely to be shopping then maybe save it for Saturday morning.


2. Hook 🪝
We often talk about the “hook” of a post, ie. Saying something that intrigues someone to hold on and see what happens, but sometimes a hook can be something interesting - E.g. simply teaching someone something. We don’t need to over complicate it, keep it simple!


3. Is it real? 👀
My personal preference when it comes to social media for business is posting in real time as and when things happen within your business. Not only does it help your audience relate to you, you’ll make much more of a splash if you do! This can be on the feed, or behind the scenes on stories, mix it up and most importantly see what works for you…

Share what works for you in the comments!

Did you know that Shopify had a glow up?? 🌟

Shopify Online Store 2.0 has been around for a little while now but its now fully available on all Shopify storefronts for all merchants! What is Online Store 2.0? Its the new standard in customisability and speed in all Shopify themes. It’s basically like trading in your iPhone 5 for the newest version 🤓

This update allows for easier customisation and also provide built-in technical performance improvements but the big question is how could this benefit your store? Read the post to find out why you should update…

If you need a hand updating your Shopify theme send us a DM😊

Did you know that every Monday we send out a Trend Report? Our trend report contains loads of Tiktok trends and content ideas 👌🏼 the best part is, it’s free!
Sign up through the link in our stories!

Wandr'ing what we've been up to recently? Whilst we have several websites and branding projects on the go for our fashion, beauty and (my personal fave) alcohol clients (yes you read that right 🍺) we're very proud of this one...and that's because it contains some seriously snazzy, custom elements that you won't find anywhere else on a Shopify website!

When and approached us to design a website for their new clothing brand Becky and I were buzzing! We love when brands lead the way by focussing on transparency around production, sourcing and sustainability.

Specifically Kirsty and India had a vision to share each product's cost of production and traceability. Nothing quite hit the spot in terms of apps already available, so we did what we do best and built a custom transparency section on each product page. We also designed several custom pages to tell the story of the brand and the ethical background surrounding the production! How cool is that?!

If you're looking for something to take your website from Standard to Sassy...you know where to find us! [email protected]

The results are in from our content poll…but WHY did I ask you to vote? Well, the results may not be surprising to you, BUT I wanted it to serve as a reminder when you’re planning content, or posting content (let’s face it we aren’t all planners!) that these are some key areas to focus on:

✨ Showing up as the founder of your biz
✨ creating a good variety of content, in a fun, reactive way
✨ fun is in…feeds are out!

Hope you find it helpful! Lucy x

Last week Sassy Digital celebrated its 7th birthday 🥳 To celebrate I thought I'd share 7 things I’ve learnt in my 7 years running Sassy:
1. Never let the fear of what other people think of you keep you from pursuing your dreams. The only thing worse than the fear of what other people think, is the fear of getting to the end of your life and realising you’ve not done the things you wish you had.
2. Never burn bridges - you never know when you might come across someone you’ve burnt bridges with, and vice versa, the taste is sweet when someone who has tried to burn bridges with you comes to you for help.
3. Some days are easier than others but doesn’t mean you should give up. When you’re having a ‘bad day’ whatever that means for you, I always find it helps to just take it easy or take the day off. Then come back to work the following day with a fresh and happier approach.
4. Don’t try to do your best work on your worst day…you’ll regret it later down the line. If you’re not feeling creative, it’s better to work on something else and then come back to the task you need inspiration and creativity for when you feel inspired.
5. Spend your budget on only the things you a. cannot do because you don’t have the time and b. are not your strengths. The nature of running a business in 2022 is that you can (thanks to software!) do most things yourself. Know when to pay someone for their expertise, and when to do it yourself. It might be a costly mistake.
6. Brand consistency is key - if you’ve been given, or developed brand guidelines make sure you stick to them. This can even include knowing what to post on your business social media e.g. where to draw the line between personal and professional (aka don’t start posting your family days out if it isn’t relevant to your business!)
7. Don’t compromise your values for anyone or anything. Your own personal values generally speaking are the backbone of your business. Don’t compromise these values for anything or anyone, and if you come across someone who threatens these values e.g. a client or someone you’re working with, trust your gut feeling…it always knows best!

Super proud of my bestie and branding and website client for her first ever pop up shop ✨ celebrating the launch of the x By Glaze collection! Absolutely beautiful pieces by two beautiful women! Launching on the website this Saturday (with a cheeky little SD signature bespoke page!)

Are you doing these 3 things to help you stay connected with your customers? 👀

Did you know that your body reacts the same way to anxiety as it does to excitement? So that business idea you have been dreaming of that fills you with worry, it's probably just excitement!

So when you're next stepping out of your comfort remember to remind yourself it feels scary because it’s unfamiliar, not because you're incapable. ❤️
Tomorrow could be the day you move one step closer to your dream career...

One mistake I see business owners making time and time again is panicking about what to post on social media, whacking together something in Canva and then posting it knowing it's not going to hit right and then being annoyed at themselves and deleting it.

When curating content, my top tip is to spend time planning in advance (work a month ahead) and look into relevant events around your business, then think about regular features you can do to align with these. Take as an example - you'll notice we have regular features for Netflix and Chilled wine (new wine and Netflix pairings each month) along with wine pairings for foodie days e.g. popcorn appreciation day. These are all educational posts where we're trying to get casual wine drinkers to try something new and learn a bit in the process.

I'll also post about milestones in the PIW business journey e.g. being stocked in new stockists or corporate orders we have had from big businesses (inspiring) and then entertaining reels and jokes around coffee and wine (entertaining).

When planning your posts make sure they fall into one of these three categories and watch your engagement shoot up!

Any q's? Slide into our DMs or if you want to chat to me (Lucy, hi!) about your business specifically and come up with a plan for regular features you can post, then why not book in for consultancy with me? Drop me and email on [email protected]

If you missed out on our workshop 'how to go viral', and you're still trying to get to grips with tiktok, then make sure you check out the replay which is available to buy from our Shop. It include our 1.5 hour workshop, along with the presentation deck and chat transcript. It will also help you answer the following questions:

I know I should be posting more videos but I’m not sure what to include?

I’m making and posting Reels/TikToks, but they don’t tend to get many views, how can I stay motivated to keep creating?

I feel unenthused by the quality of the content I’m putting out, how can I change this?

I get sucked into creating the same old content as everyone else, how can I stand out instead of blending in?

I’ve got lots of stories to tell around my business, but I don’t know exactly how to tell them?

I’m scared of success, and it’s holding me back from making content that will increase brand awareness and make me sales. How can I overcome this fear?

Want to go viral on tiktok? Then what are you waiting for - click the link in our stories to download the workshop now!

Is your desktop a big mess of unorganised files, photos and just general junk? 🤯💻

When you open up your laptop to start the day, the last thing you want to see is a cluttered desktop screen. This desktop organiser will help declutter your desktop and help you get more organised!

Did we mention it’s FREE?!😮

Your free download comes with a PNG or if you would like to get creative and edit the design we have included a Canva template link, so you can fully customise it to suit your needs!

You can now download through the Sassy Digital shop (link in our bio) ✨

Happy Friday! ☀️

This is your reminder to stop comparing yourself to others, we are all on our own journeys each one of which is as amazing and unique as each other.

When you look at highly motivated and ‘successful’ people, it’s easy to compare yourself and question why you are not achieving those things too. But everyone is in different stages of their journey therefore there’s no use in comparing yourself to anyone else! The only comparison you should be making is you yesterday vs you today. Take time to acknowledge the personal growth you have achieved and how the old version of you compares to the person you are today ❤️

Happy International Women’s Day❤️

We are so lucky to have been able to work with so many amazing powerful women.

Today is a day to celebrate how far we’ve come but also to recognise how far we still have to go in some areas. As an all female team we understand the importance of this conversation and we want to continue fighting stereotypes and gender bias.

We thought we should share (what we believe to be) a few interesting facts surrounding women in web. We want to prove that tech is an equal playing field. Website development in particular is such a rewarding and interesting part of our jobs and something that we would love to see even more women getting involved with!

Putting all your effort into video content but it’s just not getting as many views as you’d like? 😞 I get it, it can be so demotivating, especially when you see other people around you going viral…

Well this is your sign to keep going and keep creating!

Here’s 3 reasons your video content may not be getting as many views as you’d like…

Please take these with a pinch of salt, I always say that social media is all about experimentation and you have to post a lot to see what actually works for you (and yes that means NOT DELETING ANYTHING when it does ‘badly’!!)

Want to know more of my secrets to getting more traction on your social media, whether it’s static reactive posts, or Reels and TikToks?

Well you might be interested in my newest workshop “How to Go Viral” which takes place next Friday 25th February at 9am-10.30am 😍

I’ll be sharing how going viral can benefit your business, what makes viral-worthy content, the power of storytelling, and how to appeal to a wider audience with your content, how following trends can increase your organic reach and engagement and lastly what makes content viral-worthy.

Sign up through the link in our stories & in our bio!

✨ THE BIG GLOW UP GIVEAWAY ✨

Are you ready for the biggest business glow up?!

We are offering one lucky business the chance to win over £1000 worth of Sassy help for your business. This giveaway really includes everything you need to level up your small business in 2022.

Including:
🌟Website Review
🌟A consultancy call with Lucy Hitchcock
🌟The Margin Calculator
🌟2022 Marketing Calendar
🌟A Beginners Guide to Pinterest
🌟Price List Templates
🌟Email Newsletter Templates

To enter:

Follow

Sign up to the Sassy Trend Report (link in our bio)

Tag a small business who deserves to win all these goodies in the comments 🥰 (as many as you like - each tag is an entry)

The giveaway ends on Sunday 20th February at 19:59 GMT. The winner will be announced and contacted by DM within 24 hrs 🌟

Do you want to go viral?!

Well get ready to find out how…

Lucy is running a brand new online workshop on the 25th of February at 9am👩🏼‍💻

Tickets are going to go on sale next Wednesday at 9am, so if you want in do make sure to register your interest through the link in our stories!

This workshop is for you if you:
🌟are an e-commerce or services businesses who wants to give yourself the best possible chance of ‘blowing up’ on TikTok or Reels
🌟want to work out exactly what kind of content your customers will resonate with
🌟are lacking content inspiration and want to feel empowered to go and create
🌟looking at other people’s small businesses and wondering how they’ve found success so quickly
🌟want to go viral!!!

Tickets are going live on Wednesday at 9am - set a reminder by following the link on our stories!

How cute are these delivery slips for ?!🐚

Delivery slips are the perfect way to make your unboxing experience more personal and encourage customers to post on socials 🤳🏼 Here are the custom branded delivery slips we designed to go into each package.

The best part is each delivery slip has wild flowers seeds in, so you can pop the note in some soil and wait for it to blossom! 🌻

Our biggest giveaway ever... launching soon 👀

Over on reels we've had so much fun rebranding some of the world's biggest companies and you guys have loved it too! Instead of letting them go to waste we are considering reopening the logo shop 👀

For those of you who don't know about the logo shop, get to know😂
The Sassy Logo Shop allows you to purchase a high quality designer logo and receive brand guidelines - all at a start-up price! 👏🏼

So the big question is... should we bring back the logo shop in 2022...🤭

It’s simple when you think about how you like to be sold to on social 🤷🏼‍♀️ selly= annoying. So try this instead!

1. Talk about the problem your product is solving - As in: persuade your customers why they need it in their life. There could be a few benefits so why don’t you write these down, and split them into separate posts? It will give you more to talk about and ensure you don’t lose enthusiasm for posting when you ‘don’t know what to post today’.

2. Tell the story of your brand - your values, and your why - People don’t buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories and magic - Seth Godin
People will buy from you and buy into your brand if they know more about your story and what you stand for. Give people a reason to relate to your business. This could mean posting on your feed, or showing your face on your stories, IGTV or doing a fun reel!

3. Stick to the 80/20 rule - There’s definitely a place for direct selling on social. After all - people do follow instructions ‘tap to shop’ ‘click here’ - but make sure that 80% of your posts are serving your customers with stories, tips and information to get them intrigued. Then 20% of the time, you can direct them to buy… and they just might be ready!

Save this post as a reminder for selling your products on social 🛍