SPI 721: How to Build a Brand the Smart Way with Susie from Hey Grill, Hey
Oct 4, 2023
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Susie Bulloch, creator of Hey Grill, Hey, shares her journey of building a massive brand online and turning followers into paying customers. Topics include choosing a niche, monetizing reach through ads and sponsorships, creating digital and physical products, and generating reliable monthly income. The podcast also discusses marketing changes, diversifying income streams, and engaging with the audience through various platforms.
Building a successful brand involves providing valuable free content to an underserved audience and complementing it with irresistible paid products.
Transitioning from digital advertising to selling their own products allowed Hey Grill, Hey to generate consistent revenue and build stronger relationships with their audience.
Deep dives
Building a Brand and Community in the BBQ Industry
Susie and her team have built a successful brand in the BBQ industry, focusing on empowering and engaging with their community. They started as a food blog, offering free recipes and building trust with their audience. As the brand grew, they diversified their revenue streams and launched their own product line. Susie prioritizes transparency and continues to offer free recipes on her website, believing that it helps establish trust with her audience. They have also built a strong community through their newsletter, online barbecue school, and interactive social media platforms. Susie is passionate about supporting women-owned food brands in the industry.
Prioritizing Product Marketing and Sales
While originally focused on digital advertising revenue from their food blog, Susie and her team recognized the need for more stability and began transitioning to selling their own products. By launching their own line of barbecue seasonings and sauces, they have been able to generate more consistent revenue and build a stronger relationship with their audience. Susie emphasizes the importance of delivering value and establishing trust with customers, allowing for a more relational and less transactional sales process. The success of their product company has opened up new opportunities to scale and expand their brand.
Cultivating a Community and Emphasizing Service
Susie and her team have created multiple touchpoints for their audience to engage with the brand and connect with each other. Their newsletter provides curated content, cooking tips, and updates on new recipes and products. They have also launched the "Grill Squad," an online barbecue school and community where members can interact, share their cooking experiences, and earn patches as a sign of achievement. The focus is on creating a supportive and interactive environment that encourages learning, sharing, and building relationships.
Empowering Women in Barbecue and Food Industry
Susie has been actively working to empower women in the barbecue and food industry. She began by representing women in the traditionally male-dominated barbecue space and continues to promote inclusivity and representation. Along with her brand, she aims to open doors for more women-owned food brands, especially in national grocery shelves. By providing opportunities and resources, she seeks to create greater balance and fairness in the industry.
#721 Finding an underserved audience and providing valuable free content is one of the quickest ways to build a massive brand online. But how do you turn your followers into paying customers? This is a challenging transition for many of us when we start charging for our work. My guest, Susie Bulloch of Hey Grill, Hey, has done an amazing job creating irresistible paid products to complement the free information that has defined her business. She runs the highest-trafficked barbecue and grilling recipe website, and today, we find out all about her journey and mission! Susie and I discuss everything from choosing a niche to monetizing your reach through ads, sponsorships, and affiliate marketing. We also talk about creating digital and physical products to serve your audience's unique needs and generate reliable monthly income. There's much to learn from Susie's growth, so listen in and enjoy! Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session721.