MONEY MATTERS
Subscriptionbased learning and earning ACCOMPLISH YOUR GOALS AND SEE RESULTS THROUGH BRANDING STORY BY LESLIE T. SNADOWSKY
It’s where customers on a budget learn how to brand. Brand State University is an affordable online learning platform for small businesses and do-it-yourself marketers. Jaci Russo leads the subscription-based business that sells access to her marketing expertise and educational courses. “BSU content is designed to help in the real world,” said Russo, the co-founder and CEO of brandRUSSO, a strategic branding agency in Lafayette, Louisiana. “You’ll gain rare insight you can put into action from day one. At BSU, we don’t tell you what to do. We’ll show you how to accomplish your goals and see actionable results.”
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SCALING SUBSCRIPTIONS For years, Russo had been producing live training sessions about social media, marketing, and branding for small businesses in Lafayette, but when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Russo realized that’s when people in business needed her help the most. “It was really hard for local businesses to get through the pandemic without foot traffic,” she said. “So I took all the in-person classes that I was offering and recorded them and turned them into online classes that people could take for a very low cost through a subscription. We built out the classes and we now offer a whole set of professional development.” At BSU, businesses gain online access to everything from team building, personal development, professional development, sales and marketing and branding training. Russo said they are nearing a milestone of 10,000 members.
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SERVE FIRST, THEN SELL Forbes recently reported the global subscription e-commerce market is expected to increase from $120 billion in 2022 to $904 billion by 2026. Russo attributes her uptick in subscription sales to her “serve first, then sell” philosophy. “Know who you’re serving, know how you’re serving them and continue to serve them,” she said. “Figure out what kind of tools your community needs and how they are going to be able to access them. How can you provide it to them? What can you give away at no charge now so that they will want to pay you for services in the future? I find a lot of people come out of the gate trying to charge and they’re going to lose that battle every time.” At Russo’s BSU, a $79 monthly subscription will get you access to live strategy sessions with Russo and her team, content creation and social media prompts, membership to the VIP Facebook group, and educational training courses. “What I find is most local businesses don’t necessarily have the budget to hire a marketing agency,” Russo said. “Agencies are expensive. I run one, so I know. They end up turning to an intern, or a part-timer, or a new graduate or someone who’s worked in the business for 30 or 40 years that they feel can take on an extra task. But they don’t necessarily have all of the modern marketing tools and training. At Brand State University, your employees can get up to speed so that you are still doing it yourself, but not on your own. You’ve got professional guidance from someone who knows marketing from the inside out.”
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