Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Stucky.
Courtney, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m a true marketer by heart. I always knew the most important thing was to be overly helpful, to share knowledge, to inspire and persuade. Now, it’s a best practice for social media and content marketing, but it’s just something I always thought was important in my work. I hate sales — I love marketing. I started blogging on the side of a dead-end, boring job (my first job out of college). Before I really understood how to write well, write for a specific audience, or optimize the content for SEO, every single post I did was meant to be a helpful resource for whoever my reader was. Topics ranged from budgeting tips, life hacks, ultimate packing lists for everything, planning an entire DIY wedding, and everything in between. That’s what I did for fun.
Flash forward to today (almost ten years later), I’m the Digital Content Marketing Manager for an incredible marketing agency on the Denton Square. On the side, I run a local blog and Instagram account specifically promoting local and small businesses in Denton: @local_small When the pandemic storm first rolled in, my husband and I saw how small businesses in particular were being greatly impacted. Just the thought of our favorite local hot spots going out of business was enough to cause a shift in our daily habits. We didn’t just set out to support those places as much as possible — we’d even go out of our way to get takeout during the week when we normally ate home-cooked meals. We went the extra mile to ensure that every purchase that we made would somehow support local and small businesses instead of immediately running to Amazon for everyday items or a chain restaurant for a quick dinner.
Since this had become such a heavy focus during the pandemic, a natural shift inevitably occurred: local and small businesses were the only thing that came to mind when we were interested in finding a place to shop, eat or drink. On the rare occasion, we thought of going to a chain, we felt a bit guilty about it. And it’s not necessarily even about the food, or whether we like that chain or not. There’s just a real sense of satisfaction when you leave a local business that your purchase has done something for the greater good. Your dollar just made a difference for that person’s business, their livelihood, their dream, and the family they’re supporting. It’s so much more rewarding. And that’s what I want every Dentonite to think of first, too. I want to support the local business owner who has literally put everything on the line, including their life savings, to chase the dream of having a successful business. They took the biggest financial risk ever and they’re relying on the community to step up and support them. Putting our hard-earned money back into the local economy will help keep it strong — to keep it growing, keep it thriving, bring in more exciting businesses, and encourage more locals to become entrepreneurs. Being reminded to put our dollars back into our community is really what my page is about.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think having a very niche audience makes it harder to grow my page. I don’t care if I have a million followers or reach true “influencer” status, but of course I’d love for every person who lives near the Denton area to follow my Instagram account — my page is specifically curated with them in mind, after all. The struggle is knowing which accounts to follow to raise awareness about my page because not everyone puts their location in their profile description. I mostly follow Denton area accounts, and I mostly want Denton area accounts to follow me. Because my content is hyper-local, I realize that limits my page growth and overall reach, but I’d rather be relevant to a few than irrelevant to many. Another barrier in growing my page is promoting it because any advertising effort I choose will come out of my pocket. And as of now, I’d rather use that money to support a local business than to grow my followers or readership.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What makes me stand apart from other local influencers and foodie accounts is that my main focus is on supporting hyper-local and small businesses in Denton — not chains or businesses across the metroplex. Occasionally I’ll promote a business outside of the Denton area (or a chain) if there’s a specific reason behind — whether it’s because they actually do have the best [insert item here] in town, it’s a Texas-based business, or it’s a veteran or minority-owned business. Another thing that makes me stand out is that I don’t get paid a single dime to promote these businesses, and the purpose of my page isn’t to drive collaborations. I support these businesses as an actual customer and only write completely honest reviews. I won’t necessarily turn down free stuff, but as uncommon as that is, even those business owners know that I will only promote what I love, what I would buy myself, and would buy again as an actual customer.
For each of my promotions and reviews on Instagram, my goal is to be overly helpful. I aim to ensure people don’t just see a picture of some burger I ate but always “walk away” with something new or worthwhile. Other than promoting the small business, I try setting folks up for success if they choose to visit that business. Instead of just telling them what to buy, I occasionally include details about their location, environment, COVID safety protocols, quality of service, and more. Many foodie accounts lack this information — they don’t tell their audience anything about the food, what it was called on the menu, what the flavors were, or sometimes even where they bought it. It drives me nuts. I want every single one of my posts to have a purpose behind it, and to create a space where I’m viewed as a genuinely helpful resource for locals. I want Dentonites to know they can trust my opinions and get the real deal — not something I’m promoting just because I’m getting paid for it. That’s been my motto from the very beginning and that’s what I’m sticking with. What I also don’t do is bash any local and small businesses.
The problem with our digital world is that people are so quick to thrash out online and put a 1-star review from a bad experience they had (even if they’ve been going there for years). But many don’t understand how that one bad review can really impact a business for the long run. If I have a problem with something — whether it was terrible service or my bread was super dry or whatever it may be — instead of taking my complaints automatically online, I believe there’s a more mature and courteous way to address that. I believe in second chances. I believe there’s a reason for everything. And I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. Because the last thing I want is for someone’s dream of running a business to be ruined because of a bad employee, or an employee had a horrible day and wasn’t able to shake it off, or the chef accidentally overcooked your salmon. If I had a bad experience more than once, I would take it directly to the manager or to the owner separately (and privately) to let them know about the situation. That gives them an opportunity to fix it. And if they don’t, then I personally stop visiting and definitely won’t promote others to visit, but at least I know I gave them a chance to improve.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Just reaching out in a genuine way goes far these days. Even via social media. I’ve made new friends and connections through this simple method. If there’s an account you follow and love, you can deepen that connection by simply asking if they’d be willing to meet up (socially distanced) over a cup of coffee or Zoom chat. Let them know you enjoy following them and want to chat about whatever it is you have a common interest in. For me, it’s chatting about getting involved in the Denton community and supporting local and small businesses. It’s chatting about becoming an advocate to influence others to support their local economy. It’s chatting about the love of food, wine and coffee. And as you begin to develop a relationship of trust, you’ll each be more willing to promote each other on social media, acting as partners in reaching a specific goal you both have and mentoring each other along the way.
Contact Info:
- Email: localandsmallbiz@gmail.com
- Website: www.localandsmall.blogspot.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/local_small
Image Credits
Beach portrait – Lyndi Ruth Photography
