Lisa Apolinski is the CEO of 3 Dog Write, a digital consulting agency. She works with businesses who want to accelerate revenue and take market share using digital means. In the last eight years, she has helped her clients create nearly $1 billion in revenue growth.
Her first book, Weathering The Digital Storm, is used by businesses globally to fortify their digital growth strategies in unpredictable times. Her latest book, Persuade With A Digital Content Story, will be available on Amazon in the coming weeks. Because of her thought leadership on digital engagement, she has been dubbed “America’s Digital Content Futurist”.
Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn
Transcript
Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for GWBC Radio’s Open for Business. Now, here’s your host.
Lee Kantor: [00:00:19] Lee Kantor here. Another episode of GWBC Open for Business. And this is going to be a good one. Today, we have with us Lisa Apolinski with 3 Dog Write. Welcome, Lisa.
Lisa Apolinski : [00:00:29] Thank you, Lee. It’s awesome to be on your show.
Lee Kantor: [00:00:32] Well, before we get too far in things, tell us about 3 Dog Write. How are you serving folks?
Lisa Apolinski : [00:00:37] Sure. So, we are a full-service digital consulting agency. And in a nutshell, we work with businesses who want to accelerate revenue and take market share using digital means. And that is clearly a hot topic of today. It’s the fastest way to get to people. And in some cases, it’s the only way to get to people since we’re all staying at home and trying to be safe and healthy.
Lee Kantor: [00:01:07] So, how did you get into this line of work?
Lisa Apolinski : [00:01:11] So, I come from an entrepreneurial family. My father and mother owned a drug store many years ago. And I remember when they actually purchased it, I was around four or five. And just working in the store with my dad, and seeing how he built his business and the things that he worked on and one of his, really, guiding principles was to have conversations. So, the art of conversation and talking to people one on one to understand their needs and their wants.
Lisa Apolinski : [00:01:58] I have been doing digital marketing since digital became a thing. I, actually, was trained in traditional marketing and started to segue into digital. And I feel like I have kind of the best of both worlds. I understand how traditional marketing works and how conversation works in a traditional setting, and then being able to relay that into the digital world and having digital conversations, which is huge right now, digital content, and just being able to connect with your audience in a unique way and showing up in a way that allows them to tell their story to you.
Lee Kantor: [00:02:44] So, now, why don’t you share an example about how maybe somebody who was great at marketing in person, when there was in person, and they’re doing a great job, maybe branding in person, and how they can kind of leverage those skills to kind of enter the digital content realm.
Lisa Apolinski : [00:03:05] Yeah, absolutely. So, if you think about storytelling, you think about when you were growing up as a child, even having stories read to, if I said once upon a time, you get your blanket, you’re ready to go with your hot cocoa. Our brains are hard wired for stories. And everyone’s story matters. The issue or the trip-up that I see clients do is the way that they develop their stories and how they cast their audience versus themselves.
Lisa Apolinski : [00:03:46] If you think about a story, you really have three main characters, right? You have the hero. You have the nemesis. That’s the person that’s preventing the hero from getting what he or she wants. And then, you have your mentor character. That’s true in books and movies. Think about Harry Potter, Karate Kid, all those stories are structured in that way. What I’ve seen clients do is they choose the hero role for themselves. And if they do that, the only other role that really their audience can show up in, which would be their client or their prospect, is the role of damsel in distress.
Lisa Apolinski : [00:04:29] If they put themselves as Superman, their audience shows up as Lois Lane. There’s so much more power and longevity if they take the mentor role, so they become, let’s say, Mr. Miyagi in the story, and they allow their audience to become Daniel San. It really breeds a couple of things. It gives the audience control over their situation, which, as you know, right now, nothing is in our control. With the pandemic, with the global recession, with everything that’s happening in politics, it feels like nothing is within our control. If you can show up to help your client, your customer, your audience have tools to be in control, that’s number one in my book.
Lisa Apolinski : [00:05:19] And number two, it allows them to have something that a lot of stories are missing and that is hope. Hope will outlast anything else that’s out there, and hope is self-generating. If you can allow your audience to feel hope that they, somehow, with these skills, with these tools and with your guidance can get to where they are now to where they need to go, that’s something that they will take with them. And those will become repeat customers, no doubt about it.
Lee Kantor: [00:05:55] So, then, your clients or folks out there would be better served rather than talking about me, me, look how great I am, they should be talking about kind of thought leadership and knowledge on helping their clients get what they want?
Lisa Apolinski : [00:06:13] Absolutely. And they can tell a story about what they’ve done for someone in a similar situation. You can say, “Let me tell you about this client that I have that had the same problem as you, and the tools that they gained from our interaction to be able to get from where you are now, which is where they are, to where they ended up, which was a successful endeavor.” That’s what people want to see. They want to envision themselves in that story that you’re telling them and say, “Well, so-and-so could do it. I can do it too.”
Lee Kantor: [00:06:52] So, then, you think it’s a mistake for folks to be out there maybe on social media or in any digital platform talking about them? More time has to be spent on talking about what their clients are doing and how the clients are succeeding rather than themselves.
Lisa Apolinski : [00:07:09] Right. And it’s a paradigm of showing up to solve rather than sell. I actually did an article in LinkedIn right when this pandemic hit that before, when we had all sorts of economic prosperity, and it was like spring in the Serengeti, and there’s water everywhere, and food and great supply, and you have this very superficial relationship with your audience, with your customers, you were providing something and you were getting money in return. You were selling and getting compensated. That is a very short-term strategy.
Lisa Apolinski : [00:07:51] We are now in the middle of … The water has dried up, and there’s very few resources on the ground, and scarce food. And that’s when it’s almost feels counterintuitive that you actually want to show up to solve and to provide something without really expecting anything back. You’re showing up because you want to see your audience, and your customers, and your prospects actually succeed, and you have the tools that will help them get there.
Lisa Apolinski : [00:08:28] So, it’s just shifting the mindset into how can I solve the issue that you’re dealing with now versus how can I sell you something with features and benefits? And one of the real big reasons that I’m a huge proponent of this is a lot of other companies are still in selling mode and me-too strategies do not work. If you can show up in a different way, you will absolutely attract those customers and prospects to you because that’s what they’re looking for. They’re looking for someone to help them solve their problems, not just sell them things that may or may not work.
Lee Kantor: [00:09:12] So, in your business, do you have a niche that you serve?
Lisa Apolinski : [00:09:17] So, because of my kind of ridiculous background, I have worked in retail, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, professional services. I worked the gamut of industries. So, our industry is very wide. Our expertise is very wide in that regard, but we look for clients, typically, Fortune 500 or 100 companies that are looking to kind of launch out of this paradigm that they’re in right now, and move into this new digital paradigm, and to be able to show up in a different way, and see almost immediate results. I mean, it’s kind of amazing. And at the same time, it’s quite expected.
Lee Kantor: [00:10:16] So, you’re looking to meet the chief marketing officer of Fortune 500 companies? That’s your prospect?
Lisa Apolinski : [00:10:23] Chief marketing officer. I have conversations with CEOs all the time helping them to understand how to use digital in several aspects of their business, whether it’s operations, IT, sales, marketing, customer service, the whole gamut. We talk to just C-level individuals, definitely.
Lee Kantor: [00:10:51] And then, the conversation you’re having with them is how to leverage this type of storytelling and more authentic conversations rather than kind of pitchy, pitchy, pitchy stuff?
Lisa Apolinski : [00:11:02] Yes. And I have a motto that you should not do random acts of content. A lot of times, companies … And I mean, this can be anybody from a small organization to a very large one, they believe, as long as I put content out, that’s all that matters. And it’s not about quantity; it’s about quality, and it’s about having that digital storytelling aspect, and understanding what is it that you’re trying to achieve with your content.
Lisa Apolinski : [00:11:39] Now, I know that everyone would say, “Well, I want to make more money.” That’s great, but there has to be an interim spot of what you’re hoping to achieve with your content. Are you hoping to transform banking, so that people feel empowered to handle their own finances? Are you looking to educate and bring best-in-class solutions to the retail space or the healthcare space? Are you looking to educate and empower your customers, so they make the best decision for the solutions that are out there?
Lisa Apolinski : [00:12:23] There should be a mission statement of what your content does, and that mission statement will drive the type of content that you create, and it will really help you to pick what type of content really fits in with this. It’s very easy to start backsliding and going into that selling mode, and features, and benefits. And if you constantly look at your content mission statement, it will help you to really align with that and give you new ideas of how can I show up to really inspire, educate and empower my audience.
Lee Kantor: [00:13:08] Well, it sounds like these kind of authentic digital storytelling techniques are an important way to differentiate yourself in today’s world. Like you said, it’s very chaotic, there’s a lot of change happening all at one time. So, this level of authenticity becomes a very important point of differentiation.
Lisa Apolinski : [00:13:29] Absolutely, absolutely. And it’s also allowing you to create something new. I mean, if you think about digital engagement, there’s a lot of the same old, same old out there. And if you actually show up in a different way, you’re moving away from your competitors, you’re creating this new space, and that absolutely will attract the right clients in. And I mean, imagine creating something new where competitors aren’t part of the equation, pricing isn’t part of the equation. It’s really about solving problems.
Lee Kantor: [00:14:07] Well as part of the growth of your organization, you decided to become a certified women-owned business. Why was it important for you to get certified? And why was GWBC an important part of your team?
Lisa Apolinski : [00:14:22] So, being certified as a woman on business, I felt really differentiated my agency from others. Showing the power that women bring to business, and this is becoming more and more apparent. There’s actually been studies shown that women on boards can increase the profitability of a company by as much as 40%. Women bring a different perspective into the equation. And I think it really ties into this idea of solving. Women inherently look at how they can solve and help versus just selling. And for me, the GWBC, some of their guiding principles, really resonated with the DNA of the agency that I’ve created. I started my agency in 2012. And the idea of collaboration and investment in community are two huge factors for me and why GWBC is really an amazing organization and, absolutely, something to consider being part of if you are able to become certified as a woman-owned business.
Lee Kantor: [00:15:45] Now, talk a little bit about why you decided to become an author and writing books. Why was that part of kind of the way you differentiate yourself from others?
Lisa Apolinski : [00:15:57] So, yeah. So, I had received a book from a very good friend, Ways to Grow Your Consulting Business. And one of the authors, Henry DeVries, is a huge baseball nut, and I am a huge baseball nut. I’m not as out there as Henry. I love him. He’s almost visited every single ballpark in the United States. I would love to do that to see a game at every single ballpark. But one of the things he had on there is if you’re ever in Oceanside, call me and let’s go for a coffee. And I was going to be in Oceanside, California, so I took him up on his offer in the book.
Lisa Apolinski : [00:16:41] And I sat down with him. And my goal of the conversation was to understand his story. I wanted to know what he did and how he grew his his business because that’s what I wanted to do. And a 45-minute coffee turned into a three-hour conversation. And he said to me, “You really need to write a book.” And I was like, “Oh, no. That sounds awful.” I write every day, I do content every day, but actually sitting down and writing a book sounds terrible. And what I possibly have to say? And he was like, “No, no, no. You need to write a book.”
Lisa Apolinski : [00:17:24] Henry DeVries has a publication house, and we started to talk, and I was like, “Okay. Let me see how that goes, and let me try my hand at it.” And my first book was published in 2019 called Weathering the Digital Storm. I knew something was coming down the horizon and I wanted to make sure my clients were ready and had their digital house in order. And my first book has been well received, and it’s used internationally by CEOs in organizations all around the world.
Lisa Apolinski : [00:18:03] And when the pandemic hit, I was starting to talk about my second book, and it really just dovetailed perfectly into what’s happening in the world today and the idea of getting in front of your audience using digital means and digital content because, as we know, that’s the fastest way to do it. And digital content has the lowest cost to enter. You can do it yourself and post things, and it’s just your time and your thoughts putting your content out. But I want to make sure that people, again, were not doing random acts of content, that their digital content was doing what it’s supposed to do, which is to touch, move and inspire your audience.
Lisa Apolinski : [00:18:55] And Henry and I have just finished our second book, Persuade With a Digital Content Story. It’s actually coming out a week or two. And I love this book. I mean, I read it several times, obviously, for editing. And every time I read it, I’m like, “Oh, yeah. That’s a really good point.” And even I kind of refresh myself with it. And it is a business guide with formula on how to create your digital content story.
Lisa Apolinski : [00:19:27] I am a huge believer in repeatability. If you can get a process down and it’s repeatable, it makes it faster, it makes it more efficient and it reduces cost. And if you can get your digital content story formula down – and I include that in the book – really, as far as I’m concerned, the sky’s the limit for you. Use the book, apply the strategies, and you’ll be amazed at the type of results you get and the revenue that shows up.
Lee Kantor: [00:20:02] Now, if somebody-
Lisa Apolinski : [00:20:03] Even in the pandemic.
Lee Kantor: [00:20:05] Well, I would imagine, especially in the pandemic, everybody’s in front of their screens. So, this is the perfect time to be doing that kind of work.
Lisa Apolinski : [00:20:12] Absolutely, absolutely.
Lee Kantor: [00:20:14] Now, if somebody wanted to learn more, have a more substantive conversation with you or somebody on your team, what’s the best coordinates, website, social, et cetera?
Lisa Apolinski : [00:20:22] Sure. So, they can visit my website at 3dogwrite.com. It’s the number 3, dog, D-O-G, write, W-R-I-T-E dot com. Or they can send me an email at lisa@3dogwrite.com It’s the fastest way to get a hold of me. And I love talking about the stuff. I am happy to chat with anyone about what they’re doing, and how it’s going, and any kind of guidance I can give them. Even if they don’t become a client, I really want to see digital content being transformed into true storytelling where people feel that hope coming through the content that you create.
Lee Kantor: [00:21:07] Good stuff. Well, thank you so much for sharing your story today.
Lisa Apolinski : [00:21:11] Thank you, Lee. This is a lot of fun.
Lee Kantor: [00:21:14] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you next time on GWBC Open for Business.
About GWBC
The Greater Women’s Business Council (GWBC®) is at the forefront of redefining women business enterprises (WBEs). An increasing focus on supplier diversity means major corporations are viewing our WBEs as innovative, flexible and competitive solutions. The number of women-owned businesses is rising to reflect an increasingly diverse consumer base of women making a majority of buying decision for herself, her family and her business. 
GWBC® has partnered with dozens of major companies who are committed to providing a sustainable foundation through our guiding principles to bring education, training and the standardization of national certification to women businesses in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
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