Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Heuman.
Hi Heather, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
The journey of where I am now and where I started is one that isn’t a smooth path. But then again, who does have a smooth path to achieving where they are today? If we look back about twenty-two years, I was a special education teacher that found herself in the midst of a very difficult season of life. After getting out of an emotionally abusive marriage at the time, I relocated to a beach town in South Carolina and was working 50+ hours a week in customer service management. Upon meeting the owner of a digital marketing agency, I took an $18K pay cut so I could work ‘normal M-F 8-5 hours’ and became an office manager within the agency. Over the course of about two years, I promoted to a project manager, web designer, and then graphic designer getting ‘boots on the ground’ training and learning so many things about digital marketing.
Fast forward to me meeting my current husband, him joining the military, and us starting a family, I found myself living in Europe and bringing women together in online formats such as Yahoo Groups and message boards. A few years later we moved to Kentucky, where I got a Master’s degree in Management and Leadership and realized I was ready to start my own company. I developed a brand that helped busy families in my city find fun things to do via my website and leveraged Facebook and Twitter to grow my brand. I began monetizing within 60 days and what happened next was beyond my expectations. Local businesses, Chambers of Commerce, and organizations started asking if they could hire me to help them with their marketing.
In 2014 my husband and children relocated back to my hometown in Columbia, South Carolina where I then started my second company, Sweet Tea Social Marketing. My vision now has become to help Christian CEOs and brands that need help with social media strategy so that they can uplevel and thrive.
I ran both companies successfully until in 2017 I sold the first company I had built.
Now my focus is on speaking, consulting, and training businesses how to use social media via relationship building and leveraging video that they can record with the phone in their back pockets.
Business and marketing doesn’t have to be complicated.
People make it that way.
With my signature S.O.C.I.A.L. Framework, I help business owners grow using smart social media strategy.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Although my business model has evolved over the years, one thing that has been a struggle is balancing my passion for what customers are wanting and looking for. When I realized that I must include within my marketing the language that my audience uses to explain their own struggles in business into my own messaging, it became so much easier to resonate with the right people that I would then be able to help get the transformation and results they were looking for.
As you know, we’re big fans of Sweet Tea Social Marketing. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Heather Heuman, based in Columbia, South Carolina, is the Founder/CEO of Sweet Tea Social Marketing and host of the Business, Jesus, and Sweet Tea Podcast. She was named Top Female Business Influencer by Fit Small Business in 2019. Heather is an international keynote speaker and strategist that specializes in helping brands and driven business owners create strategy to leverage social media by building relationships with the right audiences through her signature S.O.C.I.A.L. framework from her book ‘The Golden Rules of Social Media Marketing’.
She has been on stages inspiring and educating audiences across the globe including Mexico, India, California, Florida, Arizona, Ohio, and many others. Some of the stages she has been on include speaking at the International Conference on Tourism Technology, Social Media Marketing World, and on CBS news.
Additionally, Heather has worked with phenomenal brands, including Chick-fil-A, Wilson Sports, and Chambers of Commerce to name a few, during her 22 years in the digital marketing industry.
Her zone of genius is empowering Christian CEOs and business owners that want to make an impact of their faith through their business. She spent over 3 years teaching and training business owners across the globe in her signature program Social Thrive Business Academy that has since closed.
Heather received her Master’s degree from Webster University in Management and Leadership and has grown and built from scratch two six-figure businesses using the power of social media and she has helped thousands of businesses and leaders thrive as well. Forbes social media expert Kim Garst included Heather Heuman on her ‘Top 30 Women Rocking it Like A Girl’ in 2015.
Heather loves spending time with her husband, three children and enjoys serving in her local church and with a variety of organizations, such as Young Life.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
One of the best ways for people to show their support to me is to be ‘social’ with me and to reach out personally and directly.
As a social media strategist, I adore collaborating with business leaders that have audiences of people that are looking to grow in their social media marketing efforts. Those that I make a great collaboration with are leaders that embrace a strong work ethic and are boldly willing to show up in the marketplace with excellent content that makes others stronger.
I don’t have time for people that have a scarcity mindset and are lacking in their thinking.
Our world needs more women in leadership that are excited to lift up others, willing to stand strongly for what they believe unapologetically. We work with a variety of clients that have a brand they are wanting to be stronger. A movement. Not just someone trying to sell e-commerce products and skip the relationship part. We’re all about the people, the relationships, and the authenticity.
The primary ways that my company works with others is by speaking at events, workshops, and conferences on the power of smart social media strategies that work, our done for you social media strategy plan and execution of that plan as well as 1:1 coaching and mentoring.
I love Jesus. And I do not compartmentalize my faith. We’re going to be a good fit for brands and leaders that embrace that and realize people are desperately seeking to know who it is they are working with.
I know I’m not a good fit for everyone. But I do know that we’re here to work with difference makers that are ready to shine a light in a world that definitely needs the encouragement.
Pricing:
- $7,500 Speaking
- $3,500/mth Social Media Management & Strategy
- $4,500 Custom Social Media Strategy Plan
- $5,000 1:1 Mentoring and Business Coaching
Contact Info:
- Email: heather@sweetteasocialmarketing.com
- Website: https://www.sweetteasocialmarketing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heatherheuman/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SweetTeaSocialMarketing/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/heatherheuman
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheHeatherHeuman
- Other: https://www.sweetteasocialmarketing.com/thegoldenrules
