Jennifer Tomandl- Empathisches Marketing und Social Media Marketing

Jennifer Tomandl, also the name of her company, became self-employed in 2019 and has since been training her clients in empathetic marketing and helping them improve their social media profiles. She studied media and society in the interdisciplinary program at the University of Siegen.

What exactly did you found?

I became self-employed 3.5 years ago as an expert in empathetic marketing, communication, and social media. Since then, I have been supporting self-employed individuals and companies through conception, consulting, and workshops to empathetically understand customer needs and become visible in social media with an efficient strategy. My motto: No strategy without empathy. I work a lot in the Rhein-Main area, but also provide coaching online. As a speaker, I also give motivational keynotes and create individual impulse lectures in the field of social media marketing, empathy, mindset, and entrepreneurship for company events or other occasions.

What would you say is special about your work?

Personal, close customer contact is very important to me in my work. My clients really appreciate that. Often, I am also directly on-site at the company, but many consultations also take place online. Compared to an agency, my clients benefit from having me as the only contact person, so I can always deal with their concerns directly. My goal is to empathetically understand my clients' target audience and identify their true needs. As a speaker, I am motivating, inspiring, sometimes provocative, but always with the heart in the right place.

Is there a specific target group for your clients?

The most diverse people come to me: from law firms, coaches, or daycares, everything is included. Large companies or owners of a small boutique receive advice and coaching from me. However, they all have one thing in common: we share similar values. My target audience values efficiently using social media, understanding it, growing organically, and being successful in the long term. I don't promise quick reach overnight because that would be dishonest. They really appreciate this honesty and openness.

What were the major challenges in the founding process?

The most difficult thing at the beginning was definitely building up a network of contacts. Since I moved to Wiesbaden after university and now live in Limburg, I started by making contacts. It helped to meet other founders and exchange ideas at events. After this initial phase, it was also a challenge for me not to work too much. I had fun and was very motivated, but I quickly realized that breaks and occasional distance from work are essential to remain productive in the long run. Working on weekends permanently may be fun at first, but in the long run, it leads to fatigue.

Do you have any tips for someone who is just starting their venture?

New founders often tend to tinker with branding for a long time. Colors are constantly being considered, and the website should look perfect. And when everything is finished, they start changing it again. I went through this too. Sometimes, however, you waste too much energy for too long on it. During this time, you could have already used it for customer acquisition to generate revenue. It helps to let go of perfectionism a bit because no venture is perfect and you learn from mistakes.

There are far more opportunities than social media or your own website to attract attention. For example, it makes sense to establish contacts with newspapers, TV, or radio. If you are present there, it has a certain value and you are visible. For example, I was interviewed on Rhein-Main-TV and have also been in several newspapers, such as the Rhein-Zeitung, which I have had good experiences with. I am also a guest author in two magazines. This also creates visibility. I believe that many people who start a business have an interesting story to tell that people want to hear. And this story can be told on different platforms. Your own personality is often the reason why customers choose you or not. We must, no, we absolutely must show this.

This portrait is based on an interview with Jennifer Tomandl in February 2023 and was written by Antonia Blumberg.

 

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