Jill Holtz, Co-Founder of Mykidstime.com
Jill Holtz is Co-Founder of Mykidstime.com, an award-winning information website for parents.
Mykidstime has grown from a local Galway listings directory to one of the most trusted online brands for parents in Ireland.
Jill has a passion for digital marketing, content and social media, having personally overseen the growth of the Mykidstime social media community (currently 600k+ fans).
Tell us about your current role and what you like about your career and areas of focus.
I am the Co-Founder of Mykidstime.com, a website for parents. We create content that helps and inspires parents, and we help brands connect with parents through our channels.
I like working on the strategy and marketing for the business and developing new services for businesses that we work for. For example, we have just launched a new service for brands called MyInsightsOntime to help them get feedback from women.
What inspires or motivates you, helps you to make each day count?
The fact that we help parents every day is rewarding. When you get a message from a parent to thank you for an email we sent out or a social media post where we shared something that is really a pleasure.
On the customer side, when we can run a great campaign with good results, then that keeps me going, knowing we have helped our partners with their marketing.
Outside of your professional work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
I am in a book club which I love, as it makes me read things I wouldn't normally have. I also have a dog. A cockapoo called Scout, who keeps me active! My family keeps me busy too. I have two teen daughters, one in high school and one who just started college.
When it comes to your life chosen career, is there a phrase, quote, or saying that you really like?
"Marketing without data is like driving with your eyes closed."
- Avinash Kaushik.
What are you most proud of in your life?
My two daughters. My MBA, which I completed in 2004. And growing a large community online who highly trust us.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
What a rollercoaster it is running your own business!
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles?
I'm a big admirer of Whitney Johnson; she hosts a podcast called Disrupt Yourself which has excellent interviews with a variety of different people.
What companies, brands or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
I love Lidl (in Ireland) and their social media. I think they are doing a really good job. I'm also enjoying social posts from Who Gives a Crap, the eco-friendly toilet paper company, they're brilliant.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
"Keep going and don't give up". It's really easy sometimes to think about giving up when things are tough in your business, so keep going and keeping motivated is really important.
What drives or motivates you each day in a work environment?
Every day I like to learn whether it's something new for social media, some new content angle, or something new we can offer our customers, so I'm always looking for learning opportunities, and that really keeps me going.
What are your thoughts on the future of social media?
It's here to stay :) no seriously, the idea of social media marketing has to go away, it's just marketing, but social media happens to be one of our channels. And just like any channel, what's the objective for being on there, how are we going to measure that and so on.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
Professionally I'd have to say Facebook as we have such a large and engaged community on there. Personally, it's Instagram, I've always loved photographs and nature, so it's great for that.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever been a mentor to anyone?
I have been mentored by some amazing people myself in the past, and at the moment I am a mentor for the Local Enterprise Office in Galway which I love. It's great to be able to help other business owners and see them progress.
How do you network? What is your prefered way to network?
I'm definitely an online networker just because I have an online business, it's easier to network that way, but I do enjoy going to networking events. And when I get the opportunity, going to conferences is a good way of meeting people.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work?
If you can communicate well, then you can become a digital marketer, it's all about good writing skills, authenticity and a clear brand voice.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
Keeping an eye on the cash flow when you're running your own business for sure! Not realising that most businesses grow over a long time, there's a lot of culture around quick growth businesses, the big success stories, and not enough recognition that it takes a long time to build and run a successful business. And that it's ok to take a long time!
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience?
Success for me is happy customers, and in our case, a happy community. When you make a mistake, put your hand up straight away and get it fixed as quickly as you can. That's more likely to win your loyalty longer term than hiding from the failure.
What skills do you feel have helped you to become successful?
Being able to use and understand data and analytics to see what's working and to measure results—understanding the target customer and what message works for them. Good communication skills have helped too. I love talking to people but also enjoy writing.
Is there anything new that you are working on or involved in that you would like to share?
We have just launched our new consulting and insights service MyInsightsOnTime, so I'm super excited about that. It's great to be able to use the trust and connection we have built with our community but also deliver results for businesses and brands in a new way.
Would you like to share any positive message relating to the global pandemic COVID-19 situation?
Remember, there are lots of other business owners online and offline facing this unprecedented situation, and we can support each other. Reach out and see how you can support another business. It really is about togetherness at this time. Even though we can’t be together, we can be connected.