The Strategy Session: How to Make Smarter Marketing Decisions

What Is Marketing... Really?

What is marketing… really? In this Strategy Session episode of The Back Office [/the-back-office-podcast], Dalayna Dillon sits down with marketing professional Brad Buchert to unpack one of the most misunderstood concepts in business. Because marketing is not just social media.  It’s not just ads.  And it’s definitely not just posting content. Strong marketing is the alignment of messaging, positioning, branding, customer experience, communication, trust, and strategy — all working together toward a specific goal. Throughout the conversation, Dalayna [/about] and Brad break down why so many businesses struggle with marketing, the difference between tactics and strategy, and why marketing problems are often actually operational problems in disguise. They also discuss: * Why social media is only one piece of the puzzle * How marketing has evolved over the last several years * Why businesses chase tactics instead of building strategy * What strong marketing actually looks like * And how businesses can simplify and strengthen their marketing approach If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, frustrated, or confused by marketing, this episode brings clarity to the conversation. Because the goal isn’t to do everything. It’s to communicate the right thing clearly and consistently. No one has it fully figured out.  But we’re building anyway. Show Notes Hosts: Dalayna Dillon & Brad Buchert This month’s Strategy Session focuses on one of the most common — and most misunderstood — questions in business: What is marketing? Drawing from years of experience in branding, communication, strategy, and business growth, Dalayna and Brad unpack the misconceptions surrounding modern marketing and explain why effective marketing is much deeper than social media content or advertising campaigns. This episode challenges business owners to think beyond tactics and begin viewing marketing as a complete ecosystem made up of communication, trust, positioning, customer experience, and intentional strategy. Whether you’re a business owner, creative, entrepreneur, or marketer yourself, this conversation will help simplify marketing and provide a stronger framework for understanding how effective businesses actually grow. In This Episode, We Discuss • Why marketing is so misunderstood • The difference between marketing, advertising, branding, and sales • Why social media is not the same as marketing • Marketing as communication and trust-building • Why businesses often blame marketing for operational issues • The difference between tactics and strategy • Why businesses chase trends and platforms • What makes marketing effective long-term • How marketing has changed over the last 5 years • Principles that still matter regardless of platform • Why consistency still matters in modern marketing • The relationship between customer experience and marketing • What strong, aligned marketing actually looks like • Questions every business should ask before creating content About Strategy Sessions Strategy Sessions are monthly episodes of The Back Office focused on deeper conversations around marketing, leadership, communication, business growth, and strategic decision-making. These episodes are designed to help business owners think more clearly and build more intentionally. About The Back Office Hosted by Dalayna Dillon Founder & Creative Director of Signify Marketing The Back Office invites listeners into honest conversations about marketing, growth, leadership, and the real decisions shaping active businesses. Facebook/Instagram: @signifymarketingsocial  www.signifymarketing.social

What 5 Years of Entrepreneurship Taught Me

This month marks 5 years of Signify Marketing. So for this special bonus episode of The Back Office, we’re flipping the script. Instead of asking the questions, Dalayna Dillon sits in the guest seat as Danette Dillon leads a conversation reflecting on the realities of building a business over the last five years — the wins, the pivots, the failures, the lessons, and the things entrepreneurship teaches you that no one can fully prepare you for. This isn’t a polished “success story” conversation. It’s an honest look at what it actually takes to keep building. Throughout the episode, Dalayna shares: - What surprised her most about entrepreneurship - The hard lessons that shaped Signify Marketing - What didn’t work the way she expected - How marketing has changed over the last five years The emotional realities of leadership and business ownership This conversation is reflective, strategic, and deeply honest — especially for business owners navigating uncertainty, pressure, and the constant process of learning while building. Because behind every business is a person trying to figure it out in real time. No one has it fully figured out.  But we’re building anyway. Show Notes Guest: Dalayna Dillon Host: Danette Dillon Business: Signify Marketing Dalayna Dillon is the founder and creative director of Signify Marketing, a marketing and strategy company focused on helping businesses grow through intentional communication, branding, content strategy, and relationship-driven marketing. Over the last five years, Signify has worked alongside businesses across multiple industries, helping organizations strengthen their visibility, messaging, marketing systems, and community impact. In this special bonus episode celebrating Signify Marketing’s 5-year anniversary, Dalayna reflects on the realities of entrepreneurship, leadership, marketing, and the lessons learned through building a business over the last half decade. In This Episode, We Discuss • Why Dalayna started Signify Marketing  • What entrepreneurship looked like in the early days  • Expectations vs reality in business ownership  • What surprised her most over the last 5 years  • The principles that still matter regardless of changing tactics  • Hard seasons, setbacks, and lessons learned  • What didn’t work the way she expected  • The most rewarding part of helping businesses grow  • What the future of Signify Marketing looks like About The Back Office Hosted by Dalayna Dillon Founder & Creative Director of Signify Marketing The Back Office invites listeners into honest conversations about marketing, growth, leadership, and the real decisions shaping active businesses. Facebook/Instagram: @signifymarketingsocial  www.signifymarketing.social

Why Businesses Struggle to Attract and Keep Great People

Why does hiring feel harder than it’s ever been? In this episode of The Back Office, Dalayna Dillon sits down with Carrie Corcoran, founder of Unbreakable Light and a leading voice in employer branding and talent strategy, to unpack one of the most pressing challenges facing businesses today — attracting and retaining the right people. Carrie brings a powerful perspective to the conversation, combining her experience as a keynote speaker, consultant, and communicator with her deep understanding of leadership and organizational culture. Together, they explore why traditional approaches to hiring are no longer working, and what businesses must do differently to build teams that last. This conversation goes beyond job descriptions and compensation. It challenges the way businesses think about leadership, communication, and the experience they create for employees — both inside and outside the organization. From the role of employer branding to the expectations of today’s workforce, this episode offers a clear look at what it actually takes to build a team that is aligned, engaged, and committed. If you’re a business owner, leader, or operator navigating growth, this conversation will reshape the way you think about hiring and retention. No one has it fully figured out.  But we’re building anyway. Show Notes Guest: Carrie Corcoran Business: Unbreakable Light Focus: Employer Branding, Leadership, Talent Strategy Carrie Corcoran is a keynote speaker, consultant, and founder of Unbreakable Light, where she works with businesses to strengthen their internal culture and improve their ability to attract and retain high-quality talent. Through her work, Carrie helps organizations understand how their brand, leadership, and communication directly impact their ability to build strong teams. She is known for her ability to challenge assumptions, inspire change, and bring clarity to complex organizational challenges. Her approach emphasizes the importance of authenticity, alignment, and intentional leadership in creating workplaces where people want to stay and grow. Find her online:  Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/globalkeynotespeaker/?skipRedirect=true [https://www.linkedin.com/in/globalkeynotespeaker/?skipRedirect=true] Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@carriecaresunbreakablelight [https://www.youtube.com/@carriecaresunbreakablelight]  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarrieTulsaTime [https://www.facebook.com/CarrieTulsaTime]  About The Back Office Hosted by Dalayna Dillon Founder & Creative Director of Signify Marketing The Back Office invites listeners into honest conversations about marketing, growth, leadership, and the real decisions shaping active businesses. Facebook/Instagram: @signifymarketingsocial  www.signifymarketing.social

Building Something That Feels Like Home

What does it really take to turn something you love into something that lasts? In this episode of The Back Office, I sit down with Alexandra Coppinger, co-owner of Common Tart—a Tulsa-based pie shop she built alongside her mom. What started as a shared love for baking turned into a leap of faith in 2020… and has grown into a brand known not just for its pies, but for the feeling it creates. We talk about the realities behind the scenes—what changes when your passion becomes your business, how to stay true to your brand, and what it actually looks like to build something meaningful with family. This conversation is honest, thoughtful, and full of lessons for anyone who’s ever felt the pull to create something of their own. Show Notes Alexandra Coppinger Co-Owner, Common Tart (Tulsa, OK) Mother-daughter pie shop focused on creating warmth, comfort, and connection through baking. In This Episode, We Cover: * The story behind Common Tart and launching in 2020 * Turning a passion into a sustainable business * How to protect the joy of what you love * Building a brand that feels like something * The realities of working with family * Lessons learned through risk, growth, and uncertainty * Defining success beyond just expansion * What it looks like to keep building—even without all the answers Connect with Common Tart: 📍1717 E. 17th St., Tulsa, OK, United States, 74104 https://www.commontart.com/ [https://www.commontart.com/] https://www.facebook.com/commontart [https://www.facebook.com/commontart] https://www.instagram.com/commontart [https://www.instagram.com/commontart]  About The Back Office Hosted by Dalayna Dillon Founder & Creative Director of Signify Marketing The Back Office invites listeners into honest conversations about marketing, growth, leadership, and the real decisions shaping active businesses. Facebook/Instagram: @signifymarketingsocial  www.signifymarketing.social

Building a Business That Solves a Real Problem

What happens when you see a problem in your industry — and decide to build a solution instead of accepting it? In this episode of The Back Office, Dalayna Dillon sits down with Elliot Mooney, founder of Mooney Cardiac Screening, to explore what it looks like to build a mission-driven business rooted in accessibility, affordability, and real-world need. After years working in healthcare, Elliot saw firsthand the challenges patients face — from rising costs to lack of insurance coverage to the fear and inconvenience associated with traditional medical settings. Those experiences led him to create a different kind of solution: a mobile cardiac screening service that brings testing directly to patients, removing barriers and making preventative care more accessible. This conversation dives into the realities of launching a business in the healthcare space, the risks involved in challenging traditional systems, and the discipline required to build something that prioritizes both impact and sustainability. At its core, this episode is about seeing clearly — identifying a gap, trusting your perspective, and taking action to create something better. No one has it fully figured out. But we’re building anyway. Show Notes Guest: Elliot Mooney Business: Mooney Cardiac Screening Industry: Healthcare / Preventative Care Elliot Mooney is the founder of Mooney Cardiac Screening, a mobile healthcare business focused on providing accessible, affordable cardiac testing directly to patients. With a background in healthcare and experience working in various facilities across the country, Elliot developed a deep understanding of the barriers many patients face when it comes to receiving care — including cost, lack of insurance, and discomfort with clinical environments. Mooney Cardiac Screening was created to address those challenges by offering convenient, in-home testing designed to give patients a clearer picture of their heart health without the need for insurance or traditional hospital visits. Elliot’s work is centered on prevention, accessibility, and creating solutions that meet people where they are. Find them online: https://mooneycardiacscree.wixsite.com/mooneycardiacscreeni [https://mooneycardiacscree.wixsite.com/mooneycardiacscreeni] https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573167891390 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573167891390] https://www.instagram.com/mooneycardiacscreening?igsh=MTBkNmpkcmkwaTZ4dw%3D%3D [https://www.instagram.com/mooneycardiacscreening?igsh=MTBkNmpkcmkwaTZ4dw%3D%3D]  About The Back Office Hosted by Dalayna Dillon Founder & Creative Director of Signify Marketing The Back Office invites listeners into honest conversations about marketing, growth, leadership, and the real decisions shaping active businesses. Facebook/Instagram: @signifymarketingsocial  www.signifymarketing.social