De’Laija Napier may be young, but she is certainly versatile – a marketing pro, brand storyteller, and content partner. She is the founder-owner and Chief Strategist of Sunflower Media LLC, a brand that helps clients in many ways, from spreading the word about their product to connecting them with their target audience. De’Laija’s marketing agency caters to small and medium-sized businesses. Businesses can be in food and hospitality, sports entertainment, performing/visual arts, beauty, and other lifestyle brands.
De’Laija takes the technical and creative aspects of marketing communications and blends them to create content that is just as interesting for your eyes and brain. Currently, she is pursuing her doctorate in organizational leadership. In an interview with WomELLE, De’Laija talks about how the invaluable talent each person brings to one’s organization can positively impact their mission.
The Storyteller
De’Laija always loved to create stories and connect with people. "I was always a storyteller. Even when I was a child, I was the kid who would go and sit in the corner and read books or make up stories and act them out with my friends. I think that's why I love plays and musicals so much." When she was in college, she used this art along with marketing and social media. All her classes focused on her major had her creating advertising campaigns, planning events, and putting together complete strategy plans. This is why there was a story at the core of all my projects. From her point of view, marketing is similar to storytelling in a lot of ways. Nonetheless, with marketing, one has specific goals, whereas, with storytelling, one usually tries to tell a story that you think is entertaining or engaging for people, she explains.
“Initially, I wanted to help people grow their social media and create fun content. I've grown to value the story each brand tells and how they make authentic connections with their audience. It's much more than just likes and followers; it's about creating memorable experiences and long-lasting relationships.”
Sunflower Media
When De’Laija founded Sunflower Media LLC, she wanted to work for big-name brands and top agencies. However, she soon realized that no one values her time, energy, and commitment as much as she does. “Starting Sunflower Media gave me the freedom to reclaim my time and energy by choosing whom I wanted to work with and when I decided it was time to work. It also gave me room to pursue other passions and pushed me to embrace the idea of self-care,” she recalls.
She knew that she wanted to help businesses genuinely connect with their community. Sunflower Media has been an excellent way for her to be creative, build relationships, and help businesses succeed all at the same time.
According to De’Laija, new clients can be in safe hands when they tie up with Sunflower Media. “We have a wealth of experience and knowledge to ensure that your social media is up to date, fresh, and will deliver you results. We are constantly looking at new ways to use social media to help our clients reach their target market.”
Explaining her point, De’Laija says that everyone is aware of the importance of social media for businesses. The content needs to have the correct tone, voice, and brand to deliver the right message successfully. She works with her clients to ensure that this is achieved throughout their work. De’Laija Napier claims that her company provides clients with all the information about analytics and insights. Through that, they can see what is working for their business.
Turning point
The majority of Sunflower Media’s clients are local in South Florida. But the defining moment in De’Laija’s career was securing her first international client in 2021. "Honestly, my career has been a series of small moments that resulted in remarkable outcomes. To everyone reading this, don't be overwhelmed by the idea that you need to have a mind-blowing moment for your calling, find your purpose, discover what you want to do, or find your own unique voice," she advises.
Advice for Gen-Next Marketers
De’Laija Napier is excited about how technology enables everyone to become creators and storytellers instead of just passive consumers. Her advice for the next generation of storytellers and marketers is to do an audit of all the things they tell themselves. What are the stories they believe about their brand, their company, and their product? What are the stories they're telling themself on a daily basis? "Share those stories with other people," she says.
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