Introduction to Lyndi Smith
Hey everyone and welcome to the Digital Revolution Podcast. Today we have Lyndi Smith joining us. Lyndi is a seasoned marketer and business leader with a track record of scaling global brands. With over 20 years of experience she has learned how to integrate digital strategies with business development to drive growth.
As the founder of Seeds of Time she has used her skills to grow the business by applying digital strategies she learned at Young Living Essential Oils where she was Chief Marketing Officer. At Young Living she helped scale the company from millions to over 2 billion in revenue.
Lyndi is known for her leadership in strategic marketing and her ability to build long term connections with customers through authentic brand experiences. Join us today as we go behind the scenes of a 2 billion dollar global brand and the digital strategy that drove the growth.
Download Our Free SEO Guide Here!
Who is Lyndi Smith?
Lyndi grew up in Payson, Utah. During her senior year of high school she got her certified Nurse’s Assistant diploma so she could work at a hospital and nursing home. Her plan was to be a registered nurse and she started at Utah Valley University.
While in college, Lyndi took a part time job at Young Living which was located in a converted school building at the time. It paid a dollar more an hour than her CNA job so she switched to working part time on the phones for the company.
“I started there as a college student just working on the phones part time,” Lyndi says. “When I was going to quit to go to school full time they offered me a position as head of the call center. I was getting married at the time so it was a great transition for me to have job security while still going to school part time.”
Career Progression at Young Living
As Young Living moved to their first Lehigh location, Lyndi continued to move up in the company. She went from the call center to sales and then to marketing. During this journey she found she loved the business side of things.
“I realized I really like the business side. When I went into nursing I wanted to help people. And when I found out you can do that with wellness products which really sit on the preventative side before someone gets sick I got really passionate about it,” Lyndi says.
She was drawn to both the products and the direct sales model which allowed people to own and run their own businesses. About 5 years into her time at Young Living Lyndi decided to switch her degree to business with an emphasis in marketing and joined the marketing team.
Eli points out that Lyndi’s story is a common one for many digital marketing professionals: “When you and I were younger digital marketing wasn’t even a thing. So when we were in high school and they asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ we couldn’t even have predicted we could have done something like this.”
The Value of Understanding Multiple Departments
When Lyndi became CMO she had experience in multiple areas of the business so she knew what it was like to work in the call center and other parts of the business so she had empathy for all departments.
“The best marketers in my opinion understand the customer,” Lyndi says. “You can learn all that in school. You can learn many divisions of marketing. But if you don’t understand your customer and can’t apply what you know, it doesn’t matter.”
Her time in the call center and sales gave her direct customer contact which shaped her approach to marketing. “Being face to face with customers and helping them grow their business enabled me and changed my way of thinking on marketing.”
Current Projects that Excite Lyndi
After her Young Living career, Lyndi started Seeds of Time, a company that sells Young Living books and branded merchandise so she has more flexibility and control over her schedule.
“I got into a space where I can own my time, be present with my family which I need right now,” Lyndi says. “We’re a great partner with Young Living but the best part is it’s 100% owned by me. So I don’t have to go into an office or set specific hours. It’s time for freedom for me right now that I really need.”
Seeds of Time: Growth and Challenges
Seeds of Time just celebrated its one year anniversary and Lyndi says that’s big. As a new company they’ve faced the usual startup challenges but also had a built in customer base since they replaced an existing support company with Young Living.
“We’re very customized and geared towards a Young Living audience, but what we have to offer is so much bigger than that,” Lyndi says. “Any wellness advocate, any essential oil user would love what Seeds of Time has to offer. Now it’s time to branch out and go beyond just being a support to Young Living.”
Tactical and Strategic Digital Marketing Advice from Lyndi
Lyndi shares many of the lessons she learned from her time at Young Living and as the founder of Seeds of Time. Her advice covers everything from website development to content strategy.
Keep It Simple with Templates
One of the biggest lessons Lyndi learned at Young Living was the danger of over customization. At Seeds of Time, she did the opposite:
“To start Seed of Time, I hit the easy button. What I mean by that is I used templates wherever I could. One thing I saw Young Living do was spend a lot of time with top leaders and specific customers and influence how their digital platforms responded. The problem with that is now you’re customizing everything.”
Instead of doing that, Lyndi chose a template she liked and didn’t mess with it much. “I wish it did more things, but I haven’t. I’m really focusing on content.”
Content is King
For Lyndi, content is the foundation of all digital marketing. She focuses on:
- Quality of content on the website
- How fast the website loads
- Storytelling and brand narrative
- More visuals
- Authentic info like customer testimonials and product ratings
“I have my days where I’m like, ‘I want to be able to preview the first 5 pages of this book!’ But that’s a plugin. I can do that in the future,” Lyndi says, explaining her practical approach to content over features.
Social Media is the Face of Your Business
Lyndi stresses the importance of social media for building a brand:
“Your social presence is the face of your business. That’s the personality of your business. That’s where people are going to say, ‘Who are you? I want to get to know you. What do you offer?'”
For Seeds of Time, Instagram has been key. “If I’m not there, I don’t exist,” Lyndi says. She recommends finding out which social platforms your customers use and focus on those.
Email Marketing: Quality Over Quantity
When it comes to email marketing Lyndi has found that less is more:
“Emails every week just to get content out there and to make sure they know you’re there is not helpful. That doesn’t create click throughs, that doesn’t create conversion. Two really well written emails a month that actually gives them information they want to hear has completely overtaken the need to email every week.”
She says email quality is key to brand perception and to keeping subscribers engaged. Automated emails for abandoned carts, welcome messages and post purchase follow up can create a sense of community for customers.
Recommended Tools for Digital Marketing
Here are the tools Lyndi used to launch and grow Seeds of Time:
- E-commerce Platform: I started on Shopify. I know nothing about coding or how to build a website and this is a templated process.
- Email Marketing: I used Shopify’s email tools for automated emails and later added Klaviyo for more advanced features and better design.
- Social Media Management: Meta Business Suite for scheduling posts, responding to customers and managing both Facebook and Instagram from one platform.
- Analytics: Google Analytics integrated with my e-commerce platform.
Eli says Google Search Console is a must: “If you’re not on Google Search Console you’re missing the boat. Google Analytics is good but since they changed to G4 you need more skills than before. Google Search Console is the easiest thing in the world to use.”
Lessons from Growing Young Living to a $2 Billion Company
As Young Living went from millions to billions in revenue the company faced many challenges and learned some important lessons about digital strategy.
Supply Chain vs. Digital Focus
“The biggest challenge during that growth was keeping the product in stock,” Lyndi explains. “When that product was out of stock it didn’t matter how good the website was functioning. Things would explode at that point and we had to clean up the mess.”
The focus on supply chain meant digital initiatives would get pushed to the side, even though both were needed for growth. But Lyndi notes that every time they did a website redesign they saw an increase in sales so investing in digital infrastructure was important.
Backend Tools for Business Management
For a direct sales company like Young Living providing tools for distributors to manage their business was key:
“The reporting side for the top leaders became super important. For them to be able to manage their business well, reporting and having access to data was just as important as it was to us as marketers.”
Giving them those tools took pressure off the marketing team.
The Power of Authentic Influencers
Young Living benefited big time from influencers who loved their products:
“Influencers are interesting because if they pick a product and it becomes popular quickly then you have all new problems and challenges. But their ability to communicate in an authentic way surpasses the way a marketer can market.”
Finding authentic influencers became a key part of Young Living’s growth strategy.
Brand Evolution and Authenticity
In recent years Young Living did a rebranding to position the company more as an influencer or friend rather than just an authority:
“We actually started to see each other as friends. Not just the authority in essential oils but also just that partner. Like I’m calling my girlfriend because I have a health issue I want her to help me solve.”
This shift in perception was powerful for the brand. “Being approachable, coming across more authentic and raw on social media is really important. It doesn’t always have to be polished.”
Global Expansion Challenges
As Young Living expanded globally the company faced big challenges:
“On the branding side it was trying to force an American brand into other markets. I think that was our biggest mistake. I do believe in brand consistency but there are pieces of your brand that should be localised.”Lyndi recommends finding what’s sacred in your brand (like a logo) and being consistent with that, but flexible with other parts of your brand like product mix to fit local markets.
“It’s better to go slow with a plan than to just show up fast and hope it works,” she says.
Digital Expectations in Different Markets
Different global markets have very different digital expectations:
“When we went into Asia specifically, our mobile experience was terrible and they let us know. There is a higher expectation in some foreign markets and they are less forgiving of your mistakes.”
Lyndi found that some expectations like having a mobile app were considered basic requirements in certain markets. Meeting those expectations before you enter new markets is key to success.
Where Does Lyndi See the Future of Digital Marketing?
Looking ahead Lyndi is excited about the possibilities of AI and immersive experiences:
“AI has changed everything with digital and marketing. I see AI photos and videos and I’m thinking, how will my kids ever know what’s real and what’s not because it looks so real? I think there’s risk in that but it’s also exciting to see what we can do.”
Immersive Digital Experiences
Lyndi predicts more immersive digital experiences will become mainstream:
“I think we’re going to see more immersive experiences both physically like at events but also in the digital space entering websites that feel more 3D, more immersive where you’re getting audio and not just visually seeing things but you’re really getting a 360-degree experience.”
She says the future is about bringing the physical world into digital spaces: “I’m excited to enter a website where you feel like you’re immersed in that site. You’re connecting with the products and people of that company.”
The People Factor in Digital Success
Despite all the tech Lyndi says having the right people is most important:
“The people you surround yourself with will make or break you as a business owner, as a leader, as you grow a business. I can’t stress enough how important it is to have the right people around you.”
She says: “Find people who know more about what you’re trying to hire for than you do. If they don’t, don’t hire that person. Unless they’re pushing you and they know more, they’re not the right hire.”
How to Get in Touch with Lyndi
Lyndi Smith can be reached through her company Seeds of Time which serves Young Living distributors and essential oil enthusiasts. The company offers books, branded merchandise and educational content about essential oils and wellness.
Conclusion
From nursing student in a small town to CMO of a multi-billion dollar company and now entrepreneur, Lyndi Smith has learned valuable lessons for marketers and business owners. Her approach to digital marketing is all about content, authenticity and customer understanding and provides a roadmap to growth that doesn’t require big budgets or fancy tech.
As digital marketing evolves with AI and immersive experiences, Lyndi’s core principles remain the same: know your customer, focus on great content, be authentic and surround yourself with talented people who will push you to grow.
Whether you’re running a startup, managing marketing for a global brand or considering international expansion, Lyndi’s lessons from building Young Living and Seeds of Time provide practical advice for navigating the digital world.
0 Comments