Ebun Oluwole is a fantastic writer and probably one of the most focused women we know. In the time we have known her, we’ve come to see her as a solid, determined and beautifully-minded woman, who sets her heart on things and accomplishes them.
Ebun Oluwole’s background is in French and International Studies but in the last four years, she has honed her skills in content marketing, building her strength in SEO content development, social media marketing as well as email marketing. Ebun runs JunElevenCo, a content marketing agency for SMEs and startups which she started about a year ago.
At JunElevenCo., Ebun helps startups and SMEs achieve their goals and maximize their potential through crafted content marketing strategies, helping brands connect with their unique audiences and grow their communities which they can eventually leverage for their individual brand goals. 
Seeing her tremendous growth and expertise especially in Content Marketing and SEO, we reached out to her to get more knowledge on how Creative People can leverage these skills to grow their audiences.
For Creative Girls: We’d love to know your journey and how your interests have grown/morphed over the years into building JunElevenCo.
My journey to JunElevenCo was purely accidental. I did not know that I was gonna end up here. All I was concerned about was finding myself and exploring my interests as a young adult. From writing to photography, graphic design and eventually digital marketing. After about 5 years of exploring, I’ve found myself right in the center of content. I couldn’t be happier.
What peculiar moments or as we like to say Eureka moment led to executing JunElevenCo from being an idea into a business?
Being a former freelancer meant that I had to narrow down my skillsets to the most convenient one. As much as I enjoyed doing what I did, it became monotonous quickly so I had to diversify and learn new skills. That decision opened my eyes to the variety of opportunities available in digital marketing. So, instead of just being an SEO content writer, I could be a social media manager, write newsletters and build mailing lists. This new realization dawned on me quickly and I decided to start a business out of it. Also, I might have been motivated by an acquaintance.
Getting clients can be a slippery, scary thing, especially the first client. How did you get your first client and then the ones after?
I had a couple of long-term sheroes (I call my clients who all happen to be women sheroes) from my freelance days so I didn’t have that challenge starting out but I eventually had to find new clients. Every single time I was ready to actively find a new client, I would get a referral. It’s been amazing and I couldn’t be more grateful to God. So yeah, so far by referrals.
Before we had this chat, you were talking about creativity versus Functional work or content and how they are separate. In your opinion, how can the two benefit from one another?
I don’t consider myself a creative person. My job is demanding enough and I don’t have the luxury to sit around and find motivation or brainstorm ‘creative ideas’. I experiment a lot and work with data. If I try a type of content for instance and its functional enough and I have data to prove it, I’m working with it whether it’s creative or not. This is not to downplay the importance of creativity. Of course, often times, I have to spin things around in one direction or the other so it doesn’t look like a clone. But, if you have an opportunity to explore creative ideas that would make your work stand out, I think you should go for it.
It is perceived that Creative People can be terrible Marketers, what Marketing tips would you recommend?
I don’t think there’s a week that goes by that I don’t see a blogger/content creator trying to outsource the marketing/promotion aspect of their work. But unfortunately, it is what it is. No matter how awesome your work is, if people don’t see it, it might as well as just remain on your computer. So, create a schedule or if you have a content/editorial calendar (which you should totally have), make sure you have slots for marketing that way you can stick to it. Use social media management apps. Schedule your content in bulk. That way you do it at once and not have to worry too much about it until the next time.
Not forgetting collaboration which is the new competition, collaborate with other artists for a lookbook or a series or an event. That way, you’re exposing your work to a new audience and increasing your reach.
How can SEO help an artist sell better or market their art better?
For SEO, artists can make sure they have a well-optimized website with a portfolio of all their work and contact details including social media handles. They could also take a step further by publishing great/relevant content that a potential client might find helpful from the search engines or use an SEO reporting tool. If they can find their way around press features, even better.
What other aspects of Marketing would you recommend for Artists and Creatives in general?
I wouldn’t think artists and creatives would want to spend so much time on marketing except maybe they outsource it but if they do, social media, SEO, and email is a perfect combination.
What are your plans for JunElevenCo in the near future? 😉
I have plans to make JunElvenCo a full-fledged Content Marketing Agency.
Tell us about 3 women you admire.
I currently admire Bozoma Saint John of Uber for obvious reasons (she’s amazing). Closely followed by Sheryl Sandberg for her work with the Lean In movement and Bidemi Zakariyau of LSF PR for building an incredible company in her 20s.
You are crazy about black hair culture and all the beautiful layers of it. Share some of your thoughts on the culture and what you think the culture will produce.
It’s amazing how we had this whole beautiful culture and then we threw it all away and now we’re trying to get it back. It’s a great time to be alive and I can’t wait to see the next generation of confident girls and women the black hair culture will produce.
