Frame by Frame
The Art and Science of Stellar Storytelling
By Jason Schuler on March 25, 2025
“Just post more.”
“It’s easy if you batch content on Sundays.”
And heaven knows you’ve tried…blocked off time, opened a doc, and stared at the blinking cursor. Or perhaps you pulled out your iPhone and mindlessly walked through your business looking for something of value to post.
Here’s the thing:
You’re not a bad person.
You’re not even bad at marketing.
You’re just busy running a business.
And when you take a hard look at your organization, who else can solve those particular problems, lead that specific team, manage those complex operations, or put out that exact fire?
And somehow, you’re also expected to magically become a world-class content creator?
If you’ve ever felt behind, inconsistent, or quietly guilty about your social media presence, you’re not alone.
Our little New Jersey business has felt the exact same pressures.
We were sold the same idea from our inception in 2008: do great work, build a strong team, stay focused. And the right clients will find us.
But eventually we started to realize that doing great work isn’t enough if no one sees it.
image by DataReportal
This is particularly true in the US in 2025, where people spend over 2 hours a day on social media—and more than 70% of those users aged 16+ are using social to guide purchasing decisions (DataReportal).
Basically, if you’re not visible online, you’re invisible. Period.
So we did what a lot of small businesses in New Jersey do. We tried to keep up. We captured a few behind-the-scenes clips on our iphones. We posted between client calls. We meant to plan ahead but life moves quickly. And we failed not because we didn’t care. We simply didn’t have the capacity.
And that’s when it clicked: even with a team of creatives, videographers, and editors, staying consistent on social wasn’t easy. So how could on earth can someone expect a construction company, a healthcare practice, or any local NJ business to do it all alone?
Clearly this isn’t a discipline problem. It’s a capacity problem. And we need to change the story.
When You’re Quiet Online, People Make the Wrong AssumptionsI know your business is doing incredible work but if your social media presence is silent or scattered, people tend to assume things.
They think:
Here you are doing fifteen things to serve your clients and keep the business growing. And yet, none of those activities ever gets counted in the online economy unless it’s packaged into a post. (By the way, 61% of NJ businesses said they were down in revenue for 2024…how’d you fair?)
It’s easy to brush it off.
“I’ll post when things slow down.”
“We get referrals—we don’t need social.”
“Our work speaks for itself.”
But we’ve the same pattern again and again: when a business stays quiet online, it eventually starts to feel the effects offline.
You lose:
People stop remembering what makes you different. Potential clients don’t know you exist. And that amazing candidate you wanted to hire? They scroll past, because there’s no sign your company exists, let alone thrives.
Even if you’re doing great work every day, being absent from social media sends a negative message.
Let me be clear: It’s not about chasing followers or making dance videos. It’s about being present, being understood, and showing that you’re still here. Still doing great work. Day after day. Year after year.
Optimizing social media is about telling the story of your business and building momentum with your audience. The currency of the internet is attention and trust, and if you don’t speak up, you risk missing your share. And trust me, your competitors will capitalize on this (wouldn’t you?). The saddest part of all of this is that your competitor gets to enjoy the benefits, not because they’re better, but because they showed up.
Your work deserves to be seen. Your story deserves to be told with clarity and consistency, in a way that reflects what your brand really is.
image by DataReportal
As of this writing (March of 2025), an estimated 5.24 billion people are using social media globally. In the U.S., over half of users head to social platforms specifically to learn about brands.
This is where decisions are made. Where trust is built (or lost). Where a brand either connects -or- disappears into the scroll.
The businesses that consistently show up online don’t always have the best product or service. They’re just the clearest. The most visible. The most consistent.
And that’s the part that stings: you can be exceptional at what you do and still get passed over by someone who posted about it first.
But this is also where the opportunity is. Because if you’ve got a great product and a strong story to tell, your social media content shouldn’t feel like a struggle. It’s an opportunity. Your audience is already watching and listening. They WANT to discover your story.
What if you didn’t have to carry this alone? What if there was no more stressing over what to post or when? No more wondering if that shaky phone video or janky CapCut edit would evoke respect or humiliation?
I’ve met with a lot of New Jersey business owners over the years at our chamber of commerce meetings and networking events in Morristown, and one thing is clear: their social media plan doesn’t fail because they don’t care. It fails because they’re doing too much. And they are all alone in the battle.
I’ve lived it myself.
As business owners, we get so busy working in the business that we don’t have time to work on the business. And here is where we face a choice: are we okay with how things are—or is it time to try something different? If the goal is growth, something has to change. And often, it’s not effort it’s capacity. That’s where finding the right partner makes a difference.
At a certain point, there’s real value in handing the reins to someone who does this well. Someone who can take your voice, your vision and your values, and turn them into content that resonate. It’s not about giving up your message. It’s about letting go of the weight of constantly managing it.
When you have a team that understands your brand and how to create compelling content for social media, everything clicks into place. You stop second-guessing. You start showing up with clarity, confidence, and consistency.
And most importantly, you get your time and headspace back so you can focus on what you do best; working ON your business.
Here’s the rest of our story:
Sure, we were lucky to own the right gear, employ the right talent, and cultivate the right experiences to make our presence known with social media advertising. But it was only when we finally committed to consistency—and earmarked actual budget to show up with purpose—that something shifted.
People started saying things like:
“Wow, you guys are everywhere right now.”
“Every time I open Instagram, I see one of your videos.”
“You must be slammed with work!”
The funny thing? In the beginning, our workload hadn’t changed that much. We were just being seen.
And once we committed to consistent storytelling—planning, filming, editing, and posting—our visibility started working for us:
Prioritizing social media with a budget wasn’t about going viral. It was about the consistency of showing up, building trust, and being visible in a way that matches the quality of our work.
And we are the living proof that you don’t need a million views. You just need the right people to see your work, hear your voice, and feel confident about reaching out.
Whether you’re ready to hand it off completely or just need a better system, it’s clearly time for things to shift.
And if you happen to have a small business here in New Jersey, our team has created social media video marketing plans built specifically for NJ small businesses that are: Busy, passionate and ready to grow.
Here’s Awakened Films takes off your plate:
This isn’t a cookie-cutter content dump. It’s thoughtful, aligned, and built to reflect who you are and what you stand for.
You stay focused on running your business. We’ll make sure your story is seen, heard, and felt.
Let’s finally get your digital presence working for you. Contact us today.
