On today's episode of the High Performance Marketing Podcast I'll share ways you can help them do just that.

On this episode of the High Performance Marketing Podcast we'll review the marketing technology stack every entrepreneur and small business needs. From email marketing to social media management to analytics, the right marketing technology stack can simplify your efforts to connect with your ideal customer, help you make the best use of your time, and make sure you're not overwhelming your marketing budget.

Transcript

Welcome to The High Performance Marketing Podcast, a show focused on helping entrepreneurs and small business owners connect with their ideal customers using simple marketing and quality content. I'm your Marketing Guide, Ali Garbero.

Building your business with modern technology is both overwhelming and expensive. But entrepreneurs and small to medium-sized businesses like ours depend on digital marketing technology to reach a larger and targeted audience. How else are we going to increase brand awareness in a digital age?

It’s amazing what’s available to us not previously available in any other era of business. Technology acts like that magical genie in Aladdin, that proposes to grant your business its every wish. Technology is amazing in its ability to help automate processes, reach new customers and save you much needed and highly valuable time. 

Did you know that in 2022, an annual study showed that there were 9,932 marketing technology solutions available?  With so many tools and technologies vying for your attention, how do you know which are the must haves for your business so you only invest in what you need? 

On today’s episode of the podcast let’s explore the 5 marketing technologies and tools I believe every entrepreneur and small business owner should invest in for optimizing online success.

First, your website. 

This one’s a no-brainer. For nearly two decades, having a website has been a fundamental part of owning and operating a business. People are information consumers and are far more likely to do business with a business that has a well written and beautifully designed website. If your website isn’t making you money, it’s most likely that it isn’t optimized for conversion. Schedule time to talk to me about that, if that’s what’s happening on your end.

If you have the ability to hire a website designer who designs and hosts the site for you, great. Most of us will use a website builder like Wordpress, Squarespace or Wix. I personally use Kajabi. The reason I love Kajabi is, first not only do they have nice modern template designs, their templates are also really simple to use and edit, adding my own personal brand style and logo to it. There are limitations to editing their templates, but nothing that makes it enough of a con for me not to use them. 

Kajabi has an amazing customer support team, so as you build your site out, if you get stuck, their chat feature is the best I’ve experienced in regards to quick response times, knowledgeability, and simple answers. Making updates to your site in Kajabi is simple.

Why I chose to use Kajabi as my website builder is because of how robust their technology is. For a monthly subscription of about $199, I can sell my products and services, they provide a check out page so I can capture online payment, you can build and sell digital courses, I can host my podcast on the site, create unlimited landing pages, their blog feature allows video options as well, and they have email marketing with simple to use templates and automations. This means I don’t have to pay for an additional email marketing provider like Mailchimp, Active Campaign, or Constant Contact.

Which leads me into the second marketing tool 

...every business needs and that’s an email marketing platform. If you don’t use Kajabi, most likely your website builder won’t have email functionalities, so you’ll need a separate tool for delivering emails to your database or audience base. 

I mentioned a few just a minute ago. Some of the more common names you’ve heard may be Mailchimp, Mailer Lite, or Convert Kit. I tried Convert kit and didn’t love it. It felt a bit too complicated and required zapier integrations that quickly just made things feel harder than they needed to be. 

My two favorite email marketing platforms are Mailchimp and Flodesk. What you want and need most from an email marketing platform is the ability to track the analytics. Open, click rates, unsubscribe rates, numbers like those are important so you know what content is resonating with your audience, who’s opening your emails and clicking on your offer links.

When it comes to pricing, mailchimp and flo desk will run you around $20 a month.

I can’t over emphasize the impact of email marketing.

For every dollar you invest in email you can expect a $44 return on your investment. So if you aren’t growing your email list, stop every other marketing activity and start there.  Why? Because 66% of consumers make a purchase because of an email. If you want to learn more about email marketing listen to my episode called 50% more sales ready leads. I’ll include the link in the show notes.

Third, let’s talk about project management tools.

You know how it feels to not have enough hours in the day to remember and manage everything on your plate. A  project management tool is an amazing way to optimize your time, delegate tasks to an assistant or team members, and track the progress of your projects. 

Even if it’s just you as a solopreneur, a project management tool is the best way to keep everything organized in a simple way for you to see what’s on your plate and set deadlines for getting things done. 

Project management or PM tools like Asana, Monday dot com and Click up are some of the best available and I personally use Asana because the user experience is simple. If you don’t have priorities around the things you need to get done, then everything becomes a priority and those projects you wish you had time to work on never get done. 

Asana also allows me to communicate with others and assign them tasks and check in on their progress without the need to send another slack message or email. 

PM tools like Asana or Monday will run you on average about $30 a month. 

Fourth, is a CRM tool.

Your Customer relationship management tool is a technology for keeping track of current and potential customers, as well as a history of your interactions with them. 

You can also set follow up tasks and reminders to help with the sales process so you know when the right time is to follow up with a lead or potential customer - or a past client for renewal or ongoing services.

The goal of a CRM is simple: Improve business relationships to grow your business. Some well known CRM tools are found in Monday dot com, Pipedrive, and of course the granddaddy of them all Hubspot. 

Why I say that, is because I don’t believe there’s a small business feature Hubspot doesn’t offer. From a website, to email marketing to your CRM. The one challenge however, is it’s expensive.  The professional plan starts at $800 a month. 

So depending on the revenue and size of your business Hubspot may not be the right fit. If you can afford it without breaking the bank, go for it. I truly believe Hubspot is the leader in small business marketing and sales technology. 

Finally, number five 

...on the must have of small business marketing technology are social media marketing tools. Which include a good phone with a camera, a lapel mic that inserts into your smartphone if you plan to do talking head style videos, where you’re doing the majority of the speaking, next some kind of captions app like the app called Captions. 

Although many social tools offer captions now, the app Captions makes your captions more fun and they look different and help your videos stand out. I would also recommend a video editor such as Capcut or InShot. Both apps are about $10 a month.

These two video editors make it simple for you to edit your videos, slice them up and remove clips if needed, add music and effects as well. These are cost effective tools that don’t cost much and make your social media marketing look great!

And if you get ahead of the game and can organize your social media content, then a social publishing tool like Buffer or Hootsuite are helpful. These tools run you anywhere from $40-$99 a month, but you can connect to all of your social channels in one platform. Which is highly valuable for saving you time. 

I would fail to do this show justice if I didn’t mention Canva. Canva has a free version but for as low as about $15 a month their Pro plan is all you will ever need to access any marketing material your business will ever need. They have thousands of templates, graphics, and images to make  your marketing look top notch. I’ve used for over 10 years and I literally don’t know how any of us ever did business marketing without it.

Well there you have it, the marketing tech stack every business owner needs.

I know how overwhelming the world of online marketing can be, but with these tools on your side, you'll be able to streamline your efforts and achieve sustainable growth. I’m cheering you on.

Thanks for joining me today. I’m Ali Garbero, Copywriting is what I do, Content Marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.

Welcome To the High-Performance Marketing podcast, a show focused on helping small business owners connect with their ideal customers using simple marketing and quality content. I'm your Marketing Guide, Ali Garbero.

Do you ever find yourself walking into a room and you can’t remember why you walked in there? Or even worse, forgetting words? At first I thought “well this is it, this is how my mind starts to deteriorate toward dementia.” But that’s not the case at all. It’s actually pretty common and due to the fact that we are constantly going from one mode of thinking to another, scrolling on social media, transitioning from a phone, to a desktop, to text messages, to emails. 

The continuous change is definitely causing some serious issues with our attention spans.

Which means that as business owners not only do we have to find effective ways to stay focused and productive but that we are also fighting harder than ever to capture the attention of our audience.

The good news is that all of these same things that distract the lifeblood out of us, are the very things that lead to sales. Think about it - social media content, ads, emails, text messages. 

On today’s episode of the Podcast let’s talk about how we can use content and it’s Dr. Evil like powers to to build trust, establish long-term customer relationships and of course drive sales.

First let me start by sharing a quick piece of data with you. In today’s market an average of 70% of the buying decision is made before your prospect ever speaks with anyone at your company. And this applies to both the business to consumer and business to business space. 

How are these buying decisions made? By conducting online research of course. Think about it, when was the last time you bought a car, a camera, a kayak - anything. Most likely you went to Google, maybe Youtube or Amazon. You started your process with research - not by calling Best Buy or Costco right? I mean those were old school ways of doing research.

The modern consumer now reads up to 30 pieces of your content, some even go as high as 300, before they buy your product or decide to hire you out for services. 

Now that you understand this buying shift, which department in your organization would you say, has the greatest impact on the actual sale? Is it sales or marketing? 

I hope you can see that it’s marketing. Because if your marketing team isn’t writing blogs, emails, articles, or creating content for social - then how will anyone ever find you - unless you really like interrupting people during their day, calling them or showing up at their house to sell your product or service.

Yet most often, during a recession, or when a company needs to cut back on spending, they almost always cut out marketing first. I’ve even been told “sorry, Ali, marketing is just an extra and we don’t have budget for it right now.” That is such counterproductive thinking. And here’s why - 

If you hope to compete in a digital marketplace it’s pretty clear that you’ll need to lean into content creation. 

So I’m going to share a few ways you can do that because I know that as a small business owner or entrepreneur, it’s really hard to actually make time to create content for your own business - all the time. 

Here’s a few ways to get started if you haven’t and to get ahead if you’re already doing it.

First your mindset around content should shift from “this is a marketing extra” - to” holy cow, if I create really great content, I’m literally building a salesperson - who never takes a day off or sleeps.” Content, when created and used strategically, plays a pivotal role in creating revenue for you.

And think about how lucky we are in our current business environment. In the past, content creation was limited to traditional media, such as newspapers, magazines, and television. But we’re well aware that that's not the case anymore. With the emergence of the internet, content creation and distribution is possible for all of us.  

Now, anyone with a smartphone and wifi can create and share content and blast it out to the masses.  It just means that we’ve shifted how we consume our content. You’re no longer limited to when people are sitting in front of their TV, or driving and listening to the radio. But now you can catch people literally anytime. When they’re up late at night scrolling, when they’re working out in the early morning catching a podcast, or on a random Saturday afternoon when  your YouTube ad catches their attention while listening to one of their favorite songs.

However, with the over abundance of online information, the modern consumer has become more selective about the content they consume. That means we can’t just create content for the sake of creating. We’ve got to put thought, effort, sit in the seat of our target audience’s mind, walk in the shoes of their daily life, to write and produce high-quality, relevant content and to do so consistently.

High quality content that your audience will love falls into a few buckets - educating and informing. Content with a unique ability to educate and inform customers about your products or services. Informative content might include things like talking about your competition.

You might be cringing right now, but yes it’s important to talk about your competitors but if you do make sure you are as UNBIASED as possible. People can tell when you’re trying to swing their opinion in one direction.

For example, years ago there was a discount real estate brokerage that started to make a lot of noise in the state in which I live. This brokerage of course had massive advertising dollars which the average real estate agent couldn’t compete with. 

Now imagine, if you were a real estate agent in my local market and I told you to create a video or write a blog about this company - let’s call them ABC Real Estate. A video bashing their terrible service would have been flagged as completely one sided. 

However the same video, addressing the pros and cons of working with ABC company where you shared information like: “hey if you don’t mind showing your own home, and you’re a talented photographer with mad skills, if you enjoy negotiations and feel comfortable with contracts because you really do enjoy the art of negotiation and you can do this without emotion - and you’ve got the time to dedicate in addition to your other responsibilities, then yes, of course this could be a fantastic opportunity for you to save thousands of dollars on commission. Here’s a few things you’ll just want to make sure you know first.” 

You can see how a video like this would help you build trust with the viewer because they know you aren’t just trying to sell them on your service but to really offer guidance and expertise.

Another content piece to consider is showcasing your unique value proposition. This is where I’d definitely invite you to consider opening up about your pricing. 

This might feel really counterintuitive. There’s this balance of “but if I tell them how much I cost I might miss out on the chance of getting them on the phone.” 

But think about it - why wouldn’t you want people to know how much your product or service costs? Do you really want to spend time with a client who can’t afford you? You’re doing them and yourself a favor by at least providing a price range and more importantly help people understand the value behind what they get.

For example as a copywriter I’m continually fighting Fiverr or even AI as ways that people can use “cheaper options.” So for me, I’d want to lean into explaining why my services cost more. Well I’ve got years of sales experience and training and certifications that help me turn words into money. A lot of writers use weak, vague and even confusing writing that doesn’t drive the same impact. 

Another example, is let’s say you’re a mortgage officer, well provide transparency about your closing cost fees - what they cover and WHY they’re higher (if they are.) Otherwise you’re just crossing your fingers hoping that clients won’t shop you because you didn’t address your unique value at the start.

You can even use this as an opportunity to create content that addresses the common objections clients have for not working with you. Imagine if I came to your website and read a blog that said “We are not for XYZ clients and here’s why.” A blog like that immediately speaks to your ideal client and weeds out the people you don’t want to work with.

Content serves as a platform to showcase your unique value proposition effectively. Through compelling storytelling, case studies, and customer testimonials, you can highlight the benefits and advantages of your products or services. By demonstrating how your offerings can solve problems or improve the lives of your customers, you create a persuasive argument that nudges them toward making a purchase decision.

Next, tailoring your content for the different stages of your  customer journey is something I’ve spoken about previously. The customer journey is that path your clients take from I’ve never heard of you all the way to doing business with you. And while sales calls and follow ups can help - sending the right content at the right time helps you reach your prospects in the different stages of awareness and engagement so that you can customize your message. If you see it as a funnel, then at the top of the funnel, you want to focus on creating awareness and generating interest through blog posts, social media content, and informative videos. 

In the middle of the funnel, provide more in-depth content such as case studies, whitepapers, and product comparisons to help prospects evaluate their options. 

Finally, at the bottom of the funnel, offer content that provides a clear call-to-action, such as free trials, demos, or limited-time offers, to convert prospects into paying customers.

Finally, repurpose the content you create. For example, I’ve got a podcast right? Well, I can take a podcast episode and modify it a bit and turn it into a blog post, I even like to take a few key talking points or snippets of my show and turn them into quotes that I can use for social media, or even use some of it for my weekly emails. 

Let’s say you just recorded a free webinar, or you were a speaker somewhere, or you made a youtube video to highlight a new listing - you can turn that content into reels, social graphics and include them in your printed newsletters and emails.

Repurposing content simply means taking one asset and reusing it somewhere else. This method can help save you so much time - and this way you don’t have to start from scratch every single time. 

Finally, content can help you nurture long-term relationships to support your sales efforts now as well as for repeat business. 

See, content isn't just about making a one-time sale; it's also about nurturing long-term relationships with your customers. By delivering consistent and valuable content through newsletters, email campaigns, or loyalty programs, you stay top-of-mind with your audience, reinforcing their trust and loyalty. 

Additionally, providing post-sales support, tips, and educational resources further enhances customer satisfaction, leading to repeat purchases and increased customer lifetime value.

What’s an example of this? Well think about a real estate agent or even a financial planner - they help people make one really big purchase one time. But that doesn’t mean the relationship ends there. You want to continue to send home maintenance tips, or annual home value letters with updates on the increased value of the home, or in the case of a financial planner - sending your client a yearly update on their product portfolio - ways to save or earn more money during the recession. 

The key take away I hope you see is that content can be a great salesperson because it educates and persuades potential customers about your product or service. 

And unlike traditional sales techniques that sometimes are known to rely on pushy tactics, content marketing takes a more subtle approach by providing answers to the questions your prospects are asking themselves about your product or service and then helping them make an informed buying decision.

If you’re struggling with content creation - my dears,  that’s what I do. Schedule a discovery call with me at writebrandmarketing.com 

Thanks for joining me today, I’m Ali Garbero, copywriting is what I do, content marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.

On this episode of The High Performance Marketing Podcast, I'll invite you take a step back and really think about how much your time is worth, where you're spending the majority of it, so you can make informed decisions about what tasks you should focus on and which ones you should delegate or outsource.

Links I reference on the show:

https://www.writebrandmarketing.com/time

Harvest Time App - https://www.getharvest.com/

Clockify Time App - https://clockify.me/

Transcript

Welcome To High-Performance Marketing, a podcast committed to helping small business owners connect with their ideal customers using simple marketing and quality content. I'm your Marketing Guide, Ali Garbero.

Years ago, I worked for a leader of a small organization, who was an amazing individual. This person would come into the office each day full of life and energy. This person lit up a room. There was a lot of passion and excitement around the work we were doing, but this leader was also a little bit like a whirlwind storm. You could hear this person coming a mile away, and as this individual walked into my quiet office space each day, where my head was down focused on the many things I was trying to get accomplished - the fires of the day were immediately listed off as urgent and in need of resolution right now. This of course was distracting and caused us to fail in our ability to make the forward progress we wanted for the business.

After some time, I presented this company owner a strategy on how we could divide our efforts to become more profitable. Much of this strategy involved my stepping into a larger role to run the behind the scenes processes, management of staff, things like that. The goal was to offload the things that didn’t make money to free up our fearless CEO, to spend more time on client-facing relationships - which as you know, are those revenue-generating-activities businesses rely on to grow. 

Part of pitching this proposal meant helping this owner look at the ways they were spending their time, what their time was worth, and why spending it trying to put out fires each day or on lower cost activities wasn't the best use of time. 

So on today’s episode of the podcast, I thought we’d lean into knowing the value of your time so that you can make decisions with clarity about what’s holding you back from making progress.

First, let’s acknowledge the obvious…as an entrepreneur or small business owner, it is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day operations of your business. Whether it’s working to put out staff issues, or getting involved in the why a project is behind, what’s wrong with the soda machine, shipping issues, fulfillment, marketing - wearing the hat of Chief Everything Officer is common. The problem is time is a finite resource and one of your most important assets, so if you’re hitting the pillow at night exhausted feeling like you did everything but nothing at all, it’s most likely because you’re either not managing your time as productively as you could, or because you aren’t delegating to the right people.

So first, I always say “show me how you spend your time” and I’ll show you how it shows up in your bank account.  As a leader and owner of the company, time management and productivity are critical factors that directly affect your earnings. The more effectively you manage your time, the more you can accomplish in a given day, week, or month.

If you looked at my calendar you would see time blocks for everything I need to account for in my day.  

So I categorize this into buckets like

• Family
• Fitness + personal prep like Shower, dress, make up, breakfast, etc.
• Spiritual time (meditate or read scriptures)

Then of course are the driving factors for my business - the things that must get done to keep the lights on. These kinds of things include:

• Learning and attending courses, seminars, training, etc. so that I can network with other marketing leaders and stay on top of the industry.
• Then I have content creation for my personal business (the time I spend writing my blog, outlining my podcast topics, writing and producing the show, creating lead magnets, courses, etc.)
• Lead generation and Sales meetings
• Other networking meetings 
• And of course, Content fulfillment for my clients (so the time I spend actually writing for others.)

You’ll notice I haven’t really blocked out any time for admin duties like scheduling zoom meetings, buying postage stamps, buying ink for my printer, uploading my podcast for publication, etc…..those items are passed on to an assistant because those things are tasks that either don’t earn the company money, aren’t in a wheelhouse I love, or are tasks that can be done by someone earning less.

So how do you get clear about what tasks should be done by you (big picture stuff) and what should be done by someone else? 

Well this is where you have to literally sit down and calculate how much your time is worth. Here’s an easy formula you can use.

I work blank hours per week and I make $ per week.

Now divide hours by your earnings and that will give you your hourly rate.

For example, a real estate agent might say

I work 10 hours per week and I make $3500 a week. 

$3500 per week divided by 10 hours means your hourly rate is $350 per hour.

Now, that’s based on an agent earning $182,000 per year, which many entrepreneurs earn that or more.

So, once you’ve figured out your hourly rate you don’t want to complete any tasks that you could hire for a lesser rate. Your eyes also get real wide when you realize that your time is worth $350 an hour, because you quickly ask yourself why on earth are you spending time on tasks that someone else could do for $20-$75 an hour?

Think about how much time you spend cleaning your home. Let’s say it takes you 4 hours on a Saturday (and your hourly rate is $350 an hour). You know that even Mr. Clean won’t charge you $1,400 to clean your house for four hours. So why are you spending your valuable time doing it?

Next, once you’re clear about what your time is worth you need to step into the next phase of valuing your time by determining the top 3 most important things you need to get done each day to consider that day a successful one.

Those top three should be written down daily, so that first, if you get those things done, you can feel confident you went to work that day. And so that you don’t allow other less non important things to get in the way. 

For example, I have one day a week that I block out as a creative day for me to write my blog, draft talking points for my podcast, create new offerings, write my book, (yes that’s in the works believe it or not) - things like that. As a creative analytical, free time to think and use my mind to put my thoughts into the world brings me happiness and gives me energy. So block out time to do the fun things you love inside of your business. The reason you started it to begin with. Let’s say you run a bakery, if baking lights  you up, then block out time to experiment and create new recipes. If you’re a real estate agent and you started your business because you like people or seeing beautiful homes, then dedicate a day in the week, where you tour three fun properties, go with another agent or bring a friend along. 

Third, in addition to delegating or outsourcing non-revenue-generating or lower cost activities and tasks, it’s also important for you to track your time. As I coached new entrepreneurs into growing a real estate business, I was always a little thrown off by how when these individuals worked on teams, they were held to standards and accountability that they had no problems agreeing to. For example they were asked to be in the office by 9am to make prospecting calls or in software sales, we were held to standards around how many introductory calls we set up for sales executives, etc. But the second we start working for ourselves it’s like “I’m the CEO I can do anything I want.” Which one entrepreneur literally told me. She said, I’m not going to commit to being in my office by 9am if I want to be out hiking instead. 

Ok, well that’s one way to run a business and I have to respect different strokes for different folks I suppose, so I’m not so much emphasizing you be rigid, but rather that you know what you are doing with the time you are investing in your business. As a copywriter I work on a project by project basis or longer term retainers, but there are times when I’ll work a project for an agency and they want me to bill on an hourly rate. In which case I literally use one of two things….I purchased a sleek looking cool digital clock that sits on my desk or better yet, I’d recommend using one of the following apps: 

Clockify or Harvest - you can find these solutions at: 

Clockify dot me

Getharvest dot com

Both have FREE options. Tracking your time helps you identify where you are spending the majority of your time so that you can better identify is this the best way for me to spend my time? 

You’ve heard the saying “What gets measured gets done.” This means regularly measuring your time to ensure you’re focused on the best use of it and so you know how to make better business decisions - like is it time to hire an assistant, should I outsource my marketing? 

If you’d like to see the spreadsheet I used initially to build out my weekly calendar, you can download it at writebrandmarketing.com/time

Overall tracking your time will improve your results, because again time is your most valuable and finite resource.

Finally, and in the same realm of time tracking is to prioritize your time. 

Are you clear about what tasks have the most significant impact on your business's success? For example, let’s say much of your business comes by way of referral - then are you dedicating enough time or resources to generating a consistent flow of those? If most of your business comes by way of online ads - are you spending enough time responding to inquiries, investing in sales training so you improve conversion?

If most of your sales come from new products you make on an online boutique, are you spending enough time for new product development? Or are you spending more time making cute canva graphics? Which again is a lower cost effort.

To close my story loop - this incredible business owner I worked for years ago, opted not to accept my proposal to take over the day to day to free this person up for a day focused on client relationships.  My goal really was for the two of us to play to our strengths, but most importantly to use those strengths to grow revenue. 

I learned later that this person drew energy from the chaos and from putting out daily fires. And you know, that’s a shame - because this person was magnetic with clients. Clients loved connecting with this person and the organization could have quickly doubled revenue, but ultimately that wasn’t for me to take away from that person. They wanted to spend time in the mess of the day, and ultimately you have to honor a business owner’s request, when you aren’t running the business.

In this case, those of you listening to me are the head hancho. You have complete control over investing your time in a way that helps you achieve what you want from your business and your life.

But by understanding the value of your time you will spend less of it with clients who don’t meet your pre set criteria, doing tasks that aren’t worth your hourly rate and ultimately free you up to have more of it to spend on the things you enjoy inside as well as outside of your business. 

I’m cheering you on.

As a reminder - If you’d like a copy of the spreadsheet I used to build out my weekly calendar, you can download it at writebrandmarketing.com/time

Thanks for joining me today, I’m Ali Garbero, copywriting is what I do, content marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.

On today's episode of the podcast, we're talking about how you can show up as the guide your clients need to provide them with reliable facts so that they can make informed decisions about their housing choices.

Keep the media from controlling what your buyers and sellers know.

On today's episode of the podcast I'm sharing two simple tweaks you can make with your social media marketing to help you get more people to work with you.

Transcript

Welcome To High Performance Marketing, a podcast where we discuss how to connect customers to great brands by leveraging content marketing as a profitable pillar to your customer acquisition strategy. I’m Chief Copywriter and Messaging Strategist, Ali Garbero 

Hey hey and welcome back to the show. Just want to thank those of you who continue to listen each week. And I’m going to ask you for a small favor. If you listen in and find value in the things I’m sharing with you each week, would you head over and give my show a review? It not only helps with the algorithm but also helps other small business owners like yourself find my show. So thank you, just know I appreciate you for listening in each week.

Ok so today, let’s start by talking about that King Kong Gorilla we all know and love, and probably also kinda hate at times and that’s social media marketing. 

I know you know that when it comes to your business marketing, social media isn’t just a place for posting funny pre-recorded voice over Instagram reels - although, your strategy should include some of that. I know you understand that social media marketing is more about showcasing your brand's unique voice, helping you engage with your followers, and ultimately driving traffic to your website, getting people to book calls or appointments with you, driving them to your store's physical location, or to buy your online products.

So, on today’s episode of the podcast let’s take a deeper dive into the role social media plays in your content marketing strategy. 

And just in case you’re a little fuzzy on what a content marketing strategy is, a quick overview is that it’s part of your business's marketing plan for attracting, engaging, and retaining an audience of potential customers by creating and sharing relevant content like articles, videos, podcasts, and other media. 

A content marketing strategy (which is all about delivering value as Gary Vee told us over and over again in Jab, Jab, Jab, right hook)  helps your business establish expertise, it promotes brand awareness, and keeps your business top of mind when it's time for your ideal client to buy what you sell.

So, part of your content marketing strategy of course includes social media marketing. And that’s what I want to focus on today. How does social media really support and help you grow your business? Like how do all those reels, and videos and selfies turn into new or repeat customers?

Well I think that the clearest connection I see between the cool content you’re making and why posting it to social media is important is because ultimately you want to use social media as a vehicle where you can drive people back to your website or to get them to download your lead generator so you can put them into your email marketing ecosystem.

Let me give you an example:

I’m part of a large marketing community with about 800 marketing professionals that I chat with on a daily basis. Today this question came through the thread.

“I have an affiliate marketer with an email list of 10 people and a budget of $500 a month to build her business. Where would you suggest she put that money to give her the most return?”

Some people said paid ads, but ads are expensive. And with only $500, she would burn through that money in a week.

So I chimed in and said “use every free social media resource possible on promoting and sharing their “I gotta get my hands on this free resource.” lead magnet. A good lead magnet (a pdf, a webinar, a free video series) again allows you to deliver value first in exchange for someone trusting you with their precious email address.

Getting someone onto your email list is gold. It allows you to continue to nurture the relationship long term.

So whether you decide you want to write and publish blog posts, or infographics, you can share these valuable resources and link to them on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and any other social platforms you use.

But there’s another challenge right? I know you know that social media is a crowded space, with millions of daily posts vying for attention. 

So now that you know the role social media plays in your content strategy,  how can you make your content stand out and engage with your audience? 

Engagement, engagement, engagement, the coveted desire for us all right?

Let me share 4 simple things you can do to increase engagement with your content.

1. Focus on your audience: We always start with the customer. The customer is the HERO of the story of our business. The first step in creating engaging social media content is to know who those customers are. Who are they, what do they care about, and what challenges are they dealing with? Understanding your audience will help you create content that resonates with them and addresses their needs. I’m not saying you should never share or talk about who you are, or your business, but do so in a way that’s important to your followers. Lead with this question: “What’s in it for them?” If we’re being real here, few of us care about anything that doesn’t involve us.
   
   
2. Use visuals: I know you understand that visuals are more engaging than text-only posts. But maybe you’ve forgotten how important is to use high-quality images, videos, infographics, and other visual content to capture your audience's attention and stop the scroll. Avoid really small text or too much reading.  Make your visuals relevant, compelling, and on-brand. What do I mean here, well I like to follow Kodiak Pancakes. I recognize the look and feel of their brand when I’m scrolling because they make sure to keep the same theme. I’m not saying you can’t branch out and use all the colors of the crayola box, but marketing is an exercise in memorization. So the more you can do to help cement memorability with your brand the more recognizable you become and the more people think about you and associate certain things with you. For example a few months ago I told you about how I was driving up my local freeway. I saw a billboard using the combination of bright blue and yellow. When I saw the billboard I instantly thought it was a Dave Ramsey ad. It wasn’t, but that’s what Dave’s team has done so well. Help me associate this color combination with their brand.
   
   
3. Tell stories: Storytelling is a powerful tool for engaging your audience. You all know I’m a certified Storybrand Marketing Guide. I leverage the Stroy Brand 7 part framework in the content I write because stories are memorable and emotionally deeper than dry facts or statistics. I think Operation Underground Railroad is a brand that does this in one of the most powerful ways I’ve seen. They are an organization that works to save children from being exploited from sex trafficking. They have a section on their website promoting the adoption of children who need families. There’s a section that says “our impact” and it shows numbers around how many families they’ve helped, children they’ve saved, and the amount of grants they’ve awarded. But right underneath that section of numbers are 3-4 paragraphs of story telling. I’ll read you just a quick snippet: “When my husband Tim and I were adopting our two children from Haiti, we experienced first-hand all the forms, government approvals, legal fees, time, and patience it took to finally bring them home. It was a frustratingly long, confusing, and expensive journey…Our family’s wait was long. The process was difficult. But it was worth every form, every penny, and every tear. Not only do Tim and I and their seven siblings adore our beautiful children and receive their pure love in return, but they are now protected from human trafficking and sexual exploitation by the structure of a family who cares for them.”
   
   There’s a lot more to the story, but you can already feel the emotional difference. So dust off your childhood bedtime reading skills and don’t underestimate the power of a good story for engaging your social media followers.
    
4. Ask questions and encourage conversation: Social media is a two-way conversation. Ask your audience questions, encourage them to share their thoughts and opinions. People LOVE to express an opinion because everybody has one. Depending on your niche audience you could ask things like “What are you reading today? Is there anything you recommend I read?
   If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?
   What job would you be terrible at?
   Any advice your childhood self would give to your adult self today?
   Ken Coleman has a great book called ONE QUESTION Life Changing Answers.
   The right questions uncover truths we might not otherwise know.
   
   
5. Finally, don’t forget to Use Humor: (if that’s authentic to you.) I’m not the funniest person so my content is kind of stale that way, but man oh man do I love to watch content produced by funny people. There are some personal brands out there doing an amazing job leaning into their talents. I love those brands because they show up on the hard days, in the moments I need to unwind or to forget about the seriousness of life. Right now I’m on a kick where I follow a YouTube creator Stephen He, who creates content about Asian parents. He’s hilarious and I don’t get paid to say this but you should follow him. I talk about Allstate Insurance so much I swear I should get sponsored, but you’ve heard me mention how they use their character Mayhem to spice up what’s otherwise a worrisome situation and boring thing to talk about (car insurance.)
   
   Creating engaging social media content requires a mix of strategy, creativity, and authenticity. Social media content offers value to your audience (and yes humor is value) - as you deliver that value with consistency, your followers will be more likely to engage with you and share your content.

Ultimately however, don’t get so caught up with creating social media content that you forget its primary purpose in Your Content Marketing Strategy.  The next time you find yourself getting caught up in the endless scroll, remember to stay focused on your goal and that’s to bring those potential clients over to your own digital domain.

Thanks for joining me today. I’m Ali Garbero, Copywriting is what I do, Content Marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.

See, great trailers don’t confuse you. They don’t waste time. In the first few seconds, you know the hero, the stakes, and exactly why you should care.

Your brand message needs to do the same thing.

But most businesses? They throw in too much fluff—fancy words, vague statements, and a whole lot of “What does that even mean?”

That’s why today, I’m giving you the formula for ways you can write a brand message that grabs attention, keeps people hooked, and—most importantly—gets them to buy.

Because if people don’t get what you do, they’re not sticking around to figure it out.

________________________________________________________________________________

Welcome to the High Performance Marketing Podcast—the show for businesses that want to master marketing and become the go-to brand customers trust and buy from. I’m your host, Ali Garbero, founder of Write Brand Marketing and your StoryBrand Certified Marketing Coach.

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to The High Performance Marketing Podcast, a show for business owners who want to create meaningful customer connections, using simple marketing and quality content. I’m your marketing guide, Ali Garbero. 

Welcome back to the show. You know, success in business is a blend of strategy, skill, and often, a few happy accidents. As a business owner, you had a passion for the service you sell and helping others and most likely have found yourself becoming an 'accidental leader,' someone who leads not by design but by circumstance. 

In this unexpected role, you face unique challenges, and amongst the hardest is admitting to and learning from mistakes. It takes courage in leadership to own up to errors, but it's this brave act that distinguishes exceptional leaders from the ordinary.

On today’s episode of the podcast we’ll dive into accidental leadership and the power of owning up to mistakes.

First, The term 'accidental leader' might hit home with you if your journey to entrepreneurship came as a surprise or you found yourself at the helm without formal leadership training. This happens a lot in corporate business - where most often it’s the people who work hard and are good at their jobs, that get thrown into managerial roles. Introverted engineers, quiet writers, or an introverted real estate agent who happens to be very good at being consistent, who is then asked to lead a sales team.

A leadership role can feel intimidating, overwhelming, and you may question your ability to guide your team effectively. Early on in my sales career I was kind of arrogant. My team leader asked me if I was ok leading a sales team of primarily men. As the oldest sibling in my family to a single mom - I thought “how hard can it be” you just tell people what to do - you never ask them to do anything you wouldn’t and there you go. 

Ha - yeah right! I went through the fire in that director of sales role. Immediately learning that not everyone is motivated by the same thing in life, and that leadership is less of the football coach style methodology that I believed it to be, and more a Yoda, guide on the side instead. 

There will be times when you be required to lead your clients as they look to you for ways to make important decisions. They will rely on you to lead them and that again - can feel like more than you signed up for. You might have believed “Hey I just wanted to show people pretty houses the way many real estate agents initially thinking about things. Or if you’re a web developer and you’re overseeing a website redesign, clients will lean on you to lead them and that will take a lot of confidence building and courage.

You should feel some comfort however that leadership isn't solely about well-crafted visions or impeccable decision-making; it's also about authenticity and vulnerability. When leaders demonstrate these qualities, they build trust and respect within their teams, with their clients and setting the foundation for an outstanding business culture.

Next, let’s talk about The Importance of Owning Your Mistakes

In an age where authenticity in leadership is more valued than ever, admitting mistakes has become a powerful tool for growth. It shows not just courage but integrity. I don’t want to get political, but remember when Bill Clinton lied to the entire nation - he emphatically looked at the camera and vehemently told us he hadn’t had any sort of affair with Monica Lewinsky. What garbage for us to be lied to that way. I think what’s hardest about trying to cover up your mistakes is that it involves not only dishonesty to yourself but to others - and when you lie, people can forgive you for it, you just make it so they don’t know when they can believe you again.

Here's why owning up to mistakes can be transformative for both you and your business:

When you admit your mistakes, you create a space where employees feel comfortable sharing their failures too. This transparency can lead to open discussions about what went wrong and how to improve.

Your team and clients respect leaders who are humble enough to acknowledge their fallibility. Trust grows when they see you as human – someone who can err, reflect, and move forward.

I remember years ago I worked for an individual who literally never allowed us to see their human side. They were perfect and the rest of us were the problem. That was a hard leader to work for and to connect with.

And you know what else? And maybe the hardest thing you will have to do as a leader is take accountability for when your team makes a mistake. The buck stops with you. I see this happen a lot in sports - where a head coach has to face the media for the way his or her players acted, the decisions they made on the field. Similarly if your assistant or a junior manager or staff member makes a mistake - you can’t go to your clients and say “oh well it was their fault.” You are the leader - you are the one who hired them.And durings those moments, you’ll need some big boy or big girl pants - because what you will want to do is use a scape goat and say “well it wasn’t my fault.” And I get it, it might not be. It might wholeheartedly be a team member you trust - but ultimately like I said - that’s that “the buck stops with you” accidental leadership thing, right?

And the great part here though is that seeing a leader take responsibility for errors encourages a "growth mindset" within the company. It becomes an environment where learning from failure is valued, which can drive innovation.

When owning up to your mistakes I’d say Admit It Quickly. When you realize you've made a mistake, address it promptly. Avoid justifications and Instead, lay out the facts and be transparent about what happened. Take Responsibility and let everyone that you're taking the mistake seriously, and it's your responsibility to fix it.

From there, plan how you intend to rectify the situation, and if applicable, involve your team in the problem-solving process. Wouldn’t it be great if the leaders of our nation could take some of this advice? Instead of playing the “well it was the previous administration, or it’s the other political party’s fault not ours.” What a different county we would be. If our leaders had the integrity and courage to admit their failures and mistakes, maybe our citizens would follow suit too.

Use mistakes as learning opportunities. Reflect on what you can do differently to prevent similar issues in the future.

Accidental leadership comes with its uncertainties, but it also offers a unique opportunity to lead with a touch of humanity. Admitting to your mistakes isn't a sign of weakness but a courageous act that can profoundly influence the success of your business. As a business owner, your willingness to embrace this can be a pivotal moment of growth for both your team and your leadership journey.

By making courage in leadership a staple of your business values, particularly when handling mistakes, you're setting a stage for authenticity and continuous improvement. Remember, it’s not about being perfect; it’s about being real, adapting, and leading with conviction—even through the mishaps.

To all the accidental leaders out there, you are more capable than you know, and your mistakes just might be your stepping stones to greatness. I’m cheering you on.

Thanks for joining me today.  I’m Ali Garbero, Copywriting is what I do, Content Marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.

On this episode of The High Performance Marketing podcast we'll explore a broader definition of marketing and how it extends beyond your traditional marketing efforts.

Transcript

Welcome to The High Performance Marketing Podcast, a show for business owners who want to create meaningful customer connections, using simple marketing and quality content. I’m your marketing guide, Ali Garbero. 

Many businesses find it challenging to see how their marketing efforts really help their company grow. No doubt you’ve felt this way. With so many choices to get the word out …social media, google, ads, billboards, email marketing and more.

The question you have isn’t if you want to grow your company, but how do I get my website and other marketing efforts to help me accomplish that goal? 

The fallacy many of us often fall for is that *one thing* will be the silver bullet that catapults our marketing into a new stratosphere. 

And while that can happen, don’t bet on it. Why? 

First, Marketing works best against the backdrop of a comprehensive strategy

Second, Everything in your business–not one magic thing–is marketing. 

On today’s episode of the podcast - I’ll help you explore the broad definition of marketing and how it extends beyond traditional advertising and what you might now know as marketing practices . And that’s because like I just said - everything is marketing.

Your sales process? Marketing. Your onboarding process? Marketing. 

 How you treat your clients? Marketing.  How you handle mistakes? Marketing 

Every interaction a customer has with your business is a powerful expression of your brand and a fundamental aspect of marketing. These interactions collectively create a narrative that communicates your brand values, reliability, and overall identity. Every detail, from the tone of customer service to the design of your packaging, becomes a part of the marketing story you tell. Small gestures, like a personalized email or a swift resolution to a customer inquiry, contribute significantly to building trust and loyalty. Recognizing that every touchpoint is a form of marketing empowers you to become strategic and enhance each interaction, so you ensure a positive customer experience is created even long after your initial engagement.

And if you’ve overlooked your employees as marketing - let me share a quick story. Years ago, I interviewed for a sales role with a local company who helps small businesses get more customer reviews. I made it past my first two interviews. When it came time to meet with the VP of sales the interview last at most five minutes. This gentleman walked into the room - told me who he was and literally said the following: “alright this is how this is going to go, I’m going to ask you questions and you’re going to answer them.”

“Uh ok.”

He then proceeded to ask me three or four questions, which I responded promptly. When we were finished he didn’t thank me - he just said if you have any questions you can email me at xyz email. 

It was crazy. Everything had moved so quickly, I’d passed all my other interviews with flying colors, and then after I met him, it went completely downhill. Slow responses to my questions about when I could expect to hear back - I mean literally nothing. Finally I got some standard email saying “thanks but no thanks.”

Years later, this company now pays to sponsor ads to target me - the small business owner. And do you think I would ever do business with a company like this? Because yes - even the way you treat potential employees and current ones is Marketing.

Again, everything is marketing.

Next, let’s talk about the The Customer Experience as Marketing

Let me give you two examples - a poor one first - and amazing one next.

First - Brent Brown Toyota

Second - Quick Quack

The customer experience is the heartbeat of any business, it plays a pivotal role in shaping your image and leaving a lasting impression on consumers. It goes beyond merely delivering a product or service; it encompasses every touchpoint, from the first interaction to post-purchase support. 

A positive customer experience acts as a powerful catalyst for brand advocacy. On the contrary, a subpar experience like the one I had buying my car can tarnish a business's reputation. 

When your business makes the customer experience a priority you’re signaling  that you value your customers, are committed to quality, and are willing to go the extra mile. 

In today's competitive landscape, where consumers have so many of your competitors to choose from, the way your business makes a customers feel becomes a defining factor in establishing brand identity and building enduring relationships.

And finally - Building a Consistent Brand Message

Consistency in brand messaging across all platforms is a cornerstone of successful marketing. I’ve often shared that marketing is an activity in memorization. So when you have a unified message - one your customers hear repeatedly it reinforces your values, your personality (it humanizes you) and creates a seamless experience for customers across any of the variety of marketing channels they choose to follow you on. 

It’s why franchises are so successful. Customers know exactly what they can expect if they visit a chain store in one state or another. The experience, the look and feel will be identical.

So whether it’s your company website, your social media platforms, or traditional advertising, you should be saying the same thing. Years ago the mens warehouse did this well. Their message was “you’re going to like the way you look, I guarantee it.”

When customers encounter a consistent narrative, they develop a clearer understanding of your business, what you do, and the problems you help them solve.  

Thanks for joining me today. If you’d like to create a clear marketing message that gets your customers to pay attention so they do business with you, schedule a call with me at writebrandmarketing.com I’m Ali Garbero, Copywriting is what I do, Content Marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.

On this episode of The High Performance Marketing podcast, we'll outline the process of creating a buyer persona as an indispensable strategy for creating a genuine connection between you and your ideal client.

_________

Crafting irresistible connections through buyer personas and targeted marketed.

Transcript 

Welcome to The High Performance Marketing Podcast, a show for entrepreneurs and small business owners who want to create meaningful customer connections, using simple marketing and quality content. I’m your marketing guide, Ali Garbero. 

Many business owners  have valuable insights other people could benefit from and they wonder if they could turn what they know into a valuable consulting or coaching business. If that sounds like you, then  you’ve got to pick up a copy of Donald Miller's new book  Coach Builder. It will give you an 8-step plan to turn your skills into your own coaching and consulting business — so you make a lot of money doing something you love every single day.

The book is available for pre-order at coachbuilderbook.com with tons of free resources and bonuses. Additionally, I’d like to invite you to attend a free event - the Coach Builder Summit that includes a world class speaker line up with the likes of Amy Porterfield, Ryan Diess, Michael Hyatt and more. Head over to

https://coachbuilder.com/summit/ now and register!

If I were to ask you what the most valuable asset of your business is, your mind might instantly gravitate towards your dedicated team of talented employees, your exceptional service, or perhaps your cutting-edge patented technology. While these are vital contributors to the success of any business. Take a moment to think about this: without a customer, how substantial would the impact of these assets truly be?

For me, everything starts with the customer - as a certified Story Brand Marketing guide, I teach the story brand 7 part framework to my clients, and always lead the discussion by starting with the character of the story - which in business marketing is our client. 

Customers are the heartbeat of any business that hopes to thrive. And on this episode of the podcast I want you to reconnect with your ideal customers by building out buyer personas. 

Buyer personas are a well-known term for the ideal customer you want to attract and ideally work with over and over again. A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer, based on market research and real data about your existing customers. 

It’s important to create and re-create or re-evaluate buyer personas because markets shift all the time, and industries change.

And if you’re not crystal clear about your ideal client, then how do you know how to speak when you write emails, or shoot video content? 

One perfect example of this is looking at the Stanley drink wear and gear brand. Right now, Stanley cups are all the rage! But years ago the Stanley brand catered to most blue collared men. Stanley could run a campaign that said “hey Joe, we know that come lunch time, you want to sit back and enjoy a warm lunch.”

Today, Stanley continues to speak to Joe, but also speaks to Jane. “Hi Jane, you don’t want a boring life. After yoga, running the kids around, or heading into a long day of meetings you want to be sure you stay hydrated with our super cute Barbie pink colored stanley cup, that holds 40 ozs and keeps your drinks cold!”

Now that Stanley knows, they’re talking to Jane their marketing message becomes more targeted and on point.

So, when thinking about buyer personas, start by creating an ideal customer profile. 

Write out a detailed description of the characteristics and traits that define your most valuable customers. 

And because I also understand who my ideal customer is, I know that you are entrepreneurs and busy business leaders and that you don’t have time to sit and pontificate on marketing - so I’ve created a simple Ideal Customer Profile sheet you can download at writebrandmarketing.com/ICP

By developing a detailed and accurate ideal customer profile, you can tailor your emails, social media content, graphics, blogs, videos and customer interactions to better meet the needs and preferences of your most valuable audience. 

The goal of buyer persona profiles are to humanize your target market.

Key components to understanding your customers better includes an understanding of their values and motivations. 

Do you know what values are important to those who hire you? What motivates their decision-making process? Is it status, attention, security? 

What about their pain points? This one’s my favorite because I believe that people buy solutions to their problems. During my client workshops, I take time to help you identify the problems, obstacles, or frustrations your potential clients experience in their journey as a customer. 

For example if you’re a real estate agent, a pain point in selling your home is having to pack up and store things, clean up and show your home. When you’re clear about that pain point, it’s easy for you to create content and communicate that you have a simple solution to ease the stress of packing and selling.

A final point to consider when creating your buyer personas is to take some time to reflect on your potential customer’s communication preferences. How do they want to hear from you? Email, social media, in - person? If your ideal customer is never on email but loves spending time on tik-tok then meet them there.

Finally, I’d invite you to think about buyer buying patterns: 

• How does your typical client buy the service you sell? 
• What’s the buying journey they go on? Meaning, the process they go through as they discover, evaluate, and purchase a service like yours? 

How can you research the process, and decision-making criteria of your ideal client? Ask them? Use social listening. Go onto sites like quora, answer the public, or even join facebook groups where you customers hang out.

Equally important is to consider any potential objections that would keep your potential clients from engaging and paying for your services. I’m a strong advocate for creating content that not only answers those objections but serves to help them overcome it.

When you know the answer to these questions, it guides your marketing message and the positioning your services hold in the mind of your potential customers.

A detailed and spot-on ideal customer profile allows you to make customer interactions more on point with what your audience loves. It sets the stage for super-effective and laser-focused marketing that hits to the heart of solving the problems your customers need solutions too.
Thanks for joining me today. If you’d like to schedule a messaging workshop to get clear about your ideal customer, their problems and position your services as the solution, schedule a call with me at writebrandmarketing.com

I’m Ali Garbero, Copywriting is what I do, Content Marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.

Why do we buy the things we do? Why is it that some brands speak to our heart deeper than others? Did you know there's a physchology behind the things we want that help drive buying decisions?

On this episode of The High Performance Marketing podcast I'll help you understand the psychology of consumer behavior and the role it plays in successful marketing strategies. I'll let you in on insights about your brand, and how brand archetypes are a powerful tool for helping you hit to the heart of the core desires of your ideal customer.

Transcript 

Why do you buy the things you do? Why and when and from who? I want you to take a moment and think about the last purchase you made. And not because it was something you needed like gas or groceries, but something you spend discretionary income on - or even non-discretionary income on - something you possibly put on a credit card. Why did you buy that thing? What emotions did the item or brand make you feel to drive the decision.

On today’s episode of the podcast I’ll take you down the journey of a topic that serves as the cornerstone of successful marketing strategies – the captivating world of the psychology of consumer behavior. 

Let me give you a personal example thi very thing by sharing an experience of this exact behavior in my own life. It’s an experience I haven’t forgotten in the years since it happened.

About 2 or three years ago I was attending a marketing summit. 

The event was held at the 21c Museum Hotel in Nashville. The venue was kinda cool and had a small museum inside of it. I stopped in one day during the breaks to look around and came across a pair of red glasses. But not just any pair of red glasses. There was something very bold and different about the design of these glasses. 

My hope and prayer was that they would cost somewhere in the range of $75-$95 dollars. Ha, yeah right. Of course I leaned in and the price of the frames was $300.00.

As someone who didn’t need glasses at the time, this was a very steep price for frames I’d use for fashion only.  So I talked myself out of what I deemed such a ridiculous purchase. But for the next two days I’d walk by the museum store and I couldn’t stop thinking about these glasses. 

So you know these frames were made by Francis Klein. And if you’re like me and had never heard of Francis Klein, he’s a snazzy French designer, which means the glasses were also made in France. Creating something unique.

But, why were these glasses invading my dreams? After a few days I just couldn’t take it anymore and I forked over the $300 for the frames.

Alright, so why would I, a very vanilla, conservative, pastel color loving kinda person fork over $300 for glasses she didn’t need?

I’ll tell you why. 

As a writer, I’m also a reader. I love learning, I love knowledge and there was something very deep within me that felt that wearing these glasses would make me everything I want to be. Bold, declarative, assuming!!! And for a reader, writer, scholar type, nothing screams you are a knowledge geek more than a bold pair of glasses. These glasses would never go unnoticed as just any pair of glasses. When wearing them, they would tell the world I was a woman who valued knowledge dog gone it!

And there you have it. The psychology of human behavior. Hitting to the core of human desires. And this is where I want to help you understand brand archetypes and how understanding what they are can help drive sometimes even the most irrational purchases. Not because I want you to sell things to people that they don’t need, but rather, to sell them the things they already want, but are looking for permission to buy.

Because ultimately, when we talk about consumer behavior, we're essentially taking a deep dive into the psychology behind buying decisions. 

• Why do people choose one product or service over another? 
• What influences their choices, and how can you, as a small business owner, leverage this knowledge?

Well did you know that your brand has a personality style and structure to it? Just like humans have personality styles, so do brands. And understanding your brand archetype is powerful for connecting it to the core human desires of your target audience. You might remember that in the Story brand 7 part framework that I’ve shared with you before, every great story starts with a character who wants something. But something is getting in the way of their getting it. In business marketing our customers are the character in the story and when we agitate the desires of our customers they enter into the story our brand is telling.

Think about why you would buy a Harley Motorcycle or a North Face coat? A Harley wakes up the inner rebel, the breaker of the status quo. The north face appeals to people who don’t want limits, they want to explore the world and keep their options open. They’re saying “hey don’t fence me in ok.” Brand archetypes appeal to core human emotions within each of us. 

The brand archetype is a framework that builds emotive brands. Brands that wake people up and get them to feel things. Basically while all brands are businesses that we have a transactional relationship with (we give them our money in exchange for something), for some brands, we feel connection, loyalty and in some cases love.

And the most loved brands connect with their audience on a deeper level capturing your heart. It’s why we love some brands more than others. And because humans are all different, so are our desires. Your core desire might be innovation, while mine might be freedom and mastery. Which is why some brands appeal to us more than others. And ultimately why we give our hard earned dollars to those brands.

As a business owner, you’re navigating the dynamic landscape of commerce, and understanding what makes your customers buy isn’t just a beneficial nice to have.  Archetypes provide a missing link between customer motivation and sales.

When you understand the subtle intricacies and powerful drivers that influence the choices your customers make, you are better equipped to connect with your audience on a deeper level.  To learn more about brand archetypes, I’d highly recommend you read The Hero and The Outlaw by Margaret Mark and Carol S. Pearson. Such a great book! As a marketer, it’s been a game change in how I view companies and brands.

Next, consumer psychology examines your potential customers' perceptions, beliefs, feelings and thoughts and considers all of them when examining purchasing behavior. 

Which is why I want to think through the concept of emotional triggers. Have you ever wondered why medical researchers set up control groups to guard against the placebo effect? 

Because a person's condition can improve simply because a patient believes in the pill or the doctor. Researchers therefore need to ensure that it’s actually the drug they’re testing that’s really causing the cure. 

In business, our service can have a positive effect on our clients. For example, people buy home alarm systems every day because once they do, they believe their home is now a fortress. Impenetrable from danger. As an entrepreneur or small business owner, how does your product or service use marketing the same way as using the placebo effect?

And again, I’m not saying sell something that doesn’t exist or truly impact your clients lives. I’d never recommend duplicity or manipulation. But rather that you can leverage the power of belief not only to sell your services, but to help people and to command brand loyalty. When people believe my copywriting and marketing services can help them increase revenue they are more likely to work with me. Is that deceitful? Not at all. I’ve got proven data from past clients who have implemented email marketing and landed deals they might not have done so otherwise. Or who’ve had me rewrite their website and turn it into a lead generation machine.

For consumers, the most important role of emotion is that it pushes them to take action. 

Ok, by now you’re starting to understand that emotions play a significant role in purchasing decisions.  And at this point you might be wondering, “ok great Ali, but how do I figure out what those emotions are exactly?” Well put yourself in the shoes of your ideal client. 

What upsets them, what inspires them, what makes them go “ooooo, I gotta have that, I need that?” Who do your clients become on the other side of paying for your services? For me and the red Francis Klein glasses, I went from quiet and tame to bold and declarative! The glasses appealed to my desire for freedom, to break free from boring. Once you understand their feelings your marketing message can evoke emotions that resonate with your target audience. 

Think about Apple, just to start their logo alone leans into the first rebellious act in the Garden of Eden. Apple's marketing message isn’t “hey our computers have 120 gigs of ram. They say “we make computers for the dreamers, those willing to be different!” They inspire and evoke desire in creators and innovators, disruptors who aren’t ok with the status quo.

Another critical component of consumer behavior is trust. As I’ve shared with you before, I attended an event where Davis Smith the CEO of Cotopaxi presented on their missions and purpose in the marketplace and that I’ve never forgotten his statement about the fact that every business transaction begins with trust.

You’ve also heard it said that people want to do business with those they know, like and trust. So customers are more likely to pay for your services when they trust you. So offering transparency, authenticity, and reliability are key elements here. 

How do you increase trust with consumers? Share your brand story, showcase customer testimonials, and let your audience see the human side of your business. This not only builds trust but also strengthens the emotional connection between your brand and your customers.

And speaking of authenticity, don't forget the power of social proof. Positive reviews, ratings, and user-generated content can significantly influence potential customers. So encourage satisfied customers to share their experiences and testimonials, both online and offline.

Next, let’s dive into advertising. If you’re investing your hard earned marketing dollars on advertising, make sure your advertising meeting the needs and desires of your audience. 

It’s no surprise that advertising is an effective marketing tool that influences consumer behavior by attracting attention, shaping perceptions, and influencing purchase decisions. Some of the best kind of advertisement is called interactive advertisements.

This style of advertising is a type of advertising that encourages consumers to engage and interact with an ad.

It becomes a two-way conversation between marketers and their audiences. 

One popular example was done by Volkswagen. The German car company has always been known for creativity in advertising, even from its earliest days. 

So, it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that they’d be a brand to really embrace this kind of advertising. I want to explain it with a real life example so you understand how you can leverage it too.

Basically Volkswagen created an ad, inside a conventional magazine, and asked readers to download an app and take their phone for a test drive along a ‘road’ fold out in in the magazine. It was a pretty cool concept actually.

Another example was done by Verizon Wireless. You well know that the Star Wars movie franchise is one of the most popular in the world. So, it was a savvy move by Verizon to partner with the Star Wars franchise to create a truly interactive Twitter (or X) campaign.

Using the hashtags #TheForceAwakens and #TheoryWars, users were encouraged to submit their own theory in order to get a chance to win tickets to their newest movie. One example was when a user submitted a theory that Hans Solo had been a Jedi the whole time and didn’t know it. Now why I share this, again is because sometimes you’re putting money into advertising that is stagnant, you talking to your audience. Interactive advertising allows you to have an impact on the feelings of your customers.

When you understand consumer psychology you can design effective advertising campaigns that shape consumer perceptions, attitudes, and purchase decisions through a variety of human senses.  So if you’re spending money on ads that aren’t sticking, you might want to rethink your strategy using some of the things I just shared with you.

Finally, let's touch on brand consistency. Your business and brand are more than just a logo – it's the entire experience you provide. Consistency in messaging, visuals, and tone across all your marketing channels helps build a recognizable and trustworthy brand.  Marketing is an exercise in memorization to consistency breeds familiarity, and familiarity builds trust (which we’ve already mentioned is needed if we hope to influence consumer behavior.

See, the human brain loves patterns and familiar things. By consistently showcasing your brand in a way that connects with your values and appeals to your intended audience, you're creating a positive and lasting impression.

Alright, well there you have it, now that I’ve given you a glimpse into the fascinating world of consumer psychology, you are better equipped to understand  the drivers behind purchasing decisions. 

Three key takeaways from today’s show is to

First understand the core human desire that your business and brand inspire or increase in the heart of your ideal client. If you’re a business coach your services might inspire mastery! If you’re a graphic designer your services might inspire magic. If I can just believe in beautiful design then your design reassures me that it’s possible for my business to grow and become a global brand. 

Second, know why people buy your products or services. Ask your past clients what problems your services solve for them so that you can write advertising, emails, or social media content that evokes the emotions of the before and after state.

And third, don’t waste your hard earned dollars on weak advertising. Create interactive advertising or campaigns that dig deep into the core human desires I mentioned through the brand archetype process.

Alright then, I'm cheering you on this week.

If you’ve been watching the news lately you’ve noticed that some big name, well known brands have either forgotten who their target audience is, struggled to connect with new ones or tried to reinvent themselves to appeal to completely different market segments. Bud Light, Target, and Disney are just a few that may come to mind.

I think what we learn or take away from these brands, is that, hey, even companies with massively talented marketing minds can get it wrong when it comes to communicating their marketing message to the right people. And the right people are usually referred to as your ideal client, target audience or customer.

I think much of this is because these companies have forgotten who keeps them in business - or  they’re trying to hard to appeal to as many people as possible with mass marketing, instead of tailored and customized communication.

On today’s episode of the Podcast let’s tackle the topic of mastering the art of marketing to our ideal client. —So that you attract more customers, avoid alienating the right ones, and do your best to steer clear of getting too ambitious and trying to cast too wide a net.

First, let’s start with the obvious and what you’ve probably heard a thousand times. Business marketing begins with knowing who your ideal client is. 

But before you think I’m going to lead you down the path of asking you to think of your ideal customer by way of their age, income, where they live, what social platforms they hang out on, and other statistical types of demographics. Instead, you know I’m going to recommend we use the Story Brand 7-part framework, which teaches us to see our customers by way of transformation. And what I mean by that is taking some time to understand how your product or service helps your customers change, improve or become the hero of their story. 

For example, let's think of a financial planner - a financial planner helps their customers undergo a transformation by taking people from financially unstable futures to confident wealth builders, men and women who invest their money wisely.

Another example is a real estate agent - who takes renters from renters to owning a part of the American dream, or helping current homeowners who no longer love their home, live in their dream one and living like the Joneses.

Taking  some time and write down who or what your product or service is helping them become is important. Because it digs deep into their aspirational identity. I talk about Tony Horton and P90x a lot. He was helping me become a fitter version of myself. Because what I wanted was ripped muscles, not necessarily a bunch of exercise videos.

Some of you might have really niche clients. You might say my ideal client is age 65, has 3 adult children, lives in Connecticut, earns $350,000 a year. Those are good stats to know, but more important is knowing why your client hires you. Is it because you are the person they trust to confidently help them grow their net worth so they become millionaires or billionaires. Those wants are aspirational and when you talk about them, customers pay attention. You can market to your ideal client by always talking about what they want, agitate their desires so your marketing message hits right to the core of what they want most.

Once you have an idea about what your clients really want from your product or service, it’s important to revisit these ideas at least once a year. 

I recommend that you go back and look at your sales and marketing numbers. As you wrap up each year, take some time to look back and reflect where did most of your business come from and what did those customers have in common? What marketing helped you attract their attention most? If you’re even more on top of your game, do this once a quarter. This way you can shift your marketing message quickly if you feel like it’s not hitting home.

For example, coming back to the financial planner. A client may have started investing early when they had young children and all they really needed was life insurance. But as their children grow, they’re thinking about college and other death and living benefits. They’re also probably earning more and may have more to invest. For the real estate agent, your first time home buyer, initially may have wanted to stop renting. They wanted to become a part of the American dream, but now over time, having owned a home for a few years, they know more and want more out of their home. They want their forever home. Which means your marketing has to adapt to those core needs and wants. Failing to keep up with the pace of change can create a disconnect between your business, your marketing and your ideal client.

Next, let’s talk about your brand values. You should hopefully be working to continuously build an emotional connection with your company and brand.  I understand we need to sell things, and that can cause us to focus more on selling products or services instead of building meaningful relationships. But more than ever, modern consumers want to invest in products or services that align with their societal and sometimes even moral values.

They want to feel like the products they buy represent what they believe and stand for.

Take time to identify and share your core values. These values should align with the aspirations, beliefs, and desires of your target audience. So for example, I sell marketing services, right? I spend time helping my clients understand and implement effective websites, email marketing, social media and more. Some of my core values include a deep respect for the sacrifice every small business owner makes to run their own business. It’s scary and sometimes risky to invest in yourself. And I have a big heart for small business owners and I value helping them grow, because I know that as they grow, the fuel the American economy. As the daughter of an immigrant I value a country that gives its people the opportunity to build and create things. When I share this with my clients, we meet on common ground in our desire to grow their small business.

Now be advised, sharing your values may mean you attract more people with those kinds of values —-which I believe is a good thing - but for some of you, you may feel that’s too narrowing. 

One way it’s helped me is to weed out clients who want things done cheaply. I value quality and time. So my prices aren’t the most expensive, but they aren’t the cheapest either. Many people believe they can just hire someone on Fiver, or their cousin can help them write their website. I don’t judge anyone for that, but I value quality work and I stand by my values to deliver it, as well as the value of time for both myself and my clients. I’m clear about those things, I  communicate them so that I actively attract clients who want those same things.

Now, let me share something that personally annoys the life out of me. And that’s generic messaging, and a lack of personalization. It’s one way we can fall short of connecting with our ideal customer. Generic marketing feels so impersonal to me and let me explain what I mean by talking about ways you can avoid doing it.

The content you create, and your marketing message - from your social media graphics, to your website or emails should speak the way you would to a friend you know well. 

Let’s say you have a friend named Jane. You would know things about Jane’s marital status most likely, or who she’s dating, or things about her kids, or her employment, about the car she drives, and the hobbies she enjoys. So when you speak to Jane, you’d ask her something like “Hey Jane, how’s that book you were reading?” You wouldn’t say Hey friend, Hey Mrs Smith. You’d use the one word in marketing that will always capture attention and that’s your client’s name!!

When you create marketing content, make it sound conversational as though you’re speaking to Jane, and not to a sea of prospects or leads. With phrases like “hey everyone.”

One example is the Hey Friend greeting. I know that Amy Porterfield, loves to send out emails addressed as Hey Friend. I can’t even tell you how much I hate that. I’m not bashing on Amy - that’s her style and she clearly knows what she’s doing. But you would never call your friend Jane up and say “Hey friend.” You’d just be like “Hey or Hi Jane.” When your communication feels genuine and real, it cuts to your customers heart.

Also be authentic in your story telling. Share things about your brand, your company, your product that most people wouldn’t share. Where were you the moment this product or service burned in your heart? What experience did you live through that made you want to do what you’re doing today.  For example, I attended a Christy Wright event, (she was a Dave Ramsey personality) here in the Salt Lake City area, when the last speaker at her event was Donald Miller. He spoke about the framework of story and it changed my career and my life. It took me back to my days of being a talented writer. Of those moments I’d spend hours in my high school computer lab writing, where hours turned into minutes. In that moment, I knew I wanted to use my close to 15 years in corporate business to help the little guy. The small business owner who risks everything to make their dreams come true. To help grow the American economy. Share those stories because they humanize your brand and they build connection with your target audience.

I also recommend that you engage and listen to what your ideal clients are saying on social media, facebook groups, forums, and events. This allows you to actively listen to their feedback, concerns and suggestions. And then help create solutions to address them. 

For example, let's say you’re a real estate agent, and you’re hearing that renters are frustrated with high rents or costly home prices, you can show empathy and make them aware of mortgage buy downs and seller credits that help alleviate these issues. This helps show that you’re paying attention. It also helps position you as a trusted brand, as well as create brand loyalty.

Now let me come back to not just how to understand your ideal client but why it’s important you do. When you intimately know the people you serve, the people who love your product or service, you are empowered with the ability to create targeted marketing instead of marketing to everyone and marketing to no one.

Custom tailor your marketing efforts to reach your people. Knowing your ideal client helps you allocate your resources more efficiently. Whether that’s your marketing budget or the workforce you hire to help you, or even the technology stack that you invest in.

Instead of trying to spread yourself thin with mass marketing where you’re attempting to appeal to as many people as possible, you can dominate your market with a narrow focus.

The benefits of a narrow focus or selecting a niche, whether that’s a client niche or a product or service niche, makes it a million times easier for you to market to your ideal client. Niching down can feel scary. You worry if you’ll miss out on more potential clients if you do. But niching down has also been proven to help you increase your authority, so that you are seen as the expert in your field as well as allowing you to develop products or services that cater to that specific market need, which gives you a competitive advantage too.

Something that is an often overlooked need that can help you master the art of marketing to your ideal client is market research. Market research doesn’t have to be tremendously pricy.

A simple way to do this is to use affordable survey tools like Survey Monkey or Typeform. Now you’re probably thinking, well great Ali, what questions should I ask? Well, I’d say start with thinking about the questions you really want answers to, and then asking about how you can offer better service. Other ideas include asking things like:

• Kindly share a few things we could do better?
• How does our product/service make you feel? 
• How satisfied are you with the purchase experience? 
• Do you identify as a loyal customer of our brand? Why or why not?

I’d also say don’t overlook doing some research on your competitors. Look at their websites, social profiles, if they’ve got facebook groups, join them - maybe even download some of their free resources or paid ones - and enter their email funnels to see how they communicate with new leads. I’m not saying plagiarize or rip anything off, just identify gaps or opportunities that can set you apart. 

Hopefully what you’ve taken away today is that understanding your ideal client and marketing to them isn’t just about knowing their key demographics. Knowing your ideal client means walking in their shoes often, seeing your product or service from their eyes and that means crafting a marketing message that helps you gain their trust and loyalty. 

If you’re just starting out and have no idea who your perfect client is yet, or what marketing approach to take, I recommend reading the Book Building a Story Brand, taking the online course, or scheduling a call with me at writebrandmarketing.com for a Brand Messaging Workshop.  Thanks for joining me today. I’m Ali Garbero, copywriting is what I do, content marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.

Get your FREE Membership Success Roadmap

Register for the FREE LIVE Mid-Year Power Hour Workshop.

Welcome To the High-Performance Marketing podcast, a show focused on helping small business owners connect with their ideal customers using simple marketing and quality content. I'm your Marketing Guide, Ali Garbero.

Remember in jr high or high school? When you joined the chess or photography club. As cheesy as it sounds, I joined the nature study club in the 8th grade when I lived in the bay area of San Francisco. Saturday’s we’d head over the golden gate bridge to Marin county and hike some of the best trails. I ended up making some really great friends in that group, and hanging out with those kids on weekdays after school. 

Clubs were a great way to spend more time doing things you liked with people who liked the same things as you. In the business world clubs look like BNI groups, masterminds and membership groups. 

For entrepreneurs and business owners who often find themselves wearing the hat of teacher and coach, membership businesses provide recurring revenue opportunities and a chance to create a place where you can lead the conversation and help bring like minded people together. Preferably those who are also your ideal or target client.

A membership business is a subscription service that charges a recurring fee for access to exclusive services, original and curated content, and a great community.

It's where your members form relationships, receive and give support, and much like my 8th grade nature study club, a place where they'll build connections and make friends. 

But starting a community from scratch can feel confusing - and can quickly become overwhelming if you don’t do it correctly.

On today’s episode of the podcast I’ve got guest, Tabitha Crocker, on the show. She’s a Membership Coach and founder of Present Profitable Mom. Tabitha is passionate about empowering entrepreneurs to design, build, and scale thriving memberships for sustainable, scalable recurring revenue doing work you love. 

Listen in to my conversation with Tabitha Crocker.

<<< INTERVIEW NOT TRANSCRIBED>>

Alright well my three key takeaways from my conversation with Tabitha today were:

First the benefits of allowing you to coach one to many. A membership helps you overcome limitations of time and distance and reach more people simultaneously..

Next, the need for having a solid onboarding process so people feel welcomed and excited to join your community. And finally the importance of having a framework for the transformation you’re going to help people with. 

People buy solutions to their problems because they have things they want or dream of. If your program can show them how to overcome what’s getting in their way, if you continue to deliver high quality content and create a community of great people your members will keep coming back.

Ultimately a membership can help you leverage your time, reach more people and make a big impact for your business by way of consistent and recurring revenue.

Tabitha is hosting a free mid-year power hour workshop next wednesday July 19th from 9-10am Eastern where she'll help you reflect on what’s worked in your business so far this year, what hasn’t, and how a membership can help you achieve your personal, family, and business goals for 2023.

I’ll include the link to where you can register for that. 

If you’d like some help putting together a digital course together or need someone to help you write and create content for your membership community schedule a call with me today at writebrandmarketing.com

Thanks for joining me today. I’m Ali Garbero, copywriting is what I do, content marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.

Show References: Increase Your Impact Podcast - Justin Su'a

Angela Duckworth Grit Book

Transcript

Welcome To the High-Performance Marketing Podcast, a show committed to helping small business owners connect with their ideal customers using simple marketing and quality content. I'm your Host and Marketing Guide, Ali Garbero.

 I was on a call today with some great marketing minds talking about using more video in our sales process. As the discussion went on, the facilitator of the call shared a comment that stuck out to me. “The video that is made with the imperfect background is better than the one that’s never made.”

Many of you, including myself, have experienced moments when you hesitated to take action or pursue your goals because you felt the need to wait until everything was perfect. 

Striving for perfection can often hinder your progress and lead to taking no action at all and that’s when dissatisfaction continues to build up. 

So on today’s episode of the podcast, I’m going to run you through how choosing perfection over progress is is costing you.

First, let’s think about why we tend to chase perfection at all and why it's important to shift our focus if we’re ever going to push through it. 

The desire for perfection is deeply rooted in our fear of failure and judgment. We often believe that if we can achieve perfection, we will be immune to criticism or disappointment. However, the truth is that perfection doesn’t exist. Making it an elusive and unattainable goal. During a discussion last week with a client, I explained that I often have a second copywriter look over my work and that’s because I’m always a work in progress. I know that a second set of eyes from someone who’s been doing this much longer than I have, helps me keep improving.

So by shifting our focus to progress, we allow ourselves the freedom to learn, grow, and adapt. Justin Su’a the host of “The Increase Your Impact Podcast” and a mental performance coach to elite athlete always says that little by little, a little becomes a lot. And I’ve tried to keep that mindset with me whenever I’m working on a new goal.

See progress, even really slow progress, acknowledges that setbacks and mistakes are a natural part of the journey and that learning from them is important if we hope to keep getting better.

I also believe that no decision is a decision. Sometimes we have a big goal and we want to act on it, but allow fear to take over, or we allow not having the right equipment, the right education, enough time, enough money, insert the various roadblocks we set out for ourselves and now you don’t act - and decided to take no action, is a decision in itself.

Next, let’s talk about approaching challenges with a growth mindset. Angela Duckworth’s book speaks into this concept. She shares that any effort you make ultimately counts twice toward your goal. And that’s inspiring isn’t it.

I’ve been working on dropping a few lbs. Due to the weight that I gained during 2020 and 2021. It’s been a lot of working through small habits one day at a time that have led to experiencing wins. For example, I’d stopped running. And was doing a lot of walking. Having set a new goal for myself to run again, and participate in a 5K in July, I’ve had to start building my conditioning again. It’s been rather difficult but I’m grateful for my coach who has helped me work on making progress by adding one or two minutes here to my running plan over the course of many weeks.

Setting realistic expectations and celebrating small wins along the way matters because it adds to the momentum you’re building. My nutrition and fitness coach asks me to send her three daily wins each night - and it absolutely contributes to my confidence and my abilities. Celebrating these small victories is a powerful motivator. 

If you apply this to your own business, think about where you started and how far you’ve come. Now if you’re brand new in your business, think about the fact that you started. Consider how long this business sat as a dream and now here you are acting on it. I’ve shared a personal example with you before that when I first started this podcast and many episodes in, two things happened. One I spoke really slowly. My energy was calm and I feel like I sounded like that old Ferris Bueller teacher. Bueller … Bueller. Also the sound to my show was terrible! I had a podcast mic and I thought I was recording just great. It wasn’t until about 2 or 3 months ago that a friend who specializes in sound told me “Ali, your content is great but your sound is horrible.” I’m so grateful he brought this up to me.” He taught me what sound products to invest in and wow, the quality of the show has improved. You guys, I literally cringe listening to my earlier episodes. But again, I could have waited until I had everything perfect - and would have wasted over a year of creating meaningful content for real estate agents and business owners.

Let’s talk about timing next. Waiting for the perfect time. If you’re a real estate agent you know you’ve heard that from buyers forever - and have personally witnessed lost opportunities (like rates at 2 and three percent.)

Often, I’ll meet with clients who know they need marketing support. But they hold back and say “well, when I close the next deal, or when I am making enough in sales, then I’ll hire you to build my website and write my emails.” And in the meantime my heart hurts because I wonder, how many new clients are they missing out on as they “wait for the perfect timing.” Years ago I’d work with real estate agents who were stuck on teams they hated. One specific agent would complain over and over again about their team, stating they would leave when the time was right. The time was NEVER right. And so they made the decision to stay…and continued to live unfulfilled on a team that took way too much of their money and emotional energy.

One more example - so years ago an acquaintance of mine sold makeup products. Friends, this woman was not very attractive - and I mean AT ALL. And I truly say that as kindly as I possibly can. She has a golden heart, yet by the world’s standards her appearance wasn’t suited for selling make up. She would hop onto facebook and hold LIVES of herself putting on her makeup. 

Guess what? I watched, over and over again as she showed up consistently. I watched her LIVes and I bought her products. 

So open yourself up to overcoming the fear of judgment by practicing a combination of self-compassion and reframing your perception of what others think. See, most people are too busy worrying about their own imperfections to focus on ours. 

Practicing self-compassion involves treating yourself with kindness and acknowledging your flawed humanity. 

Let's be real: life is messy, mistakes happen, and sometimes, "good enough" is just fine. Choosing progress means focusing on the small wins and celebrating the steps forward, even when they don't lead to the end destination. Taking imperfect action, allows you to make mistakes and learn from them. After all, progress is the real key to success. Take it one step at a time, because as I shared earlier by way of Justin Su’a….little by little, a little becomes a lot.

Thanks for joining me today, I’m Ali Garbero, copywriting is what I do, content marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.

Maybe you're unsure about how to get started or feel like it's not the right platform for you. Then today's episode of the podcast may get you to reconsider. We're beginning super small with the strategy, so there is no overwhelm here.

Key team members can get frustrated with the lack of proper, needed action and leave the organization. 

On this episode of the High Performance Marketing podcast, I'll share insights to help you understand what you can can do to cast an inspiring vision to drive your organization forward, so you show up as a leader who impacts the people around you.

On this episode of The High Performance Marketing Podcast, I'll unpack surprising research (including a 97,000-customer study) that reveals why "delighting customers" isn't the key to keeping them—and what actually is.

You'll learn:

• Why customer service interactions often drive disloyalty, not loyalty

• The one factor that predicts whether a customer will stay—or bounce

• Real-world examples of high-friction vs. frictionless experiences

• Why self-service is more powerful than you think

• How to turn your site, service, or product into a friction-free experience that earns trust and retention

If you're building a business around long-term customers, this episode will serve as a blueprint for making every interaction easier, faster, and loyalty-worthy.

Research notes: The Effortless Experience: Conquering the New Battleground for Customer Loyalty

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On today’s episode of The High Performance Marketing Podcast, I’ll teach you how to bridge the gap between ‘interested’ and ‘ready to buy prospects’—by using story based marketing to help people quickly understand what you do, the pain points you solve and why they have to absolutely choose to work with you - instead of your competition.

On today’s episode of the podcast, I'm diving in on content for founders—how and why to do it (psst…it’s going to get your customers fired up to work with you for starts.)

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to The High Performance Marketing Podcast, a show for business owners who want to create meaningful customer connections, using simple marketing and quality content. I’m your marketing guide, Ali Garbero. 

Earlier this month I was speaking to a potential client. She runs a growing medical practice and like many business owners - she does much of her own marketing. When I asked about why she was reaching out my way now, she shared that she wanted to create a consistent flow of incoming patients and was aware that she needed support to grow the business but she felt hesitant about investing in marketing.

During our conversation, she said: “I've always thought that marketing is too expensive for a smaller business like mine. I really can't afford to throw money into something that might not bring immediate results." Hey and I get it, when you’re running a business, every dollar matters. 

And this concern is one that many business owners share – the fear of spending money on marketing without a clear understanding of how it impacts their revenue.

On today’s episode of the podcast I’m breaking down the misconception that marketing is an unaffordable luxury and show you how it’s actually the secret sauce for business growth.

To tie up my conversation with this medical practice owner - I invited her to think about marketing from a different perspective. I asked her to visualize marketing like yeast to dough. Without yeast, the dough won't rise, no matter how perfect the other ingredients are. 

I know that’s kind of a cheesy or overly simple way to see it, but it applies the same way to your business. You may have the best product or service but without effective marketing, your business won't grow.

By the end of our conversation, this potential client I was on zoom with began to see the potential. We discussed budget-friendly marketing tactics that she could start zoning in on, and I emphasized the importance of tracking her results so she could begin to see a true picture of her return on investment.

Ok, so the question you want answered is: How does marketing really tie back to more customers, more revenue, and more growth? How does marketing make me more money than I spend on it?

To keep things simple, I’m going to share three ways it does.

First, let’s talk about Brand Awareness. A fancy marketing term that means when people recognize and remember your business/brand, they trust you more and are more likely to buy from you than from you competitors. 

Simply put, brand awareness is about creating emotional connections with your customers so you have an influence on their buying decisions, preferences, and willingness to work with your company. 

Strong brand awareness helps drive future sales by making sure that customers know about your services before they even arrive at your website.

However, there's no single way to build brand awareness. Your marketing needs to consider your target audience and the best channels to reach them. Where do your people hang out?

For example, using Tik Tok might boost brand awareness, but if your target audience is on LinkedIn this might not be effective and could even seem inappropriate and vice versa right? 

Of course, It's important to mention that while increasing brand awareness can boost sales, getting people to hire your business is another challenge. Because Ultimately, it's the quality of your services and other aspects of your business that build your brand's reputation. All that to say that Your brand awareness campaigns should always support, not distract from, providing value to your customers.

And can I just give you one terrible example? The other day I was watching a reel. It was for a real estate agent. She implied how tiring it was showing so many homes. She attempt to make this problem, which is a common one for real estate agents funny, that this process is so tiring and tried to course correct by saying - that well, no matter how many homes she has to show you, she will be there for you. Help me understand what value that provides for her buyers and sellers? Of course you will show me as many homes as I want to see. From the customer perspective I wouldn’t expect anything else. You’re my agent after all! So in your efforts to increase brand awareness, please start and end with making it about giving value to your customers, first and always. Instead of using insider humor that only her fellow real estate agents would find funny.

Now, off my tangent, What marketing activities actually build brand awareness? Things like content marketing, social media marketing, SEO, email marketing, and paid advertising. Simply put, great brand awareness marketing makes it so more people know you, trust you, and buy from you. Cha-ching!

Next let’s talk about Strengthening your Market Position. 

What is Market Positioning?

Market positioning is about shaping how consumers see your brand or product and services compared to competitors. The goal is to create a specific image or identity for your brand in the minds of consumers.

For example:

• A Louis Vutton handbag positions itself as a luxury status symbol.

• A fast-food restaurant might position itself as the provider of cheap meals.

• UPS and FedEx position themselves as leaders in delivery compared to the US post office.

Marketing helps your clients see the value or lack thereof in your service. It does so in a few ways. 

1. By Highlighting specific features or benefits of your product.

2. Emphasizing competitive pricing.

3. Focusing on high quality.

4. Showing how your service is better than your competitors'. And this one is kind of overlooked by business owners. You might think well I sell insurance - every insurance agent sells insurance the same way. But that’s not true. You would be assuming “all agents do.” And only you know the true difference between one agent or company over another but if you aren’t communicating that - it’s a missed opportunity.

What marketing activities help with market positioning? Brand messaging or as I refer to it foundational messaging is your hands down winner! Foundational messaging highlights your unique value differentiator and can include slogans, taglines, and key marketing messages. Foundational messaging is so important because it helps you keep your position in the marketplace as the number one solution to solving X problem for your clients. 

And incase you’re thinking, Market positioning oh c’mon Ali - this is fluff.

Well let’s consider one of the greatest examples of a company that has kept its market position among drinks, and that’s cola giant Coca-Cola. Since starting in 1886, Coca-Cola has used consistent marketing to remain a top brand in the beverage industry. They’re known for their memorable ads, catchy slogans, and being everywhere you look. Coca-Cola’s famous logo and constant presence have made it a strong brand that’s hard for competitors to beat. Their ongoing dedication to consistent marketing has helped them remain a leader in the market for over a century.

See, here’s an interesting fact you probably already know. Most of us can’t name more than two or three cola companies. We don’t remember hundreds of auto insurance companies, chiropractors, lawyers, real estate agents, cybersecurity businesses. Like right now, name five laundry detergent brands? Ok what about roofing companies, or mental health counselors?

Coca cola has created such a wide gap and dominated their position in the marketplace and made it very hard for any other brand to lead that space. That’s how great marketing helps you.

You might be thinking, well I’m no coca cola. You’re right, you might not be competing for the attention of billions of people - maybe it’s just your city or state, even if you work nationwide - you’re competing for the attention of dozen, hundreds or maybe thousands of people. And marketing’s job is to help you stay number 1 in the mind of your ideal client when it comes to solving for problem X.

Third, the customer journey. Way too many companies are unsure about HOW customers and clients actually happen. When you don’t understand the buying journey, or what actually gets clients through your door, or what gets them to hit the buy now button on your website - how can you create effective marketing solutions or strategies?

The job of marketing is to determine or outline the customer journey and the factors that influence purchasing decisions. This way your company can target its marketing efforts and resources wisely - on the thing that gets more people to work with you. 

When you have a clear understanding of how to attract and keep customers, companies find it easier to measure the success of their campaigns or make data-driven decisions for future growth. When your company tracks Marketing and uses data you do more of what’s working to make you money and less of what’s not. 

The Role of Marketing in Sales Success

I can’t tell you how many times, when times are tough, owners look to cut marketing first. Or they want to grow but are afraid to invest in marketing. Marketing and sales are companions. You can’t have one without the other.

Marketing lays the groundwork for the success of your sales effort, by generating consistent Leads. Those people who are ready to work with you right now. And for those who aren’t ready to work with you just yet, marketing nurtures those people until they are. Nurturing your leads nurtures the relationship. And you’re there when your customers need you.

And the best part is, once you’ve closed business with a client, Post-sale marketing continues to build relationships and encourages repeat business.

But I can’t overemphasize that to fully leverage the sales and marketing connection, you have to align you marketing efforts with the goals of your business, so they both work together toward the common goal.  How do you do that? Define your goals, build a marketing plan, stay consistent with your messaging and regularly monitor and adjust marketing performance against business initiatives.

Marketing is more than an expense, it’s the best investment you can make for  the growth and sustainability of your business. Just like yeast makes the dough rise gradually, effective marketing strategies boost your revenue over time are the rocket ship that grows revenue.

Until next time, I’m cheering you on!

Thanks for joining me today. If you’d like to stop throwing spaghetti at the wall and create a marketing strategy that increases sales, schedule a call with me at writebrandmarketing.com

I’m Ali Garbero, copywriting is what I do, content marketing is what I create, and more customers is what you get.

On this episode of the High Performance Marketing Podcast, - Ali breaks down foundational messaging for you as a blueprint you can use in your business to make sure you’re communicating with the right people the right way so they pay attention and do business with you. She outlines the StoryBrand 7part framework as a way to help you create foundational messaging.

On this episode of the High Performance Marketing podcast, I’m diving deep into the world of lead magnets and email marketing, as ways to give you the power to provide upfront value, and build more effective cold outreach strategies -- so that you can grow a list of higher qualified leads.

Transcript

Years ago I heard a quote that said something to the effect of that we often undervalue the things we’re good at and overvalue the things we’re not. 

And when it comes to the things you know, you might think “well everybody knows that.” And you would be wrong. I was recently visiting my sister who lives in Texas and I noticed her husband was building a playhouse for their daughter, my niece in their backyard from leftover lumber pallets. 

She said the prices of lumber have gone up so much and that these pallets were going unused, so her husband decided to capitalize on the opportunity to use them to build a playhouse. I told her how amazing I think her husband is - and she told me he just shrugs it off as no big deal.

You might be doing the same. But did you know that US creators who have a side hustle selling digital courses might make $5,000 - $25,000 a year and good grief in the case of Amy Porterfield millions per year?

On today’s episode of the podcast let’s talk about how you can turn what you know into an online digital course. And ways it can support your business as an evergreen revenue stream.

First, if you’re not sure what a digital course is - it’s online education that you can offer through a digital platform like Kajabi or Teachable just to name a few. 

These platforms allow you to upload video content as training modules and sell them as online courses. One of the most popular examples is Master Class.  Master class offers a membership program that then gives you access to learning all kinds of skills from professionals. Like:

• Natalie Portman teaches acting
• Judy Blume teaches writing
• Chris Voss teaching you the art of negotiation 

But Master Class and well known celebrities and industry experts aren’t the only ones capitalizing on turning what they know into paid education.

Last year I helped a client in Australia turn his knowledge about investing in commercial real estate into a digital course, another client turned their knowledge as a mortgage broker into a course, and most recently I’ve been working with a CPA to help create a course for bookkeepers and CPAs about how to scale the growth of their business. 

And one past client turned her experience in wedding planning into a digital course on how to plan weddings. She called it the Big Wedding Planning Masterclass which is a great pairing to her podcast The Big Wedding Planning Podcast.

See, we often think the only way to gain a new skill or knowledge is to go back to college. And while that might be true for attorneys or nursing, there are many professions that don’t require medical degrees or passing the bar.

The best part is that adults, children, and, really, people of all ages can learn through a digital course. And as you may have already guessed from the examples I just shared, you can turn any kind of knowledge into a course - it doesn’t just have to be a profession. Do you know how to knit well, or how to repurpose furniture? Yeah there’s a class. And in case you’re thinking, but yeah there’s youtube for that. Digital courses and the kind of content shared on Youtube are different. Youtube is free, it’s small snippets of quality content that leads you into a bigger sales funnel for that youtube creator (maybe it’s joining their coaching program or buying their furniture or hiring them to remodel your house.) In the case of a digital course, you are teaching people how to do something instead of hiring you to do it, but charging them for the years and wisdom it’s taken you to learn it.

Alright, well I can see the lights turning on and maybe you’re thinking - hmm, this is a great idea, I’d never thought about selling my knowledge. Because after all  making that transition from sharing your knowledge for free to charging for it can seem intimidating. And why would you even consider creating a digital course in the first place? Aren’t you busy enough running a business?

Yeah exactly, you’re over here chasing new lead generation strategies, serving clients, trying to keep up with your marketing and now I’m telling you to deviate and create a digital course? How does that play into your big picture scheme of growing a business? 

Well, like I said when I started - a digital course gives you the opportunity to sell your knowledge and turn it into revenue. It’s content you create once that you can sell over and over again. Imagine waking up everyday to new sales for a course you created a year ago, two years ago? 

But a digital course is also extremely valuable because it allows you to reach a 

global audience to share your expertise. It positions you as an expert in something to an audience of people who might already know you, as well as those who haven’t met you yet. You’re also not limited by location or the need to travel. I purchased a course earlier this year from someone in Australia. I’d have never met this person ever, but an ad came across my feed, I bought his book, and eventually bought his course.

Digital courses are a great way to make a meaningful impact while also building your personal brand and making others aware that your business exists.  

So here’s a few things you’ll want to consider if you’re going to go down this path.

First, what do you know well that you can teach? Where have you experienced successful wins? What problems can you help solve with what you know?  

For example, let’s say you’ve been a real estate agent for 10 years, could you create a course for new agents to help them launch their business? What if you’re a graphic designer? Could you create a course for aspiring designers or existing ones who maybe know how to do great design work, but don’t necessarily know how to run a profitable graphic design business?

Once you know what you want to teach and how it solves a problem in the marketplace - you’ve got to determine a before and after state. This will help you sell your course better. Where am I before I take your course and where am I after? In the example of a wedding planner - before I’m over here trying to plan my own wedding with no experience. After your class, I’ve learned everything I need to know about vendors, venues, timelines, and ultimately executing a beautiful wedding for a fraction of the cost of hiring a wedding planner.

Next, you need to outline the key learning points of your course. 

List common pain points your clients encounter to help you create your outline. 

In the example of a wedding planner what are the common pain points of someone planning a wedding? Well how much should I spend on the wedding, where should we have it, when, who should be part of our wedding party? What about invitations and scheduling the honeymoon?

So your course outline might start by creating learning points that include:

• Determining your budget
• Selecting your wedding party
• Finding your venue
• Negotiating with vendors
• And so on.

If you're a real estate agent, are you going to teach new agents how to start their business? Well, what problems do most agents have when they first get started? The biggest one is how do I get clients? 

So you might decide to make lead generation or marketing one of your training modules. And then break it down into learning topics like:

• Where to start with effective real estate marketing
• What are the marketing platforms for real estate agents
• Determining a marketing budget -how much to spend every month
• Creating a content marketing plan and so on.

What I’m saying here is you need to think like a student.

How can you take a big concept like planning your own wedding or investing in your first commercial real estate property and break it into more snackable pieces of content so that the big idea is met with smaller ideas and learning takeaways? What would you need to know as a student to achieve the desired outcome? 

Once you’ve created your outline you’ll want to start outlining your video scripts. You might write each lesson module out word for word or you might just write bullet points that help you stay on track with what you’re teaching. A secret weapon I rely on are slide decks.  Slide decks allow me to present to students in a way that gives them something to look at, and gives me simple cues for remembering what I’m teaching.

You’ll need to decide if all of your video teaching will be you facing the camera directly and speaking for the majority of the videos or if you’ll use voice over content, where you’re displaying your visuals, which means you’re not on camera, you’ve got visuals on the screen, but you’re doing the voice over of the presentation - or you may decide to do a combination of the two. Something like a Loom style video where you’re somewhere in the corner and your visuals are presented on the main screen.

Next, you’ll want to determine the price range of the course? Because if you’re going to charge 8,000 for the course, your content had better deliver on some big promises! If you’re going to charge $297 that’s ok too, you still have to deliver a ton of value, but don’t give away your highest level of knowledge. 

I’d highly recommend doing some research too on what’s already out there that might appear like your competition. Is someone already teaching what you’re reaching and if so how are they doing it and how much are they charging?

You’ll want to leverage an online learning platform like Kajabi. I love Kajabi because you can host the course and sell it (accept payment, build sales pages and other landing pages for the course, all in one place.)

And while I’ve shared some of the big picture needs for creating a digital course, don’t forget to identify your target audience and their needs. Understanding who you're creating the course for will help you tailor your content to meet their specific challenges and goals.

On this episode of the High Performance Marketing podcast I’m going to help you design your holiday campaign by sharing 5 simple ways you can genuinely solve problems this holiday season, offer valuable solutions to your clients, while also helping you reach your annual sales goals this year.

Transcript

 Welcome to The High Performance Marketing Podcast, a show focused on helping entrepreneurs and small business owners connect with their ideal customers using simple marketing and quality content. I'm your Marketing Guide, Ali Garbero.

Over the next week or two, you’re going to start to receive an influx of Black Friday and Cyber Monday emails. They’ll include loads of promotional sales and one-time annual offers. If you haven’t had time to think about your holiday marketing campaign, on today’s episode of the podcast I’m going to help you design your holiday campaign by sharing 5 simple ways you can genuinely solve problems this holiday season, offer valuable solutions to your clients, while also helping you reach your annual sales goals this year.

First, let’s get clear about what a marketing campaign is - just in case there’s anything fuzzy about it.

A marketing campaign is a strategic sequence of activities designed to help you promote (with the intention of course to sell) your services through social media, printed marketing, and email campaigns. Basically, it’s targeted communication and in this case I would add during a set period of time.

Your campaigns should be designed with a goal in mind. Campaign goals are usually things like increasing brand awareness, selling existing services, or even reducing the impact of negative news (in the example of a cybersecurity breach.) Like when my local Target got hacked. Companies that lose sales due to major negative press often use marketing campaigns to rehab their image.

Alright I’m going to break it all down into 5 steps.

The first is to pick a theme. In this case leverage a holiday theme. 

I recommend that you find something catchy that aligns with your services. If you’re a real estate agent your holiday campaign theme might be something like “A new home from Santa.” 

Google used their “Santa Tracker” campaign which in my opinion is adorable. Microsoft used: “Find your joy” and Hinge used “See what we’re thankful for.”

A holiday theme works well this time of year. 

Once you’ve got a theme - you’ll want to create an offer.

Your offer is probably the most important of all five of the steps I’m sharing with you, because your campaign will serve as a north star. Examples of an offer are things like:  when Digital Marketer offers me something like 90% off their certification packages. So you can choose to sell a discount, or maybe you want to sell a prize. One client I work with runs a Gingerbread house contest every year. They invite clients to make gingerbread houses and enter to win fun prizes.  A real estate agent could choose to do a home decorating contest.

My holiday offer for example - which shameless plug is a free seat at the StoryBrand Livestream. The Livestream workshop normally costs about $1,000. I primarily use email and social media to promote the campaign. Of course I don’t just want to say “hey attend the Story Brand workshop.” Going with the holiday theme I decided on  “Share your marketing message with joy.”

Third, once you’re clear about your offer, choose your campaign goals. I want to take a closer look at your goal because you need to determine what a successful campaign looks like.

As with all goals, your goals need to be clear about what you want to achieve. So let’s come back to the real estate example of the decorating your home contest. The goal here might be to grow your email list of homeowners by 100 families. If you’re selling a discount, you might say “ we want to sell 25 new computer repair services with our discount.”

When you define your campaign's goal, you’re better able to determine how much money you want to put behind the campaign. 

So let’s say you’re a real estate agent and you’re putting together a new listing campaign. The goal of your campaign is  to sell the home of course, but your goals should be clearer than just “we’re going to sell the home.” It should outline by when and to who. So if this is a home for senior citizens, first time home buyers, or house hackers your campaign is going to target the ideal buyer and you’ll be clear about how much money you’ll put behind the campaign in order to reach them. 

Also, you’ll want to track your numbers so that when you run the campaign next year, you can make tweaks. 

Fourth, define your target audience. Who will your campaign be speaking to? Not all of your clients are the same. If you’re a home warranty company you might decide your holiday promo campaign is for homeowners only, or you might decide you’re going to target your real estate agents.

If you’re a CPA, you have various customer segments too. Not all of your clients are in the same tax bracket. So you might choose to make an offer to your wealthiest clientele (the ones in the highest tax bracket) or to you business owners who need peer to peer support. It’s always so much easier for your campaigns to land when you know exactly who you’re speaking to.

Finally, outline your promotional plan. This in my opinion is where some of the fun happens. As part of your campaign promo plan you’ll need to create marketing materials like social media graphics, emails, landing pages or printed postcards. Creating holiday themed content allows you some creativity to change things up with your branding for the season.

Imagine, your social media profiles or campaigns all designed in the spirit of Holly and making things merry and bright. Emphasize testimonials about using your services during the holidays.

You might choose to collaborate with your vendors or other businesses to create a big holiday prize. For example a massage therapist might collaborate with a chiropractor or a fitness and wellness center to offer a group discount or experience. You could also choose to host joint events or create cross promotional content that attracts both of your customer audiences.

Ultimately, crafting a well-crafted holiday campaign offers you the opportunity to highlight your creativity, and to switch things up with your marketing so your customers see your business in a warm and festive way – while simultaneously helping you give your sales a boost, helping you ramp up for 2024.

Thanks for joining me today. If you’d like to work together on creating a holiday marketing campaign, it’s not too late, schedule a call with me at writebrandmarketing.com. I’m Ali Garbero, Copywriting is what I do, Content Marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.

let's be real about the less glamorous issues that come with the territory. On this week's episode of the High-Performance Marketing podcast, we're getting into the nitty-gritty of burnout, its effects on your emotional and mental health and how not to feel like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. 

Transcript

Welcome to The High Performance Marketing Podcast, a show focused on helping entrepreneurs and small business owners connect with their ideal customers using simple marketing and quality content. I'm your Marketing Guide, Ali Garbero.

In 2010, I worked a corporate 9-5. At the time I had a young daughter and I remember thinking how magical working from home seemed. I imagined taking care of my little girl, hopping onto my laptop and working while switching loads of laundry. Working from home was a goal I wanted so badly. It just seemed like it was the perfect way to be a parent and add some income to my family. I’ve always been extremely self disciplined and never really needed anyone to manage me, so again I just felt like I could get the job done from anywhere.

In 2013, when I asked my manager to let me work from home, she said no. Because if they did it for me they’d have to do it for everyone else. So I left. Started my own thing and have been in the space of entrepreneurship for 10 years. I didn’t immediately start working from home because I was in a new business and needed to surround myself with an environment of other real estate agents that could teach me how to grow my business.

But in 2020 something changed. Not only did I transition into growing a second business - the one I own now is Write Brand Marketing, a freelance marketing agency. Of course the pandemic happened too. And instead of going into the office for a few hours a day, the way I was accustomed to doing - the world completely shut down. 

Working from home became the normal, and it seemed - finally my dream of wearing sweatpants to work had come true. Over time though, and without realizing it something happened. It didn’t happen all at once though. It came on slowly and has slowly grown into a deep, massive feeling of burnout. 

Burnout appeared in small ways. Ways I brushed off as - oh we moved into a new house and I’m just having a harder time waking up early. Politics is stressful and dark, the world is fighting and deeply divided, sugary foods will cure me. My workouts became sluggish, but the worst of it all - was when I couldn’t sleep anymore.

I’d have a few days  a month, where I’d stay in bed for hours without the ability to fall asleep, and just say “well if I can’t sleep, I might as well get some work done.” I’d work through the night and by 6:30 in the morning, my body finally shut down and I slept for two or three hours.

When I tried to sleep my mind couldn’t shut down. It was racing. It was thinking, analyzing all the moments of the day, the ways I felt like I was falling behind. Telling myself I wasn’t good enough so I just worked harder. My anxiety and depression increased. Which is odd for me, because I’ve never been a depressed person or had any issues with mental health, and yet there I was, feeling like my life had no meaning.

How could it? I had allowed a vision of work from home flexibility to completely overtake my life and drive me into almost complete isolation. There were days I wouldn’t even leave my house. Because I have a gym in my basement, I’d work out, go to bed, wake up and walk across the hall into the room I’ve dedicated into my office.

It wasn’t until recently that I moved into a new office space, that I started sleeping again. Dreaming. You have no idea how glorious sleep and dreaming feel until you’re unable to do it. The separation of work spaces has allowed my body to recognize the difference and to shut down from the busyness of the day.

So today’s episode of the podcast is a simple opinionated rant around burnout. Burnout isn’t just a bad day at the office. It’s a chronic state of physical and emotional exhaustion. And that’s where it hit me the hardest. The toll it took on my mental health and emotional exhaustion was something I’d never experienced.

It also affected my weight. I’ve gained 20lbs since 2020 and up until I realized I was dealing with burnout, I believed it was my hormones, or the effects of aging – I am 46 now - so I kept chalking it up to getting older.

I wanted to spend a few minutes with you to bring this to your attention and make you aware of burnout. It’s real and it’s not just a trendy buzz word. It’s a significant threat to your mental and physical health.

I understand growing a small business is the hardest job we choose. But don’t let it become so hard that it effects your well being. Or the meaningful relationships in your life.

My one piece of advice for avoiding burnout is to work outside of your home a few days a week and to remove as many distractions from your life so that you’re as efficient as possible during your work day.

I’m not saying you can’t have fun, but let yourself focus on the tasks at hand, time block and use a task management system of some kind even if it’s as simple as using a checklist outlining the one thing you must get done to make that day a success.

Your business is a reflection of you. It can’t soar and run the way you dream of, if things with you as the leader are off. 

Take care of yourself and prioritze sleep - your body and mind will thank you.

I’m cheering you on.

Thanks for joining me today. I’m Ali Garbero, Copywriting is what I do, Content Marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.

On this episode of the High-Performance Marketing podcast, I’ll guide you through a discussion on how to use the core concept idea of the Story Brand 7-part framework, to move away from the "about us" concept and instead position your customer as the center focus and hero of your marketing message so you get them to listen and do business with you.

Transcript

Welcome to The High Performance Marketing Podcast, a show focused on helping entrepreneurs and small business owners connect with their ideal customers using simple marketing and quality content. I'm your Marketing Guide, Ali Garbero.

I review the websites of potential customers every week. And probably the most common theme, the central focus of each website I visit - almost always heavily focuses on this “about us” concept. The words on the page are about the business itself, its leadership, its services, the company’s expertise and knowledge of their industry. 

And that’s because for decades, brands have positioned themselves at the center of their marketing efforts focusing solely on the company’s achievements and features. 

If your website looks and sounds the same, I’m here to let you know, it’s costing you customers. 

On today’s episode of the Podcast, I’ll talk you through how to use the core concept idea of the Story Brand 7 part framework, to move away from the about us concept and instead position your customer as the center focus and hero of your marketing message so you get them to listen, take action and do business with you. 

First, let’s start with a challenge. The human brain is pretty busy. It’s trying to do two things and that's to survive and thrive. Any information that falls outside of those two things, will turn into noise and you’ll soon find yourself daydreaming.

For example, if Tony Horton’s P90x infomercials had gone on and on about how his DVD’s were made from carbon polyurethane - or some crazy material, and how they pair up really well with an infrared DVD player - well we’d all have tuned out. What Tony said was - you want ripped muscles (I E - to thrive with a sexy body) then P90x is going to get you those results.

Often, entrepreneurs and business owners want their websites to have paragraphs and paragraphs of long drawn out information because they want their customers to know everything about their company - but again that’s problematic, because all your customers really want, is for you to tell them how your real estate services will make them millionaires, or how your financial planning services will help them retire early.

So this is where story comes in. Story helps the brain make sense of things, and story writing and storytelling involves key elements that turn stories into things we remember and that impact and influence us. 

The first of which is that every great story begins with a protagonist or main character who wants something. What did Daniel want in the Karate Kid? He wanted to know how to defend himself against the Cobra Kai and gain their respect.

Another example: In a movie I recently watched “You before me” which if you haven’t watched it - after listening to this podcast - head over and watch the movie. I absolutely loved it - in this movie - the main character Lou - wants a job so she can help her family financially. 

So there’s always something the character wants, but the next part of story telling includes the obstacle that’s standing in the way of what they want.

In the karate kid, Daniel’s obstacle is getting bullied and it’s hard for him to defend himself. In you before me, Lou can’t seem to find a job she’s suited for. 

The main character of every story begins their journey in one spot and transforms throughout the story into a hero of some kind. Daniel learns karate, and beats the Cobra Kai in the tournament. In me before you, Lou not only gets a job, she wins the heart of her employer.

Now how does this apply to your business? You’ve got to make your customer the hero of the story of your business. 

You’ve got to know what problems they’re up against so you can show them how you help them overcome them.

Tony Horton wasn’t saying - hey everyone I’ve been a trainer for 20 years, look at my muscles, I can do 100 push ups a day. He said, you want great muscles, but you’re busy, you don’t have time to go to the gym and don’t have a lot of room in your house for gym equipment. I’ve got a solution - buy my DVD’s and you too can have a beach body.

Unfortunately, the majority of websites, and other business marketing makes you, the business The Hero.

Imagine flipping the script and placing the customer in the spotlight as the hero of your brand’s story. By doing so, you shift the focus to their needs, desires, and challenges. This narrative approach humanizes your brand and establishes an emotional connection that goes beyond transactional interactions. When customers see themselves as the central figure in your brand's story, they become more invested and engaged.

And that’s because in marketing we have just a few seconds to capture the attention of our ideal audience and if all we talk about is how awesome we are and fail to lean into how we can help our clients survive and thrive in their environment then nothing we’re saying really matters.

So great, now you know you need to make your customer the hero - but how do you do that? 

Well, remember in the Karate Kid, Daniel meets Mr. Miyagi. Mr. Miyagi enters the scene not as a previous karate hero, but as the guide capable of helping solve Daniels’ problem. This is where you come in. In all of your marketing, your business should show up as the guide. The company positioned and capable to solve your customer’s problems in overcoming unwanted obstacles.

Ok so how do you position yourself as the guide, by acknowledging you understand the pain points that your potential customers are up against and that you have solutions.

If you’re a real estate agent, you know that right now interest rates are savage. How can anyone feel like they’ll ever be able to own a home or upgrade to a new one with 7.25 interest rates? If you sell cybersecurity, how do your services help keep hackers from infiltrating critical data. If you’re a pharmacy owner, how does your independent small pharmacy offer a customized and personalized approach compared to a cold, unknown big retailer.

Take some time to write out the problems or obstacles that are preventing your customers from achieving what they desire most. Because when you agitate someone’s problem, it’s easier for you to position yourself as the must have solution.

This is where I want to lean into customer research a bit. I truly believe something we can never do too much of, is to sit in the shoes of our prospective customers. A great way to do that is to conduct legit effective customer research. 

Use a variety of research methods like:

Google, Quora, facebook groups, interviews, surveys, focus groups, social media listening, monitor facebook ads - see what ads your competitors are running, what problems are they professing to solve? 

Look at the analytics of your email or website marketing to learn how customers engage with you across various touch points. 

I understand that this requires some work on your part but these techniques are powerful ways to help you collect direct insights about your customers, so you can uncover their preferences, pain points, and aspirations. 

Next, Showcase the Transformation:

Help your customers understand and see how your services empower them to overcome challenges and achieve their goals. Use real-life success stories, testimonials, and case studies to demonstrate the transformation your brand facilitates. Coming back to Tony Horton, he showed us clips of his videos, where people were getting fit using minimal equipment in very little space.

If you’re a loan officer, show how you helped a new homeowner afford a home even in an environment of 7.25 interest rates. Some examples I use are the emails I’ve written for clients that have generated thousands in sales or helped land them as a guest on their dream podcast. In a world where people think email marketing is dead, these kinds of stories help potential customers see that one email can make all the difference in transforming their business.

In the dynamic landscape of business, where entrepreneurs and small businesses constantly strive to stand out and create a lasting impression, the fundamental shift in perspective that the Customer is the hero will become a key to your marketing success.

Remember, Story always has a character who wants something but that character encounters a problem and that problem is keeping the character from getting what they want. At the peak of their despair, a GUIDE steps into their lives, that helps them avoid failure so they achieve their desired success. 

By casting aside the old traditional notion that your business is the protagonist of your marketing -  and embracing a new narrative: the customer as the hero you will sound like no one else, your customers will pay attention and best of all they’re hire you and do business with you.

Thanks for joining me today. If you’d like to implement The Customer Is The Hero marketing into your business, schedule a call with me at WriteBrandMarketing.com 

I’m Ali Garbero, Copywriting is what I do, Content Marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.

Key takeaways:

• Tap into the creativity and the authenticity of your clients
• Strengthen your brand's impact
• And amplify your marketing reach in a way that traditional marketing methods can't achieve.

Transcript

Welcome to The High Performance Marketing Podcast, a show focused on helping entrepreneurs and small business owners connect with their ideal customers using simple marketing and quality content. I'm your Marketing Guide, Ali Garbero.

Have you ever been browsing social media and you come across a video of some unknown random person showing you their favorite amazon gadget, or displaying their favorite wal mart outfits. Then you’ve participated in what’s known as User Generated Content (UGC.)

(UGC) User generated content is any content—text, videos, images, reviews, etc.—created by people, instead of brands. If you’ve ever participated in leaving a video testimonial for your favorite business, stayed at an air bnb and left a five star review, and posted it to your social channels with hashtag airbnb, then you’ve entered the era of UGC. 

On today’s episode of the podcast we’ll take a look at user-generated content, how it’s transforming the way entrepreneurs and businesses create and use content as part of their overall marketing strategy.

To start, let’s make sure we’re clear about UGC because it can easily be confused with influencer marketing. Influencer Marketing content, while effective, is usually paid and promotional, which can sometimes affect perceived authenticity, right? You’re naturally going to feel different about the authenticity of someone sharing their experience with a product or service if you know they’re getting paid to share it. 

UGC is generally seen as more authentic because it comes directly from product users without incentives to promote the product.

As a business owner, UGC is a powerful way for you to create genuine content that improves your credibility.

Four simple ideas you can use to create user generated content include

• Customer Reviews
• Client testimonials
• Social media posts
• Images - real estate agents know this one well with their client photos at closings.
• @ ing your brand on social media
• Live streams
• YouTube content (personal experience as a collaborator on Alisia’s channel.)
• Blog content + any other kind of content consumers might create and publish online.

To take this concept a little further, let’s think about user generated content on Tiktok. TikTok features products from a specific brand but is created by users instead of brands. The brands can use the content on their social ad campaigns or display it on their social profiles. TikTok UGC can be created through videos, photos, reviews, testimonials, and more. 

Those who watch this content see it as genuine, because again, it’s not the actual brand talking themselves up but their customers. 

To leverage user generated content, you’ll need to shift your thinking and see that customers are no longer passive spectators, watching commercials about your product or service. With the access of social media, your customers are now active participants in creating content that resonates with their peers. Peers who know, like, and trust them when they recommend your lipstick, home warranty company, or CPA services.

This change in customers creating content has sparked an incredible shift in marketing. With the entire planet consuming content on social media, brands and businesses like yours and mine can leverage these channels to showcase our content and reach a wider audience. 

Ok, great so you’re starting to see the value in this style of marketing, but now your next question no doubt is, “Ok well great Ali, how do I actually get customers to create online shareable content for me?”

Your first step should be to make it easy for your customers to share their experiences. Simple ways you can do that are to create branded hashtags, branded IG stickers, run contests, or offer incentives to motivate your brand loyalists to participate. Loyalists, advocates, or fans are your most dedicated customers and they’re typically the group that’s most enthusiastic about your product or service. Since brand loyalists are passionate about praising your brand, this audience segment is the perfect group to reach out to and ask to create specific UGC content. Do make sure however, you have permission to use customer-generated content in your marketing materials. 

Next, Leverage your content across all of your platforms: share videos, reviews, or testimonials on your website, social media channels, and email marketing campaigns. Which does mean you’ll need to keep a close eye on UGC, and respond to comments, and engage with users who contribute. Make sure your clients feel appreciated!

A group of people we tend to overlook as entrepreneurs or business owners are the people who work for or with us. Employees and contractors, or vendors.

Employee-generated content (EGC) is a great way to show the value and story behind your product or service. For example, photos of employees behind the scenes or a video of your team talking about why they love working with you is content that works across social and ads to showcase authenticity.

You may also hire someone part time to create sponsored content that looks like it’s authentic but is designed to showcase your business. This kind of creator isn’t the traditional organic style of content we’ve been focusing on but it mimics this style of marketing.

Ok so I’ve mentioned a few reasons about why this kind of content is important for your business, but let me outline a few others. 

UGC requires authenticity so it helps you increase customer attention in a crowded online space. People are more likely to watch, listen to, and take the advice of others like themselves. When users create content for you they do so from a customer-centric perspective. 

Do you remember Gopro? They create video equipment. And years ago, a neighbor of mine started sharing videos of himself doing extreme sports and other things using his Gopro camera. I literally came to associate him with Gopro and so when I needed a camera I automatically trusted that Gopro was the camera I needed, because I’d watched him create really great content for years with his camera.

Well GoPro does an interesting thing…they literally support their YouTube channel with a video contest their customers enter trying to rank in the top three best videos. Over the years those video submissions have received over 400 million views combined. That’s literally so crazy to think about. Gopro could have paid influencers or celebrities, but instead their customers created the content and GoPro never had to produce a thing. They give their customers a platform to showcase adventure and their creativity.

So coming back to my neighbor who first introduced me to GoPro - because I knew he used and trusted the brand, so did I. 

When your customers show and tell other potential customers about you, the barrier to working with your company is much lower. The point I’m getting to here is that consumers tend to naturally trust content created by customers more than content created by brands.

Network marketing companies understand this concept because instead of selling their products or services on the shelf, they solicit independent salespeople to tell you about the product.

Finally, I’d strongly recommend that you be clear about what kind of content you’re looking for. Most people are happy to support you. They’re already creating content anyway and doing so to share an opinion or story about working with your product or service, and the idea of getting spotlighted by your company can become really fun. UGC creators want you to share their content. Which means they want you to tell them what kind of content you’re most likely to share.

An interesting statistic I had to include and share with you is that only 16% of companies and brands offer clear guidelines on what kind of user-generated content they want fans or brand loyalists to create and share, but more than half of consumers want brands to tell them exactly what to do. So err on the side of sharing specifics to make it easy for people to share content that helps you reach your business goals. 

Which leads me to saying, don’t forget to be strategic with the kind of content you want created. Make sure you align it with the goals of your business goals. For example, I was recently speaking with a client of mine and she mentioned wanting video testimonials when she helps her clients buy or sell a home. These videos are phenomenal and genuine content she can share on social media, her website, her google my business page - lots of options to create opportunities that help her get more clients of home buyers and sellers.

Incorporating UGC across all stages of the buying  journey helps you UGC build trust and credibility, it’s free, and it’s a great way to diversify your marketing and content strategy.

Thanks for joining me today. If you’d like to spend some time creating an executable plan for user generated content, schedule a call with me at writebrandmarketing.com I’m Ali Garbero, Copywriting is what I do, Content Marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.

On this episode of the High Performance Marketing Podcast I'll identify the difference between the two so you can leverage both to their fullest potential, increase revenue and make the most out of every dollar you invest in each.

Transcript

Welcome to The High Performance Marketing Podcast, a show focused on helping entrepreneurs and small business owners connect with their ideal customers using simple marketing and quality content. I'm your Marketing Guide, Ali Garbero.

What if I told you that something that’s costing you money is the confusion between marketing and branding. 

For some reason, somewhere in the realm of insider language, branding and marketing became two terms that are often used interchangeably. But branding and marketing are two completely different things and more importantly they have very different purposes in business.

On today’s episode of the podcast I’ll dive into what Branding is, what Marketing is and how they make your business money so that you make sure to enlist your marketing dollars on what will get you the quickest return on your investment.

Let’s begin with branding.

First, I don’t blame you if  you’re confused on the difference between branding and marketing and if you’ve focused more on branding. The reason entrepreneurs and business owners start with branding - is because when we’re first getting our businesses off the ground, we know we need a digital and online presence, so we create a website so that people can find us. 

Which means we turn to the branding and design elements that include all the fun like picking pretty fonts and fun colors or designing a logo. 

Branding: The Heart and Soul of Your Business

At its core, branding represents the personality and identity of your company.  So let’s talk about that first. 

Branding encompasses the values, mission, unique character, and overall the perception that clients and potential customers associate with your business. Now, what do I mean by this? How do we put this into context with real life examples?

Well, all successful businesses have a core personality that makes up the soul of the brand. For example, at Dyson, it's efficiency. At Disney, it's magic. If I were to mention Dwayne the Rock Johnson, you would say it’s hard work and hustle, right? 

During my brand messaging workshops one of the questions I always like to ask near the end of the workshops to help with this question is “if your brand was a celebrity, who would it be?” For some reason that question seems to help spark ideas around your brand's core personality and values.

Now before you write this off as fluff like “Ali, c’mon what does this have to do with me making more money, selling, more of my services?” 

Well, what if I told you that 75% of consumers buy from brands that share the same values? And think about the brands you align with and give your money too? Most likely it’s because there’s something they’ve done within their branding to communicate and signal to you what matters most to them.

I know I love Cotopaxi, which is an outdoor gear company because of their Gear for Good campaign, which says: Our Gear for Good® promise is to make durable gear as ethically and sustainably as possible, and to use our company as a way to support communities in need. 

That’s branding - that’s how I feel not only about the company, but how I feel as their customer. 

So this is why defining your brand personality is important because you’ll need it so that you can build a brand identity that later seamlessly connects with marketing activities like your future campaigns, and more importantly so that you can connect with customers on a deeper, more personal level. 

I hope that what you’re understanding here is that branding goes beyond logos and color schemes; it really works to encapsulate the emotional connection between a company and its audience of potential customers. 

You know I like to beat concepts like a dead horse sometimes so I don’t mean to sound repetitive, just that I want to drive this branding idea home. Again, because I want to be sure you forever understand the difference between branding and marketing. So one more note on branding.

When you think about a well-established brand, again, you’ll usually feel certain things about that brand, like trust, reliability, and quality that come with it. 

Feelings of confidence, trust, and superiority is most likely why someone might buy Tide laundry soap at the store instead of Costco’s Kirkland brand. 

One, feels generic and empty, whereas Tide is an award-winning household name that has proven to be the best and most trusted remover of stains. Now Tide didn’t accomplish this feat overnight. It took them years and hundreds of thousands spent on advertising to build good word of mouth.

When branding is done well - branding works to position you as a leader as well as different from your competition.  Branding also works to create loyalty with your business so that customers become repeat buyers and brand advocates, [spreading positive word-of-mouth.]

Ultimately, what I hope you’ll remember is that branding communicates what your business stands for, which helps attract the right target audience and build long-term relationships.

Next let’s talk about marketing. I’m going to say something radical that I know you’re going to think is biased, but I hope you know me well enough by now to know, I’d never do that to you. But my statement is: Marketing is more important than branding. Why? Because Marketing is the engine that gives branding horsepower. 

You  just learned that branding is how you make people feel with colors, designs, and mood boards - marketing is when and how you actually tell people to buy your product or services and marketing is also how you explain why they should.

So Marketing allows you to explain what you offer in a way that makes people want to buy it. Marketing also serves as a communication bridge. But it’s not throwing spaghetti at the wall, marketing is strategic. It’s a planned way of promoting your business to your target audience. It’s why I say if you don’t have a marketing strategy or plan in place, you’re kind of just throwing your money away hoping something you say or do sticks.

Marketing involves various activities and strategies like paid advertising, PR, social media marketing campaigns, email marketing, website landing pages and sales funnels. 

Marketing is how you walk alongside your customers and potential prospects during their buying journey of “I’ve never heard of you” - to actually signing on the dotted line and buying.

And the best part of it all - the part I know you want to hear, is that marketing’s primary goal is to drive sales, increase brand visibility, and generate leads. Let me say that again —--marketing’s purpose is to drive sales, increase your brand and company’s visibility in the marketplace and generate leads. 

So this is why when I hear clients tell me they need to cut back on marketing due to a recession or budgets, I cringe because I’m like “but wait, marketing is how you’re going to make more money in your business!”

How does marketing help you do this? 

Marketing increases sales and attracts new leads by communicating with customers and potential clients using marketing activities like: 

• Email marketing
• Social media marketing
• Printed newsletters, magazines, or brochures.
• Content marketing - which is creating content that answers the questions or objections of your target customer like Blogs.
• Websites and landing pages
• Free resources like white papers, digital brochures. Pretty much give people stuff they want, that they will exchange an email address with you for.

Marketing helps you deliver valuable information to your ideal customer on a consistent basis so you stay top of mind, relevant, and so they don’t forget you when they need you the most. 

Also because marketing relies heavily on data and analytics, it helps you directly understand consumer behavior and preferences. 

For example by looking at email marketing analytics, you can quickly see who’s opening your emails, who’s not, what email topics are hitting home with your emails and whether or not people are clicking on your offers. Data shows you who’s visiting your website, how long they stay on the page, what pages are the most engaging to them, and who’s opting in to your free resources.

By gathering this data, you gain insights and the information you need to make adjustments so you can tailor your marketing efforts to appeal better to your specific target audience. Let’s say you have a free resource on your website like “download your free home value report.” If no one is opting in or giving you their email for your content - then that’s a sign that maybe you aren’t driving enough traffic to the resource, or that your ideal client doesn’t find any value in it, so that you can try again.

Now that you understand the difference between branding and marketing, you should know that the reason these two are so often confused as interchangeable (which they are NOT) is because they do have to work together.

Branding and Marketing have to coexist and that’s because neither is mutually exclusive; rather, they are interdependent and complementary. 

A successful marketing campaign for example is built on a strong brand foundation, and a compelling brand identity or personality gives your marketing efforts a unique voice and sound. Otherwise you don’t know if your tone should be bold and loud like guns and roses or conservative and moderately spoken.

BTW, in case the term marketing campaign is a new term for you, a marketing campaign is a planned sequence of steps and activities that promote the product or service of your business, with a specific goal in mind. So let’s say you’re selling a digital course - then your marketing campaign for the next 60 days could be all about promoting the value of the course so individuals buy it. If you’re a real estate agent, you could create a listing campaign, focused 100 percent on generating more seller leads.

When branding and marketing work together seamlessly, they unite and work together to make magic happen and in business, that’s sales.

When you’re clear about your branding or your brand identity, you empower your marketing messages (in those emails and social media posts) to be more consistent and powerful. 

But most entrepreneurs and small business owners should really focus more on marketing than branding - and that’s because it doesn’t matter how beautiful your branding is, how wonderful and full of amazing feelings it is, if no one knows about your business or your services. And that’s where marketing comes in.

Thanks for joining me today. If you’re ready to create a robust marketing plan that makes your business money, schedule a call with me today at writebrandmarketing.com 

Until then - 

I’m Ali Garbero, Copywriting is what I do, Content Marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.

In 2013 Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn starred in a movie called The Internship. If you don’t remember it - it was a movie about two salesmen who learn that their careers have been ruined by the digital age. Their company shuts down and so they magically find their way into an incredible and of course highly coveted internship at Google.  They’re forced to compete with a group of young tech-savvy geniuses at a shot for a job.

As the movie progresses there’s this scene where the interns are tasked with coming up with a new app and Vince’s character starts explaining what he believes to be the winner. He says something like:

“So I have an idea, nowadays people are taking pictures and they have their phones now and they’re out, something catches their eye and they take the photo but now it’s just sitting there. What if they take that photo and instantaneously put it out there on the line and they share it with their friends.” 

Of course one of the younger interns breaks the news to him and says: “That’s Instagram, it already exists, it’s one of the most popular apps in the world. Facebook bought them for like a billion dollars. That’s billion with a B.” Vince’s hysterics continue and he says yeah but mine will be different - we’ll call it exchangeagram so people can share their photos “on the line.”

On today’s episode of the podcast let’s talk about Instagram because I know you’re using it for your business, maybe even making some fun reels, going live. Collaborating with other businesses. It’s a friendly and fun popular platform and not just for friends but for connecting with people “one the line” as Vince hysterically said. Since Instagram has evolved over time, today’s episode I’ll focus primarily on sharing how to use the explorer search page. It’s a feature of Instagram you may not have given much thought to but it’s a powerful way to level up your marketing and increase client reach.

So back in 2010 when Instagram first launched - you’ll remember that the platform was mainly used as a single stream of photos that appeared in chronological order. Of course as more and more of us got hooked and joined it became impossible to see everything, and worse to see the posts we really cared most about. 

By 2016 Instagram realized we were missing out on about  70% of all their posts in our Feed, so this is when they started working on algorithms to help combat this. They started to rank posts based on what users cared about most. And over the years they learned that Feed and Stories are places where we want to see content from our friends, family, and those they are closest to. 

After that, they take all of the information that’s been posted, the people who made those posts, and your preferences to help rank how you see things.

They call these “signals”, and there are thousands of them. They include everything from what time a post was shared to whether you’re using a phone or a web browser, to how often you like videos. 

I’m going to share what IG considers the four most important signals across Feed and Stories, roughly in order of importance, so that you can see how it ties into your marketing.

1. Number one is - Information about the post. These are signals both about how popular a post is – like how many people have liked it – all the way to the more mundane information about the content itself, like when it was posted, if it’s a video, how long is it, and what location, if any, was attached to it.
   What you want to consider for this first bucket is how creating content that is relatable, funny, shareable will increase the likelihood of others seeing it in their feed because the more people that like your stuff the easier it will be for others to see it.
   
   
2. Number two is Information about the person who posted. Instagram says that this helps them get a sense for how interesting the person might be to you, and includes signals like how many times people have interacted with that person in the past few weeks.
   The thing for you to consider here,  is that  your connections (your followers and those you follow) matter. So a question I want you to think about is if the goal is to increase your ability to reach more potential clients - then How many people are you following that you would like to do business with? Are you engaging with their content to strengthen those connections because this will not only help you show up in their feed but in their friends feeds too.
   
   
3. Number three is your activity. This gives IG an understanding of what you might be interested in and includes signals such as how many posts you’ve liked. So, while I understand many of us want to spend less time on social media, because I fully understand you might feel there are more important revenue generating activities you could spend your time on - my suggestion here is that if that’s the case - just become more intentional about the time you do spend on there. Be purposeful about searching for new connections, as well as engaging with the ones you value and want to deepen relationships with.
   
   
4. And number four is your history of interacting with someone. This gives them a sense of how interested you are generally in seeing posts from a particular person. An example is whether or not you comment on each other’s posts.

Ok, now I imagine much of this might feel like review but it’s important to come back to so that you can leverage social media as a tool for growing your business, building better relationships online and not just for posting content. If you want  your content to be seen, those behind the scenes efforts are a bit of a pain but will help your organic growth. Because we all want as much of that as possible because ad spend isn’t cheap.

Now let’s talk about the Explorer page of Instagram. As of the recording of this podcast in June of 2023, it’s that little magnifying glass on the bottom left next to the house image when you’re in the app. 

The explorer page is designed to serve kind of like a mini search engine to help you discover new things.  The explorer page is 100 percent customized for you, based on all of the things I mentioned earlier about how you use the platform. If you’ve ever watched the Social Dilemma on Netflix, then you’re very familiar with just how much time developers spend understanding our search and engagement habits - because of course their goal is to keep us on the platform for as long as possible. So anytime you click on something and engage with the explore page the more targeted your search will become.

Now let’s talk about why ending up on the explorer page should be a goal for you as an entrepreneur or small business owner. 

I want you to think of this explorer page kind of like ranking on google. Imagine someone typing in real estate agent, financial planner, flower shop, or dentist into google and your website pulling up first. That would be gold for your business wouldn’t it. Now it’s possible to have this very thing happen when you have a great SEO strategy. Literally the whole purpose of SEO is to create content that google can search through and pull up as the most relevant for a search about a specific topic. 

So you want to take this same approach to your Instagram strategy. Because it’s a no brainer that creating great content on IG can help you reach potential prospects and customers. 

So what can you do to increase the chances of your business pulling up in your ideal clients explorer page? Or even as they scroll through reels.

First, remember IG creates a customized user experience. So I want you to take some time and think about what things interest your ideal client. What kind of music do they listen to, what books do they read, what TV shows make them laugh, or do they binge watch when they stream? You want to take the same approach IG developers take in knowing their audience so well that the content you create really hits home and gets featured in their feeds. 

In real life, think about it. If you know your ideal client loves THE OFFICE and you make a reel parody, or create a meme that mimics something they know, like and follow, of course the chances of them seeing your content will increase.

Every marketing person on the planet will always tell you that everything you do with marketing starts by knowing your ideal client first. Figure out who they are and tailor your content, visuals, and copy (the words you use, the way you write, the tone of voice you use) to them. 

Here’s a second exercise for you. Take a look at your own explore page first. Try to understand how it’s working, why you are being fed the content you are? What hashtags, captions, visuals, etc. are being used? And then ask yourself how can you tailor your content to reach your ideal customer audience or community the same way? 

The way IG is currently working leads me to share that you should create content that is easy for users to engage with, and right now that means your focus should 100 percent be on reels first and second carousels. Instagram loves pushing out reels to people. Their platform is literally dependent on us as creators to make stuff they can share. If our marketing is entertaining, funny, relatable, solves problems, and is custom tailored to the kinds of things that our customers want and are already engaging with - then Instagram will happily promote our content on their explorer page.

I could do a whole episode on Reels best practices by the way, but some key things to consider are things like: making vertical videos, so the reels algorithm rewards you, adding captions, music, and splicing help too. Most important is that you make your content entertaining or educational. People get on to these platforms to relax, give them something fun and addicting to come back to - or even educational to help them learn things they didn’t learn before. Now the trick of course will be to do this in 60-90 seconds - which is about all our attention spans can handle. 

Second focus on Carousels. Instagram carousel posts are one of the most engaging formats brands can use on the platform. I use Hootsuite to schedule some of my content their social media team finds that, on average, their carousel posts get 1.5x more reach and 3x more engagement than regular posts on Instagram. Why?

The temptation to swipe left, it seems, is hard to resist — especially when there’s a persuasive cover slide. One word of advice though - please avoid using small hard to read, long form text on these carousel posts. No one will read it. They’re on their phones so err on the side of usin large fonts and if you have a lot to communicate - like a client testimonial for example - take the key concept of what was said. People simply won’t read long tiny text paragraphs. Give your followers the chance to stop doomscrolling and start swoonscrolling as Hootsuite calls it - with thumb-stopping carousel posts.

Next, think about the best times to post. When you know your ideal customer - then you know if they’re up and at it by 5am or late night owls scrolling into the wee hours of the morning. Get them to see your stuff while they’re on.

Now, I know I mentioned hashtags earlier. You might think they’re irrelevant and kind of old school Instagram, but  you would be misled. Hashtags and keywords still make traction even in 2023. But be warned, gone are the days of spamming your posts with as many popular hashtags as possible. Instead, now it's all about quality over quantity. Instagram prioritizes posts that are deemed relevant and valuable to its users, so it's critical to use hashtags and keywords that are most relevant to your content and target audience. For example I know my reels are going to go further when I include a hashtag like #smallbusinessowner or #smallbizowner (which is a short variation) than when I don’t. So use keywords to help you show up in searches, so it's easier for new people to find you.

Finally, you have got to get into the habit of tracking your IG analytics. Depending on the kind of account you have (which if you’re running a business of any kind) is not a personal account. So for me I can see my professional dashboard easily when I’m in my profile. It shows me insights about my account, for example how many accounts I reached in the last 30-90 days, how many of those accounts were non-followers and the best part is it will show me which of my stories, reels and posts have the greatest engagement - so that I know how to create more of the same kind of content. I could choose to go into each individual post as well to view similar  insights. 

This is powerful stuff Instagram is sharing with you. They are literally trying to help you reach more of their platform users by telling you what users want to see more of.  I’d also recommend subscribing to or visiting Instagram’s Blog content. I’ll include the link in the show notes. 

They are always sharing insights to help their creator community.

Ultimately I hope today’s episode has helped you see the value of the IG explorer page in your marketing arsenal and how it serves as a bridge to connecting with like-minded people. It’s a golden opportunity for you to reach more of your highly desired target audience.

Thanks for joining me today. To create an Instagram marketing strategy that matches your business objectives and sales goals - schedule a discovery call with me at writebrandmarketing.com. I’m Ali Garbero, copywriting is what I do, content marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.

It starts with a powerful marketing message and great strategy that captures attention of the right people and showcases what sets you apart from the crowd. And customers are more likely to choose your business if they know, like, and trust you.

On this episode of The High Performance Marketing Podcast, I'll share three reasons why your marketing might not be connecting with your target audience and what you can do about it.

Building a Story Brand + How To Grow A Small Business

Story Brand Course on Business Made Simple

Free Download: Simple Marketing Plan

Transcript

Welcome To the High-Performance Marketing Podcast, a show committed to helping small business owners connect with their ideal customers using simple marketing and quality content. I'm your Host, Ali Garbero.

In the years that I’ve been providing marketing services for various kinds of businesses, of different sizes, from the solopreneur to the mid level business owner -  is this phrase or mindset that in tough times or when you’re just starting out, budgets are tight and marketing is perceived as “an extra.”

I know you’re going to think I sound biased when I say what I’ll say next - your business will not survive to the level you want it to without a marketing strategy and quality consistent content, I’m not saying that because I want to sell you my services. I say it because  marketing is not an extra, it's fundamental to business. Period. Without marketing, those sales you keep hoping will happen, won’t and I’m going to tell you why before the end of this show. 

On today’s episode of the podcast, we’ll dive into why your marketing maybe isn’t working the way you want it to and what you can do about it. But most importantly why marketing should always be your right hand for creating consistent sales.

So let’s get started.

First, what is Marketing?

Marketing is more than branding or advertising, which are tactics of Marketing. True marketing is the big picture plan you put in place on HOW you will acquire customers.

Remember how I’ve shared my story with you before. How a decade ago I left my corporate gig, got my real estate license and literally showed up to my brokerage ready to get to work. What I learned immediately was that I had been very naive. I knew I was open for business, but nobody else did. Who was going to teach me how to get clients? I was told to start door knocking and cold calling. This was the advice one of the best real estate training programs at a top tier brokerage told me was a viable customer acquisition strategy.  And you know why? Because that’s what almost every single small business struggles with. They have zero idea about “how to get customers” and naively believe if “we build the product, if we create the service, the customers will come.” I have zero doubts that you have learned for yourself, that is not the case - ever. 

If you don’t attract people to the thing you’ve built, they won’t come. 

Our business will never grow simply because we have a great product or service. Why? Because there are just way too many great products out there. Companies that thrive are companies that master the art of telling customers about their products. If our marketing message is confusing, doesn’t make sense, doesn’t help customers understand what’s in it for them, they simply don’t pay attention.

Donald Miller released a new book recently called How To Grow Your Small Business: A 6-step plan to help your business take off. In the book, he compares running a business to the key elements of an airplane. He shares that testing your marketing language is like testing an engine before you connect it to the body of the plane. 

Most businesses will wait until the last minute to prepare their marketing ideas because most often your energy is used on creating your products or services. But without the right marketing language and plan, nobody will be attracted to your products or services once they’re ready.

How to combat this is to actually create foundational messaging. How I help my clients do this is with a Brand Identity + Messaging Guide. I spend time with them understanding who their message is for, what challenges their customers are facing as it relates to the product or service you offer, marketing positioning and your unique value proposition, things - and after a two hour workshop - I have what I need to craft foundational messaging. If you want to do this on your own, the simplest way to get started is to read Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller. Or you can watch the on-demand course at Business Made Simple. I’ll include links to both of these in the show notes.

People don’t buy the best products or services, they buy the ones they understand the clearest. And when you don’t have an existing marketing message or it’s confusing, you lose customers. If you don’t believe me, head over to the internet and try to make a decision about buying a new water heater based on the information on a website. 

Second, let’s talk about what I call copycat competition.

Most business owners try to copy telling others about their products based on what they see other businesses or their competitors doing. No doubt you’ve been like, oh maybe I need to start a youtube channel,  get on the tick tock band wagon or worst of all, like I was told so long ago, start door knocking and cold calling. Holy cow, you want stress in your life, start calling strangers that aren’t expecting your call, or show up at their house. From experience, that’s the most miserable way to do business. 

I can’t tell you the amount of CEOs and company leaders I see on LinkedIn every day sharing insights about how to succeed and behind the scenes they are in the red, their turnover is insane and they are literally making it up as they go.

Copying others is the fastest way to fail. And here’s why. Your goals are different than your competition.

For example, let’s say you decide you’re going to copy successful big brands. Who doesn’t want to be a Nike or an Apple. Well let’s think through this….

• Nike and Apple have completely different goals than you do. 
• Their agenda, their strategies and priorities look different. 
• Their goals might include: things like making their board members happy, satisfying their shareholders, winning advertising awards, you name it. 
• Big companies also have ginormous marketing budgets. Which allows them to work the mass marketing and branding model.  
• They have the money to invest thousands or millions in ads to build brand awareness. 

Mass marketing (which is really undifferentiated marketing) is a business marketing approach that advertises to the widest possible customer base, up to and including the entire market available. Imagine just throwing a net into the ocean and hoping you catch a trout. In Nike’s case, they’re going to throw out a net and hope they find someone who wants to buy their shoes regardless of things like gender, income, need of use, it’s just let’s see what we get. Also, mass marketing is super expensive, takes a lot of time, and requires you to spend a lot of money on media channels like TV and radio, over a long period of time.  

Big companies have something a small business doesn’t -  time to wait on results and they also have the manpower to help them with their creative. (Like full time videographers, copywriters, graphic designers, etc.)

On the flipside a small business is usually self funded, which means you don’t have the time to wait to see results. You need sales yesterday. And your number one agenda and priority is to:

Make a profit.

So it’s costing you a lot of money if you’re using the wrong marketing strategy for the scale at which you’re operating. I mean just imagine leaving your corporate 9-5 to start your own business and the first thing you do is go lease office space. You haven’t even made money yet and you’re already in the hole for space you don’t need. That’s why most of us start our companies from a home office space of some kind, right?

So two approaches I recommend you add to your marketing strategy include inbound marketing and direct response marketing. I’ll explain the difference between both and how they’re powerful in helping you grow sales.

First, what’s inbound marketing? It’s not outbound marketing, things like cold calling or pushing and paying for expensive advertising to the masses - inbound marketing is designed to create curiosity and engagement, and draw the right customers in. Your target audience. So if you’re going after trouts, inbound marketing targets trouts. 

It’s also been referred to as “pull or magnetic marketing” 

Some examples of inbound marketing include:

• Blogs where you write around the specific problems or questions your customers have
• Webinars - where you teach solutions for your customers needs
• Ebooks or white papers
• Video content or mini courses
• And targeted social media campaigns

You’ll notice there’s a common theme with inbound marketing. It’s focused on educating your audience about solutions to the problems they have. My podcast is a form of inbound marketing. 

Inbound marketing uses a strategic approach to creating high quality content that aligns with the needs of your target audience and helps create long-term customer relationships. I have never loved cold outreach. Even today, I don’t ever send Linkedin messages to people I don’t know, I don’t send blind emails or cold call agencies, or other businesses. 

I have a teacher's heart, so I like inbound marketing because it allows me to share and teach information around the things my customers need, which in turn helps me get to know them better as well as build trust by providing the information they need for better decision making.

Ultimately, our customers become our customers because we provide solutions to their problems. Have I drilled that one down enough? Inbound Marketing helps create long term and sustainable lead generation by attracting or pulling potential customers to where you live online and inviting them to visit your website or to follow you on social media. Basically to get into relationship with you. 

Next is Direct Response Marketing. Direct response marketing is designed to get potential customers to take an immediate action, like opting into your email list.  It involves providing information or a service directly to a segment of people who are most likely to respond. Again think about trout. We’re serving trout not every single fish in the ocean. 

For example, many times when I’m scrolling on Instagram and let’s say I see an ad for a makeup product, when I click on the ad a pop up comes up offering me a 50% off coupon. Of course I’m asked to enter my email address so that the company can send me a discount code. This approach ups the ante so that I’ll take the company's desired action to buy their product because, after all, who doesn’t want to save 50%? 

Direct response marketing allows for quick lead generation opportunities too.

So in the example of my podcast, it can work for both inbound and direct response marketing. Inbound wise, I’m sharing information without asking for anything in return. But now and again I’ll share something with my audience where I do ask for their email or I ask them to schedule a call with me. There’s a response I want my audience to take.

Alright, the final mistake I want to share with you today that many entrepreneurs and business owners make is having no marketing strategy at all. This is why shiny object syndrome creeps up. Without a marketing strategy you literally have no idea how you’re going to acquire new customers. You’re just guessing at what works and you find yourself constantly looking for the next new thing to help you get customers and make sales. 

I would always tell the real estate agents I coached, that if you aren’t strategic with your marketing, then you don’t know if investing $5,000 a month on zillow is right for you or not. It’s why so many small businesses spend thousands of dollars with lead generation companies, looking for their next customer. Because they don’t have a plan in place.

A marketing strategy sounds super sophisticated and convoluted at times, please don’t make it that. I have earned hundreds of thousands of dollars and helped others do the same, using a simple plan.

Your marketing strategy or plan should be printed somewhere you can see it every day. I’m embarrassed to share that I’d been in business a few years before I finally created one. And the moment I did, some powerful things happened. I was clear about what my goals were and had a simple roadmap to  actually achieve them. With this marketing strategy in place I made more money than I had the previous five years.

And the response I most often hear from the clients I work with on strategy is: “I can’t believe how easy this is. Why hasn’t anyone shared this information with me before?

So, while I'd love to work with each of you one on one to put a strategy in place, I understand some of you out there prefer to do it yourself. Which is why I have a resource you can access at writebrandmarketing.com/plan

It will walk you through some key factors for creating a simple and I mean simple plan that helps your business grow by helping you determine the economic objectives for your business, select the marketing channels that best fit your audience and business, as well as outline how you can consistently execute on your marketing. Go grab it today.

By far the biggest leverage point in any business is marketing. Marketing is where the money is. Marketing it’s just advertising or branding. Marketing is the strategy you use to get your ideal target market to know you like you and trust you enough to become a customer. And your strategy is the big picture planning you put in place before you execute the tactics. It’s the blueprint you put in place before building a house, it’s the roadmap or GPS you use before heading out on a long distance drive. Social media, email marketing, or paying for ads are elements of the big picture not your actual strategy. 

Marketing in my mind is customer acquisition. And that is not an extra for any business.

Thanks for joining me today, I’m Ali Garbero, copywriting is what I do, content marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.

On today's episode of The High-Performance Marketing Podcast, I'm chatting with Chris M. Wilson. Chris runs a Career Coaching business in Vancouver, Canada, and he helps professionals leave the job they hate and transition to a career they love.

Connect with Chris here.

As a business owner, it's easy to get wrapped up in the fear of failure and let it consume you. But what if you flipped the script and embraced it instead? On today's episode of The High Performance Marketing Podcast, learn how to change how you see failure and maybe even find ways to help it lead you to new opportunities.

Transcription:

Welcome To High Performance Marketing, a podcast where we discuss how to connect customers to great brands by leveraging content marketing as a profitable pillar to your customer acquisition strategy. I’m Chief Copywriter and Messaging Strategist, Ali Garbero.

In early 2007 I became a mom and at the time my husband and I were used to living on two incomes so when I took a step back to stay home with our new baby, our budget became rather tight. That’s when I found myself searching for creative ways to make an income. I did a lot of things.

I sold the formula they gave me at the hospital because my daughter was breast fed, I started buying BOB jogging strollers and flipping them for a profit. We lived in Orange County, and these were Guys, I’m ashamed to say I even took on a $200 writing project for a young man who needed a college essay written for him - and at the time $200 was a gold mine!

Anyway, because I was living in a new city and didn’t know a lot of people I had a lot of down time. I’m an avid reader so I spent a lot of time reading books written by Entrepreneurs (because I was trying to figure out how to be a mom and find a way to create income for my family.) Most of the books I read were ones in which these Entrepreneurs all shared their grueling stories of failure before their miraculous triumph to success.

I always loved the part where they shared the hard times. The mistakes they made, the massive amounts of money they lost, the wrong paths they took - because it just made the ending of the story so much better. I knew there was a business inside of me that I wanted to run, but I didn’t know what that thing was. So I continued to take on small projects, and used my college degree to teach a few classes at the local college, but in 2010 I did find myself in a place where my husband lost his job, so I had to go back to work. I’d spent 10 years as a corporate employee prior to having my daughter but found that this second time around, corporate roles just weren’t fulfilling anymore. I bounced around for three years and in 2013 I’d had enough and finally took the leap of faith and went into business for myself.

I was really naive and just assumed that just like that, I would automatically have clients, and that because I’d been successful in corporate business (mind you as an employee, moving up the ranks in pay and promotion) that working for myself would be easy. IT WAS NOT. It wasn’t until about 4 or five years in where I started seeing real profitable results. But you know what nobody talks about in a world of Instagram happiness? Is failing. No one shows you the sales calls they didn’t win, the sales pitches they completely botched, the clients who never called back or went somewhere else.

Even now, while my business does make money - it’s not exactly where I want it to be. I’m always feeling like I’m behind, as though there’s more I could or should be doing. I watch other copywriters or agency owners and ask myself “is it time to start an agency?” And then the fraud voice kicks in - “an agency? Wait you? You don’t want to manage people.”

So on today’s episode of the podcast I thought we’d explore why failure is so challenging for business owners and how to take the pain out of it. We'll also discuss some strategies for bouncing back from failure and turning it into an opportunity for growth.

If you’ve been in business for a while, you’ve learned that failure is an inevitable part of the journey. It's not a matter of if you'll fail, but when.

So why is failure so challenging for business owners? What makes it so difficult to deal with? I mean what we normally hear is that failure provides valuable lessons and insights. I’ve even shared my favorite quote with you before from Meet The Robinsons “From Failing We Learn, From Success Not So Much.”

But failure can feel like a personal attack. When you pour your heart, soul, time, and money into a business, and it doesn't work out, it can be hard not to take it personally.

Failure can make you feel like you're not good enough, that you didn't try hard enough, or that you're not cut out for the business world. And these feelings can be overwhelming and make it hard to move on. They’re also really hard to talk about if you don’t have access to other business owners who have experienced the same thing. It feels unsafe and defeating to share our failures with our friends or on social media -so if you don’t have a coach, access to a network or mastermind group, I’d highly recommend you find one.

For example, one mastermind I’m a part of helps me see my strengths and limitations, and stops me from chasing shiny objects. I’m also able to sit in with other business owners and listen to some of their challenges so that I can learn from them and also feel like no matter how successful we think others are - they are in growth mode too.

One of the business coaches I work with, who now runs a successful marketing agency, generating millions in revenue - wasn’t always as successful as he is today. Prior to running his agency, he’d started a small online book business. He was extremely passionate about what the books he sold, niched down, so as not to compete with the likes of Amazon, and had high hopes for the business, but unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Despite his best efforts, the business struggled to generate enough revenue to cover expenses, and eventually, he had to make the tough decision to close it down.

At the time he said he wasn’t very open about talking about this experience because he feared judgment and of course embarrassment. Entrepreneurship is often so glamorized with success, that admitting his business has failed felt like a personal failure as well. He also had a lot of fear about damaging his reputation, because he worried it might impact future opportunities.

Today he’s very open about it and hopes to help others avoid the mistakes he made. He now creates content around the importance of market research to better understand the competitive landscape.

One client, who I’ve been working with to write his digital course, helps business owners learn financial management and how having a contingency plan is absolutely ok - which is 180 from what we hear about going all in and burning the boats.

One way to react to failure and embrace mistakes is to consider that failing is learning, and learning is the longest phase of your journey in business. We all have to go through it because without it we can’t be successful. See failure as a sign that you’re challenging yourself to do something difficult. Write affirmations for yourself. A great one is “I can handle failure.”

A few years ago I was overseeing a large marketing project..I loved the work but the organization was the wrong fit for me. As I made the decision to let this client know I’d be stepping down, I worried a lot because this client was a huge source of revenue that generated over six figures for me. As I thought through the worst and best case scenario I reminded myself of the many times I’d found a way through. I used an affirmation from my mastermind coach “things are always working out for me.” And would you know it, shortly after giving notice I landed a brand new client that paid me a rather large amount for a big project.

Now of course that doesn’t always happen. But affirmations and a resilient mindset are powerful. Plus they allow us to attract the right people into our life.

Next, let’s talk about why it’s important to normalize failure.

Removing the fear of failure fosters innovation and open-mindedness, turning mistakes into opportunities for growth and improvement. Innovation and open-mindedness are qualities that are highly valued in today's world. They’re critical to staying competitive, growing and evolving personally and professionally. One of the things I most enjoyed about training real estate professionals years ago was working with new agents. The seasoned agents knew everything. One example is when about 10 years ago I mentioned something about LinkedIn to a “top producing agent.” I remember he laughed at me and said “nobody cares about LinkedIn.” And then you had the new agents who are always asking questions like “why are things done this way?” “What if we tried it this way?” Just imagine how many real estate agents would still be carrying around old MLS books if someone hadn’t adapted to looking for homes online.

One question I always ask business owners is this: “If someone were to try to put you out of business, how would they do it?” That question has helped many people take increased risks and try new things. Suffering from the curse of knowledge is a real thing and if you’re too worried about never failing you might not ever implement better processes or systems into your business - new innovation that could change everything. In the 90s, I might not have ever believed anything other than Blockbuster would exist - and now we laugh because we can’t imagine life without our streaming services.

There’s a part near the end of the Steve Jobs movie, where he’s listening to a discman that keeps skipping, and he just pokes at it frustrated. You and I now know, Steve could have said “I’m going to make an anti-skip discman.” Which other companies did do. Instead what did he do? Something we could have never imagined. He built the ipod shuffle. A gadget the size of a stick of gum that held up to 250 songs!!! Genius!!

But Steve might not have invented the ipod if he hadn't normalized failing over decades with the mac - as part of his MO.

Finally, quit the comparison. In our effort to learn from our peers or those who are where we want to be - we sometimes find ourselves sulking in comparing our failures to their highlight reel. This leads to negativity that will drain your energy and your focus. Don’t worry that others are more successful than you. Their success might be real, or it might be fake. I worked with an organization about 6 or 7 years ago that on the surface seemed like a highly profitable company. As I looked behind the scenes at their books - things were grim.

Another C suite leader I partnered with - on social media - sounded like he had all the answers. Sitting on his team as a fractional CMO - I watched his inability to make hard decisions or have difficult conversations and one of his divisions was a loss leader, but he lacked the courage to let the department head know.

Comparison is a huge damage to your self-esteem and it leads to this endless race for perfection, and in some cases a mental breakdown. The more you compare yourself to others the more you will feel not good enough.

Being a business owner is not for the faint-hearted. It takes guts, determination, and a whole lot of energy drinks, but I’m going to read you something Kobe Bryant said the day they retired both his jersey’s, that I will never forget and that I believe is a great reminder to us all...He said:

“If you do the work, if you work hard enough, dreams come true. You know that, we all know that. But hopefully what you get from tonight is that those times when you get up early and you work hard; those times when you stay up late and you work hard; those times when you don't feel like working — you’re too tired, you don’t want to push yourself — but you do it anyway. That is actually the dream. That’s the dream. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey. And if you guys can understand that, what you’ll see happen is that you won’t accomplish your dreams, your dreams won’t come true, something greater will.”

The key here is to see your path in business as a journey to be enjoyed rather than a destination to get to. Enjoy the ride, smile, laugh, and when you start to feel like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, take a step back and remind yourself why you started this journey in the first place. I’m cheering you on.

Want to build a trusted brand? My weekly emails include simple marketing tips to help your business grow. Stuff your business actually needs...like how to:

• Improve Your Google My Business Profile

• Turn your website into a customer converting machine

• My favorite marketing reads... and more. Get them at writebrandmarketing.com/weekly

   Thanks for joining me today. I’m Ali Garbero, Copywriting is what I do, Content Marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.

On today's episode of The High-Performance Marketing Podcast, listen as I connect with Ryan Kiesel, Chief Revenue Officer of Elevate HomeScriptions, on how he and his team (alongside myself and my design partners David and Lauren Hamby) underwent the charge of leading with transparency to rally a new way to serve their customers of homeowners and real estate agents.

On this episode of the podcast, I'm sharing the insights and strategies you need to build brand awareness, so you become a more memorable real estate agent.

On today's episode of the podcast I'm sharing some tips on how to gain clarity about the tasks you need to offload and how a great assistant can help.

On today's episode of the High Performance Marketing Podcast, I'm going to dive into helping you reflect on the tiny incremental pushes in the right direction that lead to more success in your business. 

No doubt you’ve worried before, that you were coming across too pushy in a listing appointment, or that you were going to ruin a relationship if you used aggressive or sleazy tactics, right? 

Well, what if I told you, you can absolutely find more fulfillment in the sales process, avoid the request for discounts, and open up unlimited opportunities for yourself by seeing yourself as someone who has the power to tap into your customer’s true motives and values?

Listen in as I chat with a 20 year sales veteran and author of her recent new book “How Good Humans Sell.”

Catherine answers the questions of:

• Why sales people get such a bad wrap.
• What role mindset plays in becoming a successful sales leader.
• Why people choose one sales person over another.
• Why and how people make their buying decisions.
• How to sell with more empathy and connect with our prospects on a deeper, more human level.

Alexandra McEwen is my guest today and she's sharing all about how client appreciation events allow her to have an increased impact on the people in her life and grow a consistent referral based real estate team.

Take the online Business Made Simple course 

In this episode of the High Performance Marketing Podcast, we’re breaking down whether mission statements still matter (spoiler: they do—but only if they’re done right). You’ll learn why most fall flat, what makes a mission actually meaningful, and how to write one that rallies your team, resonates with your audience, and sets your brand apart.

If your mission doesn’t make people care, it’s time for a rewrite.

On today's episode of the High Performance Marketing Podcast, I'm connecting with agency owner Lynn Tickner, she is a fellow StoryBrand Certified Guide, who also uses the power of story to help brands un complicate their message, and uniquely specializes in helping Entrepreneurs get unstuck about how to get a company, product, or brand name so they can move forward and grow.

Show Resources Link:

Ink and Key Website

Ink and Key Instagram

Ink and Key Facebook

Lynn Tickner LinkedIn

On this episode of the podcast, I've got Brooke Greening on the show. She is an expert sales coach who's going to guide us on how we can increase our confidence by creating a sales process that confidently overcomes objections and increases customer conversion.

Brooke spent over a decade in corporate sales and is the founder of Building Momentum Sales Coaching. Her signature Confidence Building Sales Framework focuses on setting expectations for sales calls, building rapport, understanding clients, recognizing their problems and motivations, verbalizing the value to create urgency, and clearly explaining next steps.

Download Brooke's Free Resource: 3 Ways To Confidently Turn Objections Into Sales

Contact info:   Linked in - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-greening  

Website    coaching.buildingmomentum.info   

Email - brooke@buildingmomentum.info

Ben's talents as a top notch photographer and videographer aren't just about what type of camera you should use when capturing the images of a home. He invites you to think deeper about the assets you create with your listings and how to leverage these digital images into hundreds of pieces of content that help you stay top of mind easily.

On  today’s episode podcast I'll dive into ways that you can run your business better by focusing on the essentials or as they say the things that matter most.

On today's episode of The High Performance Marketing podcast, I'm sharing strategies you can use to ditch the boring "just like everybody else" content by adding humor and a little wit to your marketing message. Doing so will make your brand one your clients won't soon forget.

On today's episode of the podcast, I'm sharing how acknowledging difficult moments allows others to connect with you more personally, allows your brand to convey empathy, and creates a sense of trust. Celebrate successes, of course, but remember to utilize the lessons learned during struggles; so you form meaningful connections.

Is ChatGPT worth using for real estate? Will this tool help you save time and help you write better content to support your marketing efforts? Or will it become "one more thing" distracting you from focused efforts?

Find out on today's show; I'll outline ChatGPT, its goals for the marketplace, and how to weigh in on whether it's the right fit for your real estate business.

If you've reached the point in your business where you need more than just a TC, it may be time to consider a Virtual Assistant. On today's episode of the podcast, I'm connecting with Lauren Apple, CEO of Systems to Scale, a VA service for entrepreneurs. 

Imagine hiring a high-level professional who can take the day-to-day tasks (scheduling personal meetings, your buyer and seller appointments, keeping your database organized, assisting with your bookkeeping, etc), freeing you up to spend more time with clients or just enjoying some time off.

But generating leads can be a challenge. Fortunately, there are a few simple strategies you can use to attract attention and build trust to turn leads into homebuyers and sellers.

On this episode of the podcast I'll share ways you can improve your ability to stay focused on the main thing in your real estate business, so you can keep your commitment to your highest priorities.

On today’s episode of the High Performance Marketing podcast, I'm excited to chat with Stefani Pady, Founder of GLS Coaching and Consulting. Stefani is a John Maxwell Certified Coach, Teacher, and Speaker with a passion for helping mid-sized business owners grow their leadership skills and increase sales.

With a background in sales herself, Stefani also trains employees within organizations to build confidence and lead with purpose. Listen to our conversation.

Free Resource: The Maxwell Disc Method

Connect with Stefani at: GLS Coach

• Reflection
• Adaptability
• And strategic planning

So, on today’s episode of the podcast - we’ll look back at 2023, identify what worked, and look ahead at ways to improve so that ultimately you know what to improve on to reach the goals you have for yourself and your business.

As you prioritize emotional connections within your content creation,  you’ll see the benefits of engagement, customers will listen, and they’ll take action moving forward down the customer and buying journey.

Transcript

Welcome to The High Performance Marketing Podcast, a show focused on helping entrepreneurs and small business owners connect with their ideal customers using simple marketing and quality content. I'm your Marketing Guide, Ali Garbero.

When I began my career in sales I focused a lot on selling the logical. I focused on the numbers and data that made the purchase a smart decision. I’m not implying people don’t need logic to make a decision, but if you’ve ever heard the saying:

Logic makes you think, emotion makes you act.

Then you understand that you need both - and that of the two - emotion will get people to move forward.

So when it comes to your marketing, how can you actually make your voice heard when you’re dealing with a number of challenges, including market saturation, and a whole bunch of generic or irrelevant marketing messages that fail to reach their target?

On today’s episode of the podcast, let’s dive into how you can create emotional impact in your writing so you engage your audience and make your content memorable. Why?

Because that’s how you get seen and heard and  ignite your audience's emotions to inspire them to move further down the customer or buying journey.

First, creating compelling content that ignites your audience's emotions and inspires them to take action starts with knowing your audience.

Spend a little time researching pain points. What do they need? How do they respond to different emotions? 

For example meme content generally invokes laughter, humor, or relatability. This kind of content would cause your audience to laugh. 

Next, use dialogue in your content.. You might share a review that says “our client james was so happy he worked with us.” 

Or you might decide to create a short dialogue. The first is a car salesman, the other is the customer and it would go something like this: 

“When James called our dealership, he spoke to Jessica our salesperson and said “I’m interested in the xyz car but I have to keep my monthly payment at $400 a month.” Jessica responded “of course James, we deal with all kinds of budgets, and since you’ve expressed that your monthly payment is one of the most important factors in buying a car today, we are happy to honor that budget.”

A dialogue allows people to connect with the individuals they’re reading about or watching so that they experience the emotions themselves. 

Another example of how to use dialogue in a simple way is how car company Ken Garff does it. They have billboards everywhere and one looks like this

It has an image of a mouth one one side that said them. On the other side there’s an image of an ear and it says us.”

That’s such a simple way to create dialogue because driving down the highway at 90 mph you read that in just a few seconds, you hear that dialogue you started envisioning all of the times you’ve walked into a dealership where no matter what you said they simply didn’t listen.

This leads me to an additional point - create relatable characters or individuals in your content creation. For example let’s say you’re writing an email - take a moment to describe a client you worked with. Instead of saying something like “our tech leaders are glad they invested in our software.”

You could write “Bob was tasked with overseeing an IT team of 6 techs. His workload was well beyond his capacity to handle causing him to work 12 hour days, and blow through lots of mountain dew. Bob’s weight and blood pressure both suffered. Bob was relieved when he selected our services to offload much of his IT tickets.

Now I know that sounds lengthier and less concise than just saying Bob the tech leader is happy he used our services, but when you develop well rounded characters into your marketing, with backstories, flaws or desires, your readers and audience grow to understand why Bob would feel relief when he was authorized to hire your  outside consulting company to offload some of his work. 

Next use metaphors and similes in your captions, videos, website. 

For example let’s say you owned Doordash. Before you understood what Doordash was, or if you were describing it to someone who’s never used the service, you might say - it’s like the Amazon of food.

Previously when I first started this podcast I used to say “I’m your personal trainer in marketing.” Because people could understand what a personal trainer does. I wanted my clients to understand that I was there to help them reach their goals and then one day I had a colleague of mine share “ I don’t really like that comparison because it makes me feel like I have to do all of the work. So just be cautious with the metaphors or similies you use in your marketing message.

Next, Build some tension in your content. Help your readers or viewers with anticipation and waiting so they have an emotional moment when the ending finally occurs. I’ll give you a great example.

Dave Ramsey does this all the time. 

He has something he refers to as a debt free scream. He has people who have used his 7 baby steps to become debt free come onto his show. And if you’ve ever watched a debt free scream it’s awesome! I mean I tear up every time I listen to one. But he doesn’t just bring these people on and say - ok cool well here’s the mic, go for it.

He builds tension. He asks them questions about how much debt they were in, what they did to get out of debt, what advice they’d give to others, things like that because all along the way - we’re waiting - we’re anticipating this amazing moment when they finally get to yell into the mic and say ‘we’re debt free!!” It’s literally why it makes me cry. A perfect example of how to build tension to help me experience a powerful emotion.

Now, to wrap things up I’d fail you if I didn’t mention storytelling as a way to leverage emotions in your content: 

Stories create a connection between your audience and your content, and they inspire a wide range of emotions. 

When you share stories, think of ways you can evoke a desired emotion while still sharing an important message with your audience. How do you want people to feel because you shared this story? Do you want them to feel excited and pumped to do the same thing? Think about the conflict or the challenges in the lives of your ideal client and use those to stir emotions in the stories you share. Not in a manipulative way but in a way that feels relatable.

For example, on my website - my story starts with the fact that I know many entrepreneurs feel overwhelmed with their marketing. Their emotions around marketing include frustration and confusion. So I mention that in the words on the page. 

In my podcast I use storry telling because it’s easier to remember too. When I share a story, I try to always start with the problem because problems get people to pay attention.

Look, the world is saturated with thousands of messages that go unheard. Don’t let yours be one. 

The key to creating emotional impact in your writing, or content creations is to make readers, viewers, your audience care about your brand —-----so help them do that by engaging their emotions.

Adding emotion to your customer journey isn’t just about trying to sell more of your services, it’s about building relationships. And while this all sounds touchy feely, the data shows that consumers today want a less transactional feel and a more emotional relationship with your brand.

Think about the friends you keep. What feelings do these friends invite into your life? Some invite stress, envy, or jealousy, others invite kindness, fun, compassion. Nowadays you need to apply the same principles in your marketing that you would apply to building a human relationship with a friend. 

As you prioritize emotional connections, and emotions in general within your content creation,  you’ll see the benefits of engagement, customers will listen and they’ll take action.

Thanks for joining me today. If your content needs and emotional spruce up - connect with me at writebrandmarketing.com

I’m Ali Garbero, Copywriting is what I do, Content Marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.

In today's episode of the podcast, I'm outlining two effective ways to start investing in your personal brand development, whether you're just starting out or improving on what you already have.

Learn how foundational messaging and identifying your unique brand archetype can impact your brand recognition and client reach.

On today's episode of the podcast you'll learn 5 key factors that influence buying decisions in real estate. 

Understanding why your clients make these decisions will help you communicate with them on a deeper level.

On this episode of The High Performance Marketing podcast, I’m chatting with author Annie Schiffmann about her new book Simple Social Media. Annie shares her ‘secret sauce’ method for avoiding wasted time and effort, chasing trends that don't matter, and missing out on the incredible marketing potential of social media. 

To get your copy of Annie’s book Simple Social Media visit: SimpleSocialMediaBook.com

She’s got a ton of free resources for you to download including a pretty cool 90's music playlist. 

This is where brand positioning comes in. In the simplest way I can think of Brand positioning is the process of defining how your brand, your service, is different from your closest competitors and why it is the best choice for your best-fit customers.

On today’s episode of the podcast I’ll walk you through key steps to creating a successful brand positioning strategy to help you stand out and differentiate yourself from your competitors. 

On today's episode of the podcast I'll share a simple content strategy, help you brainstorm creative ideas, and break down your content buckets so you increase brand awareness and attract more of your ideal client.

You're not alone. 

Even the best real estate leaders find themselves battling between the daily decision to focus on what's important and what's urgent.

On today's episode of the pod, I've got 17 year real estate veteran and author Steven Ross on the show. He’s talking about focused effort, creating strategic and daily connections with people, and mustering up the courage to knock on the door of the opportunities that will guide you toward the freedom you’ve been searching for.

Fix them, to win more customers.

Bonus: 

Click HERE to download.

Well my friend, if you aren’t communicating your super powers, no wonder you’re getting overlooked. So let’s fix that. On this episode of the podcast I'll lean into a marketing term called positioning and what it means for you as it relates to landing that number one spot in the minds of your best-fit customers.

Transcript

Welcome to the high performance marketing podcast, a show for business owners who wanna create meaningful customer connection using simple marketing and quality content.
I'm your marketing guide, Ali Garbero.

Hey.
Welcome back to the show.
So you know, when most people think about starting a business, They aren't thinking about running a business. They're thinking about selling the thing that they love, right, making or delivering on that service that they love doing and, of course, making a profit.

But no one in I literally mean No one says, yep.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I wanna run a P and L.
I wanna manage people.
I wanna worry about sales and marketing.
Yeah.
Right.

It goes more like, oh, I'm gonna sell this thing.
But, oh, crap.

How do I get people to buy it? If at some point, the fact that you need marketing hits you like a light bulb, well, most businesses think that they can do it themselves or they go out and hire, you know, their cousin who's some college intern or part time help to really just make this attempt at filling the gaps.
On today's episode of the podcast, I'll take you down the path of why hiring a marketing leader is an absolute must for your business.

What you should expect and how marketing leadership is the driving force behind successful, scalable, and repeatable sales results.

First, who is a marketing leader? What am I talking about when I use this term? Naturally, people think about marketing technicians like social media managers, ad managers, maybe SEO gurus, but a marketing leader is someone who oversees and directs the marketing efforts of your company.

They are responsible for developing and implementing marketing strategies to help you promote the brand to attract more customers and, of course, drive sales.

A marketing leader may manage a team of in house marketing technicians like graphic designers, social media marketers, writers, pretty much they're responsible for also working with other departments, sometimes, uh, operations, almost always sales to really make sure that your marketing initiatives align with the overall goals of the business, right? Because imagine saying we wanna sell x amount of products, or revenue this year.

And we're just going to do that through random acts of marketing.
No one will be responsible for whether we achieve these We don't even know what goals they are exactly, what KPIs will put into place.
And, you know, we're just gonna spend money on marketing as we go.
Like that would never happen.

You would never arrive at the results that you're trying to achieve.
So a marketing leader literally takes on the role and the responsibility of shaping your company's brand identity.

Really driving the product or the service positioning and, of course, identifying opportunities for growth But really just putting on that that load on their shoulders that they are going to oversee the whole shebang of it.
Right? They will almost always report to the CEO or the company founder because let's be honest if you are the CEO and the founder You may not.

You know, and then this is it to you, but you most likely probably, even if you love marketing, don't have time. To execute on it the way that you want.
Fundamentally, a marketing leader is a key decision maker who drives the marketing strategy forward and helps the company achieve its objectives.

Now if you wanna hire a marketing leader to take on these challenges for your business, you're most likely going to need a marketing director or a chief marketing officer of some kind, possibly even a fractional CMO, but I'm gonna talk you through some options.

K? You you get to decide here.
I'm not gonna force you into anything.

But first, let's get a clear understanding around a chief marketing officer in this sense, a fractional chief marketing officer, and here's why I'm gonna say fractional is because This is a fractional CMO is a fancy marketing term for a part time or temporary marketing executive who provides that strategic leadership that I'm talking about, right? That direction for your company's marketing efforts on a fractional basis.
This is more on a part time or as needed basis.

And why I'm bringing this up is because most often businesses are growing.
They're in growth stage. They can't always afford a big budget executive salary. CMOs get paid several 100,000 of dollars a year. 

So this is why I'm leading you down this path of, you know, more as needed work through fractional work.
So instead of hiring a full time CMO, your business can really you know, engage the services of her fractional one to access that higher level marketing x tease and guidance, but without that commitment of a full time salary.

Fractional CMOs usually work with multiple appliance as well.
And they will, you know, tailor things to really meet your specific needs, which is a benefit because They're not just practicing on you.

They're seeing marketing in the whole gamut across lots of different verticals, across lots of different industries, And so they're very well equipped to help build marketing plans, implement campaigns.
Also, analyze the performance, you know, I talked about KPIs earlier, like, what are those key metrics that we need to measure and look at so that we can understand whether our efforts are being successful or not.
Fractional CMOs are extremely beneficial for small or midsized companies, you're getting the expertise of a professional without hiring someone full time.

Now the type of marketing leader you should hire depends on your business's specific needs, goals, as well as your industry. So I'm gonna give you the rundown on a few types of marketing leaders you might consider.

And the first is a generalist marketing leader.
Now, this person has, you know, a pretty good experience across various marketing disciplines, and they can usually oversee things like branding or digital marketing, advertising, content creation.
And really work great for, you know, like, comprehensive overall marketing guidance and some job titles that would fall under this category include marketing coordinator or marketing manager.

The next is a specialist marketing leader who focuses on a specific area of marketing, like, you know, social media, content marketing, SEO.
These individuals have a deep expertise in that area of special utilization.
And most often, what I'm seeing is businesses will lean into a social media marketing manager first.
Because who doesn't wanna be on social media.
Right? Like, we all love the idea of being on there.
We wanna be seen.
Okay.
This is making me think about that time.
If I don't know.
Jerry Seinfeld.
It's been on Netflix, and there's this episode where, I don't know, he's wearing a fur coat.
And there's this long story where Kramer asks him to kinda cover up that this fur coat is his.
And, you know, so that Kramer doesn't get kicked out of his building.

And the super is like, whose coat is this? This fur coat? And, uh, he's like, oh, oh, it's gotta be Jerry's.
You know celebrities.
They need to be loved and liked.
Look at me.
Love me.
Anyway, super long tangent, but I think that's what we do sometimes as businesses as to why we go down the path of social media marketing first.
Look at me.
Love me.
Alright.

Well, job titles in this bracket include a social media managers, I mentioned, or a marketing specialist.
Next is that industry specific marketing leader that has experience and knowledge specific to your industry.
They understand the unique challenges, the trends, really the opportunities within industry, especially if it's like really niche.
And I get it.

We all wanna think nobody understands my business.
But if you have, like, a really unique industry, then this is where you'd want someone who's got that, you know, tailor Mitch, because they can then tailor your marketing strategies to meet the needs of your target audience.

Next is a growth marketing leader.
And this is someone who focuses on driving quick But sustainable growth for your business through data driven experimentation and often I mean, these are the people who love the numbers.
They're looking at website traffic.
They're looking at all of the you know, PPC analytics.
I mean, they are skilled in really identifying and capitalizing on growth opportunities.
Optimizing conversion funnels and maximizing ROI.
So job titles that might, you know, that you might look for in this area are either growth manager or digital marketing manager.

And then, of course, that fractional or interim marketing leader in, as I mentioned earlier, provides part time or temporary leadership that, you know, in a flexible way that's also super cost effective.
So Job titles here are marketing executive, head of marketing, chief marketing officer, including that fractional CMO, which I explained earlier.

So now the next question that you might be asking yourself is, well, alright, Ally.
How do I know when I'm ready to hire a marketing leader.
Well, companies typically hire a marketing director or leader at various stages of business growth depending on your specific needs, your goals, your resources.
Right? But here are some common moments in business growth that might lead you to knowing that you're ready to make this hire.

And the first is the early stage startup.
Right? This is when you're first getting started launching the company.
You're going to need someone who can handle your efforts internally You're going to really need them to help your business gain traction.

And especially because this is where load starts to increase.
So you might decide to hire a marketing leader to bring in some structure, some strategy, and expertise to marketing initiatives.

Because when you're in that stage, you really are wearing that hat of chief everything officer.
So you might not be able to see things as strategically or you might not have the ability to execute on those marketing efforts in a way that could yield the results that you want.
Obviously, the next stage where you'd be looking to bringing on marketing leader would be in that expansion phase.

This is where, you know, you're growing.
Your operations are getting bigger.
Maybe you're going into either new markets or you're trying to launch new products or services.
So again, you need that strategic leadership to really show up.
So, you know, at this stage, you wanna make sure that those marketing efforts really, really align with your overall business objectives so that you can support that growth.
And then finally, that scaling up process where you're like, okay, I have experienced a ton of quick growth or, you know, I really wanna scale my operations, right? I need a dedicated marketing leader who can really help us do that.

So this is where, you know, a marketing leader will manage your marketing team.
Now you've got a little bit more money.
So you've got more people.
You need someone to manage this team them accountable, keep them motivated, right, really just driving that continued growth and success.
And let me mention, 1 or 2 other areas as well that sometimes business owners will sort of overlook as a stage where you would really need a marketing leader.
And this is transition periods.

You know, during periods of change transition, like, let's say, you know, you've had a leadership leadership change or, you know, maybe you're rebranding or you've had some type merger or acquisition, this is where you need to really lean on the the guidance and the stability of a a marketing leader to just really help sort of create this seamless process.

And You know, also the next one that I would have you consider would be if you're in decline or even if you're you've just hit a plateau.
Your business isn't growing.
The way you want it to anymore.
I mean, you're not in a bad place, but you're not seeing the growth that you want anymore or worse, you're uh, the numbers aren't looking good.
You're in decline.

And of course, what I have seen most businesses do in this case is when the business starts to decline, they start to cut back.

They're like, no, no, red alert, you know, cut out in the marketing, cut out fire everybody.
And That's just the absolute worst thing that you can do because a marketing leader can absolutely know how to get you out of the rut, get you out of that plateau, and get you back into growth mode.
Now finally, what questions should you ask someone when you're thinking about hiring them, right, to lead your marketing efforts? Well, I'll run through a few and, you know, They're not no brainers, but they are, you know, sort of they're simple.
I mean, they they're helpful here.
So let me go through these.

And I would wanna know, hey, can you walk us through your experience in creating and actually executing on successful? Marketing strategies? Like, what does that look like? How do you personally stay updated on the latest marketing trends, tools, and best practices I mean, I wanna know that they're not just throwing spaghetti at the wall here, right? Like who are who are their leaders? What strategies are are they following or frameworks, are they helping me implement into my business? And can you provide examples of marketing campaigns or projects that you've led that resulted in measurable success.
Now, this is the kicker, right? Because anybody can say, oh, yeah, you know, like, great.
Just hire me.

I'll I'll make you grow.
Well, no, I wanna see.
I wanna actually see the numbers.
I wanna see you know, how you took someone from, you know, 10,000,000 in revenue to 20,000,000 or or even a 1,000,000 in revenue to 5,000,000.
Like, what were the things that happened there? Because, again, I want tangible evidence here.
I would also ask, how do you approach market research and audience analysis to really make informed marketing decisions.
This is so important.

Like, market research and analyzing your audience is something you may have done early on when you were just getting started, and then you just forgot about it.
But this is something you should be doing on at least an annual basis, if not every few years.
And a marketing leader can help you do that.
I would also wanna know, like, what their experience is with branding and positioning a company, you know, in within the marketplace.

And if you're not sure what positioning is, it's like, okay.
What position does our brand or company hold in the heart and minds of our consumers.
Do you know how to position us in a way where we're different where we gain their loyalty where we stand out.

You know, an example of this is, you know, what position does co Cola hold in your mind when it comes to cola.
Well, number 1, most likely unless you're like a a Pepsi fan.
So I would wanna know what their experience was around, you know, positioning, branding, all that cool stuff.
Um, I would also probably ask like he How do you work with other departments? Because this is gonna be a key leader who's going to have to get along with other team members.
And the last thing you want is like a big jerk.
You want someone that's diplomatic that can play, you know, well at the playground you know, with with all the the kids, not just some big bully.
I would also ask, you know, around their experience managing a marketing budget and really optimizing ROI.

I mean, if you're gonna hand over 1000 and 1000 of dollars, you're hoping you're gonna get a return on investment.
Right? So I would wanna see how they'd managed previous company's marketing budgets.
What that looks like? Of course, I would want to talk about KPIs.
Those are those metrics that really measure performance.
I need to know what the KPIs are that this individual is going to put into effect because those are the things we will use to measure success.
How will we know if we're succeeding if we don't know how to measure it? I would also dig a little bit deeper, maybe get personal.
Hey.
Tell me about a time when you faced a challenger setback.
You know, specific to marketing, what did that look like? How did you overcome it? You know, tell me about that.
And of course, their leadership style.

We did talk about that in regards to, you know, we wanna make sure that they get along with other people, other departments, but also can they motivate and buyer your team, you know, if you've got a marketing team to actually achieve the goals of the business.
These questions are super helpful because they're going to give you a better feel for the qualifications and the problem solving abilities of this potential candidate.
And I know that you might be thinking here at this point.
Maybe you're not, and I'm gonna put this into your head here, but you might as you have been listening in the show thought, well, you know, maybe I should just hire a marketing agency.
To handle all of these things for my business.
That might just be easier.

No doubt you have heard of marketing agencies.
I love them.
They're great.
I have clients who are agencies.
Here are some pros and cons on that, though, on hiring an agency versus an actual marketing leader.
And that's that hiring an agency is usually more expensive, especially for small businesses and startups with limited budgets.
When you hire a marketing agent agency, you're you're pretty much giving over over your marketing efforts to external professionals, which is fine.
If you want it to be hands off, but with an in house team member or leader, you have a lot more control and flexibility to adjust strategies timelines, even your priorities, right, based on kinda how things are working, any changes in the market.
Also, marketing agencies you know, often tend to have an expertise in, like, a specific area, like ads or HubSpot.
And, I mean, that's great.
It allows them to really provide specialized services, but an in house marketing team or leader can really focus on a more customized approach to your unique challenges, right, the the things that are happening within your business over time.

Well, there you have it.
Everything you need to know about hiring a marketing leader.
Whether you're just starting out or you're in that super hyper fast growth mode that we all love or maybe hate it.
But ultimately having the right marketing leader by your side is the ultimate difference maker.
They'll help you stand out, grow your business, no matter what phase of the journey that you're in.
And, again, the reason you need them is because they're number 1 focus is strategy, execution, is marketing, whereas for you as the leader, you you've got a lot.
You've got a lot of other things.
You gotta focus on people, uh, customer service, a million different things.
So if you don't have a marketing leader in place, takes them out of what I shared with you today, and go out and get 1 and watch your business, grow.

Thanks for joining me today. If you'd like to talk about marketing leadership, and how we can revolutionize your business, schedule a call with me at writebrandmarketing.com I'm Ali Garbero, Copywriting is what I do content marketing is what I create - and more customers is what you get

But what if I told you there's much to learn from taking the less traveled road?

On today's episode of the High-Performance Marketing Podcast, I'll share ways you can step up and stand out. And how doing so will make you different instead of boring background noise.

Learn how to leverage gifts as a way to deepen your connections with past clients, show appreciate, and generate more referrals.

Also, download Your Free Marketing Plan HERE.

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My guest today, Megan Giles, owner and head Graphic Designer at MG Graphics, lasers in on attention as a resource which your clients don't have much of to give. 

She'll teach you why good graphic design can help keep your branding consistent so you build trust and make your brand feel more dependable.

Book - Better than You Think

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Contact Rob: rob@robcommodariauthor.com

In the rush to stick something to the wall and hope it sticks you might find yourself making these 3 mistakes in your business. What are they? Listen in and learn a few easy things you can do to fix them.

Should I start a YouTube channel, blog, start a podcast, send emails, or pay for ads? It's no wonder you feel confused about attracting customers and growing profits. The options are exhausting .

On this episode of the High Performance Marketing Podcast I'll share four proven methods for generating leads.

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On this episode of the High Performance Marketing podcast I'll share how you can deliver valuable and relevant content directly to to you clients mailboxes.

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome To the High-Performance Marketing podcast, a show dedicated to helping small business owners connect with their ideal customers using simple marketing and quality content. I'm your Marketing Guide, Ali Garbero.

In a world where everything is online, it's easy to overlook print marketing as outdated and irrelevant. And when you think about print marketing, it's most likely that images of card stock flyers - that you throw in your recycling bin come to mind. 

On today's episode of the podcast, I'm sharing why print is still a powerful medium to help you connect and stay top of mind with your clients and customers as a tried and true method that can help your business stand out in a digital age.

Specifically, I'll take you down the path of printed newsletter content success secrets.

Ok, look, I know what you're thinking, "Printed newsletters? In a world of emails and social media?" But trust me, there's a lot of untapped potential in this classic marketing tool. 

So let's get started!

First, let's think about how newsletters provide a tangible and engaging experience that digital media simply can't replicate. There's something about flipping through the pages of a magazine or holding a physical glossy sheet of paper that just can't be replicated on a screen. 

Newsletters have a greater sense of permanence than digital media. While a Reel or Facebook post can be easily forgotten or buried in a feed, a physical newsletter can be revisited time and again. In fact, many people even stick these to their fridges if the information is relevant, or helpful enough. 

Also, while I’m certainly a  huge proponent of email marketing, not everybody will open your emails. Which makes a printed newsletter something you can use to increase your customer reach.

Naturally you’re probably thinking about what kind of newsletter content to create and share, so I’m going to give you some key points to consider to help make your newsletters magnetic and something that your audience of readers will look forward to receiving.

First, although your newsletter is a marketing tool, we don’t want to make it look too much like marketing. Think about making it look more like a publication. Experts publish things, you may look to salesly if you’re sending out a quote unquote marketing piece. 

So for example if you’re a real estate agent, you don’t want your newsletter to be full of just listed properties or market stats. If you’re a mortgage broker, you don’t just want to share the latest from Fannie Mae and Freddy. And if you’re a bowling alley, you wouldn’t just send images of half off pizza slices. 

If you need inspiration, pay attention to the printed publications you receive - the ones you keep and read. Again, you want your newsletter to feel like a publication and less like a marketing piece.

The goal is to sneak in under the radar and publish valuable material for readers while also sprinkling in some marketing.

The benefits of a newsletter include:

Most of your competitors aren’t doing it.

It stands out and helps you build brand recognition

It bypasses email spam filters and the dreaded Gmail promotions tab

It can also be read by more people than just the recipient

You can also include other things in the envelope besides just the newsletter like tickets to your next client event, an industry report, or a magnet with a local list of your preferred vendors that’s branded with your information on it.

But let’s talk about a challenge that can sometimes be overlooked with newsletters and that’s building a distribution list or database of people for you to send it to. Well here’s a few tricks you can use to grow your list of recipients.

Send a copy of your printed newsletter with every customer order that you send out. If you sell a service like mortgages or real estate - then add people to the list every time you help them buy or sell a home, anytime you connect with a new business in the area, or a new vendor. If you run a brick and mortar style business, put a copy of your newsletter in the bag with every purchase a customer makes in your shop - and if you’re a service based business like a flower shop or dentist’s office, you could leave a copy of your newsletter on your counter, reception desk or in your waiting room. And of course make it clear that the reader can take one, free of charge. Include a QR code they can use to receive something fun and exciting if they subscribe to receive future newsletters.

Now let’s say you send your customers correspondence in the mail for other reasons, such as proportional mailings, invoices, an annual home anniversary letter - whatever it is, make sure to include a copy of your newsletter.

Another great way to increase your list of subscribers is to add a link to your email signature informing recipients where they can grab a copy of your newsletter. Make sure you use a catchy headline or tagline to increase curiosity and subscriptions. 

The next newsletter secret I want to cover with you is all about what to include. This is a struggle for a lot of people, even if they understand how valuable print marketing and how a newsletter is fun and valuable you may feel stuck about what to actually include in the newsletter itself. 

First, lead with brand personality. If you’re a fun brand, include a joke, a funny meme, a funny story of some kind. If funny isn’t your style and you’re a family company - talk about things you did with your family this month, a problem you solved at home (like how you saved money grocery shopping. You might choose to include a spotlight about one of your employees or a neighborhood park you love to visit. The point is do what you can to help humanize your brand as well as to add humor or fun when possible. I’ll give you a quick example. One real estate agent I wrote a newsletter for had an audience of families with young kids, and she worked with a lot of moms. So I included the following joke in one corner of the newsletter:

6 year old: Why do bad guys always try to take over?

Me: They want to be in charge and make all the rules.

6 year old: Then Why don't they become moms?

We live in a world plagued by depression and stress - be the reason people smiled today.

Next, feature other businesses who don’t compete with you directly. Highlight them as a way to introduce them to your audience as well as to open a way for collaborating and sending each other more business. You can then see if they will distribute the newsletter to their mailing list, or make it available at their place of business, on the grounds that it will be good publicity for them too

You may also decide to theme your newsletters based on the major holidays throughout the year. 

• January New Year, New Years Goals, a new start, goal planning
• February - Valentine’s day, pancake day
• March/April - Spring, Easter: signs of renewal, spring cleaning, new life in your area.  April Fool’s
• May -Mother’s Day. Look for local events or minor celebrations that  you can tie into what you do.
• June - Fathers Day
• July Half way point of the year, How are you getting on with your goals? Fourth of July
• August - Summer holidays, fun, no school, sunshine, relaxing
• September - Back to school (Educate yourself even if you’re not in school.)
• October - Halloween
• November - Bonfire Night, thanksgiving - gratitude
• December. Christmas, a period of rest and relaxation or busy excitement

You don’t have to use this themed method, it’s just one idea to help you stir up a few creative ideas.

Next, let’s review content categories that you could include in your newsletter. I get it, if you’re not naturally a creative person, it can feel like a struggle to know what other information to include.

Naturally you’ll want to include some kind of content around what your business does. The products or services you provide. This is a great way to talk about your business without sounding like you’re just talking about you. Remember the easiest way to talk about what you do is to start with how what you do helps solve your customer’s problems. 

You could also include content about the things you know your customers like. The things they’re interested in. One client I served a few months ago ran a bowling alley. The new Mario Kart movie was releasing soon and it just so happened her arcade had a Mario Kart game. Of course we took advantage to pair those two topics together by highlighting that the movie was coming out, where to get tickets, and what to do at her bowling alley after the movie.  

If you’ve got upcoming events a newsletter is a great place to include that information. And finally let’s talk about referrals. Newsletters are a great place to nudge your clients with the benefits of sending you client referrals.

You might also want to offer to send your clients a free book, a free report or some kind of free trial product or sample, or even a gift card for anyone whose mailing address or contact information they share with you. 

And of course, along with what you promised, you can also include a copy of the newsletter, and then keep those people on your mailing  list for future issues.

Don’t forget to share a link to the PDF version of your printed newsletter on your social media channels, or add a link to your LinkTree every time you publish a new issue. 

Finally, a question I’m often asked is “how often should I send out a newsletter?” Much of that will depend on your print and postage budget. Some clients send them monthly, others choose quarterly. I’d say frequency matters less than consistency. It’s more important that your subscribers know when to expect it, than how often. 

Well there you have it, newsletter print marketing may not be as flashy or trendy as its digital counterparts, but its importance and relevance continues to remain strong. It’s something that can set you apart from your competitors because believe it or not, very few businesses market this way anymore - so use this to your advantage. I’m cheering you on!

Thanks for joining me today, if you’d like help with your newsletter marketing, schedule a call with me at WriteBrandMarketing.com I’m Ali Garbero, copywriting is what I do, content marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.

Today's episode of the podcast has me connecting with fellow marketer and author Matt Muscat. His new book is an Amazon best seller because the chapters are short and the take aways are simple to implement immediately.

Listen in to the conversation so you know exactly what to refine with your real estate marketing.

Matt's new book can be found HERE. Or you can follow him on Instagram @mattmuscat88

The message that used to feel really clear starts stretching. You’re talking to more people, trying to say more things, and before you know it, it doesn’t land the way it used to. In the meantime you’re spending on more marketing, but revenue feels less predictable.

In this episode of the High Performance Marketing Podcast, Ali Garbero unpacks the subtle disconnect that shows up as companies grow — when marketing, messaging, and revenue stop moving in sync.

Reference links:

Business Made Simple Course

Today's pod guest is Chief Executive of Big Ideas and Broker|Owner of BHGRE Influence Partners Aaron Drussel. 

Discover how Aaron leans into building powerful relationships using his interests and unique hobbies to grow a successful real estate business, as well as to attract and develop other real estate leaders. 

Regardless of where you’re at in your journey, finding your niche is a must do in your business because it brings focus to your marketing and connects you with clients that are already looking for what you have to offer. But finding a niche isn’t always easy to do. 

On today’s episode of the podcast I’ve got Todd Howard on the show.

Todd is a Business Made Simple Coach and the founder of Grow a Niche Business. He’s created a framework that helps business owners find their ideal niche so they can form a unique identity and stand out from the competition.

On this episode of the High Performance Marketing Podcast, you'll learn that not all emails should have the same purpose and how staying consistent will help you build stronger relationships and sell more homes.

Welcome to The High Performance Marketing Podcast, a show focused on helping entrepreneurs and small business owners connect with their ideal customers using simple marketing and quality content. I'm your Marketing Guide, Ali Garbero.

Entrepreneurs are known for their tenacity and the ability to wear multiple hats to keep their business afloat. But as you well know, sometimes you’re also known for becoming easily excited and distracted about hundreds of new ways to grow and that includes a plethora of marketing ideas. This is where working with a strategist or fractional CMO can be a game-changer. 

On today’s episode of the podcast I’ve got guest Katherine McMahon on. Katharine is the owner of Phoenix 818, she’s a Fractional CMO, Marketing Strategist and business coach. She’s also a fellow Story Brand Certified Marketing Guide and I’m excited for you to listen in on our conversation as she shares the importance of staying focused  so you achieve your marketing, revenue, and growth goals.

Well there you have it, my key takeaways from my discussion with Katharine are first, that a quality marketing strategy helps you understand with absolute clarity how how to position yourself in the minds of your clients. Become known for solving a unique problem and you will always stay top of mind.

Second was the power of focus. Focus is where you get leverage. With only a finite amount of time and resources at your disposal, it's important to use them wisely and by narrowing your focus and concentrating on key areas of your business, you’ll leverage your efforts and achieve far greater results than by trying to spread yourself too thin and be all the things to every body.

Finally I love her back pocket CMO services. While we didn’t talk too much about it - it’s a service she offers for smaller businesses and entrepreneurs who have tighter budgets or who maybe need less to start off. I can’t overemphasize the importance of strategy. Strategy is your roadmap in marketing and before you start building out your website or creating content - knowing the why and the purpose of what you’re doing will help you avoid spending time, energy and money on the wrong activities.

Thanks for joining me today. I’m Ali Garbero, Copywriting is what I do, Content Marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.