Make Marketing Suck Less for Expertise-Driven Solo Businesses

“If I decide to use social media, then maybe I'm posting all the time and checking for likes and comments in my off hours. What you choose from marketing can affect your life. And for me, it has been really important to figure out a way to do it that works for me and lets me keep on living the life I want to be living and not feeling too stressed out by my work or feeling the need to get in there and do things at all hours of the day.”

Everyone who markets marketing programs is always so damn certain that their approach works for everyone, everywhere, no matter the business. 

They've got the one right way to do it. 

And that certainty makes you doubt yourself and your decisions. It also always has you on the lookout to find that silver bullet that's going to work flawlessly.

But what if there's no one right way to market?

How do you navigate the uncertainty and build your own confidence around marketing? 

This is what Expert Up Club member and career coach for teachers, Laura Litwiller, and I talk about on today's podcast.

In this episode, you will hear:

• The importance of having a clear message in marketing. Laura mentions how refining her message through her "3 Word Rebellion" has boosted her confidence
• Laura’s significant reduction in social media usage and what platform she uses now
• The best platforms to reach Laura's target audience of teachers exploring career changes
• Alternatives to social media, focusing on SEO, strategic partnerships, and one-on-one conversations, aiming to reach her audience more effectively.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Let's face it. Experts are made to feel shame about their expertise. 

We too often hear things like:

>>don't be an expert, be an explorer

>>don't be smart, be curious

>>don't be an expert, be a human

And these things are said by the very people who claim to get experts known and hired for their work. 

And it is time, my friend, that we stop shitting on experts because here's the truth. 

The very thing you are told to deny about yourself, about your experience is what will make you great at marketing your business. 

Experts bring three great untapped strengths when it comes to marketing, and I'm gonna tell you all about it on this episode of the podcast.

In this episode, you will hear:

• The pressure and societal messages that make experts feel ashamed of their expertise.
• How expertise can be a superpower in marketing rather than a liability
• The three untapped strengths that experts bring to marketing: insatiable curiosity, willingness to experiment and change course, and humility.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

“I've been thinking all that time I'm spending over here on social, and I'm not spending really any quality time with the people that voluntarily chose to be in my world by opting into my thing.”

Riddle me this, Batman.

Why do we spend so much time on marketing that leads nowhere vs. focusing on marketing that works to get clients?

 It's probably because everybody on the interwebs is screaming at you to do more marketing and do it on social media, when for so many people, that is just a waste of time. 

At least that's what my guest, Norma Frahn, found out. When she right-sized her marketing efforts, she realized that social media wasn’t better for business. She changed course.
 
Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Marketing feels like a time suck of doom. 

There's all this doubt. 

>>>Is it really working? 

>>>Am I getting it right? Whatever right means. 

And then despite spending so much time on your marketing, you're just not seeing the results you want to see. 

And then there's the beating yourself up of feeling like you're never doing enough despite your best efforts. 

And what I want for you is to stop the doubt, the worry, the beating yourself up. I don't want you to feel like you're wasting your time, energy, and money on marketing. 

Because as a solo business owner, you've got too much going on for any of that nonsense. 

• But how do you stop? 
• How can you make marketing suck less?

I've got something brand new just for you. 

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

“I went down a whole path that was completely not right for my business, and it was very frustrating, and I wasted a lot of time doing a lot of stuff that wasn't really helpful.”

You know what really sucks about marketing? 

When you're told to market in a certain way that works for every business. And only after you've done all that work, invested all that money, you find out that ish was never gonna work for your business. 

Over the years, I've worked with so many B2B consultants who've gone down this exact path only to find out what works to market for them doesn't look like any of that online BS. 

And this is why I wanted to talk to Camille Rapacz about how she corrected the course and found out that marketing could actually be, dare I say, fun?
 
In this episode, you will hear

• Camille’s approach to meeting people and the importance of building relationships with fellow business owners.
• The need to tailor marketing strategies to specific businesses and the importance of understanding industry differences.
• Camille’s realization that traditional broadcasting marketing (social media posts, blog posts) did not work for her B2B consulting business.
• The importance of using one's unique personality and strengths, especially as an introvert, in shaping effective marketing strategies.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

“And then it kinda dawned on me last year, I don't need a lead magnet or an opt in. I think you talked about how every time you create something, even if it's free, you still have to “sell it”. I'm just selling my newsletter. It was like a weight lifted.”

Think fast. How many lead magnets have you created for your business? 

For this iteration of my business, I have created at least 6 different lead magnets. Rarely have I created one that I was really satisfied with.

I've spent so much time and energy trying to devise an irresistible opt-in that would lead people to my work. 

And it's hard to do, but know there is a different way. 

This is what Bev Feldman is here to talk about because trying to find that unicorn lead magnet was making marketing suck more for her and not less. So she went a different way. 

In this episode, you will hear:

• The pressure of social media and the overwhelming task of creating appealing lead magnets
• Frustration with the conventional approach to creating lead magnets and opt-ins
• Bev’s decision process to “sell” her newsletter
• The significance of creating engaging emails that encourage responses and conversations.

Ready to Market Like an Expert: Grab the Free Course

Full show notes and transcript are here

“I want to make sure that if someone happens to find me when I'm not posting content, that they have a way to hear about me, learn about me - without me having to pump out content to the feed.”

Nothing makes me want to dive head-first into a vat of lava like the thought of making a 7-second video to post on Reels or TikTok. And if you feel that way too, please know that you are not alone.

And today, I'm talking to Jessica Lackey, who, like me, hates short form content, so she decided not to do it.  

If you wanna know what she does instead, you'll just have to listen.

In this episode, you will hear:

• The challenges of short-form content creation for experts and its impact on long-form content
• Why the difference between feed based content vs playlist based content is important for experts
• The interconnectedness of content creation, repurposing, and business programs
• Marketing approach focusing on transparency, consistency, and offering free resources
• The importance in building personal connections and relationship-building in marketing

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

This week on the podcast, we're doing something a little bit different. A pod takeover. I invited my friend, Michelle Warner to take over my podcast feed. 

Her podcast Sequence Over Strategy is the only business podcast that I religiously listen to. Michelle and I are incredibly aligned with how we approach business (and she's also the opening speaker for the Make Marketing Suck Less virtual event).

Aligning Marketing and Growth

Do you struggle to decide your marketing strategy? Do you know if you want to reach as many people as possible or just your target audience? Michelle Warner, a business designer and strategist, discusses a shift in her marketing strategy. Previously focused on one-on-one work and relationship marketing, she’s now transitioning to teaching more bootcamps, which requires a higher volume of leads. This shift means she needs to balance her marketing strategies, incorporating more traffic marketing alongside relationship marketing to align with her new product mix.

Michelle explains the difference between relationship marketing (deep, authentic connections) and traffic marketing (mass outreach) and stresses the importance of aligning marketing strategies with your business model. She also highlights her involvement in Michelle Mazur’s summit, "Make Marketing Suck Less," which aims to help businesses find suitable marketing strategies.

For more details and to join the summit visit: https://drmichellemazur.com/event

A special invite to the Make Marketing Suck Less Virtual Event!

Social media feels like a 20-lb weight choking all the joy out of my business.

All the "shoulds." All the rules. All the head trash around having the "perfect" hook." Maybe you feel it, too?

Here's the deal: you don't have to RELY on social media for audience growth.

You've got a ton of options. Finding what works for you is freeing.

I'm hosting a virtual event, Make Marketing Suck Less to help you do just that. I'm gathering 10 business owners to reveal their  BEST marketing method to book more business this year beyond likes & shares.

Because this is a conversation that the industry needs to have, as there is no ONE way to market your business.

Your way is unique based on your strengths, who you serve, and how you want to show up.

Join us here: https://drmichellemazur.com/event

“I know that there's this unicorn idea that you can preschedule things months in advance, and preschedule all of your content, and, like, sit down for 8 hours in one day, and record 17.6 reels. But that is a lie unto me, and it never worked for me. And so for me, it had to be. It sucked even worse if I tried to batch content.”

Marketing is relentless. 

It is something that is never done and dusted. 

Yet, it's a core pillar of what you need to do to have a sustainable business. So when marketing is relentless, how do you make it suck less? 

That's exactly why I am talking to Expert Up Club member and my dear friend, Michelle Markwart Deveaux.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.