Ever feel like you're constantly creating content for strangers on social media? If so, are you doing it while ignoring the people who've already paid you for your products or services? Yeah, we need to talk about that.
In this final episode of 2025, my friend Colie James joins me to call out the exhausting cycle of chasing new leads when the people most likely to say yes are already in your world—your former clients, your email list, even those leads who didn't book the first time.
We're breaking down why marketing to your actual audience beats talking to strangers in the void, how to stop making assumptions about who will buy from you, and why your first stop for any cash infusion should never be Instagram.
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EPISODE 176.
Read the show notes and view the full transcript here: https://erinollila.com/selling-to-the-people-who-are-already-in-your-audience-with-colie-james/
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Learn all about our guest expert, Colie James
Colie James is a Disney-loving Client Experience Systems Strategist and the host of the Business-First Creatives podcast. Her heart pumps in helping photographers & creative service providers automate their processes, reclaim their time and get back to living!
With 13+ years in the creative space, Colie believes every creative deserves to build a business that is sustainable and profitable, and no one should quit their 9 to 5 only to work 24/7 [in their business].
The truth—automated systems can save us all from being overworked and overwhelmed.
When Colie isn’t building killer workflows and automations, you can find her spending some much needed time with her husband, James, daughter Chloe, or [you guessed it] at Disneyland.
When you're done listening to this episode of the podcast with Colie, click through the archives to hear an episode on customer experience and another on Airtable content hubs (or just click those links!) Oh, and she interviewed me on my podcast about my business trajectory, too!
https://erinollila.com/why-is-customer-experience-important-with-colie-james/
https://erinollila.com/erin-ollilas-business-trajectory/
https://erinollila.com/creating-an-airtable-content-marketing-hub/
And then—and only then!—I suggest you head over to HER podcast, Business-First Creatives, to hear even more awesome content from this great guest expert.
Here's the info on your host, Erin Ollila
Erin Ollila believes in the power of words and how a message can inform – and even transform – its intended audience. She graduated from Fairfield University with an M.F.A. in Creative Writing, and went on to co-found Spry, an award-winning online literary journal.
When Erin’s not helping her clients understand their website data or improve their website copy, you can catch her hosting the Talk Copy to Me podcast and guesting on shows such as Profit is a Choice, Mindful Marketing, The Power in Purpose, and Business-First Creatives.
Stay in touch with Erin Ollila, SEO website copywriter:
• Learn more about my VIP intensive options or just book a strategy session to get started right away
• Visit Erin's website to learn more about her business, services, and products