How To Scale Your Personal Brand

When you do have a strong brand, when you do have a confident brand, it is very natural. It's going to be the most natural thing to be consistent across the platforms because you are only being who you are.

Hi, everyone. Welcome to the Scale It Method, where we teach you to reach the next level in your business, build your dream team and scale beyond eight figures. Too many business owners are stuck trying to do everything themselves, and their businesses are suffering as a result. And I don't want you to be one of those people. I'm Alison Maslin, and my company, Pinnacle Global Network, has helped thousands of business owners scale their companies using my framework, the Scale It Method. Now, all business owners face similar challenges when it comes to growth. So on this podcast, we're delivering the tactics you need to finally reach that next level in your business. Build your dream team and scale beyond eight figures. So today I'm talking to Marietta Gentiles Crawford, a personal brand strategist, writer, public speaker, learning and development coach. Now, she has worked with Fortune 500 companies like Macy's, JP Morgan, Pfizer, and she's contributed articles to major publications like Thrive Global, the Huffington Post, and the Muse. And I wanted to bring Marietta on the show because she is incredibly knowledgeable in building a strong brand and and how to leverage social media to strengthen it. So having a powerful and consistent brand is vital for scaling any company because you want your target demographic to view you in a specific way. So by investing time into building your brand, you are ensuring that your company is sending out the right message. We're going to dive into all of that. So welcome to the show. Marietta, thank you for being here.

Hi, Alison. Thank you for having me.

Yeah, so branding, branding, I think that it is a confusing concept. It's a hot topic right now. It's a buzzword sometimes misunderstood. You do personal branding for LinkedIn through your company, MGC Inc. What does someone's personal brand actually mean or consist of?

That's really a great question, because, like you said, it can be confusing. When people think about that term personal branding, they feel like it's something that's external. They have to create it. They have to create a Persona or be someone that they're not. And one of the things I like to stress when it comes to elevating your personal brand is that the definition is about what is. What are your strengths? What makes you this unique human being that when people talk about you, when people think about you, they immediately say, this person is xyz. This person is humorous, caring, Right. And so when you think about personal branding, it's not about creating or being anyone that you're not, but it's about really embracing and understanding what makes you unique, what makes you different, and honoring that and being really confident about that in everything that you do, in every way that you show up.

Wow, that is powerful. And so do you feel, Marietta, that it's important? I think people have been confused when they're running a company. For instance, as the CEO, do I build. Do I work on building that personal brand, or do I work on building the business brand? Or is it both?

It's a little bit of both. But, you know, one of the. And I always like to attribute a quote to whoever created it, but I really can't. I can't pinpoint who it is. But there's this thing in marketing that people do business with people they know like and trust. So at the end of the day, when it comes to, you know, if you're a CEO of your business and you're thinking about, how do I reach my. My target demographics, it's really the person behind the company that you are connecting with, and that's making you want to learn about it. Like, even you mentioned that I used to write for our Huffington Post and Thrive, you know, Thrive Global, people know Arianna Huffington. You know, when you think about these brand names, people know the CEOs, and then you know the company as well. So even on LinkedIn, as you know, you're. You're building your brand, getting your visibility up. On LinkedIn, it's about getting people to your website, is about building your company brand. But they want to know who that person is and what are their core beliefs and how they can connect with them before they make that purchase or they that hire or that connection.

It's so important. And I really struggled with this for years, actually, Marietta, because, you know, I built a pretty strong personal brand. That's really what I led with. But then there was confusion on, well, what does she actually, you know, we don't know what her business is, you know, and so we probably about five years ago started putting more. Still doing the personal brand. Obviously, I'm here doing podcast, but really work on building, you know, the essence of the company brand as well. So it is interesting because I think you do need to toggle between both.

Yeah. And it really goes in hand in hand to your point. Right. Because at the end of the day, you want to drive people to the company, you want to drive people to your website. So it goes in hand in hand and understanding. Like, if this is the person, right, and then it's up to you. As the personal brand, what. Where do you want to drive that person? What do you want them to leave with when it comes to your company and the message that you're trying to get across as well?

Yeah, it's really important too. And especially if you have a business where you have other team members and they're not going to always be working with you. But I think of like Richard Branson, the personal brand, Virgin Airlines. But you don't expect that Richard is going to be the one flying the plane. You know, he's just his own brand, which also, you know, mirrors the essence of what Virgin stands for. What is the piece of advice you would give to a CEO or a company leader that is struggling to build a strong brand? Where would you start?

I would start by removing the noise, right? Removing the noise of what you think you should be. Because information is wonderful, right? We're here giving information. But I think especially as you get to that CEO level, that six figure, seven figure level, where you're building this business, you're going beyond just starting out, there can be this, this area in your career where you're kind of figuring yourself out again, right? It's not the same way as when you were just starting, but it's like you gather all this information, you gather all this experience, you gather, you know, what you should be doing and what's the best time to wake up and what's the best way to grow your company and marketing tools and all of these great bells and whistles. But I think ultimately being aware of what makes you tick, what drives you, what is your vision for how you know your company is growing and how you feel about it is going to be the foundation. Because we can get carried away in building and growing and then you lose sight of why you even started. So I would say to that CEO, remove the noise, right? And take that time to say, what feels good right now is what I'm doing doesn't feel good, or am I doing it because I think I should be doing it right? And often when we quiet that noise, I find that the answer is there. And sometimes it doesn't look like what you thought it was going to be, but it's actually exactly what you need to do to move forward.

I think that's a great question too. Removing the noise and coming back to, to yourself. And I know, I mean, it's been challenging for me even over the years too, especially with social Media. And so I'd love to talk about that, you know, because I remember with. When the Reels first came out, some members on our team were like, alison, you've got to do the dancing. You've got to get up there. You got to dance. And I did a couple of those. And Marietta, I was just like this. I mean, I love to dance, but it really has nothing to do with, like, where I feel my gifts are of, you know, sharing and helping business owners to grow and scale their business. You know, I mean, it's fun and all that, but I was like, guys, I feel like a complete phony out here doing this. I cannot do this anymore.

So I. I love that you mentioned that, Allison, because that is exactly what I'm talking about as far as, like, removing the noise and what feels good. Because I. Even for me, like, LinkedIn is something that I'm an advocate of. I literally, the foundation of my business was built on LinkedIn. The foundation of my writing portfolio that allows me to be on Forbes and Business Insider was built on this platform. Platform, like, over 10 years ago. And it was this thing that people didn't quite know what to do with it at that point. And as it has evolved, there are all these different things that people are doing and trends. And I am just like you. I'm like, listen, I. It's no offense anyone who finds joy in that, because, you know, there are people who do like to dance. But I said, for me, I don't want to point at things. I don't want to dance. I am like, I am an expert. I am a. Right. Yeah. Why are we pointing. Why are we lip syncing? We want to. You know, I don't. I don't. It doesn't feel good, right? So going back to that question from your previous question, like, what feels good? And I find that it's about, like, what is the best way that you connect with people? And if it's writing, it's writing. If it's videos, it's videos. And if it's not dancing, it's okay. And another perfect example of that is just, like, maybe was it last year that Clubhouse was, like, the thing to do? Like, and everybody was like, clubhouse is it? And I just refuse to even try now, to be fair, I was not able to do it because I'm a Droid person. And so I know it was, like, only for anyone who had I, you know, the apple or. Or, you know, so forth. So I couldn't do it anyway. But, you know, for me, the Thought of like even just giving my phone number and doing that. And the big hype turned me off. And I said, you know what, I'm okay with LinkedIn, I'm okay, it works for me. And while I'm sure that, you know, many people may have clubhouse, I don't know if you're, if you're on it. But you know, while many people may enjoy it and have enjoyed benefits, for me I felt like that was, I didn't need another social media platform to fit. Like I had to spend time on. I know what works. I know where I felt most comfortable with on LinkedIn. And I just removed that noise, going back to like removing the noise and stayed steady. And like what feels good? Not necessarily like, what is the new thing?

Yeah, I think it's sometimes people feel like they're missing out, they're missing out, so they need to get over there. And you know, it's interesting, I was talking to a gentleman in my business coaching space and he has a similar demographic that we do. We work with a lot of seven and eight figure CEOs that want to scale. And he said, you know, all the years that people were jumping to Instagram and in different places, he said, I stayed on Facebook because I know our demographic of this 40 to even 60 year old, 65, they're still on Facebook. You know, they might be on some of these others, but they're still there. And of course LinkedIn. And so he's just done very well in really having that single focus. So what are some branding strategies that you use to leverage social media? Can you just share some of your tips?

Yeah, you know, the first thing is really about, you know, it's a quote from Dale Carnegie, leadership, Dale Carnegie that I love, where he says to be in interesting, be interested. Right. And so when we think about personal branding and we talk about this theme, you know, a lot of people will say it's because I want to promote myself. Right. I want to show everyone how amazing that I am. I want to bring them to my business. And what's missing sometimes and being definitely connecting with the target audience is that we're not taking that time to be interested in what our folks want to know or what they want to hear versus what we want to share about ourselves or our companies. So I find that one of the best things is just really taking the time to listen and listen to what people are saying as far as who I want to connect with and also watch what kind of content they're engaging in. LinkedIn is a perfect place for that if your target audience is there. Because you really can get a good idea of where your target audience is, where are they commenting, what are you passionate about? Even if they don't, even if you're not connecting with them directly, you really can get a good insight into that. So the first thing I would say is focus on building that relationship and being interested in what others have to say. Because if you want to, you know, have people be interested in you, you got to know what they want to hear and then give it to them.

Yeah, that's so, you know, I mean, you wouldn't walk into a networking event and just start talking about yourself. Right, right, right. Get to know people.

You get to know. And then that's why sometimes people will get turned off, right? Because then you're sending a private search and you're going straight to the point where you're saying, hey, you know, here's my program. I have this mastermind, this is what my company is offering. But you haven't taken the time to build that relationship to, to let them get a little bit of an idea of who you are, to have a little bit of a back and forth engagement that will make that, that, that interaction better if you're just not another person in someone's inbox. So I feel like relationship building is something that you cannot take a shortcut, and there's no shortcuts to it. But if you do invest the time to do it, you'll find that your time on social media, especially on a platform like LinkedIn, will be really fruitful because you're, you're building that, that warmth that is important to trust.

Okay, what would be a next step? You're building the relationships and then what's something else?

So the next part of it is the credibility standpoint. Right? And it's so important to have that credibility. And this is, it's not a new idea per se, but sometimes it's something that, you know, we may keep on the, we may not always keep at the front of mind and the Internet. And one of the things, you know, when we talk about social media and the Internet is that while it's good, where it's, you know, leveled the playing field, where there are more opportunities for CEOs for experts to share their thought leadership. At the same time, the other side of it is that there's a lot of people, right? There's a lot of voices, there's a lot of people who are doing the same thing. So this is where personal branding and having a Unique brand and embracing your strengths, as I mentioned before, comes into play, but then also weaving in as you build those relationships and continue, continue to focus on it as, you know, as a natural part of scaling your business. It's also about making sure that when people Google you, right, when people look you up for whatever way they find you, whether it's through your podcast, whether it's through LinkedIn, Facebook, that everything that they're seeing supports what you're saying about yourself. And just a cool little geek point about LinkedIn, is that it? When, you know, a lot of times, even if, like, you meet someone at a networking event or however you meet them, we're all a little, you know, nosy, and we'll Google them somehow if we're not going through directly LinkedIn to get to know about that person. And if someone Googles your name for LinkedIn, it will actually, your profile will be one of the top three links that will show up. And while, you know, some people may not think about it, it's like, yeah, like, it's a part of. Part of your brand is a part of your reputation. So making sure that credibility all across the board is supporting everything that you're saying for your company.

Yeah, you know what? That's so true. And I've noticed that lately when I've Googled and seen the LinkedIn profile coming up, and I started saying to myself, when's the last time I updated that thing? You know, because things change and you got to stay on top of it.

And that's. That's the. Yeah, and I mean, sorry, but, like, that's exactly what you're saying is my point. Like, regardless of the platform, it doesn't even have to be LinkedIn if it's Facebook. And that's the main way that people are finding you. Whatever way that people are finding you, making sure that it's supporting, you know, your latest work, your latest efforts, your latest podcast interview, your latest article that you were featured in, your new, you know, reference to your company, making sure that all supports the vision. It's important because people want to see, you know, a consistent brand as well.

Such great advice. So let's talk about the danger of having an inconsistent brand. What does that mean to have a brand that's not cohesive? You know, you go on Instagram, it's one person, you go on LinkedIn, it's another. You look at the website, it's another. How do you identify and then correct these inconsistencies?

The danger of that, to your point, is losing trust. Right. When we talk about business, people do business with people they know like and trust. Everything comes down to establishing that rapport and that trust. So the first thing is that when you do have an inconsistent brand, it is making someone doubt, like, which one is the real Marietta, who's the real Alison, who's the real Peter. So I think the key is understanding that you don't have to be different people across different platforms if you choose to be visible across different platforms. And the reason why I say that is because the perfect example is someone may feel like almost on Instagram, I have clients who, you know, who are on Instagram and maybe trying to leverage LinkedIn more. And they feel like on LinkedIn they have to use a certain. A different photo. Right. They have to present themselves a little bit differently because it's quote, unquote, LinkedIn versus Instagram or Facebook. And one of the things I say is that if this is who you are on Instagram, is this. If this is your personality, be that same person. So I would say, as far as identifying those gaps, is to make sure that you, even if you, you know, tweak it a little bit, tweak your approach for the platform, which makes sense from an analytical standpoint, there should be the same. The same traits, the same personality, the same unique human being that people are seeing regardless of where they find you.

I think that makes so much sense because this idea that we're going to show up as different people on all these different platforms, you know, I remember there was a post, There was a trending thing that was going on on Instagram at one point, and you would show the different parts of yourself, like different pictures. Remember that?

Yes.

They were all different. Yeah. So kind of funny that you say that, but really, it's so true. Like, it's you. It's you. And so kind of shifting a little bit. So in a recent interview, you talked about the process of writing your book From Nine to Thrive, and you mentioned it was difficult to open up. So we're talking about, you know, we're talking about building that brand. Right. So it was difficult to open up about some experiences you. You weren't proud of, but you felt that it was necessary for you to be honest in. In order to. To rebuild or build your brand. Can you talk about why that level of honesty and authenticity is necessary or important for building a cohesive, personal brand?

Yeah, it's funny because it's important to show that personal branding does not mean perfection. Right. And it's important to show that sometimes when people see you at one stage of your career, there's different iterations that you had to go through to be that person. And that example that I shared, it was, you know, in my career, working with, within the government organization before I had my business full time, and it was just a matter of, like, losing my cool. I'll spare the full story, but I, I lost my cool. And as someone who's talking always about, like, you know, presenting yourself in a way that elevates your reputation, I was that person who lost my cool. And, you know, within. Within a situation where I was working too hard and I just felt like I wasn't being supported and it didn't come out the right way. And the reason why I share that story is because no matter what stage you are, even in your business, you may think like, okay, I'm supposed to get this lesson by now. And sometimes we don't get that lessons and it's there to show us, like, okay, if I did have a breakdown or if I did burnout, what am I doing that's causing it that way? And in my, the situation that I shared was that I wasn't asking for help, I wasn't asking for support. So I felt like it's important to show these lessons because it will allow someone to look at a certain experience that they had and said, you know, and say to themselves, why did I react that way that I wasn't proud of and know that it's a part of the process. And then the second reason why I feel like it's important to be authentic is that in this world, especially in social media and in business, there is this illusion that everything is just always linear, right? Scaling your business to eight figures is linear, and there are steps that goes to it and learning, learning stages that you go through it. And I think it's important, especially for those who are figuring themselves out or stuck like your example, is to know that it's not always there. So for myself, I like to show that, you know what, I don't always have it figured out. And, you know, maybe you see me in Forbes here today, but it actually took a number of rejections in pitching stories before I got that Forbes. But maybe you understand that, okay, it didn't happen today, but I'm not going to give up. And a lot of times it's about staying in the game. So when you hear someone say, listen, when I, it took me three, three I pitched to Business Insider. I pitched, you know, the Muse when I was writing. And it's funny because even in that story, it took a couple of years before an editor finally, finally got back to me. And from there it opened the doors for other opportunities. So I just want to show that it's okay if it doesn't happen immediately, because if you stay in the game, it will happen. And that's the most important thing.

Yeah. And I think business is the most non linear path. Right. It's like the opposite of linear. There's a lot of loop de loops. A lot of loop de loops. Yeah.

But it makes us strong, it makes us stronger. And I think it's almost our responsibility when we get to a certain part of our business to put that hand down to someone else who needs that, whether they're in the beginning stages or whether in the scaling stages and they're getting through that other bump that they need. It's really our responsibility to say to someone, I don't have this figured out, you know, so that when they have those moments of weaknesses and those moments of doubt or imposter syndrome, they know that it's just a part of it and they keep on pushing through regardless.

So, yeah, it's, you know, I mean, I hear from our community and Pinnacle Global Network, our business owners, they appreciate, because I do share a lot of my mistakes and you know, even that I'm continuing to make mistakes. As you know, we're always learning and growing. And I know that, I appreciate that when I see that in others. Because you have such respect for them really being real. Although it's not always easy. Right. Because you want to show up a certain way. And I remember when I was writing my first book, I have two books, but my first book came out in 2008, end of 2008, almost 2009, called Blast Off. And I remember this, the editor that I was working with and she said, you know, Alison, you have to decide how much of yourself you are willing to. To open up. How much of yourself are you going to share in this book? And I remember I really had to think about that because I had a lot of clients and I always made it about them, but I didn't really talk about myself that much. So I was like, how much do I really want to open up? I decided to go ahead and just tell it all. And I just cannot tell you over the years how many people say, oh my God, your story is my story. Like I did that. Like, I can so relate to that. And I think that's another thing that's so important about being authentic is because then people can go oh my gosh, yes, that's me. You know, I, I went through that too. I really resonate with you. I want to learn more about you because we speak the same language.

Yeah. It's so important. And doing it the key word that you said in a genuine and authentic way, not a manufactured way. Like I don't know if you know about like the crying CEO who just really got dragged recently on link LinkedIn but there was like a case where someone, there was a CEO who recently had to lay off some employees and he took a picture of himself crying and you know, talked about it and it was really hard. You know, it was very polarizing because there were some people who said, you know, he's being vulnerable and he should not be attacked for being vulnerable. And then some people were saying, well, he was doing this for attention. Right. And whether what this person's intentions were, we don't know. Only, only he knows that. But we do have to be mindful of how it comes across too because when we talk about visibility and we talk about reaching our target audience on social media, sometimes we lose the focus and focus on like what's going to get likes, what's going to get attention. And so it's important going back to removing that noise and being really secure on how you're feeling comfortable and what you're feeling comfortable sharing, remembering that whatever you do, it has to be from a place of okay, what's the lesson that I want to share that will help somebody else? Not necessarily how is it going to help me look a certain way? Because then people see through that as well.

I agree. And then also too just this idea that there's no way you're going to please everybody. And you know, some, I just try not to read the comments sometimes because, you know, I mean sometimes not so much on LinkedIn necessarily, but on some other platforms you just, you just cannot believe what people say. You know, it can be outright mean, you know, yeah, very and very. Yeah, you can't hang your self esteem on comments from social media. That's for sure.

For sure.

What are some of the things that businesses do get wrong about leveraging social media to build their brand?

Honestly, I, that's a. Sound like a broken record, but I would say they don't realize the importance of that relationship building because it's, it's, I think what I see sometimes it's just a matter of like putting out content, putting out, you know, getting seen, you know, what am I doing? This is my program, this is my, you know, whatever this is my company, this is my services. And I really think that what, in this stage of what I'm seeing on the Internet is that what they're getting wrong is that maybe you need to step back from what worked in. Especially now in this climate where people are. The buying beliefs are different, you know, different stages of what's going. What is, what is it going to take for someone to move to that next level of comfort? Maybe what worked in 2019 is not going to work now. So I think sometimes what happens is that businesses are in that, you know, you know, you have to. I'll use the word pivot or adjust, but sometimes still not thinking outside the box of like, okay, what really is my, my ideal client thinking right now? And am I adjusting my approach to make sure that it's connecting in a way that's going to have that. Going to have that impact? Because there can easily be this disconnection that is. Is not always visible, but it's there.

Yeah, that makes so much sense. Now, a lot of times people think that your brand only matters when advertising yourself in more of a professional sense. But you said also that the personal branding is what people say about you when you're not in the room.

Right.

Which is interesting. It's like what you kind of leave behind. Why is it important to align your brand with who you are as a person? And is it important to maintain the brand even in your personal life? Oh, yeah, we carry that through. Yeah.

Yeah. I love this question, Allison, because it makes me think of when I first really started studying personal branding through someone. His name is William Aruda. He's like the personal branding guru. He's worked with corporations, small businesses and individuals and companies. And one of the things when I started diving into really understanding it is that when you think of when you pick apart someone's brand, there's two pieces, right? There is the rational piece of it and the emotional piece of it, right? There's these two parts of your attributes, brand attributes. And the rational part is what is expected, that fundamental that gets you into the door. So as a CEO, you're going to be a good leader, right? You're going to be driven. Driven. There's. There's these core attributes, personality, these traits that are going to be what is expected for someone who was even in this journey as an entrepreneur, where we are a special bunch. Right. And then you have the emotional attributes, and that's really what connects people. And that's where it's the, the personality that, to your point, is not only who you are as a business person, but it's who you are as a person outside of your business, as an individual. So a lot of times people will focus on the, the rational attributes, but it doesn't set you apart from other people. It's really the other parts that, that emotional part. Are you, is there something about you that's very inspiring? Is it your humor? Is it, you know, devotion? Like these things that when people are talking about you when you're not in a room. And it connects more than someone who's detail oriented or who's driven. It's something that connects people to you as a human and it's something that your client will say about you, but also your, your, your partner or your family member as well.

Yeah, it's right how much it extends beyond you and what other people are saying or feeling about you and feeling.

And that, and that's why even going back to what we said before, who being consistent across different platforms, that when you do have a strong brand, when you do have a confident brand, it is very natural. It's going to be the most natural thing to be consistent across the platforms because you are only being who you are.

And so when it comes to the CEO or a company leader's role in building the brand, is there value in having the leader? And I think that's kind of what we just said actually, but having the leader embody the same brand as the company, which is interesting. So if you think about it like, I mean, you are going to be who you are, right, in your personal life and in your business, although you might present a different way, I don't know, you're going to be maybe a little bit more serious or certain things that you, you would not say necessarily in front of your team that you might say in front of your friends.

Right.

But is there value in having that cohesiveness between the two?

Yeah, I personally believe it is. And for each individual company, maybe there's a little bit more that you can show versus a little bit more you cannot show. But either way, when you think about big companies like Amazon or even Virgin Air, you know, Virgin, Richard Branson, it's still connecting to the people. If something happens and this person gets into some type of publicity, some type of PR with that person, it's going to connect with that company whether they like it or not. There is this interconnectivity. So, you know, I think it's something that we evaluate as far as how much we can do. But I also think that is part of like Just business, like being, being a personal brand or having a business that we, we do have to adjust. You know, I wouldn't say be different people, but there are adjustments because obviously if you're in a social, you know, environment or someplace with people, you know, you may be a little bit loose than building a relationship with someone who's just getting to know you. So it's something that you analyze, but you make sure that there's not, there's not too many gaps either where it's. The difference is unrecognizable.

Yeah. You know, it's so, so interesting too, Marietta, because I find over the years that the more real I can be, the more customers we attract. Right now we have a big team. We have 24 mentors on our team that work with our clients. So I'm not working directly with the CL anymore. But, you know, I lead events and so forth. I remember one time a woman said to me, I knew I wanted to work with you when I saw you trip on stage. It's like, what? You know, this woman is real. She's a klutz. You know, I can relate to her, you know, so it's like it's still bringing those qualities, those even maybe quirky qualities about you too. I think probably into, you know, into the business world. Now. How can a strong company, brand attract a new. Attract partnerships, opportunities for expansion.

I would say, you know, always having that clear, making people know what, what those opportunities are. Right. So a lot of times, once you build that relationship, making it clear, like how can you follow, how can you learn more? So even if, let's say, you know, for example, you're posting as yourself, as a personal brand, then what is that call to action? Sometimes what you can do is incorporate ways that, hey, follow our company page, right? So you can still. This is actually example for LinkedIn. But let's say you're posting as your post purse, personal brand, your personal page showing those opportunities to, to, you know, now build that, that relationship on a business level or partner. Join. Follow my page for more information. Or here. You know, reach out to me. I mean, it really doesn't, it doesn't have to be something that feels like a separate action. It's all a part of that same, same action that you're doing. But one of the things I always strongly recommend is just having that clear call to action in every post. So if a company is looking to build new, get new partners, attract new partners, maybe is dedicating certain activities that's going to be specifically about how there's that benefit and saying, and what is the call to action? Maybe it's reach out to me, send me an email, send me a message, but just making it clear how that person who is interested can. Can make that next step forward. And you'd be surprised. So I have a client who her. Her industry is a little bit more unique, and she was mentioning that, like her. Her target audience aren't necessarily ones who are very vocal on social media, so maybe they're a little bit more of the lurkers. And she was saying, well, how do I get high? How do I track them or get them to engage or to take that next step with me if they're not necessarily the ones that are commenting or, you know, reaching out in that way? And I said, directing them to send you a message is an easy way and to really start that conversation or get it going or to exchange and get more information.

Yeah, that's such good advice. You know, what's the ultimate goal? Where do you want them to take that next step? And so instead of having them have to guess and figure it out. So speaking of, how can people connect with you and learn more about what you have to offer?

Well, surprise. I've been talking about it, but my main platform is LinkedIn. So if someone wants to connect with me, I'm under Marriage Marriott at a gentles crawford on LinkedIn. And then also my home base is my website, which is marybrands4u.com I'm sure they'll be here in. In. In the notes as well, so I'll spare the spelling of it, but, you know, it's. It's really. I enjoy meeting new people. I enjoy showing people what LinkedIn can look like and also just connecting with people as well. So I would say marybrands4u.com and on LinkedIn as well.

Yes, awesome. It will be in the show notes, but it's just so, you know, it's M a r I brandsforyou.com. yeah.

Yeah. Thank you. And if anyone reaches out, please let me know that you found me on Allison's awesome podcast. Because I always love knowing that and just getting an idea of, like, what stood out the most and what connected the most as far as what we discussed.

Yeah, I love it. Well, as we wrap up here, here, Marietta, is there anything that you want to share with our listeners today that we have not covered?

I. You know, that's a great question, and I would say it's okay if you are still figuring it out and if you need to take a pause and I would just add to, you know, your listeners that even just to play off of a little bit what we mentioned before, sometimes it's the things that you don't overthink that is the way that you're going to connect and to grow. And sometimes it's the most raw, natural thing that feels good that's going to give the highest return. So I would say to lean into that, Lean into your energy and know that with that action and with that step and that intention, things do fall into a place that just feels good. And it can also be lucrative as well.

That's such great advice, right? Not like focusing on the things that are so hard and then it's something that's naturally you. I love that. So thank you so much, Marietta, for being here with us today on the Scale It Method podcast. And so thank you for having me. Yeah, absolutely. It's been very, very inspiring and I learned a lot.

So.

So thank you for being here. Thanks for listening to another episode of the Scale Up Method and a quick reminder about our free masterclass. And if you want to build a scalable company that can thrive without you and you're ready to get the support you need to do it, sign up for our masterclass today. And during our time together, I'm going to teach you the five critical phases you've got to know in order to scale to eight figures and beyond. So head over to scalemasterclass.com podcast to secure your seat and I will see you there. Until next time on the Scale It Method. Bye, everybody.