51: Azalee Maslow: Social Media and Blogger Freelancer to Branding Coach + CMO

Foreign.

Hi there.

Before we dive into today's episode, I want to ask you an important question. Are you wondering why your hard work isn't reflecting in your bank account? If so, I've got something that could change the game for you. With my digital Product accelerator one on one coaching program, I'm on a mission to help entrepreneurs like you bank consistent revenue without sacrificing your time, time or sanity. Imagine shifting from 90% client facing work to enjoying consistent revenue from your digital products, all while reclaiming your time. You already know that you don't need another course and a one size fits all approach isn't going to cut it. What you need is a strategic long term plan tailored just for you. So if you're ready to build the profitable freedom giving business you've dreamed of, apply to work with me by going to destinycop.com apply I cannot wait to learn more about you and your business.

Welcome to the Course Creators MBA Podcast. I'm your host Destiny Kopp and in this podcast we're covering actionable tips to grow your online course business. Before I begin, I want to let you know that this episode is sponsored by my Course in a Box program which helps you create your revenue generating course in less than a week. Course in a Box is on the AppSumo Marketplace at a special deal and the link for Course in A box on AppSumo is in our show notes. And today we're in the middle of our Course Creator series where I'm chatting with ordinary course creators just like you. We're talking about their journey in their online course business, how they got started, the challenges they've experienced and how they overcame them. These are real discussions with real people. Today I have a special guest with me. I have Azali Maslow and Azali is a top 10 branding coach and has been in digital media for over 10 years. She is the founder and CMO of Pretty AF, a philanthropic lifestyle brand as well as the Babel Boutique, a digital marketing agency for entrepreneurs. Her passion is guiding multi passionate female entrepreneurs to establish their online presence and position themselves online so they stand out as the go to expert in their niche. She does this through coaching courses and speaking. I am so excited to have you today Azalie. Thanks so much for joining me. We have a lot of questions to go through but before I begin I want you to tell the audience a little bit more about you, your businesses and how you help others.

Thank you so much for having me on. So I started, I went to school to actually become a journalist. I Got my master's in journalism and media studies and that was kind of my plan until I graduated and I realized how hard it was to find a job in journalism and how much they didn't pay. So I ended up getting started working in digital marketing. So I kind of just fell into it and social media was really becoming more of a thing then. And so I took my first job in social media type position and then started doing it as a freelancer on the side. And I was also a blogger at the time, freelance. And then I was working at a music tech startup and doing all their digital marketing and customer support. And then one of, because they were startup, one of their investors saw what I was doing for their digital marketing and reached out to me and asked if I could do the same thing for another company he invested in. So that was kind of the start of agency. But that also made me realize that other people could do this too. And that's when I created my first course, the Digital Academy of Social Media that teaches other people how to either manage social media for their own company or how to do it for freelance so that they could start making some extra money on the side or if they were like a stay at home mom, they could do that. And that's kind of, yeah, how it got started. Now I have three courses, the agency pretty AF like you mentioned, and I'm a branding coach.

So I want to kind of go back and unpack this a little bit. So you started out as a social media freelancer, a blogger, and your story is like many of those out there. And I've been doing a lot of these interviews and a lot of people start out freelancing. Tell me a little bit about how it was for you, freelancing. How did you find clients? Was it difficult? Was the income consistent? Tell me a little bit more about that.

Yeah, so when I kind of dependent when I was working with companies one on one, I felt like that those were pretty good gigs. The only thing is that especially with marketing, it's usually the first thing that people cut. So whenever the company was having struggling or anything like that, usually those clients would cut me. One of the first things they would cut. And then at the time I was also working with a company that I guess they were basically an online digital agency, but then they outsourced everything. But they, I learned a lot from it, so it was good for that. But they would only pay like a dollar a post, so it, it was not really good paying. But I definitely, I learned kind of how they were Doing things and what companies wanted.

Basically they would only pay you a dollar for each social media post that you created.

Yeah, yeah. And that, and that included like going back and forth and like fixing it. So. Yeah, would not recommend that.

Wow.

Wow.

That's got to be less than minimum wage. Oh, my goodness gracious. So, and then you started working for this music tech startup. Were you full time in that role?

Yeah, I was, I was the senior marketing manager and then I was also overseeing customer support department. I was their first employee, so I kind of grew with the company.

Okay, so you were at this tech startup and then you met this somebody else who wanted you to do it for another business that he or she owned, and that's kind of what started your agency.

Yeah.

Okay, so tell us a little bit more about that. So you were starting your agency. How many clients did you have in your business? And tell us a little bit, how long ago was this?

So this was in 2015, I believe. Yeah, because I got my master's in 2015 and I worked at another job for a little bit, but then I ended up at the startup and I was there for three and a half, four years, and it was only six months into working there that I got that first client. And at the time, I mean, I was still full time at that company and I had the one client, so I didn't take on more clients until I left that full time job.

Okay, so what made you want to leave that full time job and how did you make that transition into being a full time entrepreneur and, and leaving that salaried position that you had?

So I had already, at that time, I was, I had already started pretty AF and I was really starting to create more of my personal brand and they saw that and they actually let me go. So it wasn't really a choice. Like I had, I wanted for a while to be on my own, but I don't know, I didn't have like the courage to leave. And I think they kind of knew I was on that path anyways and they just made the decision for me.

Okay, and sometimes that happens, right? We get decisions made for us and we have to pivot and change from there. So they, they knew that you were starting, you had this side hustle and, you know, so they let you go and then you are thrown full time into this entrepreneur role. What did you do from there? How did you find clients? How did you make up the income that you just recently lost? And tell us a little bit about what you were feeling at the time.

Yeah, I was really nervous because I had had the other client and then I had created two courses at that point and they were bringing in some income and it was like with my salary it was just like extra. And that was nice. But then once like you took away the salary, like it wasn't enough to live off of. So I felt like I had to figure it out quickly. And that's kind of where the coaching came into play because it's a lot of stuff that I was helping people with through courses or what I was doing in my actual job. But I realized that with coaching one, I could charge more than I would charge for a course and then people would see results a lot faster. So what I focused on was kind of focusing on getting more higher paying things versus things that are slow and come over a long amount of time.

Which is not a bad strategy. Right, because you just lost your job, you needed the income and you needed it fast. So you moved into doing the coaching. How did you find those clients?

I had a fitness coach at the time and I'm still working with her today, but she was transitioning into being a business coach, but mainly for other fitness professionals. And she really helped me figure out how to basically be a coach and find those type of clients. And the. A lot of what I did was direct message outreach on Instagram and I also have a couple of freebies, ebooks and then I also recently started doing webinars to attract people and kind of get them in my funnel.

Are the webinars. Is that is what is working? I'm asking a question, I'm not saying it correctly, but is that what is what working to find these one on one coaching clients?

I feel like it's all so different. Like I was in an article and that has brought several clients. But then lately I feel like because I've just had my website for so long and I've been blogging and podcasting, I'm actually getting most of my clients now from Google, which is surprising because I don't. I feel like I'm not doing anything.

And that's not surprising because, you know, I. My website is the same same way it's been out there for many years. I have a lot of content on it and it takes a while to build up that content and to build up that SEO authority and get client, you know, and get that traffic. So, and I think that's an important point for everybody out there who is listening. Is that content marketing, whether it's blogging, whether it's podcasting, it is so very critical for the long term success of your business. So now you're getting the majority of your traffic and clients and you know, probably core sales we haven't gotten there yet, but are coming from organic, you know, traffic coming from Google and I don't know, are you using Pinterest also?

I've used it in the past, so some of my old blogs have like that pin at the bottom and they're pinned on my Pinterest but I honestly haven't been consistent with it with my new blog posts. Not really.

So truly it's coming, you know, strictly from Google there. So the majority of your traffic and the majority of your clients that's finding you is finding you through your website through Google. How do you have your lead gen, you know, set up on your website or do you have like a main lead magnet on your webpage? How are you interacting with them? Are you trying, are you getting them on your email list or what are you, what specifically are you doing?

Yeah, so I have a couple of different ways when you go on my website that people could come through. On my main website, just asli maso calm at the top, I have all the different ways you could work with me. One of the buttons is courses. So when you click on that is where you'll also see my freebies which are all ebooks. And then I also have a button for coaching and on there I have an application. So and then you can also find my agency and there's an application for that. And usually I've noticed people from Google will apply to either the coaching or the agency.

Okay. So they're wanting more done for you type services.

Yeah.

So they come to your website, they either click on and you know, set up appointment with you. Maybe it's you know, a coaching session or maybe it's just a discovery call. Let's talk about the coaching first. So how do, how do you capture that lead? Do they set up a discovery call or do they go ahead and book directly with you or how does that work?

Yeah, so I use Google forms. So they'll basically just answer some questions about what they're needing help with, what their goals are as far as branding and marketing go for the next 90 days and like what they think it is that's holding them back from making those things happen. And then I'll read through it. And it also has on there like are you ready to. Who invests that type of thing? Because in the beginning I was getting on the discovery calls, I guess with anyone and I Felt like I was spending a lot of time doing it and it wasn't paying off. So I changed it to where they have to fill it out before I'll send them the link to schedule call. So once they fill it out, if I feel like they would be a good fit if I could help them, if there's someone that I want to work with, I'll send them the link to schedule a discovery call.

Okay, so. So that's your coaching services for the agency services. How do you do it? The same way?

Yeah, it's pretty much the same thing. They fill out the application and then I'll hop on a call with them usually for, well, either one really. On the call I'll already give them some feedback on things they could start implementing now. And some people I'll get on a call and they don't have a huge budget but they want help with marketing or something. And I'll usually use the call as an opportunity just to like give them any feedback or advice. But then usually from there I would point them to my course if I know that's more what their price range is right now.

Okay, so you have revenue coming in through your agency, revenue coming in through your coaching services and then you have your online courses. Tell us a little bit more about the sales funnel for your online courses.

So actually I feel like I need to like go back and redo them because it's not super built out. But basically if you opt into one of my free ebooks or you hopped on one of the free webinars then I would, you'll get an a follow up email that usually will point you to the next thing. So I have three courses so they all kind of can point to each other. I have one that is a, it's called three days slay and it just walks you through how to get your social media and online presence at a good place where you can look more established and people can tell who you are, what you do, that type of thing. And it'll also help you set up to start building your email list. And then from there I have either my full blown social media course or I have my. It walks you through how to create a brand kit. So usually from that three day mini course I'll point people to one of the other bigger courses through emails and then from the bigger courses that's when I'll then point them to coaching.

So they're either coming through the sales funnel through a lead magnet or a webinar. Is that webinar live or is that a recorded or evergreen webinar.

So I actually I did it a couple of times live and then I recorded it and now it's one of my courses that I sell.

Okay. Okay. All right, so tell us a little bit about where, you know, you've been doing this for it sounds like a few years now. Where do you see yourself or what do you want to test or change or you know, where do you want to move in 2021? Where do you want to take your business?

I definitely want to optimize all of my landing pages and the email funnels that come after signing up for a freebie or a course or anything like that. I definitely feel like those could be better. And I'm really focusing right now on getting more one on one coaching clients. Once I basically fill up my roster for now, I'm probably going to focus on creating a course that is more on the branding side. So it'll basically teach someone everything that I usually teach in my one on one coaching, but as a course so that it'll be more people will be able to do it.

Hey there Destiny here and I'm the host of the Creators MBA podcast and this episode is brought to you by HelloContent Shop your Go to destination for content creation in your online digital product business. I understand how busy you are as an online business owner. I am right there with you and that is why I have filled our hello Content Shopify store with low cost digital products that you can use as a lead magnet or part of your paid programs like your online courses or memberships. We also have marketing templates like email swipe files and social media templates designed to save save you time and money. So whether you're looking to streamline your content strategy, enhance your digital products, or.

Just save some precious time, I've got.

You covered, my friend. Now visit the HelloContent Shop today and take the first step towards effortless content creation.

Is the reason why you're wanting to do that course? Have you gotten feedback from your audience or what's what's making you go down that direction to build another course?

The main thing with me is that the whole reason that I even ever wanted to have my own business is because eventually I want to be a mom and be able to be really present with my kids. So to me that means I need more of my income coming from things that don't always need my time and me being present all the time. So it's really for personal reasons. But I also know that because working one on One is a significantly higher investment. But I know that having a personal brand can really change someone's life because if you're positioned a certain way online, you're just gonna get more opportunities. Whether that's through, you're wanting to work 9 to 5 or you're wanting to have your own business. So I feel like creating something that is more affordable will just be able to help more people.

And I think that what you're saying there a lot of people listening can relate to that because, you know, and that's one of the reasons. Right, right. That we want to go into and create passive income products, create digital products, create online courses is number one. We don't have the time to sit here and do one on one coaching calls all day long or you know, or the mental capacity. Right. To do that too. So I think that's, you know, a motivating factor for a lot of people who are listening to this. So you've been, you've been doing this for a while. You're doing your agency work, you're doing your one on one coaching. You definitely want to expand on the online course. Online course side, what advice do you have for other online course creators, entrepreneurs out there that may be in the initial stage of creating their business? What would you say to them?

I think especially with my first course, I just wanted to teach someone everything that I knew about digital marketing and social media marketing. So I think I put way too much in the course that it's overwhelming. And so my advice would be to create a course that fixes one small problem that someone, when they're first starting out is going through. Instead of trying to fix every problem they could possibly have or trying to teach them how to do like an entire job or something if you create something smaller. I feel like a lot of times we feel like for something to be valuable has to be like all this content. But in reality, if you can get someone from their point pain point to where they want to be in a five minute video that is a lot more valuable than them having to sit through hours of stuff that aren't giving them results quickly.

And oslie, I think that the point that you just made is, you know, a mistake that a lot of people make. I know that I can say for certain that it was a mistake that I made in the. When I was just first starting my online course business, I created, you know, this signature course that had, you know, everything in it. It took me a long time to create. Took basically a beta test. Right. I had, you know, Clients and customers and students going through it with me and giving me feedback if I had to do it all over again. And this is one thing that I teach with my course in a box. It's, you know, content that I have on my website. I prefer that, you know, if I'm giving, you know, majority of my clients, I tell them, you should start with a mini course. You should start. And they call them different things. Start a course, tiny. Offer whatever you want to call it. Start with the mini course. Give your students a quick win.

Yeah.

And just, you know, and just, you know, figure out what is keeping them from moving forward. Give them a quick win. Start with a mini course. Mini course, you can turn it into a tripwire. You can, you can sell it directly from your website, which you can't really sell a huge $2,000 signature course from your website. It generally takes live launches. There's just, it just has so much more potential. And I think that advice that you just gave everybody is so targeted and so right on track there.

Yeah, I think too that so many people have freebies right now. So I actually prefer offering a mini course versus something free, even if it's like $20 or less. Because then converting someone that's paid you something, Even if it's $5, a lot easier than trying to convert someone that downloaded a free ebook that they never looked at.

Well, and the thing too with like, and I love many courses for online course creators as lead magnets. The other thing is they get a taste of what it's like to work with you. They get a taste of what it, what it's like for you to teach them. So they'll know right pretty quickly if this is somebody that I want to stick around with. And that's another reason why I love mini courses. Let me ask you this. Can you tell us you've been doing this for a few years. Can you tell us how your revenue is breaking down in terms of percentages between your online course part, your agency part, and your one on one coaching?

Yeah, I'd say 40% is from the agency, 40 is from coaching, and then the other, I'd say 10% is from courses, and then 10% is from affiliates.

Okay, tell us a little bit more about the affiliates and how does that work for you? I'm a big fan of affiliate marketing.

Yeah. So I actually, I offer affiliates for my own coaching and courses to people that have gone through it. But then I also am part of affiliates for courses that I've done myself and then just different products That I use because Pretty AF is more of a lifestyle brand. So I'm able to work with different, especially Amazon. I use a lot of their links, even like my ring light, my podcast microphone, all that stuff. Because if someone, if I'm creating a freebie, that's like, here's the thing, here's the products you need for starting a podcast. For example, you might as well put in your Amazon affiliate link in there. So that's kind of how I do that.

Very good. Any last minute comments you want to make before we close it up here?

I think just the only other advice I would give is just how important I think having a personal brand is because you can use it when you're creating courses and it kind of just makes it easier to. Because when you're creating a course, you should just be solving a problem that you've been through yourself. And if you have yourself as a personal brand, it kind of just makes it easier because you're just going off of the connections that you already have and helping those people versus trying to look at it as like, okay, I gotta start this whole, like, other company and figure all that out. Like, I feel like we a lot of times over complicate things like creating a course.

So let's talk about that for a second because I think you're making a very good point here. So are you suggesting that people who want to start an online course business, one of the best ways to do it is just to put themselves as a personal brand?

Yeah, yeah. Because especially when you're first starting something like that, you have to try it to know if that's going to be like your thing or not. And eventually it's probably not. So if instead of branding and marketing a course, like, okay, I'm gonna create a course on how to make candles, and then you, you figure out that, like, okay, that's not my thing. If you're building a personal brand, it doesn't really matter. People are following you because they, they're invested in who you are and your values, so they're gonna continue following. But if you were you launched the course and then realized that wasn't your thing, then you're gonna have to basically start all over. If it was, you were just branding that course versus yourself.

And I think that's important because what happens inevitably right as we start these online businesses that we're going to pivot at some point, I know I have in my business, I'm certain you have also, you know, maybe one day you're talking about Facebook and Instagram ads. And I do a lot of that right. In my courses and in my content because I've been a Facebook ads manager. But, you know, I am a little bit moving away from that. And my focus is changing a little bit in 2021 for a lot of different reasons. But to your point, when you, when you have a personal brand that allows you to kind of pivot and change and change your focus, but not changing your whole entire existence of your company.

Right?

All right. Well, thank you so much for joining us. Azalie, can you tell people where they can find you?

Thank you so much for having me. And it's Asli Maslow.com and then I'm just Asley. Except for Twitter, I'm Asley underscore Maslow because they won't give me my name.

Well, we will. I will make sure that all of those links are in the show notes so people know where they can find you.

Awesome. Thank you.

Thank you, course creators. Thanks so much for joining us today. If you have any questions about course in a box which is offered on appsumo, please reach out to me on LinkedIn or DM me on Instagram. I hope you enjoyed this episode. We'd love for you to rate and review the podcast on itunes or your favorite podcast platform and show us some love there. Have a great rest of your day. Bye for now.