#62: How to market yourself to STAND OUT in the online space

Figuring out what makes you unique, what is unique about your offer, and then really honing in on that messaging and going all in on that messaging. Tell your audience why they should invest in you over somebody else, because the more you can say that, that will just show them, I need whatever they're, they're selling.

Hello, welcome to Aligned and Wealthy. Whether you are an online business owner, a growing professional, or a woman who just desires more, we welcome all of you here. This is the community where we lead through both tenacity and heart. Each week you can expect solo motivational talks and trainings with your host, Lindsay Bodeo, that's me, or interviews and candid conversations with guest experts and fellow rising leaders. We cover all things marketing, business, current events, and personal development. New episodes are released every single Wednesday. So hit the follow button and get ready for the rise. All right, welcome back everyone. Welcome on to today's episode. As you see, we have a new name to the podcast. This is Avery— Avery Actis is actually our guest on today. And she's our very first guest on Aligned and Wealthy. So welcome on Avery, and hello to everyone that's listening, whether you are a new listener or returning listener. I'm so excited to have you here. And hello to Avery.

Hello, I'm so excited to be here. And congrats on the new rebrand.

I know, I know. It's so good. I just feel so good about it. I know. Yeah. Clothes, it just feels light. It feels aligned, right?

Yeah.

Oh, so good. Okay, Avery, so tell us a little bit about you. Go ahead and tell us where our people can come and like stalk you on Instagram while we're listening. Um, and just tell us a little bit about you, where you're from, what it is that you do, all the good stuff.

Awesome. Okay. So you can find me on Instagram at Avery.Yaktas. Um, and fun fact about me, I'm actually from Wisconsin. I feel like there's not many entrepreneurs from Wisconsin. People are like, where is that on the map? Um, yes. Um, I am currently, this will be fun to listen back to in a couple of years, but I am currently at 5 months pregnant with my very first baby. Um, it's going to be a baby girl. I'm excited. Um, and yeah, like Lindsay said, I'm a marketing coach and I help other entrepreneurs really grow their visibility and their marketing strategies to grow their business online. So I'm excited to chat today more about how you guys can do that as well.

I love it. So good. So good. I love what you said about putting more wealth, more money into the hands of more women. I think that that's like, it's so important because it's not just about the money, right? It's about you being like, we were literally just talking about maternity leave and like how we're going to grow your business. Like, while you're on leave and stuff. So it's like, it's not just about the money. It's about your family. It's about your kids, about your lives, about the people that you're going to impact in the process. So I love this work that we do.

I know, I know. I love it too. And it's so amazing to see women succeed. Like we are currently, I do see a huge shift, but we currently live in such a male dominant, you know, with corporate and everything, male dominant world. And it's so awesome to support other women and just putting money in their hands. 'Cause we're so much more powerful. Let's be real.

I mean, come on. Like we do like birth humans. No big deal.

Right?

No biggie. Okay. So let's actually go there. You said corporate. And I know that before you came into the online space in like 2018-ish, right? That you had previously worked in corporate. So tell us a little bit about that transition because I know a lot of our listeners are still working their full-time job or they're figuring out how they're going to go from their corporate or their 9 to 5 to online. And it's like, it's kind of like what came first, like the chicken or the egg. Do I quit my job first?

Yeah.

Or do I not? Like, do I quit and then go all in? Like what, which one comes first? So tell us about that transition.

Sure. Yeah. So don't do what I did. Um, I, so I got, I was just, my circumstances actually were kind of perfect for, to allow me to do this. Um, but I worked at my last 9 to 5 job was in the marketing department for Anytime Fitness. So it's a gym here in the United States that I worked for an owner who owned 33 of them and I did all of their social media and all of their ads and their marketing for all 33 clubs that he owned. Anyway, so I worked with them for a year and I hated it. It was miserable. I had a boss who, she micromanaged me every single day for the first 6 months of me working there. I, yes, I learned a ton, but She would make me come into her office, for example, with a to-do list every single day. So she knew exactly what I was working on. Yeah, it was terrible. So I was just like, this is not good for my mental health. So I also lived at home at the time because I was saving money to buy a house, um, back in 2017 to '18. Um, and so I had saved up a ton of money, which allowed me to then quit my job after a year to go all in on my business. And the money that I had saved for a house, I was like, You know, I'll take a year, we'll see how it goes and really go all in and start making money. Um, so obviously for circumstances, that's what I did. However, I truly believe you shouldn't quit until you are financially stable enough because when it comes to growing a business, they, what you focus on heavily is a lot of the financial side of things, making more money. But what you don't really see, or a lot of people don't talk about, is the mindset that comes with it. When you are not stable with your money, you start going down the desperation, like what happens if I can't afford my bills because I'm trying to build this business. And when you have the money from, it doesn't matter where, when you have that money, you feel so much more secure in yourself, you feel so much less desperation. And that will help you succeed so much faster in your business if you focus on that. So as much as it sucks to stay, or even if it's finding something I did too, And I was in the beginning of my business, I had a part-time job and it was basically doing what I did in my business. So I had worked with, this was actually a former 9 to 5 job. Um, I picked up a contracting position of doing social media management for their company. Um, I did blog writing, but that paid some of my bills, right? So I still had some money coming in. I knew I was, it was enough to pay my bills, And then anything I could do to bring in for my business was just like an added bonus, if you will. So anything you can do to financially support yourself, that means quitting your job and finding something part-time, that's fine. But I definitely don't think, in my opinion, someone should just go balls to the wall. Like, it's a lot of risk involved in that.

Yeah. Yeah. I agree. And you're so right that it's, it's a mind— it's constant a mindset game, right? Like it's a constant You know, like, I think that scarcity breeds scarcity. So whenever you're in a place of like, I don't even know how I'm going to cover rent this month, or my car payment, or— Hey gang, Lindsey here. If you are a rising business owner who is navigating the personal and professional woes of entrepreneurship, and you find yourself thinking, I wish I had someone to help unclutter all of the plans swarming around in my head, I have big goals for this year and I could really use a plan to help me achieve those things, then I invite you to book a one-time laser strategy session with me. This is a one-time private coaching and consulting session where we map out your high-level marketing and sales plan. We'll answer any questions you have around business mindset or leading within your life and business. You can book your one-time session directly through the link in today's show notes. Spots are limited for each month, so be sure to book yours as soon as you desire to get on the calendar. Okay, now back to today's episode. Electricity or whatever, like, then you're going to show up in your business and from this energetic place of like, I need this to happen right now.

Yes. Right.

And like that, that, that forceful energy is not good for you. It's not good for your community. It's not good for your prospective clients. Like, That's what leads people to sign clients that are not a good fit for them, you know, because they're just like, oh, I just need to get this sale, you know? So I do agree. And, and even like to relate to that, um, whenever I was leaving my teaching job, so my fellow teachers know how this is, but it's like, whenever you don't work in the summer, you still get paid for those months. Not because you're getting paid for like not to work, but it's because they, they like basically extend your paycheck. They break it up into 12 months. And anyways, Long story short, whenever I quit my job, I still got like an extra 3 months of pay. Right? I didn't really have a nest egg or anything like that saved up. Because let's be honest, a teacher salary is like, not that great, especially whenever you're a first year teacher. But I still had 3 months of salary. And then I still tutored. So like, I tutored kids out of my house, you know, twice a week, I would have my little kids sitting down at the kitchen table and like we would learn reading and like sight words and stuff. And then I'd hop on Instagram and like start talking about my offers. So yes, yes, yes, yes, do what you got to do. Hustle sometimes like leads to the alignment, you know, like sometimes we gotta put in the elbow grease to get there. So yes, thank you for sharing that and like shedding light on that. That's—

Yeah, yeah. I never want to sugarcoat. I mean, building a business is hard work. I'm 3— on to my 3rd year of in my coaching business. And I mean, It's so much work. Like anybody who says business is easy is not. Even if, even if they get flow, the clients flow to me easily, there's still mindset side of it. And that's the part that can be honestly harder that you have to work on more than you do even just selling on social media, for example. So never, I will never sugarcoat how hard it is to build a business because there's a lot that goes into it, not just showing up online and expecting clients to come flowing in. You know?

Yeah. What entitlement, right? Like we're so entitled sometimes.

Totally.

So shocked and like appalled. What do you mean no one bought this high ticket offer that I've talked about twice? Like what? Totally. What do you mean? It's so ridiculous sometimes. But yes, yes. So good, Avery. Thank you for shedding light on that. I think that it gets to be like easeful, like it can, it can be ease, E, right? Like not like easy, like ease, E, but it's not easy, you know, like you can make it feel good, but there's still work and there's grit and there's so much resiliency that's required. So, yeah. Okay. So tell us Avery, what in the world does a marketing coach do? Why is that important? Why Like our audience is mostly coaches. We have some social media managers, we have some virtual assistants in here. Let me be a little bit more specific. Why is marketing important to them? And like, what does it really mean? And what are some of, I think some like the mis— like what's the word? Like misconceptions about marketing, maybe just kind of shed some light on marketing in the online space.

Yeah. Okay. So I, marketing to me is the first step to getting your clients, right? So there's, I'd like to say it's like marketing first, then sales. So sales is really important, especially in the beginning of your business. You have to know how to sell, but if there's no one in your audience, if the visibility doesn't exist, if your messaging about any kind of your offers is completely off, then your sales are harder. The sales don't exist. So if you're just starting or if you're someone who is like, okay, I want more sales, I'm just not getting them there. The first step you want to really take a look at is your marketing. And the way that I like to kind of break down marketing is kind of a visibility is a big piece. So getting in front of the right people. So that can be anywhere. And I'm not going to tell you like Instagram is the perfect place to go find people. That's what I have chosen because I loved I still love Instagram for the most part, but the platform has changed since I first got on this platform. But anyway, um, TikTok has become this new trendy thing. TikTok is a great place to just start sharing your knowledge with people. LinkedIn, something that is so underutilized, but also something that you can connect with other business owners. That's the purpose of that platform specifically for business owners. Um, you know, anywhere and whatever platform you choose, but go all in on that platform, really learn that platform. But then start focusing on bringing people in. So if you're just starting out, serve first before you go and sell. So the marketing side is sharing your knowledge. What are some tips that you can give to people? Sharing about you, because for a business owner, especially you just being a brand right now, you're just starting out. Um, people need to know you. They need to like you enough to buy from you. And if there isn't that like factor, if there's no connection with you, again, sales will be harder for you. So you really need to like show off who you are, show off what your knowledge is, give tips as much as possible. When I was first starting out in my business, that's all I did was literally share all of my educational value. I literally gave everything away because to me, someone's going to buy from me for more of the accountability piece or the, um, the accountability, like just to be in my container so that they know that they're supported in some way. It's not so much about, what I know and that what they don't know. Yes, there's pieces of that, but I think there's more to the accountability side of things. So give everything away if you're just starting out, really getting in front of the right people and in front of a lot of people. That's why like podcasting, Lindsay, is amazing. Podcasting, sure, you can start out by doing that. Podcasts are hard when you don't have an audience to actually like share the podcast to. So that's maybe something that's like a step 2 type of marketing. But like the foundational pieces is definitely just like finding a platform, going all in on the platform, sharing about you, just letting people know who you are. You know what I mean? So that's more of what I call the outbound marketing. And then if you want to go a step further, um, there's what I like to call like inbound marketing. So this is more of like the next level. Once you've really mastered your craft, people see you as the expert in whatever that you do. Now take it a step further and build out. Obviously you have your offers, you're selling, you're making some sales, all that stuff. Once you have clients, this is more of the inbound marketing. So it's, I say it's like the behind the scenes, behind the scenes marketing. This is where you can start filling offers more behind the scenes. So like pre-selling offers, upselling people who are in one offer into the next, more of like having it, you could do if you like launching, talking about a waitlist, that could be more of like inbound marketing because it's more on the email side than maybe social media per se. So marketing is more of the, you have to master your messaging, messaging behind whatever your offers are, your visibility piece, getting yourself out there, really just showing your, your authority, your expertise in something. And then comes the sales. Does that make sense?

Oh, it makes so much sense.

Okay, good.

So a lot of y'all know, like if you follow me on Instagram, that I actually joined Avery's Level 6 program that was— this, okay, so technically when you're listening to this, it's 2022, it's 2022 now, but in 2021, Avery launched Level 6, which is her like signature, which is your signature marketing program, right? Yep. This was like where I really first learned the terms like inbound, outbound, and kind of like sort of putting those pieces together. I mean, obviously I'd been doing business for like a while now.

Yeah.

But it was such a good, like, it just like brings you back to the basics, like, okay, and but it's like, not like in a basic way though. But like, yeah, you know, it's like, oh, like, oh, these things make sense. Here's how I put all these pieces together. Here's why, like, I'm hearing crickets on some of my basic AF posts, you know, I'm not standing out. So I think that that's just such a, such a, such a good reminder to have that like, hey, like your messaging has to make sense first, right? Like, What's your standout factor? Where, like, are you even being seen? Do you have the same 5 people in your stories every day? Like, you know, get that thing first. Because that's probably why you're not making sales, you know, like one, the mindset, yes. But also like, do you even have eyes on you? You know, like, does it make sense what you're selling? Do you even know what you're selling? You know?

Yeah. So I call it, like, that program is like the next level. What did I say? Next level foundations. So it's like marketing is very foundational in what you're doing. Um, but you know, sometimes we swing so far away from the foundations because we've been there, done that. But truly sometimes the foundations are like the piece that we're missing. Um, so it was kind of like the next level, you know, how to write certain ways, you know, how to launch. Now it's putting it into making it make sense for you and then just yeah, kind of like mastering your own craft because I think every marketing strategy is different per person. So what works for one might not work for me. For example, Lindsay loves launching, maybe I don't. So there's definitely two different marketing pieces to that.

So. Yep. Yep. Absolutely. So good, Avery. So tell us a little bit about how your own journey, and this might be like a little bit more personal, but like I love, I love having these conversations here, but how has like your journey changed since you come into the online space? I mean, yeah, like, I mean, I came in as a relationship coach, like coaching intimacy, you know, and like very different from what I do now. So maybe like, what does the evolution of your journey look like?

So I started as a social media manager. Okay. And that's kind of what I did at previous 9 to 5s is what I was good at is what I knew. I loved Instagram. That was like my definite platform of choice for all the rest of the businesses I've ever worked for. So that's kind of why I threw myself into Instagram specifically. But Instagram, or I was a social media manager, uh, up I think within the first year of my business. I still did it even though I eventually pivoted into social media coaching. Yeah. And it was mostly Instagram coaching, but I still did like Facebook group coaching too. Um, because that was another piece that I loved. And then after that, I eventually had people constantly being like, how did you start as a social media manager? So then I pivoted into business coaching for social media managers. Specifically. Yeah, that's where I started. Um, that was incredible. That journey right there was like how I sold out, like within 2 days of selling my business coaching services, sold out within 2 days. It was like, wow, okay, that pivot was right. And then eventually I was pivoting into business coaching for just entrepreneurs in general. So some social media managers, some coaches, just stuff like that. And then over the last I would say 6 to 8. Okay. So this comes out in March. So by March it will be pretty close to like 8 months to 10 months. Um, I pivoted now into marketing coaching specifically because there's reasons, but this is more of like, I don't know if it's opinion-based, but there's this stigma of what a business coach is in the Instagram industry, which is the industry Lindsay and I are in. Obviously we know what a business coach means in that industry, but someone walking on the street, if I say, oh, I'm a business coach, and they ask for my services, they would be severely disappointed because I don't necessarily help you with like fully the business side of things. I help you more with an offer creation, sure, and building out your product suite. But like, is that really business coaching? Not really. So then I started feeling like I was more of a marketing coach because I can help you more with like emails. If you want to start a podcast, Instagram, I'm now dabbling into TikTok, which has been wild. Um, so, you know, there's different things that I have evolved into. So now I call myself a business or, um, excuse me, a marketing coach. So it's been a journey, but that's where we are.

Oh my God. That's so good. Are you on TikTok right now?

I am. Yes.

Do you like post? Like, are you like—

I do. I'm trying to grow it, but you know, so that platform, uh, I have been on TikTok since the day TikTok started for personal use, not for business. TikTok terrifies me if I'm being 100% real here. Yeah. They, people are just mean on there. And so I've always been terrified of just getting backlash from people. So took like 2 years of me being on there for personal sake to finally now share business. And I started As some of you may or may not know, I also run a product business. So I sell merchandise and yeah, apparel and like mugs and gifts and accessories stuff. So I started TikTok because of that to try to scale that business. Okay. But now I'm realizing I'm starting to actually be more of a personal brand on there versus just like that business specifically. So I'm still trying to navigate how to like post both business or business stuff, marketing stuff, and apparel. So it's just weird.

But anyway, yeah, yeah, I think, I think like personal brand, that's it. It's like, this is all of it, you know?

Yeah. People want people on there, not a business.

Yeah. I'm not really on TikTok. I mean, obviously I have one, but it's, I have like 5 followers. Not exaggerating, like there's 5 of them.

And I think I have 25.

So that makes me feel so much better. That's hilarious. And yeah, I just, I don't know, like I don't really get onto it for like entertainment really. Like I've been there maybe like 5 times ever, you know? I just really like Instagram. Like I do like Instagram. I think that it's so versatile, like for all different types of learners, for different types of teachers, like whether you want to write or you want to speak or you want to be on live video or you want to prerecord. Like, I just think it's so versatile. Um, and it can like tickle all my fancies, you know?

Yeah. Yeah. And the platform is evolving so much. I mean, technically the Instagram story started because of Snapchat. Instagram Reels started because of TikTok. IG Lives/IGTV was because of YouTube. So that platform kind of evolved because of other social media channels. So it's definitely very versatile, but, um, I just think Instagram changed so much from where it was in the beginning. I think for me, when, when a platform becomes work, yeah, I have a really hard time keeping up with the love of that platform. I loved Instagram. So, okay, let's go back to like ancient days. I started on Twitter way back because I loved— don't judge me— I loved Soulja Boy. So I, I'm judging. So, so I started on Twitter this, but I was on Twitter before Twitter was a thing because I just wanted to talk to Soulja Boy and just tweet at him. And one day he tweeted back at me. It was like my life just ended.

Yes. You have to share this story. Like, please share this. This is so good.

But now Twitter, I actually love Twitter for different reasons. Now I'm on it for more of the financial side of things just to learn about investing and stuff. So different reasons why I'm on there now.

Um, But hey gang, it's Lindsey. If you enjoyed today's show, it would mean so much for you to take 1 to 2 minutes and leave us a review right here on your podcast platform. You can click directly on the link to our podcast page, scroll to where it says reviews, and leave us a 1 to 5 star review, 5 star preferably. To really be the gold star student, you can share with us what episode or what episodes you've enjoyed most and what you'd want to hear more of. I personally read every single review, and I would love to be able to share your review on one of our next episodes. So thank you so much for listening, and I will see you in the next episode.

That was the same with Instagram too. I was on Instagram before Instagram really was a thing, and also before I ever had started my business. Loved this platform. It was amazing. And then now once the Instagram, it's kind of like TikTok to watch me end up hating this platform in like a year. It's when, when a platform just feels like it's actually work, that's more of when I'm like, okay, on to the next. I want to have fun with something. I want to be creative. Not that I'm not creative on the Instagram specifically, but TikTok is so new. So I'm just like, what am I doing on here? I don't know, just fun stuff out there and figuring out what to do. So it's engaging.

Yeah, I think that's so cool that you say that too, because it's like, yeah, as long as it's fun to me, like I'm going to keep doing it. And so that just gives all of us the permission slip that we need. They're like, it's okay to change your mind and like, it's okay to evolve, you know, and focus on your marketing strategy. So yeah, that's really cool. All right, Avery, so if you could give our listeners just like any takeaway around marketing, like if they could walk away like with one actionable this week, let's say for an example, they're just kind of struggling. Stand out in the online space. They felt— they're a life coach. Let's just say they're a life coach or feeling like their stuff isn't really standing out. Like they've got people like, oh wow, you're so inspiring. Oh, I love what you're doing. Oh, this is so good. But like they're not actually having conversations about their offers. No one's saying like, hey, I'm ready to work with you. What is like a piece of tangible advice that you could give them to maybe go and try or implement this week? Something they could go and implement.

So it kind of goes back to a little bit of what's inside of level 6 that Lindsay kind of learned slash Um, kind of what I cover with a lot of my clients in general, it's kind of going back to the foundational marketing piece, right?

What—

so if you're a life coach, just like every other life coach there, yes, you might do things that are very similar. There's other marketing coaches out there like me, but like what really makes you unique? Like besides you being you, what is it that you cover that someone else doesn't cover? Or like who do you work with that maybe is more specific than somebody else? So for example, What I mean by this is someone who's a marketing coach like myself, or even like in the business coaching world, business coach covers a lot, right? You cover the marketing piece, you cover sales, you cover clients, signing clients, growing your money, all those things. But like what really makes you stand out, which is kind of why I pivoted to marketing coach, but for me, I cover the marketing piece. So another marketing coach might cover the sales piece. They might view marketing as, Sales, marketing is sales as well, right? That could be them. Um, another thing is something like, for example, a difference could be like Lindsay and I, if we're both marketing coaches, Lindsay loves to talk about launching. Maybe I don't, maybe I vibe with just the pure selling. So finding what makes you unique and what makes you truly different than everybody else is going to start help you craft your messaging. Narrow down that messaging, but also realize for yourself first what makes you stand out compared to anybody else. And you have to go all in on that messaging. So find what makes you unique and then figure out— this is another piece to marketing beyond just the basics, the foundational, you know, here are the 3 steps how to do this. Um, I lost my train of thought.

Yeah. How to stand out, how to market.

Um, When my brain goes a mile a minute, it's just like, okay, bye.

Um, it's pregnancy brain for you.

Totally. Um, finding what makes you unique. And then, um, oh, why somebody should invest in your offer over somebody else. So that will help you also identify kind of what makes you unique is, but like for example, my Level 6 program is a marketing program, but it could be different than someone else's that focuses more on the foundations. The foundations could be learning what exactly what exactly your overall message is and then how to put that into social media, my program would be maybe the next step. So it's the, so figuring out what makes you unique, what is unique about your offer, and then really honing in on that messaging and going all in on that messaging. Tell your audience why they should invest in you over somebody else, because the more you can say that, that will just show them I need whatever they're, they're selling.

So good. That y'all like rewind that, take notes. That was like literally like a whole like launch sales strategy right there. Like answer those questions. Why am I an expert? Or like what makes me different? What makes this offer different? Why do you need to invest in this? This is the standout factor. This is what you will learn. This is what you'll walk away with. There's like 7 days of content right there.

Seriously. It's a whole launch strategy of content.

Oh my gosh. Okay. Well, thank you so much for sharing that, Avery. I have enjoyed this conversation. You are a friend of mine. I love your energy. I love just your realness. And I know that your community and all of our listeners who come and stalk you and creep you will also just really vibe with you and will learn how to make marketing work for them, you know, and do it in a way that is real and authentic and feels good, you know, and isn't dry and boring, right? Because when you think of the word marketing, you're like, you know, So boring. Yeah, you ingrain your personality into it and make it fun and make money from it. So that's cool.

Yeah, make it fun and don't overcomplicate it. Like we overcomplicate when you overconsume, you overcomplicate everything.

Girl, that's a whole conversation. That's a whole other podcast.

All right.

Well, thank you so much, Avery. Thank you all for listening. Y'all come say hello to us on Instagram. I'm @lindsey.badio. Avery is at @avery.yaktis.

Avery.Yaktis.

Take a screenshot of the podcast. We are now at Aligned and Wealthy, or no, at The Aligned and Wealthy Podcast is our new Instagram handle. And tell us what your best breakthrough was. Tell us what, what you really loved about this episode. And I'm so excited that you're all here today. So thank you, Avery, for coming on. So enjoyed it. I love you. Hey gang, it's Lindsey. If you enjoyed today's show, it would mean so much for you to take 1 to 2 minutes and leave us a review right here on your podcast platform. You can click directly on the link to our podcast page, scroll to where it says reviews, and leave us a 1 to 5 star review. 5 star preferably. To really be the gold star student, you can share with us what episode or what episodes you've enjoyed most and what you'd want to hear more of. I personally read every single review and I would love to be able to share your review on one of our next episodes. So thank you so much for listening and I will see you in the next episode.