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Show Notes

Relationships can go a long way in business – from making your customer base grow to generating more income! In this episode, I’m joined by my friend Maura where discussed how our business relationships helped drive growth, marketing and ultimately the profitability of our businesses. So if you’re looking for the key to business success tune in with us and let’s get it going.

Connect with Maura Walters

Websiste: https://maurawalterswrites.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maura_walters/

Want to Work with Jennifer and her Virtual Marketing Experts Team?

Are you a coach, consultant, or online course creator who are looking to grow your business, increase your income, and scale your impact? Connect with me at YourMarketingMatchmaker.com I look forward to hearing from you.

Jennifer Tamborski 

Hey there, everyone. Welcome back to Marketing Matchmaker, I am super excited today to have another guest. And so today’s guest is Maura Walters. She’s a copywriter, and a content strategist, strategist, English sometimes. And she’s also a business mentor, which I love the fact that she’s actually helping people in multiple sides of their business. Maura has actually spent the last decade in media and in as a magazine, writer and editor, and she’s officially launched her business in 2022. She actually took advantage of COVID.

So to launch and grow her business. So thank you so much today for joining me Maura, I love content, because I think it’s so critical to audience to building your audience to growing your audience. Right. And I don’t think people really understand what content strategy is. So let’s start there. Like what does that mean?

Maura Walters 

Yeah, you know, well, first of all, thank you so much for having me. I’m very excited to be here. Yeah, content strategy. I think it is one of those really broad terms that a lot of people interpret differently. But for me, as someone who spent a decade telling stories, for me content strategy, it’s helping brands articulate their unique story, the things that makes make them so special, across a variety of platforms.

And there is always some thinking behind it. So we’re not just throwing things at the wall to see what sticks. We’re figuring out. What is your why, why did you start this business in the first place? What are you passionate about? How are you helping people? How does this product this service make people’s lives better? Those are the stories that we really like to articulate because people resonate with good stories people want things to connect to.

So for me, content strategy means identifying those stories that make a brand really different and unique, and telling them across a variety of platforms. So it’s your website, which is super important. That’s your number one sales tool that is working for you. 24/7.

But that is also what stories are you telling on social media?

You don’t have to be everywhere, but it’s good to be somewhere? What does your newsletter look like? Do you have a blog? And what kinds of stories are we telling there? So you know, I’m a real believer that the messaging should exist in a bunch of different places to reach a bunch of different people.

Jennifer Tamborski 

I totally I could honestly, that is so true. Because, let’s be honest, there’s so much noise out there, there’s so much information, especially on social media, that people have to really see you. Sometimes 100 times before they’re ready to actually do anything with you, whether that’s sign up for your lead magnet or buy your thing or, or whatever that next step is they have to see it see you so often and your content really becomes essential when it comes…

Maura Walters 

Yeah, and I’m so glad that you said that because it’s actually a good reminder to me when I worry about repeating myself and sounding like a broken record on Instagram, I realized that for you know, the amount of followers that I have, which isn’t much you know, I have like 4000 and change. Literally, like the most the highest amount of people that are seeing a story of mine on a given day is like 200 Like maybe 300 On a good day. So you really cannot articulate your message too many times.

I think the trick is being creative and roping people in in a really compelling way. And that is something that I work really diligently with, with my copywriting clients on like, you don’t want your page to sound like everybody else’s. You don’t want to use generic language. Every single brand every single person has a story to tell that is uniquely theirs. And that is what people care about. That is what makes people invested in your brand.

Jennifer Tamborski 

Yeah, I mean, I think the the whole idea behind finding your why like why are you whatever it is you’re doing Yeah, becomes essential. If you haven’t seen the Simon Sinek you know why video around apple? It really does articulate very well. Why your why becomes like key because that’s, that’s really what people are going to connect with. They don’t

Maura Walters

Yes, yes.

Jennifer Tamborski

Let’s be honest, most people don’t really care all that much about you. As a business owner. They care about what you can do for them and their present And when it comes down to finding your why that helps us keep going.

Maura Walters 

You know, I recently had an inquiry from a newly launched business and they have no problem getting people on their site, like from an SEO perspective, like they are doing the thing. They’re doing everything right. But no one is staying on their site, and no one is buying their product. And it was so clear to me in looking at this page for two minutes that like, I do not know who this product is for. And I don’t know why you exist.

So you can have the best SEO in the world. But if you aren’t really articulating that story, and what you stand for, and what you do to improve people’s lives, they’re going to be gone immediately. I always tell my copywriting clients, your business isn’t really about you.

Your business is about the people that you serve your business is about the clients that you want to attract. And we are always putting them front and center. We are always leading with the client with the customer cetera.

Jennifer Tamborski 

Yeah, I completely agree with you. I mean, that’s, that’s the whole premise behind Marketing Matchmakers all built around dating your ideal client. And that’s because your ideal client is is front and center. Like that’s huge. Who you should be yes. focused on. Because you are just serving them.

Maura Walters 

Yeah. And that is actually the first thing that I work on with clients like we I really am adamant about having this discovery phase so that I can get a sense of like, yeah, not only why you exist, but who are you targeting? Like, who is your ideal client? How are you speaking to them? Where does this ideal client spend the majority of their time? Are they on Instagram? Do they like to read newsletters? Do they spend more of their time finding leads on LinkedIn?

Like, all of that matters, and it’s so important that you know, who your target client is before, really before you do anything else? Because it dictates how you talk to them. It dictates what you share. It dictates where you show up. Yeah,

Jennifer Tamborski 

Absolutely. Absolutely. Okay. So I kind of eluded, you know, you started your business in 2020. Obviously, we were in the middle of a pandemic for most of that year. So I love again, I love stories. So tell us how you started your business, why you started a business? And how do you really got to six figures in that first year?

Maura Walters 

Yeah, absolutely. Well, like many people who start their own businesses, I started mine under duress, I was let go from my job during the pandemic. And I knew that I was really good at what I did. I knew that I was a really solid writer. And I knew that I could help brands tell their stories. And I took my first client literally while my daughter napped in her playroom. And I just like, I just started thinking, I want to start articulating the stories of brands that I really care about brands that are like primarily female founded, want to make the world better in some way.

And I also know that I have this journalism background that I can fall back on. And I think leaning into the past experience and the stuff that I knew I was really good at. It truly informed my job as a copywriter and made me so adept at pinpointing the stories that were going to resonate with people, because I spent a decade looking for good stories. So the secret, I think, to growing a business without burning out and without feeling like you have to say yes to everything is to come up with a high ticket offer, like a really high paying offer, that is going to keep a client in your orbit that anticipates the needs that they didn’t even know they had, which is why it is so important to listen to clients, a client can come to me saying that they just need a website.

But if I’m really listening to them, I know that they also need a real social media strategy. They also need a newsletter that converts people and helps helps them sell offers. They also need press releases, you know, and those are all things that I can do. So rather than you know, I did start my career, of course, taking one off projects, but I quickly learned that I want to scale this thing.

I would much rather work for three long term high paying clients than do 10 website projects for low paying clients. And so I started thinking about all of the things I was good at not just website copy, how I could package that how I could make that an offer that is going to solve numerous problems for people and I guarantee like every person listening to this has a number of skill sets a number of talents that they can apply to their clients and to solving those problems. So I’m like all about the consulting offer. I feel like it is the Holy Grail for freelancers, versus, like the one off flat project fee.

Jennifer Tamborski 

I agree with you. I mean, I think that’s for most solopreneurs that’s how you make money, right? It’s not? Yes, you can DIY have DIY programs, and and, you know, video trainings and all of that kind of stuff. And there are people out there making millions of dollars doing that. And

Maura Walters 

Where are they? Can you introduce them to me?

Jennifer Tamborski 

So I actually can, I got a couple of clients that are making quite a bit of money, ..

Maura Walters

oh, my god

Jennifer Tamborski

..like that. And on the other side of that, the majority of people, especially when they’re first starting out, in order to make that substantial fees are high ticket products, like high ticket items? And I think it also yes, you as a person really like, is your ideal to work with one or two clients? Or do you want hundreds? And can you scale your business or not?

Maura Walters 

I want to share another piece, another piece of advice that I learned the hard way, when I would have discovery calls with clients, they would tell me what their maximum budget was. And I would propose, like, I would create a proposal that took that into account. And then I would offer two ways. Two other ways that they could work for me for less money. And what do you think they always chose,

Jennifer Tamborski 

They always chose less money, always,

Maura Walters 

They always chose the cheapest money, the cheapest amount. So I have flipped that model on its head. And what the client tells me their maximum is, is my base level, that is the first option I give them of how we can work together, it includes a bunch of deliverables and includes all the good stuff. And then I offer to higher tiered ways of working together that are a couple $1,000 More, and then, you know, maybe five grand more than what they initially quoted me.

And quite often, they will see the numerous services that are included in that package and what I can do for them, on top of what I already what we already discussed, and they will find that money. So I would say always start with what they say their maximum is as your sort of minimum.

Jennifer Tamborski 

You know, what I love about this conversation is that I was having an interview with a sales coach a couple of weeks ago, and we were talking about discounting our services and like the, the the really bad place that puts you in, this actually gives, it gives people a different perspective of like, it’s really important to give your clients what they need. And then also while you’re getting paid for it, and then also offering them those other options of we can still work together on bigger and better projects too.

Maura Walters 

Yes. And it has been my experience that the good clients want the best value, they don’t want the best deal. And those are two very different things.

Jennifer Tamborski 

Yes, I agree with that wholeheartedly. I know, for a lot of business owners, especially as they’re just getting started, they are looking at working with anybody and everybody, they just want income coming in which I get Believe me, I get it. I’ve been there like, I think we’ve all been there. And when it comes to really creating a business model and a business that’s going to be successful, it’s about creating something that’s sustainable for you. And taking everybody in anybody is not?

Maura Walters 

No, it is not sustainable for so many reasons. And the biggest mistake I made when I was first starting out as a copywriter was marketing myself this way. Well, if it involves words, I do it meant nothing to anyone. And when I would reach out to my network, like they didn’t know if I was looking for a website copy, they didn’t know if I was looking for like editorial work and magazines. They didn’t know if I was looking to write press releases.

So it may seem counterintuitive, but actually having a niche and a specialty is so good and so valuable for your business. And as you do more and more of this work, your specialty is going to reveal itself to you the questions that clients are asking you over and over again, like the services that they’re coming to you over and over again, that is going to help you find your niche. So you don’t have to take on everything and say yes to everything that is like the surest way to make yourself crazy and to feel like you are never going to grow because you’re so, so like stuck in the morass of these like projects that aren’t good for you. Yeah, yeah.

Jennifer Tamborski 

So it kind of on that same pandemic kind of topic. We obviously now are also in a recession or economic issues, Who’s or what advice do you have for people on in that spot that are looking at at a business and going, Okay, how do I make money when no one wants to pay me anything?

Maura Walters 

Yeah, well, I mean, I actually think it’s a really great time to be a freelancer because businesses don’t have to pay your benefits and they don’t have to pay you. The things that you know, come with being a salaried employee. So I actually think that this can be a very good time. When I have slow periods in my business, I always think about my future.

So your present business that includes your clients, that includes your workload, your future business is your marketing your future business is your newsletter, your future business is those social media posts that you’ve just like been putting off and don’t want to spend any time on, I think, slow periods, which by the way, are completely natural.

And I think we need to break free of this idea that like as freelancers our work is always going to be consistent in our work is always going to be steady. Like, we have seasons in the same way that the Earth has seasons, right. I’ve been doing this for three years now. And I know that my quiet season is the end of the year, like there are people are just like not hiring me for copywriting work. And pretty much like in the majority of q4, that is the time that I use to think about what new offer do I want to put out there? What newsletter content do I feel like could really resonate with people right now? What feelers do I want to put out?

It’s probably time for me to send another email to my network saying I’m open for projects. Like the quiet times are actually like, really revelatory, I think and, and really, really useful and thinking about what you want that future business to look like.

Jennifer Tamborski 

I love that I love that the idea behind taking some time in that quiet period, because you’re right, every business has its ebbs and flows, no matter how much marketing we do. I know in my business, July is like, dead.

Maura Walters

Go on vacation.

Jennifer Tamborski

Yeah, everyone’s on vacation. So while my marketing doesn’t slow down, and I would never suggest anyone’s marketing slows down. Sometimes the business like the sales calls, like maybe I don’t have a ton in in July. That’s okay. Because I know I’m not you know, it’s it’s not going to happen and just having that period of time is really, I think business.

Maura Walters 

Oh, yeah, absolutely. And it’s totally okay. You know, I think I think when we get into panic mode, that’s when we sort of get into trouble. You know, panicking about money, panicking about the next project, reaching out to anyone, and anyone taking on anything that comes our way, even when we know it’s not right, even when it’s not well paying. I think that’s how we get into a lot of trouble.

So my best piece of advice, as you know, for freelancers is like there are going to be months when you are making so much money. And they’re going to be months when you are not. And it is really important. You know, say I got a project where I was making like $10,000 a month for three months. I need to think about that payment over the course of 12 months, not price.

Jennifer Tamborski

Yes.

Maura Walters

And use that to support my business and think about how is this going to support my business for the full year versus like, Yeah, I’m read about it. I like I feel like I spent the first year of my business only operating month to month and never thinking like what what do I need to make in a year? What are my annual revenue goal? Yeah, knowing what my annual revenue goal is, and not just like what I want it to be, but like really like what is keeping the lights on? Like, how am I paying my mortgage?

How am I paying the people that support my business, like having a sense of the annual revenue goal dictates so much it dictates my hourly rate. It dictates like the projects that I take on what I need to make month to month when I need to make quarter by quarter and I think taking that bird’s eye view is going to be so so important for you and your freelance career.

Jennifer Tamborski 

Yeah. Okay, I appreciate all of this free advice that you’re giving to the audience. Because I really think some people just need to hear that sometimes of of just real reality when it comes to to business, right. So we kind of touched on earlier you said your biggest marketing mistake was kind of doing that whole reverse payment like the lowest one. So do Do you have another one another mistake that you’ve made in marketing that maybe is outside of that you’ve that you’ve done with presenting yourself or something along those lines?

Maura Walters 

Hmm, well, definitely not being specific enough. You know, for very, also for a very long time. So many, so much of my marketing efforts, like, particularly around Instagram and LinkedIn, were really like about me and about like, all the things I’ve done and all the experience I have, and you know, all of the, like, awards I’ve gotten and why you should hire me.

And when I started treating my specifically my Instagram account with like, who is going to care about this post? Is this post of service? Is this post useful? Right, everything changed for me. Again, that goes back to this idea that your business like really is not about you, at least like your marketing should not be. Marketing should be about your ideal client. And I think, making so much of my content about me and really not being specific, either, like,

Sure, it’s fine to post photos of my kids, it’s fine to like, you know, post photos of what I’m having for lunch. But I wasn’t really using the tools available to me as like, what they are their tools, like Instagram is a marketing is an amazing marketing tool, when you use it the right way. And that was like, Yeah, that was a huge mistake of mine early early on.

So I would definitely recommend you know, every time you post, whether it’s to LinkedIn, or Instagram, or if like anyone here is on Tik Tok, if you’re like, a cool person useful, who’s going to resonate with it? How is it you know, reinforcing the things that you talk about and that you care about? I think that that is just, you know, it’s so useful to think about, like the other person, the person on the receiving end of it.

Jennifer Tamborski 

I agree wholeheartedly and really appreciate that break down for people. I thank you so much for being on the show today. It, you know, it’s it, it’s been so much fun. And I think, for viewers, listeners, remember that content is hugely important. And if you’re struggling to develop your content for whatever reason, whether that’s video content, or writing or you know, whatever your reasoning is behind that reach out to someone like Maura because they can help you, right? They can help you with the strategy, they can help you with writing if you’re not a writer, not all of us are, and that’s okay.

Maura Walters 

Sometimes, it really takes an outsider perspective also to see the things about your business that are really different and special and to help you articulate that message.

Jennifer Tamborski 

Absolutely, absolutely. So I will have more all of Maura’s information in the show notes, reach out to her learn from her, I can guarantee that your content will be better, which then helps you to grow your business, increase your revenue and scale your impact. We will see you next week.

OUTRO: Thank you for listening to the marketing matchmaker podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, I would love to hear your feedback. Please head over to Apple iTunes and leave a review so we can hear from you. And if you are a coach, consultant or online course creator who are looking to grow your business, increase your income and scale your impact. Connect with me at your marketing matchmaker.com I look forward to hearing from you.