How to Streamline Marketing and Overcome Overwhelm with Sarah Block

Kathi: Hi everyone, welcome back to Organized and Energized! The Podcast. Today we're speaking with Sarah Block, and we are going to talk about marketing. We're going to talk about how to stay organized and how to overcome your overwhelm while you're doing it, which we know is always a thing as solopreneurs. So, welcome to the show, Sarah.

Sarah: Thanks for having me.

Kathi: Absolutely. So, talk to me a little bit about your background. Why are you doing what you're doing, and what are you doing?

Sarah: Yeah. So, I work with business consultants, primarily solo entrepreneurs, on how to create really streamlined marketing that works when you have a small team. I started because I was a one-person marketing department for a seven-company group. Yep, sums it up. I was really overwhelmed, and I came up with a framework to be able to make that work when I was only me. I was only one person, and I didn't have a big budget. So now I use that framework, and I help other small businesses who are in the same position as I was and need a system to be able to market.

Kathi: Absolutely. What's your favorite way to get the word out for small businesses?

Sarah: Like the best strategy for them?

Kathi: Or the best platform. Is it advertising? Is it social? How does it work?

Sarah: Yeah. So, I work with a lot of business consultants, and I have found that there's a good combination of things that work well together. One, you have to have a full funnel of content marketing. So you're pulling in people at the awareness stage, but you're moving them down the funnel. And that's where a lot of people mess up: they're all about the awareness and being present on social media, but they don't know how to move people down to, okay, now I have this problem, and they could possibly be a solution, and shortlisting them. So, content marketing that does that. Podcasting, which we're doing right now, works really, really well for that, because people become aware you exist, but through your podcast, they really learn to trust you and understand how you can solve their problem and the way you do it uniquely. So podcasting works really great for business consultants. And LinkedIn. LinkedIn is my favorite for business consultants. It's a no-brainer.

Through your podcast, they really learn to trust you and understand how you can solve their problem and the way you do it uniquely.

Share this quote on X

Kathi: That's excellent. So right now, I assume that you're no longer working for the seven businesses. Now you have your individual clients. Okay, that's great. Where do they get stuck mainly? I know you said they get the lead magnet, perhaps they've done it, but they've broken down the funnel to get people into it. Where is the main disconnect? That they don't have that smaller product to move into, and then a bigger product?

Sarah: Yeah. So one disconnect that I see at the very top is that they only create awareness content. So people realize they exist, but they don't know what problem you solve or how they can work with you, and they're just not clear about what you do at all. You're just educating but not moving them any further. And then for the people who do know how to move people a little bit further and have that lead magnet, the disconnect I see is that they don't nurture afterwards. They grab that lead magnet, deliver it, but then the sales end. They think that the sale will just happen naturally, but you should really be making that part of the system, and it needs to be happening after that lead magnet.

Kathi: Yeah. It's like, okay, now you know me. Here's what I can do for you, and here's how you can get that access, that service.

Sarah: Yeah. Start off with a welcome sequence that makes it really clear what you do, how you solve their problem, where they can find you. I like to do a digital tour, I call it, where I show people the different places I am online and where they can interact, so I can meet them where they are.

Kathi: Oh, that's cool. Is that on a video, or do you do it with an email? You just keep sending the links?

Sarah: Well, it's part of my welcome sequence. It's my second email that goes out. The first one is a gift: here's a gifty for signing up for my lead magnet. And the second one is their digital tour. These are the places that we can hang out and get to know each other. And then I start talking about the solution I provide. And from there, you'll want to be able to mix in your nurture with your evergreen sales emails, so you're actually selling and it's not going cold.

Kathi: Right. And keeping in touch. It's really needed. I know in the beginning of my career, I was just like, educate, educate, educate, educate. Just tell them everything. And then they would go into overwhelm. And I know the title of this show is how to avoid marketing overwhelm. What are some tips that you would provide to the listeners here to help them stay focused and not go into the overwhelm? Because marketing is a huge beast on its own.

Sarah: Amen, sister. Yes, it is. And the first thing I do is I think about my marketing from the perspective of my ideal customer and what their journey is. And then I only do that. You don't need to overcomplicate it. Just look at the top 20% of your customers, the ones that are the most profitable, that you love working with, and figure out what their common attributes are. And then you can put together a customer avatar and their journey. How do they become aware that you exist? What is it that converted them? I do this with surveys and interviews. And then just do that. You don't have to show up everywhere. You don't have to do all the things. Just do that, because likely their journey will mirror other people similar to them.

You don't have to show up everywhere. You don't have to do all the things.

Share this quote on X

Kathi: Yeah, absolutely. And what do you think about "your avatar is yourself"? What do you think about that statement?

Sarah: So, well, explain what you mean by that. Like, you sell to someone similar to you?

Kathi: Yes.

Sarah: I don't think there's anything wrong with that. So give me your scenario.

Kathi: Well, I've spent years trying to develop who is my avatar, and then I realized that my avatar is really me. Artistic, creative, organized, or artistic, creative people who need the skill that I have that brings in the organizing aspect. And women my age, women that are entrepreneurs. So people that are similar to me are the people that I think I can help the most, because I understand them the most.

Sarah: So this would be like historical you, the you before you figured out how to solve your problem. I think that makes sense, because you understand the pain that you were going through when you lacked the systems to be able to work efficiently. So you can really speak to that on an empathetic level, which matters a lot.

Kathi: Yeah, absolutely. So tell me, when did you launch your company? How long have you been doing this?

Sarah: So, it was a side hustle for like 10 years. I was really slow to launch, to jump all in, and I've been full-time with it for three years now.

Kathi: I love it. So, what were you doing in the interim, and how did you manage the side hustle? Because I know a lot of people listening are either thinking about leaving their job, or they've just left their job, or they're just thinking, I need to do something else. How did it work for you? What were you doing, and how did you incorporate the side hustle to grow?

Sarah: I'm the girl to talk to about that, as someone who did it for 10 years. So, I was working as a marketing director during that time. I was head of marketing for a couple different companies, and I started off with making it so it would easily fit into my life as a marketing director. So I started off freelance writing and doing co-webinars with people within the marketing niche. So it made sense for my personal brand, and my companies weren't mad at me for it. And then when I decided that I wanted to take it full-time, I was honest and transparent with my team. I told them about a year before I did it that that was my plan, and I went all in. My first step was I did a lot of collaboration content. I partnered with product companies and other people who had a mirror audience to me, so I could capture that audience and really build my presence before I went full-time with it. And that was my first step. And then I got all of my contracts that would make up my salary before I left my job. So I had six figures of contracts locked and loaded before I left.

Kathi: Perfect. I love it.

Sarah: Yeah, it made it a lot more comfortable for me, because it was scary.

Kathi: Yeah, it's scary. Well, it's good that you weren't jumping into a different career. It made for an easier transition, I think. And the fact that you were open and honest with the people that you're working for. I think that's what really counts: just tell people where you're coming from and be straightforward. I think that the right companies would allow you to do that.

Sarah: They were cool with it. They actually became a client. It worked out really well.

Kathi: Of course. Yeah, absolutely. They're like, "You go for it, Sarah. You can do it. And by the way, we'll just hire you instead of you being on staff. We'll just keep you doing what you're doing."

Sarah: They were super supportive.

Kathi: I love that. That's fantastic. So tell me about a time after you launched. You had your contracts done. Did you have a valley? Did you have something happen where your world was rocked, and you're like, "Oh no, now what am I going to do?" And how did you get out of it? Do you have one of those types of stories? Because I think we all go through the ups and downs of our business, and it's always good to hear stories about how you climb out of something that wasn't such a great space.

Sarah: Yeah. I mean, there's been a lot of hills and valleys in this experience. I would say the hardest one for me was I had such fast growth, and I wasn't prepared for that. I didn't have a team for that. I wasn't ready to scale at the beginning. So that was a lot of it. That felt like a lot of pressure. I was really overwhelmed with that. And I actually brought on my VA before I left my company, because I had to start working with some of those clients while I was still working there. It was nights, weekends, and then I had my VA helping me with stuff that had to be done during the day. So I added on. She helped me a ton, and I added on some other team members to help me support that, and it made it a lot easier having that team. And we had weekly meetings where we could just collaborate and get everything done at one time, so we weren't back and forth all the time.

Kathi: Yeah, it's so smart to already have a VA before you really go full-time. And I think that's a problem with what I've seen with other fellow entrepreneurs or solopreneurs: it's hard to know what to delegate. But the fact that you had someone in place already that could be your backup and support, your wing, so to speak, would be fantastic. And delegation is so important, and as entrepreneurs, it's hard to delegate. I know this to be true because I watch it with my clients. It's like, they're going to screw it up. They're not going to do it right. They aren't going to be my voice, or whatever. But kudos to you. And so you grew your team, and then you're able to scale, because without a team you can't scale, for sure.

Sarah: No, you can't at all. I tried so many different ways to make it work while keeping it tight. But I needed my team, and I'm so glad I have them.

Kathi: Yeah. I'll never give my team up. Once you have them, it's fantastic. Then they can do what you hate anyhow. So I say, what you hate, delegate.

Sarah: That is exactly right. If I don't want to do something, it'll take me forever, because I procrastinate. I'd rather just hand it off to someone who loves doing it.

If I don't want to do something, it'll take me forever, because I procrastinate. I'd rather just hand it off to someone who loves doing it.

Share this quote on X

Kathi: Yeah. In the beginning of my career, I tried to do all the tech, and I am just not. I know tech, but doing tech stuff just drives me bonkers half the time. And having someone that could just take it away and deal with it is fantastic. And then I can do what I do best. So I think that's what it's all about. And as a word to the people listening out there, if you find yourself in your business and you're not liking your business anymore, and you're feeling like you're just overwhelmed and not happy, you're probably not delegating the stuff that you hate. You've lost your juju and your passion on why you started your business to begin with.

Sarah: You are spot on with that. I had a period where I just didn't need one of my team members as much as I used to, and I ended up losing her. And now I am just needing her so badly. I'm like, come back! Because she took on and loved to do all of the things I hate doing. It was just, you know, December. It's slow.

Kathi: Right. It's like, if you can think of something to keep them going. One of my team, I'm trying to give her other work too, from other people that need her skills. That way it's a win-win. I don't have to worry about complete support, but I need her, because she does stuff I don't want to do, and she's really, really good at it. So why not pass on the good? Because there are so many entrepreneurs out there that need just a little bit. And I think that's what keeps us stuck: we think, I can't afford that. I can't afford that. But what you can do, so to speak, is time sharing with talent.

Sarah: Yeah. That is a great way to put it. That's how most of my people are with me. It's a time share among entrepreneurs.

Kathi: Right. And we just help each other grow. They help me grow, and I help them get more clients to do what my clients shouldn't be doing.

Sarah: Yeah.

Kathi: They don't want to, they shouldn't be. We can't do it all. That's the thing as solopreneurs. We can't do it all. We think we can. But like you said earlier, you can't scale when you do that.

Sarah: No, no. And you end up getting frustrated and burned out and losing interest in your business. During that time, I was like, "What was I thinking? Why did I do this?" I mean, I know why I did this. I did this because of these loud kids on the other side of the wall, because I can be here when they're on summer break or after school.

Kathi: Right. And you're supposed to have your own freedom and do what you want to do when you want to do it. And you definitely cannot do that without a team, for sure. Yeah, I'm with you on that.

Sarah: Nope. Go hire more people.

Kathi: Yeah. So, what organizing systems or apps do you use to keep your team together and for communication?

Sarah: I am glad you asked that. I love systems and I love tech. I mean, ask my accountant. She's like, "You need to stop buying tech." Teamwork is my very favorite project management tool. That's what I use with my team. And it also has a Slack-like tool built right in for communication.

Kathi: Yes, for communication.

Sarah: So everything happens there. We still have a Slack, which has become more social than work. Teamwork ends up being work, and then Slack is our social. Let me think what else. Oh, we use Google Meet, because everything is integrated, because we use all of Google Suite.

Kathi: Yeah, love the Google Suite.

Sarah: Yes. That's pretty much it. Oh, I love Airtable, too. Airtable is a great database. It makes it so easy to sift through data.

Kathi: Absolutely. Well, that's good. That's good. So, if you had to tell your 18-year-old self a little bit of advice about where you are now and where she was then, what would you tell her?

Sarah: Jump faster. You don't have to be so scared. I was an absolute chicken, and it took me forever to take it full-time. And it was so much easier than I thought it would be, because when you think about it, okay, so I graduated right around the recession, and I got laid off from my first job in marketing, as did pretty much everybody else. Distributed income is so much more safe than relying on one company. I don't know why I let that fear hold me back for so long. No security, and someone else owning me.

Kathi: Yeah. I love that. And I think you're right. During the recession, marketing is the first thing to go, which in my opinion should be the last thing to go if you're in business. I mean, you can't not market. Let go of other things, not marketing.

Sarah: It was marketing, and then half the sales staff was next.

Kathi: Yeah. Well, that's good. So, don't be afraid. Just jump. Lose your fear. And that's what we do as entrepreneurs anyhow, every single day. There's something to lose your fear over, something to jump over and to get over about what's going on in your business, for sure.

Sarah: Yeah. There's 100% hurdles in your brain that you have to get through. So much fear, but as long as you plan, you're good to go.

There's 100% hurdles in your brain that you have to get through. So much fear, but as long as you plan, you're good to go.

Kathi: So once you have a success, what do you do to celebrate your success?

Sarah: At the beginning, every time I got a new contract, I had a little bottle of champagne I would pop. So that's what I did at the beginning. I feel like I've gotten worse about celebrating my little successes. I need to start that again.

Kathi: Yeah. This is the reason I'm asking this on most of my podcasts: I find that I don't pause to accept success or even acknowledge success. I just keep plowing on down the road. So it's about intentionally celebrating all the little things that happen, because there are so many cool things that happen throughout the work week that are huge, but really it's like, yeah, I'm 18 years in. Okay, that happened.

Sarah: You get a good review, that should be something to celebrate. Your client is happy, and it's a no-revisions type of project. That's something to be happy about. Celebrate.

Kathi: Yeah, absolutely. Now, is your team virtual, or are they in person?

Sarah: Virtual.

Kathi: Okay. And do you meet with them? Have you met them yet?

Sarah: I have not met any of them in person, which is so weird. I feel like I have.

Kathi: Yeah, it's a really weird thing. I've had a team for like eight years now, and I have not met them. So this September, actually, when I'm going to be in your area in Chicago, we're actually going to have a retreat.

Sarah: That'll be awesome.

Kathi: I should be able to see people in person in Michigan and have just a little weekend to get to know each other. But isn't it so funny that we do all this virtual stuff, and then we don't ever meet?

Sarah: Yeah, it is weird. I feel like I have so many good business friends. It's rare that I see them in person. I've met like two in person.

Kathi: Wow. Yeah, that's the way it is right now. But it's interesting. Okay, so what have we not talked about that you think we're missing here in this conversation? Is there anything that you really wanted to discuss? Any hot tips?

Sarah: Hot tips for solopreneurs: batching days. If we're going to be talking about marketing as a solo entrepreneur, you need to just set up batching days, because you get bogged down with your client work, and then your own business falls off, and you don't spend the time doing it.

Kathi: Love it.

Sarah: So yeah, I set aside Fridays as my marketing day, and I just plow through it. I have my list and I go through it, listen to some good playlists, and it's so much easier, and I'm not worrying about it. I'm not thinking about it anymore.

Kathi: I love that, batching days. I call it an umbrella of intention over each day, and there definitely needs to be a marketing day in your week as an entrepreneur, for sure. So that's smart. And on top of that, when you're on a roll, you can slice and dice and do all the content you want very quickly.

Sarah: It's so much easier when you batch. You're right. Repurposing and scheduling it all at once. Imagine that feeling of relief, the pressure off of you, knowing everything is scheduled already.

Kathi: Yeah, absolutely. That's what I do with podcasts. I typically do five in one day a month, and that way I always have a month's worth of content, plus an extra just in case I need to take some time off.

Sarah: The five-week months, too, that throw everything off.

Kathi: Exactly. Exactly. But yeah, I'm with you. I think that's really good advice. Okay, so I know you have a free, valuable resource for the kiddos out here. What are we going to offer them today?

Sarah: Yeah. So if they go to sarahnoelblock.com/organized for this podcast, they can find everywhere that I hang out online, but they're also going to get a free DIY customer avatar and journey bundle. It's one of my paid products. It's $27, but they're getting it free. There's a promo code on there: ORGANIZED. Earlier I was talking about how you can create your entire marketing plan around that one customer avatar and their journey. This will help you do that.

Kathi: Excellent. Excellent. That's a huge tool. Wow. That's really generous. Thank you. So you guys, grab it. Don't pay money. It's for free because you're on this podcast, and appreciate you.

Sarah: Yeah. Absolutely.

Kathi: Well, that's cool. Okay, so everybody go to the website. It'll be down below as a link underneath the podcast as well. But do you want to say the URL one more time?

Sarah: Yeah, it's my name: sarahnoelblock.com/organized.

Kathi: And it's Sarah with an H, just for those out there listening.

Sarah: And Noel spelled like the boy name. N-O-E-L.

Kathi: N-O-E-L. Okay, you got it. Well, thanks for being on the show. I wish you much success, and have a great summer. And guys, we will see you next week. And thanks, Sarah. I really appreciate your time.

Sarah: Thanks for having me.

Kathi: Absolutely. We'll see you soon.

Sarah: Yes.