Marketing advice can be found at every turn. We are taking a radical approach to traditional marketing with today’s guest. Get ready to think outside the box about how to connect your message to your underlying motivation so that it resonates with the perfect group of people who are just waiting to be your community.
Gabi Garrett is a content marketing specialist whose passion is helping others turn their passion into a paycheck through copywriting, project management, and marketing. In this episode, Gabi breaks down the nuts and bolts of content marketing, her foolproof secret to creating a six-figure business in less than a year, and how to create a month’s worth of beautiful content from one video.
Find a balance that works
Gabi’s journey into entrepreneurship and content marketing was based on getting to know people when she moved to a new area. She started with a local real estate agent who needed a blogger. In fulfilling that need, Gabi soon met some high-level executives at a conference and reached out to one of them to join his team. She has the unique and perfect balance of being pushy, yet kind at the same time. The trick is to control what some people might call aggression and never cross the line into being rude.
Switch the goal
Gabi explains how it becomes a sticky thing to attach all your goals to numbers and money. It’s better to attach a feeling to the goal, like financial independence or freedom. When a goal is attached to something meaningful, there is less of a chance that we’ll become disconnected from it. Talking to people about their business and peeling back the layers will reveal the why of their goals.
Gabi’s Aha moment
Gabi knew that her job in cubicle-land was not healthy for her life. Not only had she gained 65 lbs. during this time, but she experienced anxiety and panic attacks because of the mundane work. During the panic attacks, she realized that writing and its joy and fulfillment were missing from her life. Her specific Aha moment came when she was out with friends, drinking way too many glasses of wine and eating grilled cheese. By realizing that she was trying to cover up something in her life, she formulated the “Declutter Diet of Unprocessed Emotions.”
Kicked Out Of Therapy
Gabi wrote her ebook, Kicked Out Of Therapy: Six Steps to Joy as a result of an incident in college. Free therapy was offered on her campus, so she signed up and ended up loving it. It wasn’t long before the therapist told her that she had nothing wrong with her and would need to give up her space for therapy for others who were struggling and needed it more than her. Telling the story still sends Gabi into a fit of laughter.
Tough moments
There are tough moments that come up consistently for a blossoming entrepreneur. One struggle is learning to be alone a lot of the time when you’ve been used to working around others. The isolation is a difficult adjustment to make. Gabi likens this struggle to an elimination diet that you put on yourself. In the beginning, the isolation may seem like a welcome reprieve, but then you have to deal with the clutter of emotions.
Lessons learned
Gabi says that she has grown exponentially as a young woman through her entrepreneurial journey. The thing no one tells you about launching into entrepreneurship is that you need to be insanely emotionally resilient. Prioritizing healthy habits and taming the bad ones are vitally important. Remember that doing what you want can be a recipe for disaster.
Get clear!
Gabi works with people about why they started their business, the story behind their product, and why they love it so much. Her purpose is to help clients sell the story behind the business and start collecting a customer base of people who resonate with the message. Part of her work with clients is helping them get clear about why they do what they do and helping them communicate that in the most effective ways.
Figuring out your marketing goal
Gabi tells clients not to rely solely on social media platforms for marketing. It’s important to be well-rounded and not feel like they have to sit at a desk from 9-5. The truth is that you don’t need thousands of followers, but just a few who love and appreciate your message in ways that reflect it back to you. She says to watch out for the trap of comparing yourself to other influencers in your field.
Turn your passion into a paycheck
You can take the thing you love and turn it into products and messages through blogs, Facebook groups, and monthly groups. It all comes down to creating a community. Sometimes you have to utilize new technology and methods to open up new avenues of connecting with others.
Content marketing explained
The simple definition of content marketing is “any marketing method with words.” Gabi breaks it down into the specific steps she takes to market any written or spoken words to promote them externally. Simple tweaks to your message can pay off with big profits. Think about making your message specific in ways that don’t exclude too many people but appeal to your target audience.
Create a six-figure income in less than a year!
Gabi’s advice is to get super clear about boundaries. The first year of entrepreneurship brings with it the temptation to do everything. Set a schedule and be aware of the gaps. Create a network of like-minded people who want to work with you. Make everything you do better than the last thing you did, and you will always be the best in the business. You can’t sit on the couch and wait for people to come to you, but you can’t do things at a frantic pace that makes no sense.
One video = a month of content
Gabi uses the example of one podcast episode. It may contain 15 or so quotable statements. She says to transcribe the podcast or video, and then break out the main topics to create several blog posts. Create quote cards and schedule them out on social media platforms. By following these steps, you can turn that single content piece into many different experiences for people.
Highlights of this episode:
- 7:04 – Leaping into entrepreneurship
- 8:45 – Gabi’s attributes that opened doors
- 11:39 – How to switch the goal
- 13:05 – Figuring out the why
- 15:00 – Leaving a full – time job
- 18:20 – Recognizing the signs of discomfort
- 20:05 – Kicked Out Of Therapy
- 21:00 – Handling the tough moments
- 22:48 – Lessons learned
- 23:43 – Gabi’s work with content marketing
- 27:57 – Figuring out your marketing goal
- 32:18 – Turn a passion into a paycheck
- 35:25 – Content marketing explained
- 36:24 – Small tweaks = huge profits
- 42:20 – Getting clarity and creating a six-figure business
- 46:32 – What you can do with just one video
- 49:54 – Fem Five
Resources mentioned:
- https://gabigarrett.com
- Instagram: @imgabigarrett
- Visit www.nextfem.com/168 to sign up for Gabi’s free gift of her course and coaching consultation!
- Kicked Out of Therapy: Six Steps to Joy by Gabi Garrett
- Choose Wonder Over Worry: Move Beyond Fear and Doubt to Unlock Your Full Potential by Amber Rae
The Fem Five:
1. Favorite book to recommend for women?
- Choose Wonder Over Worry: Move Beyond Fear and Doubt to Unlock Your Full Potential by Amber Rae
2. Favorite self – care hack?
- I have a strict no-phone rule from 8 pm to 6 am each day.
3. Best piece of advice and who gave it to you?
- A client and mentor told me: “Fortune favors the specific, not the bold”.
4. Female CEO or thought leader you’re into right now?
5. One piece of advice you’d give your five years younger self?
- “If you don’t love it, you can leave it.”
Last Time on The NextFem Podcast
Using Your Big Talk to Impact the World – with Tricia Brouk
Subscribe to the show on iTunes (Android here).
Thanks SO MUCH to everyone who took the time to write a review on iTunes! If you write a review this week, send a screenshot to [email protected] and we’ll give you a shout-out!
