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Chantal Gerardy is an International Award Winning Marketing Strategist who empowers purpose-led businesses to revolutionise their online marketing approach and create a brand that resonates deeply with their online audience. If you're tired of cookie-cutter marketing advice, and seek strategies that truly make a difference, this podcast is for you.
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Let's do this.
Hey, this is Chantal Gerardy and this is another episode of The Meaningful Marketing Podcast. And today I've got the lovely Emily with us, and I think we're in for a little bit of a parte.
Woo-hoo.
Thanks so much for coming to the studio today. I'm so excited to talk to you. I think it's, this is going to be a fun one.
So I always like to start, introduce yourself, tell us a little bit about yourself. maybe something that people don't know about you. And then how you got into doing what it is that you do.
Awesome. So I'll start with something that a lot of people don't know about me, but my secret talent is I'm a bit of an artist.
I love to draw with a pencil is my favorite medium, but at the moment I'm practicing wood burning. So I'm really developing my, you know, skills. But then about me and what I do, my name is Emily Jane Saroff, otherwise known as empowered M and I'm a business mentor and brand strategist. And the way that I really came into this space was a whole series of things just seemed to fall in place one after each other.
When I was 22 years old, I was studying my masters of architecture and I was only six months away from actually graduating and being fully qualified in that field. Once I came out of high school, you know, I was on that path of pick a degree, finish the degree, get the job, climb the corporate ladder. And so I was so close to really taking that next step of climbing the corporate ladder.
I was already working in the industry as well, but I felt this really deep inner conflict coming up. A really intense inner conflict is how I would describe it because my head was telling me to finish the next six months of my degree. But my heart was starting to pull me in another direction. And that was because I had started my podcast, the empower with them podcast as like a bit of a, a piece of my personal development journey.
And that's what was lighting me up. That's what I was passionate about. I didn't want to be doing my degree. I wanted to be building my podcast and my personal brand around that. And so I kind of like reached this point where it was like, I had to make a either finish the next six months of my degree or.
Completely redirect my path and figure out how I can build a business around my podcast. Um, and this brand that I was building. And so I decided to take that leap and just put a bit of faith in myself and trust that if I'm being pulled in this direction, I'm being pulled into that direction for a reason.
And so I went all in and I. Quit my masters. I quit my nine to five job. And within eight months of starting my business, I had made my first six figures online.
Oh, that's so exciting. And, you know, how lovely to have you on this podcast being the meaningful marketing podcast. Cause at the end of the day, this podcast is all about celebrating people who want.
their businesses to be meaningful, their lives to be meaningful, the interactions and the impact and the influence that they have to be meaningful. And those are, you know, all the purpose led business owners and that's all heart driven. It's all purpose driven. So, so that's absolutely amazing. And, yeah, it's a calling, right?
It's a calling. You just fall, get pulled right into it, which is awesome. So, today you're going to talk a little bit to us about the personal branding side of. Things, which I'm so excited about, you know, being an expert in the branding space. And having just said, you know, when you. Feel like there is something that you want to contribute to the world when you feel like you've got this gift and there's something that you want to do.
You've got to make money, right? In order for it to be meaningful, it's got to be meaningful to you. So you enjoy it. It has to be meaningful to the people that you serve. So impactful, but it's got to be meaningful, make money too. Cause if it doesn't, it's not going to work. Right. So talk to us a little bit about, you know, the business and what, what it is that you do now.
So what I do at the moment is there's two really two different levels of clients that I work with. The first level of client is that version of myself back when, you know, I was in the degree or in the job that wasn't fully in alignment with me. And basically I hold their hand as they take their first few steps of.
Building out their business and leaning into creating like that thing that they're passionate about and learning how to monetize it. So I help them build the foundations to be able to go and make their first six figures. But then where I work more one to one is with business owners who are already doing what they want to be doing, but really want to be elevating their impact and authority online.
Through creative brand design. And so that's where I really come into their businesses and I put my creative mind, my creative hands into actually doing the work for them to really elevate either a brand they've already got or completely redesign, something that they're starting from scratch with.
Awesome. That's so exciting because you know, when people talk about brand, they think colors, they think fonts, but we also know that it's tone, it's voice, and more importantly, it's around key messaging and how you present yourself online. And when I talk to people, and they say to me, I don't really want to be online.
I'm too scared to be online. I don't want my personal brand. I just want my business brand. I mean, the amount of people that say to me, how can I start a Facebook page but not have it attached to my personal profile? And I'm like, that's how it works. So they've just got to understand how to use it. the platform And then you've got to decide what is your personal brand going to be and how public or private do you want to be?
So what do you see?
Yeah. Well, the first thing that I would say on that is whenever you find someone's listening to this and they're thinking, well, I don't really want to share my whole life online or, you know, I don't really want to have my face as a, that's a big one. I hear is I don't want to have my face as the front of the business.
The question I would ask you is what is the potential that you're missing out on? Yeah. because of some emotion that you're trying to avoid in hiding yourself from being the face of the business, you know, the direction that businesses are going in. And you can see this, the more that social media grows and grows personal brands is where it's at.
And so even brands that aren't necessarily personal brands, like let's think Nike, for example. That's not a personal brand. That's a brand itself. Even brands partner themselves with personal brands to be able to, boost their own growth further and really penetrate more markets with their products. So the first thing would be is actually do the inner work and explore, well, why are you avoiding building a personal brand in the first place?
And is there actually a strategy that we can put in place to make that happen? To allow you to build a personal brand that also respects certain boundaries that you do want for yourself. And then the second thing is if it's a hard, no, you actually don't want a personal brand and you want to build a brand, then I would really encourage you to start to think about, well, who are some really, key figures or personal brands that you can partner your brand with in order to be able to leverage that personal branding effect.
Yeah, a hundred percent. Cause at the end of the day, social media is social and people want, people don't want to do business with people. They will do business with people. They will choose you just based on you being you, you know, so I love it. I mean, if you go onto my channel and you have a look, everyone knows my personal brand is my dogs.
It's my dogs. It's talking, it's you know, it's my camper van. Sport and I always use all the sport, you know, all the health and fitness sort of, quotes and motivations and stuff to keep people going and metaphors, you know, to show them. And that's part of my personal brand, you know, and then people love that cause they go, Oh, Chantal, like you're an online marketing strategist, but it looks like you spend more time offline.
And I go, hell yeah. So it proves it right. My personal brand proves that. My, what my business brand is. So I think a lot of the time it's just confidence, right? People are a little bit scared. They don't understand their privacy or security settings. Cause I've helped a lot of people that have come out of difficult relationships, where they've had to go and.
Protect themselves and set up a very close sort of personal brand account on there. And as I was talking to you about earlier, then I've had other people where, because they don't know what they're doing, they just go lock up everything. And then they go to networking groups, they're trying to network with people, say, Oh, connect with me on my socials.
But then you can't get to their about section. So you can't see their website, their telephone number, their email address, what they do. You can't send them a message. And they don't even realize the potential work that they're missing out on. And all the networking they're doing is actually leading to nothing.
So knowledge is power. And I always say, whatever platforms you're using. So whatever platforms you're using, take the time to get to know those platforms, understand those settings. And for goodness sake, you know, once you know that you'll have the confidence then to be able to set up your personal brand.
with the boundaries like you said that you want.
Yeah, I would say like just get really clear on what those boundaries are that you do want to have between yourself and social media. You know like as we were talking about before it's very easy to be able to if you really wanted to stalk someone you could really figure out how to do that with the kind of access that you do have on social media.
Just get clear on what is the boundaries for you? Where do you draw the line? Let's say for example, if you have children and you don't want to show your children on social media, okay, well, how can you approach then your marketing strategy in a way where you may be focused on other aspects of your life?
That don't include your children, or if you're going for your morning run or going to the gym, and that's a big piece of, your personal brand posting that you do, then how can you make sure that you're posting in ways that maybe don't give away too many specifics about the exact location you're in.
So you really can go about, still sharing those personal elements of your life in a way where, yeah, it does respect those boundaries that you do want. And it's just done with a little bit more caution. And I think that it is important for everyone to have caution. with social media as well, because like we said, anyone can get access to your socials.
And so it is important that we all actually approach personal branding with boundaries, with healthy boundaries.
Yeah, a hundred percent. I love so much of that. And you don't have to show your face, you don't have to show your body, you know, you don't have to, your personal brand doesn't have to be what everyone else is doing.
So don't get It can be whatever you're comfortable with. So I always say coffee, sunsets, dogs. I was talking to a lady yesterday, cats, because she was into cats. And like, you know, wine, coffee, wine, chocolate, you know, sunsets. These are things that you can take photos of all the time and then put your message behind it.
Because your message is important. It's your marketing, it's your personal brand, it's your influence, you know. And I always say having those key messages and the things that you're constantly talking about will become memorable if it's consistent. So if your values are consistent, your personal brand's consistent, you know, eventually people will get to know you.
They'll feel like they know you and they just want a piece of you and they want to get closer to you because it's all about that connection. So what are some of the, some of the advice you would go about if somebody said yes, okay, you know what, Emily, help me. I want to, Be of influence. I want to make an impact.
I really want to work on my personal brand. How would you go about sorting that out for that person? What would you do?
Yeah. So one of the first things that I would say is to start to think about the who of who you want to be connecting with, because when you are building a personal brand, there is a bit of a misconception that some people have, and the wrong way to build a personal brand is to be too focused on yourself.
You are not the hero of your personal brand. Your idle client is the hero of your personal brand. And so you really need to be thinking about who they are and what they want to be hearing, what they need to be receiving from you, you know, and you can even think deeper into, you know, different archetypes.
Like, are you going to be the type of brand that really, empowers and inspires or, promotes adventure or shares wisdom? So what is it that your idle client. Is wanting from you and how can you start to, position yourself in a way where you can be that person that they're looking for. So that would probably be the first big piece that I'd put out there.
The second thing that I would say to really focus on is what is the feeling? What is the feeling behind your brand? And we can have a whole conversation about brand design, but brand design is really just one element, you know, of your branding. The colors, like you mentioned at the colors, the shapes, the symbols, all of that are assets which amplify your brand.
But what it is that you really want to be thinking about at the core of building a brand is what is that feeling that your brand creates? And there's one question that I always ask my clients whenever they come to me and they say, Em, I want to do a brand reconstruction, the best way to do that Biggest question that I ask them is more of actually like a bit of an exercise where I get them to shut their eyes and visualize what does your brand party look, feel, sound, and taste like.
And that right there, that question allows you to really think deep into your brand. sensory experience and start to actually visualize what it is that you want to be bringing together as an experience for your audience. And that's what your brand should be is a, an emotional experience of some sort for them.
I love that an experience. Yeah, it sounds juicy, which is awesome. So tell me about this party. We mentioned the party at the beginning. Talk about the party.
Yeah. So the brand party. So I like to, give a good example of the brand party that I've created behind my personal brand. And now when I say, I want you to imagine a brand party, you don't need to go in front.
physically make the party. It doesn't have to be something that you then orchestrate in real life. It just needs to be an experience that you walk yourself through and get really clear off. But for me and for a lot of people who are really serious about personal branding, It's then about, okay, how can we actually bring this brand party to life and not just through your social media, but through events that you're able to put together as well.
So for me, when I think about what my brand party is, the first thing that would come to mind for me is it's an evening party. You know, it's not happening during the day. It's happening at sunset is where it kicks off, you know, and it's that beautiful golden hour glow going into the early evening, the change of the colors in the sky.
And then, you know, almost that like Almost like a, it's kind of like a sexy vibe that then comes from, you know, being at an evening party. Everyone gets dressed up. We get fancy, you know, whatever makes you feel bold and powerful. The lighting is like warm and soft, and it's like an atmosphere that just gets you creative and excited, right?
And so when I did that reflection for myself, that's what my part Really in short, looked and felt like, and so then once I had that clarity, I was able to channel that into the content that I create into the way that I present my social media, the way that I present myself, you know, because we are an embodiment of our brand, which means, you We should be a walking, talking, breathing version of our brands.
But then I was able to take that even further and integrate that into, my, my event, which is called Mentors and Mimosas. So now people are physically able to experience what my brand feels like and being able to create that and facilitate that kind of experience. That. So in an online world, I really, really believe that gives you an advantage to be able to deepen that connection, that lack no trust factor with your audience.
When you can not only facilitate an experience online, but then also facilitate that in person like that, I feel is the advantage that you want to be stepping into like and leveraging in this online world right now.
Yeah. It's so important. So, I mean, you know, when the big C happened and everyone went online and then.
It was great because everyone went online and everyone got used to being online and then we all got Yeah. And I feel like so many people then started prioritizing better work life balance. Yeah. And, you know, for myself there's only a certain amount of time that I actually do stuff online. One of the reasons I'm here in a studio doing it is because I don't want to be sitting in front of my computer all day, you know, I want to have different experiences.
Like you said. Doesn't Emily just feel like a sunset? She does, right? Thank you so much for today. You've got a lead. It's a lead magnet guys, we're not going to cut it. Fluffy it up here, a free resource. It's a lead magnet. They all are. And if you, if your free resource isn't a lead magnet, there's a big problem.
So tell us a little bit about this new resource that you've created for everyone.
Yeah. So I created a training called the magnetic marketer masterclass. And basically inside this training, we dive deep. Deep into a lot of these core areas we spoke about today when it comes to your branding. But the reason why I created this masterclass is because we are in a world where social media is becoming more and more saturated.
If you're in the coaching industry, it is becoming more and more saturated. Every single day, everyone's a coach right now. And so the question is, how do you stand out amongst this ocean of. Impact purpose led, driven, like people who are here to make a real impact on other people's lives. And everyone seems to be really fricking good at what they do as well.
So how the heck do you stand out as there are more and more, you know, impact driven leaders rising. And the way that you do that is through your branding and your marketing. It is by going above and beyond. It is by showing up at a standard. That is above the average, right? Because if everyone is showing up at that average level, then we need to show up above average.
And so inside of that masterclass, I really break down how you can do that, how you can become a thought leader, how you can be the kind of person who, shares their opinions and their beliefs without the fear of judgment. You know, how you can create a brand that is so authentic and magnetizing that.
You do rise above this oversaturated market, right? So
good.
So that's what we really cover inside of that masterclass. It really, uh, scrapes the surface of that world or the magnetic marketing world.
So good. Cause I always say, you know, whoever does it better gets the client.
Yes. And this is the thing, especially with marketing, right?
And I believe. This is another whole rabbit hole. But, you know, there's been a lot of pushback, I think, in the coaching industry in particular, because it is quite unregulated. And there are a lot of people who are really fricking good at marketing, but then fail on the delivery end. And so what then ends up happening is people get burnt.
You know, they take the risk, they make the big investment into themselves. And because they were sold on the marketing, then what happens is they now don't trust. The way that everyone else markets. And so this is where even, you know, in being a magnetic marketer, you really need to learn how to understand these certain fears that your audience has.
And on one level, like, yeah, we want to,, but then also being congruent on the back end of that as well. And I think that's a big thing that I believe in is, you know, not just training people to be good at marketing because being good at marketing is just one thing, but you also need to, we need to be.
Breeding a generation of coaches who are actual true embodiments of what they do promote. And so I think that's another whole element of the magnetic marketer. That would be another whole conversation. But yeah.
Yeah, no, thank you so much for that. And I think it's important for, you know, when people are choosing to work with coaches, there's two things really, and that is you have to do your due diligence because they could be good in sales.
They could be good in marketing. However. It's up to you to do your due diligence and like I had a guy yesterday that I was talking to and he wanted to talk to one of my clients. Yeah. So he's actually gonna talk to one of my clients and that's gonna make him feel better, you know? Mm-Hmm. But I've got over 280 online reviews, so for us, we are all good.
But I always say to people, you know, make sure that you check, you do check reviews, but secondly, if you go and you do something, I mean, I can tell you right now, personally, I've done and paid for so many things. And some of them have just been crap. They've just been shitty. That's part of the journey too, you know, so don't, don't stop.
Don't not take another course, go work with another coach because of a bad experience. That happened for a reason and you need to look at that reason, you know, what that reason was.
I think like the core point in this as well is like this is where it comes back to personal branding again, right? Like your personal brand is a way to be able to develop that deeper level of trust with your audience in a space where there is an element of mistrust.
So, to really like close that off, like, yeah, we want to learn how to be magnetic marketers and we want to be making sure that we're building personal brands that allow our audiences to feel Fully understand who we are and really develop that depth of trust so that when it does come to sales in this time and day where it is an oversaturated market, you're still able to experience that ease and flow.
Yeah. Love that. Love that. I always say to everyone, I'm like the worst sales person cause I still do my sales calls and hopefully that's going to change soon. But people get on the call and I'm like, Hey, I'm not going to bullshit you. I'm going to tell you how it is, you know, go on, see how I am. And they're like, Oh, I appreciate your honesty.
I just appreciate, you know. And, yeah, so anyway, it's been an absolute pleasure having you on here. I'm sure we'll have you on here again to discuss some other amazing topics. This is Chantal Gerardy with Emily here today. You'll find everything in the show notes, all the details in the show. And if you haven't already rated this episode, please go ahead and find out how to do that because some people struggle with that.
Click the three dots, rate the show, comment below. That would be amazing. This is another episode of the Meaningful Marketing Podcast. Thank you. Thanks for listening in. Meaningful marketing is. All about you making your marketing meaningful. If you've enjoyed today's episode, please hit that subscribe button for subscribing means that you won't miss out on future episodes, all about marketing and motivation, stay inspired, stay focused and make your marketing meaningful.