Sick of one-size-fits-all marketing advice that leaves you burnt out and spinning your wheels? In this no-fluff episode, I’m breaking down the overused, outdated strategies I’d gladly ignore, and what smart small business owners should be doing instead.
If you want to attract more dream clients, grow with confidence, and market your business in a way that actually works (and feels good), hit play.
This is your permission slip to ditch the noise and focus on what really moves the needle in 2025.
SUMMARY
0:00:01 – Introduction and podcast purpose
0:02:30 – Taking a week off and discussing intuition
0:05:00 – Importance of high-quality content and requesting podcast reviews
0:07:56 – Start of marketing advice discussion
0:08:30 – First advice to ignore: Being on every platform
0:09:30 – Debunking “email marketing is dead”
0:10:30 – Discussing going viral and quality leads
0:12:00 – Criticizing posting multiple times daily
0:13:00 – Warning against copying big names’ strategies
0:14:30 – Importance of alignment and authenticity
0:16:00 – Clarifying your message to potential clients
0:17:30 – Strategies for effective marketing
0:19:00 – Creating less content and repurposing more
0:20:30 – Concluding remarks and call to action
0:22:30 – Podcast episode end
Hayley Osborne
Hello and welcome. Welcome back to another episode of my podcast, and I am really happy that I’m in your ears today. I wasn’t last week, because last week I needed the week off, and so I just didn’t record a podcast, because I had no motivation to record a podcast, which meant that I just wouldn’t have been coming into your ear super genuine, and I really value that in the work that I do. I really value the high quality of work that I put out there.
And so I didn’t feel those vibes last week, so I didn’t record a podcast episode, and I’m glad that I didn’t, and it doesn’t bother me that I missed one week because just my mojo completely wasn’t there, and I’m cool with that. So here we are now, after having a week off, and I feel amazing. I feel really glad to not feel like this episode is forced, and I am really glad that I listened to myself, and I listened to my intuition intuition, and I listened to my gut, and I just know that what that sort of slays and speak when that speaks to me, I just follow it.
And so I think there’s something truly magical and aligned with that. And it really shows that I walk the talk, and I, you know, I am doing what I set out to do. And you know, if there’s anything to show, my dedication and true passion for helping small business owners, it last year is definitely a testament to that, because I did have a baby in August and last year I didn’t miss a week of podcast episodes because I pre planned everything, because I am so passionate about helping small business owners like you to be able to have some huge results in the way that You show up with your marketing. Marketing is not one size fits all, and so I think that you know giving advice that might leave you feeling like you are burnt out and spinning your wheels, it’s not my jam.
I want to give you actionable tips. I want to make you feel like you are killing it in your business by giving you the motivation and the confidence to be able to show up as you and I need to show up as that myself, and so I think it was lovely to take last week off of the podcast. And for those of you listening, actually recording and putting together this podcast is so much work, this is the biggest piece of work I would have that is inside of my business.
And so please do me a favor. If you’ve actually been listening to me for a while but you haven’t gone and left me an Apple iTunes review or Spotify review, please go and do so that would mean the absolute world to me. And leave me a five-star review, obviously, and then just leave a comment, because you know this, this is free, and it’s just Yes, super, super important that you know I share with you the amount of effort and work that goes into putting something like this together.
It’s huge, and so your I would really value your feedback and a review, and it is simply to help this podcast to get into more of the right people’s ears, because the more people that are leaving reviews and leaving a five star review and writing a comment, that means that the more that Apple is going to push it out to the rest of the world and the rest of the people that need to hear it. So that would be really beautiful if you could go and do that for me. Press pauses. Go do that and come back. Back, and I will be back in your ears. So today I wanted to talk about something that is, kind of it’s not negative, but there’s so much noise at the moment that I wanted to come in and give you some advice on marketing that I would ignore if I were you.
Because I think that, like I said before, a one size fits all model is not a thing. And I think that, you know, every business is different. So I think take what you need and activate what you need and ignore what you don’t need. All right, so let go of what you don’t need. I think that the vibe of this podcast episode is quite strategic and quite empowering, and I want you to feel like you are having a coffee chat with me. Okay, so I also happen to be a really, a super gun at marketing, and I don’t want you to waste your time doing things that don’t work anymore.
And I’m, yes, I’m going to say I’m a gun because I am. I am really good at what I do. I have been doing this for a really long time. I have seen trends come and go and come and go, and I’ve been in every single platform for lots of different businesses, and you know, I don’t want you to waste your time, and so that’s what I wanted to talk to you about today. So today I’m dishing out some real talk on marketing advice that if I’m being really honest with you, I’d ignore if I were you, because the internet is overflowing with Hot Tips and proven strategies, and not everything out there is actually worth your time, especially if you’re a small business owner trying to grow in a smart, strategic and sustainable way.
So if you’re really tired of the noise and feeling overwhelmed and trying to do all of the things or following advice that just doesn’t feel aligned to you or feel like it’s working, then this episode is for you. So you’ve probably heard these phases. You have to post every single day to stay relevant. You need a fancy funnel with 9 billion steps, and you need to be on TikTok right now because you’re missing out. Well, we all know how that went down a couple of months ago when the US banned it. And next thing is, SEO is dead. Only short form, content, video content matters now, like it’s absolutely exhausting, and worse, it’s done confusing.
So here’s the truth, not all advice is created equal. And more importantly, not all advice is for you. And more importantly, importantly, on top of that, is like, pay attention to who you’re taking advice from. Okay? Because whether
you are listening to someone who is seasoned or someone who’s been here a hot minute. I can tell you which person that I would be leaning into to listen to advice more from okay? And I think your business, your season, your energy, your goals, they matter. Okay? So let’s break down some big ones. You have to be on every platform.
No. Okay, this is a one-way ticket to you not being consistent and not feeling confident and feeling like you actually just want to talk like, throw in the towel and not do anything instead be brilliant in two places, okay, where your clients actually are. Go deep, not wide and like, I love Instagram, and a lot of my clients are on Instagram, but if you don’t, then don’t, I’m actually working on a social media strategy for a client at the moment who is on LinkedIn, and that is her main platform. It is not an Instagram or Facebook strategy. It is a LinkedIn strategy. Okay, so, if LinkedIn is for you, go deep, not wide. The second one is that email marketing is dead.
Oh, my goodness. Like the amount of small business owners that I have found that do not nurture their email list or even try and grow it is absolutely insane, okay? And I think that your email list is your most valuable asset. It is your warm audience. I have said this before, and it is algorithm proof, meaning that you own that. Okay, you know, Instagram doesn’t own it, Facebook doesn’t own it, LinkedIn doesn’t own it, okay, tick tock, Twitter, X, whatever, doesn’t own it, okay? Algorithm proof you own it. It is high converting, and it is personal, and I absolutely love my email list, all right? And then another one you need to go viral to grow bullshit. Okay?
Go. Viral might create a small dopamine hit for you, but it rarely gives you quality leads. Now, one of my clients went viral for a story that she put out there because someone really famous shared it because they have shares in the business that she was talking about viral, I’m talking like somebody that has 800 Instagram followers, and then her story went on to be viewed, I think, by over 50,000 people. That’s massive, okay, but it wasn’t creating any quality leads. And so that’s the dopamine here. It doesn’t matter if you go viral, and you don’t need to go viral to grow, alright.
I’ve seen another account , a friend of mine, shared by someone who is really influential via a competition. And she saw her followers grow by about 10,000 overnight. And then over the coming weeks, it dipped and dripped and dipped and dripped by about, I don’t know, 8000 so she was left with 2000 people that didn’t actually unfollow her. That’s ridiculous. That is the biggest dopamine hit ever, but it doesn’t actually create quality leads.
So was it worth it in the first place? Probably not. So instead, focus on connection and clicks. Okay, so one aligned client, that’s it, as opposed to 10,000 random views or 50,000 random views. Okay, the next one is, you should be posting three plus times a day. Hell to the no unless you’re a full-time content creator with a team of 20 people, that’s a hard pass. Now, if you’re like Brock Johnson, who has almost a million Instagram followers, he is married, but he has no kids, fine, and he says that, don’t forget, guys, I don’t have children like, of course, do it awesome. But reality is, if you do that’s impossible, absolutely impossible, and that’s okay.
You’re not for everyone. And I think two to three times a day is absurd. Instead, I think consistency Trumps quantity every single time. I think that two to three value driven posts a week, every single week, that are done super well is the chef’s kiss. All right, the next one, just copy what the big names are doing. Don’t do that. Don’t do that. Their strategy is completely different and based on a completely different model.
Okay, they have a completely different budget and audience, and also don’t copy what somebody else is doing, because it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s going to work for you, and what it does mean is that you’re going to be positioning yourself in a different way to what you actually are, okay? And that gets thin over time, and eventually you run out of that, okay? So I’ve seen people try and copy me, and a few people have tagged me in different things, and they’re like, this, sounds like you. Well, that’s because this person has been copying me, and it’s terrible. It’s a terrible thing to find or be told about. Okay, so don’t copy.
And I’m not even that massive, like, don’t copy what other people are doing. You have to be yourself, because eventually you get found out, or, you know, it’s just not sustainable. So I think if you take inspiration from them, build your own rhythm. I think that is the recipe for creating some seriously magnetic marketing. And it comes from alignment. Its alignment with yourself, not imitation, all right, so imitation, yes, is the best form of flattery. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, but not when it comes to your business, okay? You have to be fully aligned with yourself first.
So if you aren’t, and you’re thinking, oh my god, I’m sitting in a gray area, I don’t know what I’m doing, do the work. Okay? Put together a strategy. Figure out what works for you, look at your analytics and do more of what’s working. Okay, so here’s what I would focus on instead, and I’ve given you through each of those five things, what you should do instead. But if you’re thinking, Yeah, but I need you to take a few steps back Hayley, so I think you should definitely do what feels good, okay, but clarify your message.
So if your dream client landed on your website profile today, what would they know about you? Okay, what would they know about who you are? What is the problem that you solve and how can they help them? Because they don’t care about you. They do not care about how many years you’ve been in business, and all of the fluff they care about people are selfish, and they care only about how you can help them get where they need to go from A to B.
That’s it. So you’ve got to be able to showcase that with True Grit and power like a superhero on your website. Okay? So I think that don’t, don’t let these key opportunities pass you by and show up, where your people are okay and where you enjoy being okay. That is your magic mix. Build your brand with intention, your vibe, your voice, your values, your mission. They’re the things that people remember. People don’t like being sold to. So think about what that looks like for you, and grow your email list. I said that before, yes, always still do it.
Continue to grow your email list. That is your warm audience, that is what I would do instead. Okay, and create less if you can and repurpose more. I just taught a master class inside superhero marketing on how to repurpose your content. It’s clever. Okay, everyone is doing it. You come up with one original piece of content and repurpose it 10 different ways. There is so much beauty in repurposing content and so much less effort as well.
Stop reinventing the wheel. Create one full piece of content that is your hero, piece of content that will fuel your whole week or more. And if you don’t know how to do that, I would love to help you. Send me a DM. You know what my website is, contact me there. I’m always listening. Okay? And if you don’t get me, you’ll get my assistant, and she’ll let you know, because you know that is the beauty of being able to grow and have help and do all the things.
So next time that you hear a piece of marketing advice that makes you feel stressed or overwhelmed, or something new that people are doing, or you feel really out of alignment, and the digital marketing space is moving faster than you can then you can keep up, because it is not your zone of genius. It’s mine. Pause for a minute and ask yourself, Is this advice for me? Is this advice for my business? Is this advice for the season that I am in?
And not all strategies are made for the stage that you’re in, and that’s okay, okay? I have three small children, so some strategies don’t work for me. I’m okay with that, because I’m confident in my message. I’m confident in how I show up. I know how I help people. I know the transformation that I provide Okay, and I know how to talk to you, for example, because I’m not for everyone, and that’s cool. If you don’t like it, don’t listen, and that’s why I created superhero marketing in the first place, too, to help small businesses be able to cut through the noise, focus on what works, and grow in a way that feels really, really good.
Okay, because we’re not here for a haircut. We are here to grow our business. And if this episode resonated with you. Share it in your stories, or send me a DM. I always love hearing from you guys. I do get a few messages in my Instagram saying that they loved this podcast episode. So don’t be shy. Send me a message as well. It makes me feel good and makes me feel like creating more for you. If there’s something that you think, oh, Hayley, I’d really love to know your thoughts on this, message me on Instagram and Ask me.
I’ll create a podcast episode about it. But if you are ready to rebuild your marketing your way, keep listening. I’ve got heaps more goodness coming. For those of you that resonate with me, and like I said at the beginning of the podcast episode, jump over and leave me a Google review, a Google review, an Apple iTunes review, because this podcast does take a lot of effort and energy to create, and if you haven’t yet done that, your support would mean the absolute world. Alright, guys, that’s it for today. I hope you love this episode, and I’ll see you next week for another episode of The Hayley Osborne show. I hope you’ve enjoyed listening to this episode.
If you have hit subscribe so you don’t miss any new episodes released every Tuesday, and while you’re there, leave me a review. I would absolutely love to read it. Also, don’t forget to tag me @hayleykosborne over on Instagram and share this post with your audience so they can get learning too. Sharing is caring. If you want more, head over to https://hayleyosborne.com/category/podcast/ for today’s show notes and links, catch you next week for another episode of The Hayley Osborne show.
