Marketing Without Strategy Is Costing You More Than You Think

by faye.eScale Smart, Grow Fast PodcastPosted on No Comments

Marketing Without Strategy Is Costing You More Than You Think

If you’re a small business leader juggling roles and drowning in “random acts of marketing,” this one’s for you. In our latest episode of Scale Smart, Grow Fast, Harley Green sat down with Sara Nay, CEO of Duct Tape Marketing, to talk about why marketing strategy must come before tactics and technology—especially AI.

Preferred listening on the go? Catch the full podcast episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

🎯 Why Most Marketing Fails Small Business Owners

Many founders approach marketing with a to-do list: “We need a new website, some paid ads, maybe some SEO.” But as Sara shares, without a clear strategy, you risk spending thousands with little return—and a lot of frustration.

Her team often steps into companies spending $10K+ monthly on marketing with no idea what’s working. Sound familiar?

🧭 What Strategic Marketing Actually Looks Like

Sara breaks down a proven process that includes:

  • A marketing and brand audit
  • Ideal client interviews
  • Competitive research
  • Messaging development
  • Customer journey mapping
  • A focused execution calendar

This foundational work brings clarity, confidence, and control—and often helps businesses do less with better results.

🤖 Don’t Just “Do AI” — Train It on Strategy

With AI tools like ChatGPT trending, Sara warns against adopting them without intention. Instead:

  1. Align business and marketing goals.
  2. Identify your team’s gaps.
  3. Choose AI tools based on specific objectives.
  4. Train AI with your brand voice, values, and strategy.

Smart AI integration enhances your marketing—it doesn’t replace strategy.

🧠 From Doers to Managers: Elevating Your Marketing Team

Sara also emphasizes helping teams evolve by:

  • Auditing their roles
  • Identifying tasks AI can support
  • Upskilling them into strategy-focused roles

Bringing in a fractional CMO (like Duct Tape Marketing offers) can help founders stay in their zone of genius while giving their team the guidance and structure to succeed.

🚀 Take Action: Start with Strategy

If you’re scaling a business and overwhelmed with marketing decisions, here’s Sara’s advice:

“Don’t rush into AI or shiny tools. Start with your business goals, then build a marketing strategy that supports them. Everything else should flow from there.”

🔗 Resources from Sara Nay:
 • Duct Tape Marketing
 • The Unchained Model
 • Connect with Sara on LinkedIn

⏳ Ready to Focus on Growth, Not the Grind?

Schedule a free discovery call to see how an ultimate executive assistant from Workergenix can free up your time to focus on what really drives growth.

Like what you read? Get weekly insights on scaling, efficiency, and profitability—straight to your inbox. Click here to subscribe.

Transcript

Harley Green: Hey everybody. Welcome back to the Scale Smart, Grow Fast podcast. Now in today’s fast-paced business world, growth without intention leads to exhaustion and missed opportunities. In this episode, Sara Nay, CEO of Duct Tape Marketing, shares how leaders can scale strategically by aligning their marketing efforts, leveraging AI, and building a team that thrives. With over a decade of experience advising thousands of business owners, Sara offers a grounded, actionable approach to sustainable growth that protects your energy and maximizes your impact.

So thank you for being on the podcast today. How are you doing?

Sara Nay: I’m doing well. Thank you for having me on. Excited to be here.

Harley Green: Tell us a little bit more about your background. What brought you to Duct Tape Marketing in this role of helping other people with their marketing?

Sara Nay: Duct Tape Marketing as a business has been around for about 30 years. I actually joined the team back in December 2010 as an intern. I had graduated college, done some traveling, was a ski bum and went to South America for a while, four months or so, and came back and didn’t really know what I was going to pursue. So I started honestly as an intern saying, “Marketing sounds interesting. Let’s see where this goes.” Obviously, it stuck. I’ve been around for about 15 years now in the company. Even though I started as an intern back in the day, I’ve moved throughout the company through multiple different roles. I was community manager for a while, account manager. I served as fractional CMO to our clients for a while, COO, sales. Most recently, last year, I moved into the seat as CEO. I’ve been involved in all the different areas of a marketing agency at this point and have learned a lot along the way.

Harley Green: I can imagine. That is quite the journey and I think it speaks to a great business if it’s able to keep someone as talented as you there that long and have all this experience. That’s really impressive.

Sara Nay: Thank you. I caught the bug. Our founder, John Jantsch, is really passionate about serving small businesses. So back when he started Duct Tape Marketing, he saw that marketing was really complicated and confusing for small businesses to buy because they just really didn’t even know what they were buying in a lot of cases. So he set out on a mission to make marketing as simple and practical to the small business space as possible. I’ve really been passionate about that myself now over the years. As I said, I’ve been in the sales role for a while and I’ve seen so many small businesses come to us frustrated that marketing doesn’t work. They’ve tried to hire different agencies. They’re spending all this money. They’re getting complicated reports with no actual customers and all that stuff. So I’ve heard all of these stories myself. I’ve also then walked through taking someone from frustrated with marketing to then creating a strategy, to them understanding the what and the why behind the things they’re doing. I’ve seen that transformation. So that’s caused me to become very driven and passionate to help those small businesses as well.

Harley Green: I think you really are speaking to a lot of the pain points people feel with marketing there. What are some of the examples of strategies that you employ that help marketing stay simple and still impactful?

Sara Nay: A lot of times people will come to marketing companies and they’ll say something like, “I need a new website” or “I need to launch paid ads” or “I need tactics,” essentially. What we’ve always said is strategy needs to come before any tactics. Now we’re even shifting to say strategy needs to come before tactics and technology, because now people are diving into AI without the proper strategy in place. Marketing strategy has so many definitions. We usually work with clients in an initial 30 to 45-day engagement where we are doing things like a marketing and brand audit to get a baseline of their marketing and brand today. We’re interviewing some of their best clients. We are doing competitive research to ultimately develop ideal client profiles or personas and then core messaging. Step one and two of marketing is you need to understand who you’re talking to and what message resonates with them. Then we move more into the planning phase of strategy, which is mapping out the customer journey, mapping out a content strategy, identifying the four to six biggest growth priorities over the next quarter, and putting that all into an execution calendar. A lot of times when I talk to businesses, they’re like, “Yeah, I have a marketing strategy,” and they have a list of tactics. Like, “We’re going to do this, this and this.” That’s a piece of marketing strategy. It’s an important piece, but you need all of the stuff that goes on the front end. If you’re telling me you need to be focused on Meta ads, but your clients aren’t on Facebook, it probably doesn’t make sense. Also, you need to understand what messaging actually resonates with them as well. That’s where I see a lot of people waste money on marketing. They’re just on these channels spending. They don’t have any idea if it’s working or not, but they haven’t put the work in on the front end. A lot of times when you go through creating a marketing strategy, you can actually simplify what you’re doing from a marketing perspective and focus on the right channels with the right message at the right time to your ideal clients.

Harley Green: What are some of the biggest surprises people you’ve worked with have had as they’re going through this process and having this strategy developed, whether it’s finding details about that ideal client or what technologies or platforms they should be using? I’m curious, what are some of those aha moments they’ve had when working with you?

Sara Nay: It’s maybe less “aha moments” and more so clarity is what they’re getting. A lot of small businesses out there are just spending money on marketing. Then I ask them, “Are these channels working for you? Are you hitting specific goals? What are you tracking? Should you keep doing these things?” A lot of times they don’t know. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started working with a small business when we back up and do strategy, and maybe they’re spending $10,000–$15,000 a month across all of these different channels. When I ask them why, they say, “Because we’ve always done it and we don’t know what’s working and we need to be on these things.” It’s not always ah-has, it’s more about putting clarity behind the why. Analyzing and actually getting metrics and tracking set up. Then understanding what’s working and shifting the budget towards that versus being spread thin across all the channels. So it’s really more of a clarity, confidence, and control thing than anything.

Harley Green: One thing you mentioned is having that strategy before technology, especially with AI coming in and everyone being like, someone said I should use AI in marketing. What kind of advice do you have for people when it comes to making those marketing decisions and staying focused when there are shiny tools everywhere?

Sara Nay: We have a process that I think makes sense for that. A lot of small businesses right now are bringing in AI solutions like ChatGPT. Everyone on their team is doing it differently. There’s no consistency, there’s no proper training for the AI or for the team on how to use it effectively. There are no systems and processes in place. All of a sudden, these teams are confused and creating noise. It’s really important to take a step back. Just like bringing in technology and tools without a reason complicates things. We often say: take a step back, understand the business strategy. What’s the business trying to accomplish? Then map the marketing strategy from there, then analyze your team strategy. Then you can start to say, okay, if these are our specific goals and priorities for the next quarter, here’s who we have in place already as humans. What AI systems can we layer below them? Then you’re bringing in AI to accomplish a specific goal versus just bringing in AI for the sake of it. Once you’ve identified the right tool, say ChatGPT for content repurposing, then you need to train AI on your business—your vision, mission, values, ideal clients, your messaging, how you want to be seen in the world. You give AI that context so when it starts creating or helping with repurposing, it’s on-brand. Your tone of voice matches. You create the strategy, train AI on it, and then have systems in place so your team uses AI consistently rather than everyone doing their own thing.

Harley Green: So having that strategy upfront actually makes it easier to leverage these tools then, because you’re able to take that information that you’ve already developed, feed it into tools like AI, and get much better outputs.

Sara Nay: Yes, and you can even use something like ChatGPT to help with strategy creation on the front end. The important thing is that you’re giving AI the context on your business. I see a lot of stuff on LinkedIn or different platforms where it’s clearly AI-created and generic. That’s a problem when businesses use AI without direction. But if you give AI the context of your business, your viewpoints, values, stories—then it can help you create content that still tells your story. One of our favorite uses of AI is to create a video on a topic you want to be known for, then feed that into AI to repurpose it into different formats. It’s still coming from you. AI just helps you turn that video into emails, blog posts, social posts, and all the things. You’re getting more bang for your time spent, but the core is still you, not generic AI filler.

Harley Green: Great advice. You talked earlier about the business goals and strategy and aligning those things. Where do you see most businesses getting stuck when trying to align marketing with business goals?

Sara Nay: Unfortunately, too many businesses think of them as separate things. They think, we have business objectives and goals over here, and marketing is over there. It’s all siloed. We have a marketing strategy pyramid and the bottom layer is the business strategy. We can’t think about marketing until we understand what the business is trying to accomplish. One example: in sales and onboarding with new clients, I’m always asking things like, what’s your current revenue? Your one-year goal? Your three-year goal? Hopefully, they know the answer. If not, they need to figure that out before we move forward. If I don’t know how aggressive their growth goals are, I don’t know how aggressive we need to be in marketing. If they’re aiming for fast growth, we need a bold marketing push. If they want to streamline and grow steadily, we can be less aggressive but more focused on systems and stability. We also factor in their mission, vision, and values—those need to be part of the marketing strategy and content production because we should represent the brand how they want to be seen. So again, I don’t think of them as separate. It’s business strategy first, then layer marketing strategy on top.

Harley Green: That’s absolutely right. They’re totally connected. Now, many of our listeners are probably wearing multiple hats in their business. What is your approach to building these systems and helping marketing teams that actually support that visionary at the top?

Sara Nay: One of my favorite exercises is having everyone on the team—including the business leader—do a time audit. People don’t love it, but it’s important. Write down everything you’re doing consistently: tasks, priorities, skills. Then analyze: are these things increasing in value because of AI, staying stable, or decreasing? From there, focus your time on the increasing-value work. Bring in AI to support the stable or decreasing tasks. It’s a great way to assess how AI fits in your business. It’s also powerful for your team. There’s a lot of uncertainty when AI enters: “Am I being replaced?” “Will I have to work harder?” If you walk them through this, they’ll see you’re using AI to elevate their role, not erase it. You’re helping them focus on strengths and future-proof their careers. When you identify skill gaps, you know where to invest in training. Marketing teams especially are going from doers to managers. They used to write everything, run SEO, manage ads themselves. Now they manage AI platforms. They’re not managing people, but they are managing systems—which is a different skillset. We’ve invested in helping our team become better communicators, strategic thinkers, and leaders.

Harley Green: I love that. That’s something we always recommend with our clients as well. It’s the exact same process—where can you leverage AI, and maybe there are some things that AI can’t do just yet. That’s where an executive assistant can come in, and maybe they can be the one who helps manage the AI tools as well to help those visionaries stay in that strategic space.

Sara Nay: Yes, exactly. And one thing that I think helps tremendously is bringing in a fractional CMO. That’s something we offer. A fractional CMO creates the strategy, oversees execution, and owns the budget and metrics. Often, in small businesses, the CEO becomes the default CMO because they can’t afford a full-time one. They may not have marketing experience, but they’ve learned enough to get by. Maybe they have one marketer under them who they’re trying to manage. When we come in, we work alongside the CEO so they can stay in the CEO seat. We run the marketing department with them. We spend the first 30 to 45 days mapping out the business strategy, marketing strategy, and team strategy. Then we move into a long-term retainer where we’re really running the department, ensuring execution, and up-leveling any internal marketers who are doing the hands-on work.

Harley Green: Do you work with companies who already have in-house marketers? Do you help manage and guide them as that fractional CMO, or does it have to be your team doing the work?

Sara Nay: We provide a lot of flexibility because every team structure is different. In some cases, we’re the fractional CMO and we have a full execution team—so we’re acting as a fractional marketing department. In other cases, the client has one or two marketers already. We stay in the fractional CMO role and up-level those internal marketers by layering AI systems below them and plugging any gaps. Maybe they don’t have a technical developer—we can fill that need with project-based support. We’re flexible and adapt to the team’s needs.

Harley Green: Very nice. I imagine that’s a huge relief for a lot of those leaders who are wearing all those hats. Maybe you could share some examples of the positive changes those leaders have experienced working with you—when they no longer have to wear that CMO hat themselves.

Sara Nay: I’m really big on the idea of staying in your zone of genius. A lot of people start businesses not because they want to be marketers, but because they’re passionate about something else. Yet they end up becoming the marketer by default. When we come in, we ask strategic questions—what lights you up? What does success look like a year from now in your role? If we can get clarity on that, then we do everything we can to take marketing off their plate. They still need to be involved in key decisions, understand the metrics, and do quarterly planning. But we handle the daily grind so they can focus on what they do best.

One recent example: we worked with a home service company. The CEO had one marketer on staff, but it was a friend with little marketing experience—eager and growth-minded, which was great. They hired us to create the strategy and partner with the CEO while taking over managing the marketer. We helped upskill her and built an AI system underneath her to support content production—landing pages, ad copy, email campaigns, eBooks. She went from doing things manually without guidance to having a fractional CMO mentor above her and an AI content system below. Now she can grow her skills and work at a higher capacity.

Harley Green: Speaking of building those skills, it sounds like you’ve got a great program for helping people level up. How do you help teams adopt a growth mindset, especially when they’re navigating all the change and uncertainty with marketing, tech, and AI?

Sara Nay: I think growth mindset is something people usually either have or don’t. But you can create an environment that encourages it. That’s one of our company values, and we hire for it. We design our interviews to determine whether someone is growth-minded. That’s crucial in marketing—it changes so fast. Once they’re on the team, we support that mindset through things like our bi-weekly “Lead and Learn” meetings where we present new topics on AI and discuss how we can apply them. We also do a monthly book club, reading books on various topics and talking about implementation. So it starts with hiring the right people and then giving them space and tools to grow continuously.

Harley Green: Nice. What is one leadership habit that’s helped you scale with clarity and calm, and how might our listeners apply it to their own businesses?

Sara Nay: Communication. I started as an intern, so I’ve been in a lot of roles. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in leadership is the power of communication. When assigning a task, don’t just say, “I need this done.” Explain why it matters. How does it connect to other goals? How does it impact the team or client? Also, meet with your team regularly. Be available. Do thoughtful quarterly reviews. Really invest in those conversations. Listen. That kind of open, consistent communication is what’s made our company culture strong. We support each other, and that starts with how we communicate.

Harley Green: I love that. That’s something we’ve observed too. Leaders who have regular check-ins and clear communication get the best results. The ones who don’t delegate, just dump tasks with no context, tend to get frustrated with poor outcomes.

Sara Nay: Exactly. And there’s a saying: “Don’t throw good people at bad systems.” That’s why, in our onboarding process, we start with daily meetings no matter the role—even part-time contractors. We do daily check-ins during onboarding, then move to every other day, then twice a week, and eventually once a week. The more time and attention you give someone in their first 30 days, the better set up they are for long-term success.

Harley Green: That’s so smart. I’m a huge fan of a 30-60-90 day onboarding plan. It’s been a game-changer in our business. It helps leaders stay clear on what they’re handing off and helps team members know what’s coming. It’s super powerful.

Sara Nay: Absolutely.

Harley Green: As we wrap up, what’s one thing you’d like to share with leaders today—something they could take action on this week to make a big impact on their marketing?

Sara Nay: What we talked about earlier. AI is here. You should be using it in your business, no matter your industry—but don’t rush in. Take a step back. What are your four to six biggest business priorities for the next quarter? Hopefully, you’re doing quarterly planning. Look at your team, then decide which AI tools make sense. Don’t just sign up for everything. Breathe, analyze, and bring it in strategically.

Harley Green: Love it. Sara, if people want to continue the conversation or learn more about your business offerings, what’s the best way to connect?

Sara Nay: We have a page on our website: https://dtm.world/growth. There are a bunch of free resources there. I’m also very active on LinkedIn—just search for my name, Sara Nay.

Harley Green: Awesome. Thank you so much, Sara. And for those of you listening, if you got value from this episode, do one quick thing—hit like and subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes to help you scale smarter. And if you know a business owner who could use this information, share this episode with them. It might be exactly what they need. And if you’re listening on a podcast platform, leave us a quick rating. It helps us reach more leaders just like you. Thanks again, and we’ll see you in the next episode.

Marketing Isn’t Broken—It’s Misunderstood

by faye.eScale Smart, Grow Fast PodcastPosted on Comments are Disabled

Marketing Isn’t Broken—It’s Misunderstood

In today’s crowded digital space, marketing fatigue is real. You’re pouring effort into campaigns, chasing leads, and tweaking CTAs—but still not seeing the ROI you hoped for. The problem? Your marketing is likely rooted in logic, not behavioral science.

In our latest Scale Smart, Grow Fast podcast episode, Harley spoke with Gee Ranasinha, CEO of Kexino and behavioral marketing expert. His message was clear: Marketing fails not because it’s broken—but because it forgets how people actually buy.

Listen to the full conversation on your favorite platform:
[Spotify] | [Apple Podcasts]

🧠 System 1 vs. System 2: Why Emotion Wins

Gee explains that effective marketing must appeal to both fast, emotional thinking (system 1) and slower, rational decision-making (system 2). Most campaigns today over-index on logic and under-deliver on emotional resonance.

Think of your strongest memories—they’re tied to emotion. That’s how branding works too.

🎯 The 95-5 Rule: A New Lens on ROI

Only 5% of your audience is actively ready to buy. The other 95%? They’re passively absorbing brand signals. The lesson? Stop focusing all your effort on the “right now” buyer. Build memory structures with brand awareness so you’re top-of-mind when that 95% enters the market.

🔻 Bland Marketing Is the New Epidemic

AI-generated content is making everything look the same. Gee warns that in a sea of sameness, brands that zag while others zig will win. If you don’t stand out, you’re just helping your competitors by reinforcing their message.

📈 The Real Job of Marketing

Marketing isn’t just about features and funnels—it’s about emotional positioning and psychological relevance. When you blend empathy with strategy, your marketing doesn’t just attract. It sticks.

👤 Connect with Gee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ranasinha/
 🌐 Learn more at: https://kexino.com

🔹 Want to market with impact—and lead with clarity?


Stop chasing tactics and start focusing on what works. Our AI-powered executive assistants at Workergenix help optimize your routines and free up your mind for high-level strategy and growth.

Schedule a discovery call to shift from marketing guesswork to strategies that truly resonate and convert.

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How to Create an Aligned and Intentional Marketing Strategy: Insights from Agatha Brewer

by Harley GreenScale Smart, Grow Fast PodcastPosted on Comments are Disabled

How to Create an Aligned and Intentional Marketing Strategy: Insights from Agatha Brewer

In today’s fast-paced digital world, marketing can feel overwhelming, especially for new entrepreneurs who are just getting started. You might find yourself pulled in multiple directions, trying every marketing strategy you hear about, only to feel exhausted and see little return on your investment. But what if there was a way to simplify your approach, align it with who you are, and make your efforts truly effective?

We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with marketing expert Agatha Brewer on the Workergenix Mastermind podcast. With nearly two decades of digital marketing experience, Agatha shared invaluable tips on how to create a marketing strategy that works for you—one that’s aligned with your personality, strengths, and the stage of your business. Here’s a breakdown of her key insights.

Understanding Intentional Marketing

Agatha introduced the concept of intentional marketing, which is about being thoughtful and strategic in how you approach your marketing efforts. This involves selecting marketing channels and building strategies that truly align with your unique strengths, personality, and the current phase of your business.

One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make, according to Agatha, is feeling pressured to be on every platform and use every marketing tool available. Whether it’s social media, podcasts, blogging, or in-person networking, not every channel will suit your business or your style. Instead, she emphasizes the importance of choosing methods that feel authentic to you and can be executed consistently.

Step 1: Align with Your Personality and Strengths

When deciding on marketing strategies, it’s crucial to consider your personality. Are you an extrovert who thrives in social situations, or are you more introverted, preferring deeper, one-on-one connections or written content? Agatha mentioned that understanding whether you’re an introvert, extrovert, or ambivert (a mix of both) can guide your marketing choices.

For instance, extroverts might excel at hosting live events or engaging in frequent social media interactions, while introverts may prefer writing blog posts, creating content quietly, or focusing on SEO strategies. Agatha herself is an ambivert and shared how she’s found success with both podcasts and blogging, as they offer her flexibility depending on her energy level.

Step 2: Choose the Right Marketing Channels

Agatha’s advice is simple: if a marketing strategy feels dreadful, you’re unlikely to stick with it. While it’s natural to be nervous about trying something new, it’s essential to differentiate between discomfort that comes from growth and complete misalignment. For example, if public speaking terrifies you but could benefit your business, it might be worth working up to. However, if a certain marketing activity continuously drains your energy, it’s best to explore other options.

Agatha also stressed the importance of leveraging your strengths. If you’re a natural connector, in-person events or building relationships through referrals may come easily. She shared a story about a real estate agent who used her talent for throwing dinner parties to create memorable experiences and grow her network. Even if you don’t enjoy in-person networking, you can find creative ways to market that align with your natural abilities.

Step 3: Consider the Stage of Your Business

Your marketing approach should also align with where your business is in its journey. If you’re just starting out, you may not have the budget for paid ads or advanced marketing funnels. Agatha suggests focusing on low-cost, high-impact strategies like leveraging your existing network or tapping into word-of-mouth referrals. As your business grows and generates revenue, you can consider scaling up and experimenting with more complex tactics.

Analyzing Your Data

Once you’ve implemented a few strategies, it’s time to assess what’s working. Agatha emphasized the importance of analyzing your data. This means diving into metrics like engagement on social media posts or traffic to your website. Every social platform has built-in analytics, and your website can be monitored using tools like Google Analytics.

Agatha shared her personal experience of using data to inform her marketing decisions. Initially, she focused heavily on social media, but her analytics revealed that SEO and search engine traffic were actually driving the most clients to her site. By redirecting her efforts to content creation and search optimization, she saw significant improvements. She encourages entrepreneurs to pay attention to these metrics to make informed decisions about where to invest their energy.

When to Expand Your Marketing Efforts

As your business grows, you may find yourself with more budget and resources. This is when it could make sense to branch out into additional marketing strategies or outsource some of the tasks you don’t enjoy or aren’t skilled at. Agatha advises looking at where your time is best spent and treating your time as an investment. If certain marketing activities don’t yield a high return on investment (ROI), consider hiring help or shifting focus.

Harley, the host of the podcast, added that many Workergenix clients reach a point where they need to scale but don’t have the expertise or time to handle marketing tasks effectively. This is when outsourcing to an executive assistant or marketing expert can be a game-changer.

Tools and Resources for Success

Agatha mentioned several tools that can make marketing more manageable. Social media platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn have built-in analytics to track your performance, and Google Analytics is a standard for website traffic analysis. While learning to use these tools can be daunting, Agatha recommends watching YouTube tutorials to get started.

She also created a free quiz to help entrepreneurs figure out their “marketing superpower.” By answering a few quick questions, you can discover the best strategies tailored to your personality and strengths. This quiz can provide clarity and give you a strong starting point.

Final Thoughts: Invest in Yourself and Your Business

As we wrapped up the conversation, Agatha emphasized the importance of treating marketing as a skill that takes time to master. The more aligned your marketing strategy is with your unique personality, the more likely you are to succeed—and enjoy the process. Remember, marketing is not about doing everything; it’s about doing the right things well.

If you’re ready to stop feeling overwhelmed and start marketing with intention, consider taking Agatha’s quiz to discover your best strategies. It might be the first step toward creating a marketing plan that feels good, gets results, and helps your business grow.

To learn more about Agatha Brewer and get access to her quiz, visit Agatha’s Website. And if you want to dive deeper into these insights, don’t miss the full episode of the Workergenix Mastermind podcast!

You can also listen to this episode here:

🔗Spotify

🔗Apple Podcast

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Transcript:

Harley Green:
All right. Hey everybody. Welcome to the Workergenix Mastermind Podcast! I’m your host, Harley Green, founder of Workergenix. Today, we have a special guest, marketing expert Agatha Brewer. Agatha has nearly 20 years of digital marketing experience, and she’ll be sharing tips on how to create marketing strategies that align with your personality and stage of business. Welcome, Agatha!

Agatha Brewer:
Thanks for having me.

Harley Green:
Agatha, tell us a little bit about your background and marketing experience.

Agatha Brewer:
Sure, there’s a lot to cover in 20 years, but I’ll keep it concise. I’m a business and marketing coach for new entrepreneurs—people in the early stages of launching their business who need clarity to attract clients.
I began my career in New York, working in event management, where I handled luxury food events and even collaborated with the Food Network. It was exciting and full of perks, but the 2008 recession hit, and I was laid off shortly after planning a major event. This led me to pivot into software marketing in Atlanta, where I worked on demand generation and lead gen for B2B SaaS companies, including a Fortune 500 firm.
In 2013, at 30 years old, I became a Director of Marketing, leading a team and handling the entire marketing strategy and budget. Despite feeling some fear, I excelled in the role. During this time, I attended a personal development retreat, which made me reflect on my career. Eventually, in 2019, I trained as a life coach and launched my own business in 2020. When the pandemic began, people were reevaluating their lives, and many came to me for business and marketing guidance. That’s how I found my niche. But that’s enough about me for now!

Harley Green:
That’s great! Can you explain what you mean by “intentional marketing”?

Agatha Brewer:
Absolutely. Intentional marketing is about being deliberate with your strategies and the marketing channels you choose. A marketing channel is how you get your message to the world—like podcasting, blogging, or in-person networking. The goal is to align these strategies with your strengths and personality.
It’s also crucial to consider your business stage. For example, if you’re just starting out, complex strategies like paid ads or sales funnels may not be suitable. Instead, you might focus on networking or leveraging your existing connections. Marketing should feel good to you, or you won’t stick with it. Misaligned marketing wastes time and resources.

Harley Green:
It can be overwhelming for new entrepreneurs who feel bombarded with marketing advice. What strategies do you recommend for narrowing down the best marketing channels?

Agatha Brewer:
I recommend tapping into your intuition. Consider how different strategies make you feel. Does one make you excited and energized while another fills you with dread? Trust those instincts.
However, growth sometimes means stepping outside your comfort zone. For example, public speaking may initially be intimidating, but it could become a strength. Understanding whether you’re an introvert, extrovert, or ambivert is also crucial.
Your strengths matter, too. For example, some people are natural connectors, like many real estate agents. They thrive on networking and social interactions. Others might excel in more traditional, memorable marketing efforts. It’s all about leveraging your innate talents.

Harley Green:
If someone has spread themselves too thin across multiple platforms, what would you suggest they do?

Agatha Brewer:
I’d advise analyzing the data. See which channels performed best. If a platform isn’t delivering results, consider narrowing your focus. For example, I used to prioritize social media, but my data showed that SEO and Google search were driving the most clients. So, I shifted my focus to writing articles and building SEO “juice.”
Shiny object syndrome is common, but it’s essential to streamline and focus on what’s working. Use tools like Google Analytics to track performance and make informed decisions. Social platforms also have built-in analytics to show you which content resonates with your audience.

Harley Green:
I appreciate your data-driven approach. Are there tools you recommend to make data analysis easier?

Agatha Brewer:
Most platforms have built-in analytics. For example, Instagram business accounts let you track engagement and performance. Google Analytics is standard for websites, though it has a learning curve. There are plenty of online resources to help you understand it.
Remember, you must actively promote your marketing efforts. Don’t assume that content will drive traffic without some promotion.

Harley Green:
As someone’s business grows, when should they consider expanding their marketing efforts beyond their core strengths?

Agatha Brewer:
That depends on your bandwidth and business goals. Outsourcing is one option, especially for tasks like podcast editing or social media management. Assess where your time is best spent and whether investing in additional marketing strategies makes sense.
If your current efforts work well, you might not need to do more unless you want to scale significantly. Always consider where your time yields the highest return.

Harley Green:
That’s excellent advice. Speaking of high-value returns, you mentioned a quiz that helps people identify their marketing strengths. Can you tell us more about that?

Agatha Brewer:
Sure! I created a quiz to help people discover the best marketing channels for their personality and strengths. It’s called “What’s Your Marketing Superpower?” and you can find it at agathabrewer.com/quiz. It takes just two minutes, and you’ll get three custom strategies tailored to you. It’s a fun and insightful way to understand your marketing strengths.

Harley Green:
That sounds amazing! Thanks, Agatha, for joining us today and sharing your expertise. I hope everyone checks out your quiz and starts aligning their marketing strategies with their strengths.

Agatha Brewer:
Thanks so much for having me!

A minimalist, modern workspace with sleek office equipment, representing efficiency and streamlined business operations.

Is Your Business Missing Out on Cost-Efficient Growth?

by Harley GreenBusiness Growth, Outsourcing, Productivity, Sale, Technology & AutomationPosted on Comments are Disabled

Is Your Business Missing Out on Cost-Efficient Growth?

In today’s fast-paced, service-driven world, entrepreneurs often struggle to juggle key tasks while still focusing on growth. But what if you could outsource high-level functions—such as real estate management, marketing campaigns, and bookkeeping—without adding to your full-time staff?

Unlocking Efficiency and Profitability

Hiring an executive assistant offers more than just administrative support. When skilled professionals manage lead generation, plan marketing campaigns, and even qualify clients, they free up your time to focus on scaling your business. For service-based businesses like real estate or consulting, this efficiency translates to quicker client onboarding, smoother operations, and increased profits.

Financial Benefits: Why Hiring an Executive Assistant is Cost-Effective

When comparing the cost of hiring a virtual executive assistant versus a local hire, the difference is striking. A skilled assistant allows you to maintain lean operations while driving growth. This lean approach helps you preserve profit margins, allowing you to reinvest in your business. And because they’re remote, you’re not bound by geographical constraints, giving you access to a global talent pool without the overhead costs.

Boost Marketing Efforts with a Strategic Partner

A good executive assistant is more than just a task-doer; they are an integral part of your marketing machine. From planning and executing digital campaigns to maintaining client communication, they provide the operational muscle your business needs to stay competitive. With the right guidance, they can track metrics, optimize campaigns, and ensure you’re getting the best ROI on your marketing spend.

Lead Generation Done Right

Many service-based businesses depend heavily on a steady stream of qualified leads. Instead of manually searching and following up, executive assistants can be your secret weapon for lead generation. They can research potential clients, qualify leads, and nurture relationships, turning them into actionable opportunities for your sales team.

Conclusion: Take Action for Scalable Growth

If you’re an entrepreneur looking for sustainable, cost-effective growth, consider integrating an executive assistant into your operations. They offer a powerful way to streamline your business, generate leads, and improve marketing efficiency—all while keeping costs low.

Are you ready to scale with ease? Join our newsletter for the latest VA strategies and insights straight to your inbox every week!

Struggling to Scale? Could a Virtual Assistant Be the Missing Piece?

by Harley GreenBusiness Growth, Outsourcing, Productivity, Sale, Technology & AutomationPosted on Comments are Disabled

Struggling to Scale? Could a Virtual Assistant Be the Missing Piece?

As a business owner, you’re probably familiar with the constant challenge of balancing day-to-day operations with your long-term growth goals. It’s especially true in service-based businesses where tasks like real estate management, marketing, and bookkeeping can take up a significant portion of your time. But what if you didn’t have to do it all yourself?

In this post, I want to talk about the specific roles executive assistants can play in your business and how they can help you grow while keeping costs down.

Real Estate Management Made Simple

If you’re in real estate, managing properties can be time-consuming, from scheduling showings to dealing with paperwork. Executive assistants can handle these tasks for you. They can communicate with clients, manage your calendar, coordinate appointments, and even oversee tenant relationships. The best part? They can do it all remotely, which means you don’t need to add the cost of office space or in-house staff.

Marketing Campaigns That Work

When it comes to marketing, having an executive assistant who understands digital campaigns can make a huge difference. From planning and executing social media strategies to monitoring results, they can help you stay on top of your marketing efforts without the constant stress of doing it yourself. Whether it’s email marketing, content scheduling, or even managing your ad spend, having this type of support allows you to focus on the big picture—like scaling your business and improving customer relationships.

Bookkeeping Without the Hassle

Let’s be honest: bookkeeping is not something most business owners enjoy doing, yet it’s essential for maintaining healthy finances. An executive assistant can take care of your invoicing, manage expense reports, and keep track of payments, allowing you to stay organized and avoid costly mistakes. And since many assistants are well-versed in tools like QuickBooks or Xero, it’s easier than ever to get professional financial support at a fraction of the cost of hiring a local bookkeeper.

Cost Efficiency: Why It Matters

Now, let’s talk about cost efficiency. Hiring a local assistant or full-time employee comes with a lot of extra expenses—salaries, benefits, office space, and more. But when you hire a virtual assistant, especially one from the Philippines, you’re not only getting someone who’s skilled and experienced but also someone who offers incredible value at a much lower cost. You’ll save on overhead while getting the same (or even better) quality of work. This allows you to maintain strong profit margins, which is key for any growing business.

Lead Generation Done Right

Lead generation is crucial, especially for service-based businesses like real estate, consulting, or marketing agencies. But it’s also a time-consuming process. This is another area where executive assistants can shine. They can research potential clients, qualify leads, and even set up initial meetings. This means you can spend more time closing deals and less time hunting for prospects.

Wrapping It All Up

At the end of the day, hiring a virtual executive assistant is about more than just delegating tasks. It’s about creating a more efficient business that runs smoothly and grows faster. Whether it’s managing your real estate portfolio, executing marketing campaigns, or handling your books, a virtual assistant can provide the support you need to stay focused on what really matters: growing your business.

If you’ve been thinking about adding support to your team but aren’t sure where to start, consider the benefits of hiring a virtual assistant. It’s a smart, cost-effective solution that can take your business to the next level.

Reach out to schedule a discovery call.

A woman pointing with the text, "Is Content Creation Overwhelming You? Discover How an Assistant Can Save the Day!" in bold.

Is Content Creation Overwhelming You? Discover How an Assistant Can Save the Day!

by Harley GreenBusiness Growth, Outsourcing, Productivity, Technology & AutomationPosted on Comments are Disabled

Is Content Creation Overwhelming You? Discover How an Assistant Can Save the Day!

https://youtu.be/f_us44zZvi0

Enhancing Your Content Creation & Marketing with an Executive Assistant: A Guide for Service-Based Businesses

In today’s digital age, a strong online presence is essential for any service-based business looking to grow and thrive. However, creating and managing content can be time-consuming, especially when you’re trying to run a business. This is where an experienced executive assistant can make a significant impact. By leveraging their skills in content creation and marketing, you can boost your online presence and reach your business goals more efficiently. In this post, we’ll explore how an executive assistant can support various aspects of your content strategy.

And if you are considering hiring a VA, head over to workergenix.com, link on the comments, and get our FREE Delegate or Die guide. It’s a checklist of 100 tasks that you can delegate today to level up your business. Go to workergenix.com to get it now!

Now let’s explore how an Executive Assistant VA can help with content creation and marketing.

Boosting Your Online Presence with Marketing Support

As a service-based business, your online presence is often the first impression potential clients have of your brand. An executive assistant can help you maintain a strong, consistent presence across all digital platforms, ensuring that your brand stays top-of-mind for your audience.

From managing your social media accounts to coordinating content creation efforts, your assistant can take on the tasks that keep your marketing strategy running smoothly. This allows you to focus on providing top-notch service to your clients while knowing that your online presence is in good hands.

Social Media Management: Growing Your Digital Community

Social media is a powerful tool for engaging with your audience and building a loyal customer base. However, managing multiple social media accounts can be overwhelming. An executive assistant can take over this responsibility, ensuring that your social media strategy is consistent, engaging, and effective.

Your assistant can schedule and post content, respond to comments and messages, and track social media analytics to measure performance. They can also help you develop and execute social media campaigns that align with your business goals. By leveraging their expertise, you can grow your digital community and strengthen your brand’s online presence.

Video Content: Engaging Your Audience with Visuals

Video content is one of the most engaging forms of digital media, and platforms like YouTube offer tremendous opportunities for reaching a wider audience. However, creating high-quality video content requires time, coordination, and technical skills. An executive assistant can handle these tasks, making it easier for you to produce and share compelling videos.

Your assistant can coordinate video shoots, manage editing processes, and ensure that your content is optimized for each platform. Whether it’s tutorial videos, client testimonials, or promotional content, your assistant can help you create videos that resonate with your audience and drive engagement.

Content Repurposing: Maximizing the Value of Your Content

Creating content is an investment, so why not maximize its reach? Content repurposing allows you to extend the life of your existing content by transforming it into different formats. An executive assistant can help you repurpose blog posts into social media snippets, turn webinars into blog articles, or create infographics from detailed reports.

By repurposing content, you can reach different segments of your audience across various platforms without having to start from scratch every time. This not only saves time but also ensures that your content strategy is more efficient and far-reaching.

SEO Optimization: Improving Your Search Rankings

Search engine optimization (SEO) is critical for ensuring that your content is discoverable by potential clients. An executive assistant can assist with SEO efforts by conducting keyword research, optimizing on-page elements, and analyzing website performance.

Your assistant can ensure that your content is aligned with SEO best practices, helping you improve your search rankings and drive more organic traffic to your site. With their support, you can ensure that your content not only engages your audience but also reaches them effectively.

Email Marketing: Nurturing Client Relationships

Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to nurture relationships with clients and prospects. An executive assistant can manage your email marketing efforts, from building email lists to designing and sending newsletters.

Your assistant can segment your audience, personalize email content, and track campaign performance, ensuring that your email marketing strategy is targeted and effective. By keeping your audience engaged through regular, value-driven communication, you can build stronger relationships and drive conversions.

Blog Writing and Research: Keeping Your Content Fresh and Relevant

A well-maintained blog is a cornerstone of any content marketing strategy, but consistently producing high-quality posts requires time and research. An executive assistant can take on the responsibility of researching trending topics, drafting engaging blog posts, and ensuring that your content remains fresh and relevant.

With your assistant handling the research and writing, you can maintain a steady flow of valuable content that resonates with your audience and establishes your brand as a thought leader in your industry.

Conclusion

Leveraging the skills of an executive assistant in content creation and marketing can significantly boost your service-based business’s online presence. From managing social media and video content to optimizing SEO and email marketing, your assistant can handle the tasks that drive engagement and growth. By delegating these responsibilities, you can focus on what you do best—serving your clients—while knowing that your content strategy is in expert hands. If you’re ready to take your content marketing efforts to the next level, consider how a Philippines-based executive assistant can make all the difference.

Lead to Succeed; Sales and Marketing Team Tips

by Harley GreenBusiness Growth, Outsourcing, Productivity, SalePosted on Comments are Disabled

Any organization needs to perform both sales and marketing, but they frequently do so in separate departments, which results in misunderstandings, resource waste, and missed opportunities. Here are some tips to align your sales and marketing teams for success:

Establish your target market and buyer personas. Sales and marketing should have a strong understanding of their target audience, their problems, and how your product or service can help them. The development of thorough buyer personas can assist both teams in adjusting their messaging and strategies to the unique requirements and preferences of your prospective clients. 

Identify shared benchmarks and metrics. The business’s goals and vision should be shared by sales and marketing, and both departments should use the same benchmarks to evaluate their performance. For instance, you may evaluate your success and pinpoint areas for improvement using data like leads produced, conversion rates, revenue, customer happiness, and retention.

Create a service level agreement (SLA) should be made. An SLA is a document that describes the duties and goals of each team, including the number of leads that marketing will provide to sales, the speed at which sales will contact them, and how they will share feedback and outcomes. Both teams can benefit from using an SLA to maintain accountability, cohesion, and focus on the same goals.

Share ideas for creating and distributing content. In addition to being an effective tool for attracting, educating, and engaging your prospects and customers, content may also cause conflict between sales and marketing. Together, the two teams should produce and disseminate material that corresponds to the buyer’s path from awareness to contemplation to choice to minimize repetition, inconsistency, or irrelevance. Sales can give marketing first-hand information from the front lines to help shape their content strategy, and marketing can give sales relevant content to support their discussions and presentations.

Cultivate a culture of trust and communication. Building a solid relationship built on communication and trust is the most crucial aspect of uniting your sales and marketing teams. Both sides should communicate frequently, honestly, and productively, sharing their difficulties, victories, comments, and suggestions. Additionally, they ought to promote one another’s development, acknowledge one another’s accomplishments, and jointly enjoy their victories.

A virtual professional sales and marketing team from Workergenix can work together with you to develop a more successful, efficient, and pleasurable manner of conducting business. Additionally, you may improve customer satisfaction, raise brand recognition, provide more qualified leads, close more sales; boost income and virtual professionals will help you to reach your goal in doing your business by providing strong objectives on how your business will lead you to your success. So what are you waiting for? Request a free consultation now!

For your free, no-obligation, consultation, click here.