Episode 82: How an Intentional Brand Can Guide Your Marketing When You Don’t Feel Like Showing Up

Molly: Hello, I cannot wait for y'all to hear this conversation with my friend, Aaron. Aaron and I first met back in a mastermind. We were actually in together with Kate Kordsmeyer. And she just has, I have to be honest. Well, I'll talk about this in the episode. But when she first pitched me, like part of the things I read, I was like, Ooh, I don't know.

I don't really agree with this look on like this take on brands. And then after I read further into her pitch email, I was like, Oh my gosh, I completely understand what you're trying to say about how your brand helps you show up when you don't feel like it. So if that's intriguing to you, then you just definitely want to listen to this episode.

She even like taught me some things that I was like, wow, I've never thought about it that way. And I came away at the end of the episode with like some things I definitely want to implement some things I want to teach you. And yeah, it's just a really beautiful conversation. So I can't wait for you to listen.

Um, my friend, Aaron Davis, she's a brand strategist, a marketing coach, a writer, an entrepreneur, and a mama. Oh, she left off my favorite fun fact about her, which she talks about how she was, um, she bred bulls. She talks about it in the episode. It's so funny. And I love her tagline is, I love reminding women who they are and giving them permission to be their best self in their life and work.

So without further ado, enjoy this conversation with my friend Erin Davis.

Hey, welcome to Holistic Marketing Simplified. This podcast boils down to the fact that we wholeheartedly believe that more humans need to know about holistic health solutions and you didn't go to school to learn how to be a full time content creator and show up on Instagram and do all of this marketing stuff all day, every day.

So let's come hanging out while we chat all things easy in your marketing. And my goal is that you shift your mindset around your marketing from a quote should to a, I get to more dream patients and clients. Yes, please. Hi, I'm Dawn Wiggins and I'm an integrative healer and I listen to the holistic marketing simplified podcast.

Aaron. So happy to have you. Also, I have to say your pitch email was one of just, I was literally like laughing, not laughing at you, but laughing. It's like your pitch email was a lesson and how we don't give ourselves enough credit sometimes I think. So welcome to the show and I'll explain what I mean in just a second.

Thank you. That's awesome. I love that.

Erin: And I really appreciate you pointing it out. That makes me feel good.

Molly: So Erin and I actually knew each other from a past, I'll call it a mastermind. We were in, we were in Kate Quartzmeyer's. Incubator together, which she doesn't have that program anymore, but I highly recommend.

Um, you just check out Kate's work success with soul. She's not active on Instagram. That's her whole MO is having a social media free business. But anyway, we were in that together and Kate and I have been friends forever and Aaron and I've kind of kept in touch and, um, wait, you're the one who did the cow, the, the bowl thing.

Erin: Yeah. Wait, tell that really quick. Well, I was an ag communications major in school and, um, there was a course in how to breed cattle and I took it and just so happens I'm really good at getting cows bred. And, um, so part of my first job at a school was. Doing the communications and marketing for a breed association and the other portion of the year, I helped get all the cows bred that were a part of the organization.

Molly: I'll never forget, we were on that call and you were like, basically you were talking about like inseminating cows or something and I was like, That's what it is! I was like, I'm sorry. What? Yes, I'm a woman of many talents. Yeah, it's good if you see Erin like, you know, she's got this beautiful backdrop She's her hair like she's all put together and you always look like that on calls too You never had like troll days like I always had I feel like you were always like so put together and she's like yes, and i'm you know Breeding cattle's cool I'm, just imagining you out there with like these big rubber gloves and like that's exactly what it is Yep.

Yep. I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed.

Erin: I think he asked, like, you know, what's something weird or like surprising or quirky or like, what's a skill you have that,

Molly: you know,

Erin: people wouldn't assume and yeah, that's mine.

Molly: But your pitch email to me was so funny because like I said, it was like, you would think I was like, Famous or something.

The way you were like, I know I should. I was like, Eric, girl, like, just come on the show. I am not, I am not fancy. Like even this morning I pushed back our time. I was like, I'm so sorry. I didn't factor in my hair washing schedule. Can we push back our recording 15 minutes? And then we've just been sitting here chatting for like 30 minutes.

So yeah, I am not. Um, so anyway, but I appreciate all the topics and how thorough you are. And I'm so happy to have you on the show. I'll have done like a more formal intro, but Erin is the founder of Matchbox Women, which is, well, I'll let you talk about it. What it is that you do?

Erin: So I'm a brand strategist and a marketing coach.

And so in my work, I help women build brands and then learn how to share those brands with their community, with their ideal clients. It's, it's that creation of a business that looks more like a human and then learning how to become relational out of that, which is the marketing part.

Molly: And when we were talking about this before we hit record, I didn't want to, I was like, Ooh, I got to save these little anecdotes from when we actually start recording, but I just feel like it's so funny.

I attract these people. I'm like, I do want to have different voices, right? And people who don't sound like me, but it's also at the same time, like, so much what I teach. I just don't think I have the formal training in it or have like the language to talk about it in the way that you do. And so tell me again what that means.

I wrote this down because it just sounds so beautiful. A business that looks more like a person.

Erin: Yeah, I think a business is basically a vehicle to be ourselves or be a human out in the world doing good things and offering services and creating opportunity for exchange. A business is just. this vehicle for you to be more of yourself, offer more of you, bring other people into it, and a brand helps us humanize what that vehicle or what that business is.

Molly: I love that because so many of the, like, let's just take my chiropractors that I work with, for example, even if they're like one of the first modules inside my holistic marketing courses, should I have one Instagram account or two? And you and I might disagree here, and that's fine. If we do, I typically, If you're like a solo doc, you own the practice, the company, the brand is you, you are the brand that you don't have any other docs on board, whatever.

I'm always like, just have one account, simplify unless there's nuance, right? Like if you're a, if you're someone who like has a shares your dog every day, or you have you crochet or you, you know what I mean? You have like a hobby and you're used to an enjoy posting on Instagram, right? That's a very different conversation.

Sure. Keep two accounts. But if you're someone, most people who come into my world are like just having trouble doing any type of marketing on social consistently. And so I'm like the last thing you need to worry about is having two, two accounts because I would see all these like solo docs who would have like Dr.

Aaron Davis. You know, personal account. And then they'd have like XYZ chiropractor account. And then all they would do is like, try to post on both, but they basically just be sharing the same thing back and forth. So typically in that situation, I'm always like, guys, just have one account. You don't need to have two.

And the same thing, I think even goes for like the online health coaches and whatnot. It's like a lot of them will like develop this beautiful personal brand. And then Whenever they get whatever credentials they feel like makes them quote official enough. They start a brand new Instagram page under XYZ health company Yeah, and then they're trying to do both.

So I guess that I can get the benefits of all either. I just, I don't know. You want to talk about that a little?

Erin: Yeah. So I would start out with a client and be like, what does your gut tell you first? Like what feels most natural when, when I work with a client, it's about building, you know, a brand. And then through that process, like your muscles become stronger, you become more resolute, you get confidence, you know, what's important to you.

And then where you choose and how you choose to market is like, The next step, not the starting point. So I think when it comes to any sort of social media channel that you're on, I would tend to lean towards what you're doing because I, I don't feel like any of us, I think the fallacy is that we show up as like our business person, we're all buttoned up and perfect and all of this, but I don't think that's real.

And I don't think that's relatable. And so I think if we can. Kind of attach that humanity to who we are, then we're going to know what's going to work best for us and how we show up. And you can apply all the best practices like a, you know, an 30, like, you know, business versus personal, like what works best for you?

What resonates most with your clients? And I think you can kind of look at your practice for your clients and how, how do you interact on a regular basis? Like when you are in a consultation with somebody, What are you talking about there? Is it strictly business? Is it strictly program and process and do this, don't do that?

Or are you sharing something to make them feel comfortable? Like what's your kind of bedside manner, if you will. And that is how you should show up in those other places that you're marketing at, which would speak into, are you going to have one. You know, one channel, one page or two.

Molly: Well, I actually just saw, I feel like I kind of want to back up a couple of steps just because my audience typically aren't like, you know, marketers.

So when you're talking about a brand, I think a lot of people's first thought goes to like the colors and the fonts and the, you know, the look, which is your. The visual is definitely part of it, but it's a lot more than that. So do you want to talk about what that is?

Erin: Yes. In fact, when I work with a client, logos, colors, fonts, kind of that visual identity portion is way at the end of what we're doing.

Because I feel like, again, think of your business as a human. You don't, Just look at like, these are the clothes I wear. I always wear this style of earrings and this is how I do my hair. That's just one small facet of what makes you who you are. And so building all the messaging, which comes from mission, vision, values, all the messaging, both for the business and by your product or service, all of those like word articulations that help you express yourself.

That is like what the brand is and then you can use Various means to come up with what that identity is. You can see somebody walking around in a target outfit and they look fantastic. And part of it's how they carry it, right? Or somebody can wear designer top end stuff and they might. Seem just as beautiful because of how they carry it, or they might seem actually just the same because it, so I think that logo identity part, especially when you're looking at how much is the logo going to cost me to have a designer create, like, am I there?

Do I have that? I think there's a lot of ways. to put on, you know, a visual identity that doesn't have to be the lead. Um, but it can be the package that it's tied up in. You will know as you walk through this building process, like what's most important to you about that identity.

Molly: I love that. And I feel like Even if you were scrolling through Instagram and you saw just even like a notes app post, you know, those are popular where you can tell by the way the words are written a lot of times who I could tell without even looking who the person posting is, who it was by.

Totally. And I love that. I can stop and

Erin: go, oh, oh, I know who that is without even looking at, yeah.

Molly: And that's what Erin means by like the message, well, and y'all know if you've been around me for any period of time, you know, messaging is like my main thing I hammer home over and over and over. I'm like, don't ask me what time of day to post.

Like that's, I'm like, that doesn't even really matter in the grand scheme of things if your messaging is not dialed in, dialed in. So. And the other thing I would, I did want to just touch on, I don't want to say brand like your visual identity is not important, right? Because that does convey a level of trust.

Like I think about like Tide's laundry detergent, right? You see the orange and the blue and you're like Tide and you know it and you, it's a brand you trust. Whereas if you saw like a purple bottle, you might be like, Ooh, well, my audience, my audience doesn't use Tide. I can guarantee you. I'm just using it.

Okay. I mean, I'm just using it as an, no, I get it. Like it's an iconic brand that's been around since we were all kids. Right. Well, you can even look at

Erin: Starbucks, right? You see that green and white, that image of I don't even know what that is, but we know what that, whatever that person is. Yeah, it's, yeah, it's what it's, what's behind it for me.

I don't actually like Starbucks coffee, but I know it's going to be consistent. I know it's available and I know that like I can, now I can grab like a snack or a meal or like a mini meal while I'm there. Right. So there's things I know about them, that image. conveys something else. It, it brings up in me something else, which is the brand.

And so if you just the Nike swish, what comes up for you, right? Like that's how a logo can inform your clients, your audience, your potentials. You know, who you are and what they bring, but you can't, the, the swoosh doesn't just live in a vacuum or by itself. The Starbucks brand, the type, it doesn't, it has something else and that's the brand.

That's like what's behind that imagery.

Molly: So to pull this together to another, another topic that comes up going back to my initial of like, should I have just my personal page or my business page? Nuance, when I say personal, I don't mean it needs to be an actual, like, if you're thinking like the nuts and bolts technicality, technically I would call my Instagram account a personal account, but it's not a person.

It's still a business account on Instagram. I'm just my personal just anyway. I wanted to throw that out for people because I've had people ask me before, like, wait, so you didn't, you don't have a business account? Like, no, it's a business account, but it's just like, I don't use holistic marketing hub as my.

handle. It's my name. You know what I'm saying? Um, cause I really don't have a company name. I'm just Molly Cahill marketing. Um, but there's a lot of confusion around like a business brand or a company brand and a personal brand. And I think a lot of people assume that if you do have a quote more company brand, that it can't have.

human elements. And that is just not true. So I don't know if you want to talk about that.

Erin: I don't think, especially kind of in this more personal touch type businesses that, you know, that I'm in, that you're in, that your clients are in, you must have some humanity within that. And so a brand absolutely is your vehicle to do that.

And I think that the way in my process, you start with Everything that's personal, your own, your own vision, your own, why your own values, your own essence, if you will. And that muscle building grows into now, how does this play out in my business? How does this play out in the work that I do? And that is how you kind of put the cloak of humanity on your business so that it is this personal thing.

How you want to do that. Is it more. Like a personal brand versus a company brand. I think those are interchangeable and I think they might change from one day to another, because let's use your Instagram for an example. You're on there sometimes being just Molly. And then sometimes you're. You know, Molly K marketing, right.

Or King of marketing. And that's the hat that you're wearing. So you're dancing between the two, which is what's most natural and which is what draws people to you because they can relate to you because people don't relate to businesses, they relate to people, those people are a part of a business and that's how that like human connection

Molly: happens.

Yeah, that makes great sense. I think to a lot of people in my audience, because they are more like. You know, their doctors, their health coach, like they're studying like the literature. They want things to be this or that black or white. Just tell me the roadmap. Tell me the key. And I'm like, Ooh, I'm

Erin: not

Molly: like most marketers will tell you it just doesn't work that way.

Right. Because if it did, I could say, here's the exact step to follow to make this thing, this exact thing. And we, we do give roadmaps and blueprints, right. To be like best practices. But at the end of the day, like. Kate used to always say, look for proof of the thing you want. And when she was trying to decide whether or not to keep the Kate Korsenmeier or go to Success with Soul, and she decided on Success with Soul because she's still very much a part and like the driver of the brand, but she's not like, well, Amy Porterfield just came up with a big, it said in her reel, did you see that, that in the next five years she wants to transition to more of a quote company brand, but like, she'll always still be like, it's not like she's being removed.

Like, You can't, this is what I always tell people, especially being in the health and wellness space. I'm like, if there's not a photo of your face or video of your face in the last like six posts, you better get one. Because if you're actually going to have your hands on me, or if you're a virtual health coach and you're on here asking me about my, uh, my poop, like, you know what I mean?

Like there better be some real there. I don't, I need a, not a logo. I need a face. And an example I thought of one day when I was at Target, I was like, look at Target, right? Target is a company brand, right? But they bring in Chip and Joanna Gaines. They bring in, you know what I mean? They're like, Oh, there's these faces.

There's these people. People buy and

Erin: want to, people want people. Yeah. I think in the case of like Quartzmeyer, those, That was an evolutionary decision, right? There was already the humanity of who they were and, and the people that are a part of their work have, like, that's been instilled, and that's a part of them.

And so it's kind of a, It's a bit of a legacy that lives legacy. Yeah. And so it doesn't mean you can't start, you know, front kind of from the company identity, but I do think something that's sustainable and resonant with who you want to work with does have to have humanity and that comes. From my perspective in the form of a brand, which is your vehicle to, you know, kind of fuel the business vehicle.

So, yeah, I think when it comes down to, you know, what do I do? How do I do it? I think that what a brand can do is help give you confidence. And when we're. Social media is a, both a blessing and a curse, right? We sometimes can't answer our own questions or don't know what we want to say, because we're so used to looking for somebody else's opinion or somebody else's way, someone else's template.

And all of that stuff is good. But at the end of the day, you have to make. The decision and you are the one showing up, I believe. And I watched my clients go, okay, I feel solid leaning on the backdrop of this brand that I've built. And that feels good. And we all feel best when we're talking about or how we know best, which is yourself, which is where that's the only, the authenticity is the part that's sustainable because it's you.

And you're

Molly: the only you. Um, yeah, I mean, there's a couple of places I want to take this and I don't want to try to keep us, you know, like at a reasonable time. But the first thing I think about is like, when there are times in life that get hard, right? Um, I, I disagree with a whole lot of the, um, Instagrams fake, like you need to show up as authentically you all the time.

I'm like, no, you don't because. There's going to be times I'm not saying you should be fake, right? I'm not saying you should be like the grass is green green here every day and everything is rosy every day But I think people get confused with that and then like private content, you know what I mean?

Like my private I I don't think there is one person in my audience who would ever look at my stuff and feel like they Don't know me. You know what I mean? And I am a hundred percent me like I that's the best compliment I've ever gotten is people meet me in real life and they're like, oh you're exactly like you Because as you said, I don't know any other way to be right.

But there's also still a lot of stuff I don't share like private stuff. Right. And I think people think that, Oh, if I'm, if I'm not to show up authentically or just show up, just show up, just show up, girl, just show up, just show up authentically. It's like, would you shut the F up? You know what I mean? Like some days you don't have the same energy.

Right. And when you've got this, what do you, I don't know, the muscles you call it of your brand. You do know how to quote show up on days when you're not

Erin: feeling

Molly: totally not

Erin: feeling great. I think a brand does two things. It helps you like have some sort of like maintenance or this is who I am. So when I don't feel like this or I'm struggling with something, I know the minimum to show up.

And because I've decided on it and I know how to do it. It's almost like I can go through the motions today because I've decided authentically and personally what those motions are. And then the other thing is that it, a brand also like shows you helps uncover if you will, what does Molly show look like when.

She's having a hard time. What does she share? Do you share your deepest stuff even in your own life on an everyday basis? Do you share everything with everybody? So that's just that what would be like the ratio is what you would mirror on your marketing stuff, like how you're sharing with a broad audience.

Like if you're out on the playground at, you know, in elementary school, are you sharing everything with everybody? No, it's like different layers, right? The person way across, like you might like chuck a ball to them, but you're not telling them all the intimate stuff. Only the people right next to you are hearing that.

So, you I guess maybe the ratio is the right word. Like what are you doing on a regular basis? Which you know, that you don't need somebody to demystify that for you. You might need to take a moment and like take stock of. You know, how do I act normally and what do I share normally? And then you go, okay, that's the ratio or that's the like breakdown of like personal versus just business.

Um, and I think you have, all of us have great examples of that around us.

Molly: Just being alive. I need to give you a pat on the back because you really taught me this. You taught me something when you emailed me your pitch. You taught me, I remember reading a line and I, when I first read it, I went, Oh, I don't know.

I don't necessarily agree with that, Aaron. And then I reread it and I was like, Oh, I see what she's saying. Um, do you want to tell me? Yeah, let me, I think, I think it's going to need some background. Okay. It's exactly what we just talked about. Okay. So I remember reading this post. I have it saved. It's literally in one of my lessons inside the hub about how Laura Belgray posted screw making a brand personality, make your personality, the brand.

And I live by those like, like, like exactly what you said of like, You're not going to create this brand that's like our friend Sabrina, right? Sabrina's got bright earrings, bright lipstick, bright colored wallpaper. Yes. Yes. Iconic. If her brand was all black and white and tan, it would be like, what? Like there'd be this weird disconnect, right?

Or if she was just like sharing poetry every day, I'd be like, what, you know what I mean? Like, that's not Sabrina. Right. Like, that's not Sabrina. So at first I thought when I, you wrote the line, it was like, when you develop this brand, now you know how to show up and act. And I'm like, well, you already know how to show up and act because the brand is you.

And then I was like, wait a minute. Aaron's right. Because there are days where you're like, I think I went real far, real fast when I left corporate. And I'm sure you did too, to this like soulful, it doesn't feel good. I'm not doing it. Right. And it's like, that's just not life. Exactly. Um, you know, I would be like, you know what?

I'm not going to be able to show up authentically today, so I'm just not going to post or like my energy's not in it today. So or tomorrow or the next day, and then I was like, well, wait a minute, Molly, like you're a business. Like. So there is a time of like, I think it's, I think now my pendulum has re, what's the word, equalized, calibrated, balanced, where I'm like, okay, I'm not being inauthentic if I share.

on days where I'm not feeling 100 percent my highest self. Whereas as a couple years ago, I was like, Oh, it doesn't feel good today. So I'm not sharing it. And I'm not saying that's bad. If that's where you are and that's what works for you. Great. Cause sometimes we just need that. Like my, my body needed that.

permission slip for years after corporate burnout. Right. So the tone, I just said that it is not fair to a lot of you who are still in that spot. And it's like, sometimes that's just what you need is to be like, I'm feeling it today. But reading your email made me reflect back of like, okay, yes, my brand is being, is an archetype of me.

But it also gives me something to lean on, on days when I'm not feeling so steady.

Erin: Because you are actually in business and your deepest, like, presumably, right? Your deepest desire is to serve and you have a skill set or a gift or something that you can show up in the world and provide. You're not going to feel like that all the time, but to keep this baby alive, it has to stay alive.

It has to be fed and it has to be nurtured. And that might look different on different days, but a brand helps you go. How do I keep caring for, how did I decide? To keep caring for this, even when I didn't feel like it and it's just like a kind of a license to go, okay, I'm going to feel this way or I'm going to, you know, not want to do such and such, but I can do some of what I planned out to do.

And it just gives you like, I don't know, a bit of a breath to go, I don't have to come up with what does it look like to show up on this day? Cause I kind of already decided. And you might do a version of it, but you've decided already. And, and I think a brand is it's, it's the why it's the, how it's the, what, and it's, how do you feed each of those things all the way along?

And most importantly, I think a lot of our clients who like, this isn't part of. I don't want to say their gift. I think it can become their gift, but their business is something different than branding and marketing. Right. So it gives you the words to be able to like articulate all that stuff, which is, I think the hard part.

And when people go, Oh, I don't know how to do this. Just tell me what to do. It's like, well, yes, I can tell you what to do, but you are going to have to like. Work the muscles like a workout, right? Like I can't wrong. You have to make yourself strong, but I can support you and I can give you the types of exercises and your muscles will build over time.

It's not going to happen overnight. If you go through my course and you know, I place a brand guide on top of you because that's what you built. You're going to have to work it. You're going to have to feel it. And, but you have gone through all these steps to build those muscles and you will be stronger.

And what I love, the other thing I love, I guess, everything about brands, it's like a, it's like a platform to like riff off of, right. People change, people grow your services. Maybe you get a new certification or you get new experience, like just like. You know, ourselves, right? Like you and I were talking about different health and health practices and maybe supplements or things we add to our lives.

You learn something new, you change, right? Your brand is like this amazing platform to like riff on top of, but it is authentic because it's you, but it evolves and it changes just like a human does.

Molly: Yeah. I think about all the different iterations in my business and how, yeah, it's, so I want to talk about some of like the practical things because, you know, I was saying this before we record.

This is actually not an exercise I've ever done formally. And now that my company is growing and growing, I'm like, maybe we need to actually do this because my team knows a lot of these things because I talk about them a lot. And I remember hearing, um, Dr. Elise Rigney, a lot of the people listening to this podcast will know her.

She did a presentation, um, at an event in Nashville, Stephanie Wigner scale up event, where she was like, my team, we have our mission and vision. And like, so my team never has to like, Not saying they don't have to make a decision, but like it's all there, you know, like that's their default to go back to when they're thinking like, so for me, and tell me if this is like, if I'm getting this right, when you think about like mission and I want just like your quick definition of these for me, one of our, I don't know if this is like, um, what would this be?

What would this be in me? You tell me what this falls into. One thing that's really important to me as an Instagram manager for the Instagram management agency side, well, really that leaks into both sides of my business, but. is to never be box checkers. Like, I just don't want to be like, oh, got that. Got their 16 posts done for the month.

Check. Move on to the next one. Like, I want to make sure we're always. Like, could this be better? Is there something we're missing? Is there something that we could, could tweak a little or like

Erin: that to me sounds like a value if I'm a value. Okay. Okay. So that would be a value. It's a value. So when, when I work with clients or when somebody is in my course, The value section is not just like, we have integrity.

We are service oriented. I ask you to go, what does that look like for you? Right. So to me, like that is the expression of a value, which you might call one or a couple of different things, but that's the expression. So when you like provide something written or you're saying it out loud to somebody who's working, you know, for you or with you, they go.

Okay, we have integrity, but this is what it looks like. And so anybody can go, you know, we are, I can't even think of other values, right?

Molly: I have a couple more because here's how, like I said, I'm very big in examples. Here's how I could see this actually playing out in real life. I could see, let's say Rachel on my team, for example, going, okay, I could go knock out this client, 16 posts and be done well ahead of debt or schedule.

And so was our value maybe more just always stay on schedule and always get it. You know what I mean? Versus her going, emailing the client going, Hey, you know, I've got your first week of content ready, but the last three aren't quite ready yet because we saw there was a need to make it a little better.

And they would know that I would prefer option B over having it done quote on time. And just being checked off the box

Erin: to me. That again is a value. And so if I was writing your brand guide for you, or you were going through my course and developing that brand guide for yourself, I would include that.

Molly: Yeah.

Erin: I love it. I don't think there's like a rule. Um, your value has to be one word with a three word description. Like I. Well, like, so, because that's not useful to Rachel, right? But if Rachel sees, Oh, that's what that looks like, because Rachel's going to have a version of integrity too, but it's under this umbrella of integrity.

And so you're like, Rachel, I want to empower you with this value of integrity. Cause that's how we do business here. Here's what it looks like to me. She can put that on and wear that version, but undoubtedly somebody who probably works for you is going to go, I have integrity too, and it's going to show up Like this for me, but she chose integrity because you told her that's part of our brand is integrity, right?

I'm just

Molly: like,

Erin: this makes perfect sense. I'm trying to think of something. The authenticity, the authenticity is that. You know, there's, there's your version, there's her version, but it's under this umbrella. So we're all being consistent, all saying the same thing, doing the same thing all the time. It's repetition, which builds trust and builds loyalty and builds repeat customers and people who go, Oh my gosh, that's the person you want to hire.

That's the person you.

Molly: I love that because I think sometimes we do get so caught up in like the procedures and processes of like, if you missed your appointment, no questions asked, you're going to get a fee charged. Right. It's like, I could see, I could see that being helpful in some places. But like, let's say you're a family practice and it only happens one time and because this thing, extenuating circle, like that would be part to know like, Oh yeah, we can, you don't, you're not going to get charged.

We understand. Right. Rightfully right. I get it. Like if you have boundaries and if it keeps happening, you got to start, that's not what I'm talking about. But I'm saying people are so such sticklers that they're like, no, I can't go outside. Like, this is my. Line in the sand. There's no,

Erin: you know, so to me, if that's who you are, if like that rigidity is who you are, the market marketing way to use that is to tell why, because, because of this, this, and that.

And if you include more in that brand building than just maybe your thoughts or your own, your own way, when that front desk person has to talk to the person that is, You know, interacting with a person that's like, Oh my gosh, I don't know. I can't afford it. Or I can't miss this appointment. Or, you know, it was just this extenuating circumstance.

You have this rigid, you know, benchmark or this boundary, but listen to that person who's at the front desk, who is the, on the front lines, if you will, has to make calls, has to interact with that person. Listen to her so that that brand, a brand, I guess, is another point. It doesn't have to be static. Just like I said, Humans are not static.

They evolve and they change. So listen to that front desk person who's has your brand understands who you want to be and goes, here's how we can keep. The boundary, um, maybe rigid isn't the right word, but here's how we can keep that while also serving our clients, you create ability for like judgment calls while still being under the brand, while still being on brand, while still, you know, being a good face for your company.

Um, but, uh, if you're rigid, that also the value there could be that like, you don't miss. A symptom, an option, a creative solution, because you are so like dedicated, rigid on what it is you're providing and what you're serving. I think there's a way to, it doesn't have to be just rigid, bad, or, or, or, you know, strong boundaries are bad.

I think it can be like, but this is why, like, this is why it helps you while also remembering to listen to the people who are, You know, serving your

Molly: client. So let's talk about just to kind of like bring this back home. You're talking about, so you have a course. What's the name of your, is it? True You Brand Blueprint.

So in this course, you said one of the things you walk people through is their mission, vision, value prop. the very quick and dirty version of that. If you were walking someone through that, um, what does that look like? Whether they're new in business or there's someone like me, who's been around for a while.

And it's like, well, I think I know what these things are naturally, but I've like never actually sat down and like written them down, which is like, wow.

Erin: The course goes through a, like all personal stuff to start. And then it helps you take those Muscles, if you will, and apply them to those more like every brand has a mission or every brand has messaging and it helps you.

There's video teachings and a workbook and you kind of break down each of those pieces and then come up with like your final statement, if you will, so that you've got some pretty buttoned up language that, um, articulates each of those things and I think what's most valuable in all of that, I'm gonna repeat myself on the muscle thing, it takes energy and effort and that muscle memory inside of you, even though it's kind of more brainwaves that matters and will serve you in the future.

And then you also have all sorts of versions and ways to say a lot of the same stuff. And that's so valuable when you run up against maybe a piece of content or a story from, you know, Your, you know, day in the life or an appointment. Like, how do you take that story and make it give your brand message?

Well, you've got all these different ways to express that in words, either verbal or written out in the world, wherever you're sharing that. Um, but those mechanics then live in your final product of your brand guide. Which you can on that hard day flip to it and read it and go,

Molly: that is what I'm going to say.

Do you have an example of like one you've helped somebody work on recently that you could give? Because I think I'm still not quite visualizing what a mission, a vision, a value proposition is.

Erin: Yeah. Yeah. So I think your mission is What are you working on today? Like, what is the change that you are seeking today with your services, with who you're working with to apply those, your vision is, I like to think of that as like, if you're successful, I don't know, pick a time, five, 10 years down the road, what's your vision of success?

Like, what does that look like? Maybe for some of your clients, it might be that you're raising the level of. Uh, self care to reach a certain point. And it doesn't mean you're out of business, although you could think of it that way. Right? Like if I'm fully successful, like I've gotten myself out of business, but really you could look at, okay, then what's the next vision, right?

We've reached this vision in five to 10 years. Then you create a new one because you're. presumably not going out of business, right?

Molly: Let me go back. What would this be for me then? I always say the world needs more, no, I say more humans need to know about holistic health solutions. I would say that's your mission.

Okay. So maybe I see, I say, I think

Erin: I have these things. I just don't know. I would say you probably do. And I would say actually a lot of your clients probably do, but it is, there's something about. Taking these things and put it like actually articulating them, which then gives you like the mechanics to go out and do what you want to do in your marketing.

Right. So it kind of demystifies things.

Molly: Yeah.

Erin: You're kind of like, Oh, I have to like, think about this. And when we're busy and we're doing our business, like you don't necessarily have extra brain brain power or bandwidth to go. I need to think about this. You already have it. And again, I think once you have it on paper, you have this ability to riff on it, right?

Say it in a different way. When you're having a conversation with somebody and they're like, I don't understand, then you can, you can like, you know, kind of explain it or do it in a different way. But you had a starting place, you had a foundation, you know what it is. And it just, I don't know, demystifies

Molly: everything and being, would you say it's kind of like equivalent to your why?

Like why you do? Yeah. Absolutely. And that's what I always tell people. I'm like, you have to lean back on your why. Right. I always tell the story of, it's not like, Oh, I should post a real today. Cause that doesn't feel, there's no emotional attachment to that. Right. That just becomes a box on your to do list that has.

You know, where is

Erin: it really sustainable, right? You're going to write

Molly: my, but I always tell the story of my sister in law who literally learned how to breastfeed watching reels. Yes. I love that story. But it's true. Like it's like this actually, so that's anytime I'm having, okay, see, this is all coming. I'm learning so much just from talking to you.

When I'm having, like I said, a hard day or anyone's having a hard day, you come back to that why or your mission, which is the brand of more humans need to know about holistic health solutions. So like, I got to show up today. That's why I'm doing this. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. I

Erin: just

Molly: had like an epiphany.

Erin: I lead, I lead clients through the why, how, what in my course, do that yourself and we do it for the business.

Uh huh. So, and those things can overlap and they can look very similar or they can be, you know, a different version of each other, but I feel like that physically feel lighter. Right

Molly: now. Yes. It's so funny. Like, I like, it's like these things you all know, but you're like, I think things like mission, vision, value, like they just feel like marketing jargon and you're like, yeah, they do.

They do. But they're actually useful. And then value proposition was the last one.

Erin: Yeah. Value proposition. I like, I have a love hate relationship with value proposition. Um, because a value proposition kind of tends to have a formula, like it's this, this, so that, or, um, we're used to, I shouldn't say we're used to, you know, people in marketing think of particular sentence or particular structure when you think of a value proposition.

But I like to think of value propositions as a two things. One, you can have a value proposition for the business and you can have a value proposition for each of your services. Um, you can kind of put a value proposition on anything that you're doing or any way that you show up, anything that you're offering, but a value proposition is kind of what you're doing for, for someone because, or so that.

they achieve whatever your transformation or result is. And it can have features, benefits, and transformations in that kind of structured sentence. And it's kind of like, okay, so what? When someone's like, so what? So you are a chiropractor. So you provide holistic, you know, health services. So what? Well, it's so you can X, Y, or Z because it addresses something that somebody wants.

Molly: I love that. And that's why I always kind of encourage people to like, The marketing exercises I walk people through, I always have them write down their last three like ideal patients or clients. And I'm like, what did they put on their intake form? Is why they came to see you.

Erin: Yeah, and that's it. That's a great value proposition opportunity, right?

We've gone through the exercise to learn how to develop a value proposition for your business or your services. You can create a value proposition for Molly when she comes in and she's done her intake form and you can say, well, this is the value I can give you so that you can have this transformation that you're looking for, right?

So it's, again, it's like learning how to build that. And then it just kind of becomes, You already know this stuff, right? Your clients already know this stuff. It's just putting it in a format so that another person can receive that information.

Molly: Yeah. I think of it as like, I love how you said each person can almost be like, have, have almost like a different thing.

So it's like, I help statements are always, I think a good place to start because you're just like, yes, there's a lot of people who are like, I help statements are out and I help statements are not cool. I'm like, I get that. Sometimes I think if you can like start there, then you can like riff on it. I don't know if that's you agree or disagree.

I think they, they end up being a little bland as your final version, but I think sometimes it's like a good like starting place. Yeah. Well, it helps

Erin: you like, it helps you communicate all of this stuff. Helps you communicate with somebody that maybe you haven't communicated with or somebody that you need to communicate more with.

Molly: So

Erin: if an, I help statement helps the person you're talking to, why wouldn't you use it? Just because somebody on Instagram or me, or you said, I help statements are out, like. I don't know. Do you like it? Do you feel it when you say it resonate with you? Does it resonate with your clients? Then use every, I help statement you want.

Yeah.

Molly: Cause I think about like, you know, I have a student in the hub who helps menopausal women like bounce their blood sugar. So she's like, you know, I help women connect me with that person. Yes, I will help. I help menopausal women balance their blood sugar so they can have more energy, lose stubborn belly, belly fat.

And. I think it was like feel, uh, I don't, I don't remember her third thing, but I think of things like, hey, you know, I, I can't get on the floor and play Uno with my kid. Like, you know what I mean? It can be like, And when it comes to your broader marketing branding language, obviously like playing Uno with your kids, not going to be, but when it comes to actual specific reels and pieces of content, that's actually what's working right now on Instagram is like, and I think you can't get on the

Erin: ground.

The first part, if you don't know the first part, like I don't know, like, so that statement that you just said about this woman. So Cool. That makes me go, Ooh, I want to talk to her. I want to connect with her. I'm going to get her handle from you after this. I'm going to go to her page and she's then going to say, I know you can't get on the ground or whatever.

And I'm going to go, yeah. But the first entry point was her like, Telling me what, like, how do I make this initial connection? Right. It's, it's, it's, you have got to have an entry point and you have to know it to, to be able to share it. And then you have this nurture ability on your, Instagram or in your email or in your client interactions where you're the nurturing that that statement, you're proving that value proposition and everything that you do.

And you're using the cues from your client or your audience or your own daily interactions to prove that that value

Molly: proposition on the right taught me so much today. You just sparked a whole new idea. I have my whole monthly Holistic Marketing Hub coaching call in 10 minutes

Erin: and

Molly: well no, now I'm like, this completely changes what I'm going to cover on the call.

I have like a whole new idea. I think, you know what I'm going to do? I think I'm going to lead them through an exercise where they talk about the umbrella term of like, help you get your energy back. We'll use that as an example. And then underneath that spoke of like, well, what is that? What a real moment life, like.

Real life moments, real life moments where that matters that you can personify and like bring to life. I think that'd be a cool exercise. Love it. I totally love that. I love you, Aaron. So how can people, so you have the course, um, which is DIY. You also have like, um, done with you done for you. Yeah. So how can people find you connect with you?

Erin: Oh, I feel like my best magic happens in my email community. So I also have a freebie. You can go to matchboxwomen. com forward slash message mastery. Um, and you can sign up for my email there and I just. Send a weekly email and you just get more of this, like what you've, what we've been talking about, like more of this, but there's also more, um, more of Aaron in there as well.

Um, more specific Aaron stuff.

Molly: Well, I have come away with lots of ideas. So thank you for that. And thank you for, I mean, I do have a formal marketing background in a way. Like my degree was in PR, which is, you know, Marketing. Sure. But I don't have like a marketing degree. And so I think I've had a lot of, um, I don't know what these terms like vision mesh, you know what I mean?

Erin: Yeah. I, I, I'm the same. I have a degree, advanced degree in communications, but I feel like marketing is like, you know, I mean, that's just the word to share. I think mark, how do you share well, like how do you share you and, and allow other people to open up and share back with you? Like marketing is just the, I don't know the common term

Molly: out there

Erin: for

Molly: sharing.

I love it. I love it. Um, you've just given me a whole new way to think about how I'm going to teach things. Like you've just opened up because I used to tell people, well, don't just say you help women live their best lives. Right. Right. Because. What does that mean? But it's like, okay, we can start there and we can do offshoots of what that means.

I just think at the end

Erin: of the day, it all works. Yeah. It all works. It all works. I mean, it just, it all works and you just keep using those things and you keep building and you keep riffing off of it, which is actually just what life looks like and which is actually just you showing up. You're all good marketers, people.

You're all good.

Molly: You know, Latice Hudson. Do you know who Latice Hudson is? I don't. I'll never forget. She was on a, again, I know her through Kate. I don't know her, know her, but like. uh, discovered her through Kate. She said, it's all made up. Yes. Mission, vision, value proposition. Clearly I've done just fine without ever having any of that, you know what I mean?

Like I had them, I just didn't have, so it's just so funny. It's all made up people. It is all doing great days. You're all doing a good job. Keep keep on being you and you're gonna get there. Get that tattoo. It's all made up. Yeah. So for my type A's who want me to always give you an exact road map. It's all made up.

Erin: Well, and that's why you and I show up, right? Because actually people do need, like, okay, at least show me where the trailhead is, you know, which markers along that overgrown trail, like I should be looking for. And that's why you and I show up in this sort of work is to provide, you know, trailhead step, step, like, okay, am I just saying bye or am I walking with you?

You just need some guideposts, um, and that, that's. That's where we like come in great analogies. Yay. I'm inspired.

Molly: Great. Me too.

Erin: so much for having me. This is awesome.

Molly: Thank you for listening to holistic marketing simplified. And Hey, you know how every podcaster at the very end of their episode asks you to rate and review their podcast.

Well, that's because it's super important. These podcasts take a lot of time and heart and effort to produce, to bring you free information. So in order for me to be able to continue doing that, we need more people to find out about the show. So if you could please just take like two minutes out of your very busy day to leave me a rating and share this on your Instagram stories and tag at Molly A.

Cahill. C A H I L L. I would greatly, greatly appreciate your support. I know your time is valuable and I can't wait to see you in the next episode.