What’s Your Marketing REALLY Doing for You? 5 Outcomes

Judging by some posts I’ve seen and conversations I’ve been having, it looks like more business owners are finally waking up to this marketing lie: “You just need to show up consistently and showcase your personality: that’s what people are buying.”

I mean, who wouldn’t want to believe that?!

Not only does it sound easy as cherry pie: it’s even more of an ego boost than when passersby tell me they love my 80s outfits.

But as I’ve been saying for years: while it is a piece of the puzzle, it’s not enough on its own, especially with the current market and trust recession (unless you literally sell personal branding or social media popularity).

So, I’m sharing 5 different marketing outcomes with you.

If you feel like, given the value of your services and the time or money you’ve been investing in your marketing, you should get better results, this breakdown will uncover the actual problem or blind spot

And I’ll be honest: while the 5th one is what we should always aim for, I’ve been fluctuating between some of the other scenarios myself throughout the years, even as a marketing strategist. Why? It’s a tricky balance when we’re so close to our business and marketing, especially in certain situations (like a pivot).

But if when we don’t fix it, we’re left relying on sporadic referrals and a lot more effort and touchpoints than we’d like, to reach and sign the right clients.

Before we dive into it, though, a disclaimer: I believe there are no one-size-fits-all solutions in marketing. Everyone’s situation is unique, and there are additional scenarios too, like having the wrong-fit offers altogether.

However, these are the most common ones for profitable businesses.

5 most common marketing outcomes

1. Complete unknown

❌ Your ideal client doesn’t remember your name, face, or brand

❌ They don’t understand and remember what you do

❌ They don’t see themselves in your marketing

❌ They don’t believe you can help them solve their problem and achieve their main goal

Root cause: Your marketing is all over the place, too sporadic to stick, or your audience is genuinely too small (but this scenario is rare among the women in my world)

2. Familiar influencer or online friend

✅ Your ideal client remembers your name, face, or brand

❌ They don’t understand and remember what you do

❌ They don’t see themselves in your marketing

❌ They don’t believe you can help them solve their problem and achieve their main goal

Root cause: You’re consistent with your marketing but it either doesn’t actually feed into your services or your messaging is too vague and complicated, instead of matching your ideal clients’ language

(For example, a trainer mostly sharing personal branding content, photos, or inspirational emails or a coach using generic buzzwords like “I’ll help you overcome your blocks and unlock that next business level” rather than a clearer “We’ll work on the trauma and beliefs causing you to self-sabotage so you can double your revenue without burning out every few months”)

3. Interesting but not for me

✅ Your ideal client remembers your name, face, or brand

✅ They understand and remember what you do

❌ They don’t see themselves in your marketing

❌ They don’t believe you can help them solve their problem and achieve their main goal

Root cause: You are consistently talking about your area of expertise but not in a way that positions your services as the bridge between your specific ideal clients’ current challenges and their goals. So, your targeting and messaging is still off

(For example, SEOs who want to sign more retainer clients for their higher-ticket done-for-you services but the bulk of their marketing is SEO tips that resonate with industry peers or business owners still trying to DIY everything. Or coaches who want to target established, successful business owners but use low-vibe language like “You’re struggling” or “You’ve had yet another week without new leads”)

4. Compelling but unconvincing

✅ Your ideal client remembers your name, face, or brand

✅ They understand and remember what you do

✅ They see themselves in your marketing

❌ They don’t believe you can help them solve their problem and achieve their main goal

Root cause: You nailed your messaging but haven’t given your audience enough reasons to trust what you’re saying and promising

(For example, a copywriter who never shares actual client results, a consultant whose marketing doesn’t make you think “She actually made me look at this from a completely different perspective”, any service provider whose behaviour doesn’t match what they preach—like someone claiming they don’t care about the algorithm and then leaving 13 comments underneath their own posts—or a coach who shies away from actual promotional content or justifies it with “I don’t normally do sales posts buuuuut”, making you doubt whether or not she believes in her services herself)

5. THE authority

✅ Your ideal client remembers your name, face, or brand

✅ They understand and remember what you do

✅ They see themselves in your marketing

✅ They believe you can help them solve their problem and achieve their main goal

What gets you there: crystal-clear and magnetic messaging, shared with conviction through consistent marketing that shifts beliefs and builds both trust and authority

What marketing scenario matches your business situation right now?

I hope this breakdown was a valuable reflection opportunity for you and gave you some direction.

And if you’re a brilliant woman founder but your current marketing situation is NOT 5, here’s how we can change it together

The Trust Recession: How You Can Win Over Skeptical Clients

Our new potential clients are currently experiencing a trust recession, and I can’t blame them.

£20k masterminds positioned as “THE space for you, babe” but where they were treated like a number and perhaps even unfollowed by the host after paying the last invoice.

Online courses that promised the world but where the real value was gated behind a £997 upgrade. 

Agencies squeezing every penny out of small businesses that trusted them with their marketing, only to give them ChatGPT slop.

Coaches who won people over with their popular personal brands and high follower count but turned out to be all vibes and no delivery.

Or who broke confidentiality and rewrote your story in a way that portrayed you as an incompetent victim and them as your saviour, while taking credit for a sale you made without them even knowing about it (yep, this actually happened to me… with an ICF-certified coach!).

Fake Stripe notifications and screenshots.

No wonder there’s a trust recession, especially (but not only) in the marketing and coaching industries!

You’ve probably felt it too: new clients are more hesitant or take longer to invest.

It’s not “just” because of the market, tighter budgets, and cost-of-living crisis (or *cough cough* the world being on fire): 

overall, we’re fed up with hype marketing and got burnt before. But what does that mean for your service-based business? 

And what can you do about it, to keep signing the right clients more easily?

Here’s my take, as a marketing strategist who doesn’t believe in shortcuts and unethical practices.

If you’re an ethical service provider or founder, the current trust recession is both good and bad news for your business

You know you’re legit (and damn brilliant at delivering your services). Your past and current clients know this, too. But the potential ones who haven’t worked with you yet? They don’t.

And the worst part of the current trust recession?

Because of lots of unethical people and “bro/babe marketers”, capable and experienced service providers are now paying the price, too.

And on top of that, tactics and strategies that used to work like a charm are no longer as effective.

But there’s no point in crying about it: we can’t ignore the reality around us (like this trust recession) and continue to do more of the same and magically expect different results.

The good news?

If you’re prepared to make the right changes to your marketing, you can win over new clients more easily, even during the current trust recession.

And I’m about to show you how. Heads-up, though: 

I don’t sugarcoat things, and you might not like some of my advice. In fact, it probably goes against what you’re seeing in your feed (like "just be authentic, and clients will be drawn to you”).

But it’s also what allowed a coaching client to go from never selling her premium £3k offer (even though she was already “being authentic”) to selling it multiple times to people who had never invested in her before.

Or a designer to win a big project from her marketing, telling me she was surprised at how easy it was to sign them and how much she got to charge.

So, if you’re prepared to stop relying so heavily on sporadic referrals and endless touchpoints with undecided prospects, here’s what I recommend. 

How to build trust with your marketing and win over new clients, even during the trust recession 

Avoid fake scarcity

We’ve all seen sales pages with “Normally £997, but you can get it for £97, just for the next 24h”... only to realise that the anxiety-inducing countdown timer reset itself every day.

Or “I only have 2 spots left”, except it was promised to you through a fully automated funnel that runs all year around.

This might have worked in 2020 (although it should have never been a thing, in my opinion). Not anymore.

Don’t forget that, as a service provider, you probably already have real scarcity because there are only so many clients you can work with in one go. Or perhaps you have an early-bird discount or offer that genuinely expires on a specific day. Do mention that, as it’s a great incentive!

But fake scarcity is a one-way ticket to losing your ideal clients’ trust. 

Share client stories and proof (regularly)

We’ve had enough of (fake) Stripe screenshots. Plus, anyone can share inflated claims or random statements, especially with AI.

So, if you want your audience to believe that you can take them from their current challenge to their ideal outcome through your services, the best way to build trust is to show them how you’ve already helped other real-life people who used to be in their shoes.

For example, this can include having case studies on your website, telling those stories in your marketing (like on socials and emails), and sprinkling additional proof in some of your content.

Share your unpolished story and mistakes (but without turning it into pity p*rn)

New clients are no longer trusting those who portray themselves as impeccable superhumans with the most polished Instagram feed. They’re skeptical because… they already got burnt by those very people!

So, consider sharing the most relevant parts of your story and new challenges you’ve faced behind the scenes, including some less glamorous bits.

However, while many people are telling you to share from the wound because it gets more engagement, I’m warning you: be mindful and tactical about it.

And not just because I believe you shouldn’t feel pressured to share anything you don’t want to share, but because I’ve seen it backfire, both in the sense that it destroyed someone’s credibility or it brought them wrong-fit clients.

For example, talking about how you regulated and led yourself as you went from “your business almost failing” to “hitting £8k months” might work well if you literally help clients regulate and lead themselves during challenging business phases. But if, for example, you only help with the strategy side of things, that narrative would bring you clients who are too desperate and dysregulated to implement and commit to your brilliant strategies. And if you do something else entirely (like done-for-you copywriting services)… well, it’d be pretty irrelevant to keep sharing that, wouldn’t it?

Or another example: I’m pretty sure most of us feel like we’re winging the running of our business sometimes. But if you were to share “Confession: I always feel like I’m winging my client work”, sorry but I’m not going to trust you with my money.

So, stick to relevant stories and challenges, and share them in a way that makes your ideal clients think “This person is real, honest, and legit, and I can trust them to lead me / deliver on their promise.”

Avoid unrealistic claims

As women, in particular, we tend to downplay the value we bring and the transformation we help our clients achieve. Don’t you dare do that!

But at the same time, don’t overpromise either.

Your ideal clients have heard it all before, like “I’ll 10x your results” or “Double your income in 2 weeks”. 

During the current trust recession, if something feels too good to be true, they’re not going to bother getting in touch.

(Also, how can someone promise to “10x my results” if they know nothing about my situation?!)

Don’t make it sound too good or easy 

Most of us don’t believe in silver bullets anymore, and those who do… well, they tend to be nightmare clients who expect you to save their entire business or life while they do next to nothing.

Would you rather work with better and more committed clients? Then, help them trust you by mentioning the ‘hard’ or less glamorous parts of your solution.

For example, if you coach, consult, or mentor your clients, talk about what they must be prepared for (like wobbles, time commitments to implement everything, or challenging and ‘stretchy’ moments). I always bang on about how, if someone isn’t fully prepared to change the way they do their marketing and commit to it to get different results, we wouldn’t be a good fit.

If you offer done-for-you services, don’t shy away from sharing why your onboarding or initial strategy phase takes longer than that Fiverr freelancer charging £30 per hour.

The right clients will value it and trust you for it!

Shift your ideal clients’ beliefs (and give them some bitter pills to swallow)

You can’t expect a complete stranger to trust you if all you share in your marketing is a mixture of personal branding content and “10 tips to do this and that”. 

Instead, offer a-ha moments to your specific ideal clients, helping them look at something from a different perspective—even (or better: especially) when it involves showing them the real cause behind their problems or why their current way of thinking/doing is working against them.

This will help them trust that, by hiring you, they will truly change their situation, not end up with yet another temporary patch. 

Freakin’ stand for something

Sticking to safe stances that everyone and their dogs can easily agree with (and then forget about)? Regurgitating what your industry peers are saying? 

Then, you can’t expect high-calibre clients to believe in your authority and trust you to change their situation for good.

Now, I’m not talking about being controversial for the sake of it or for click bait (I hate that, too).

But if you have a different approach or opinion compared to most of the people in your industry, do share it. Confidently. Without apologising for it or justifying it with “I hope I don’t offend anyone but” or “It feels scary to say this but”.

For example, everyone is talking about being magnetic to attract your ideal clients, but they’re conveniently forgetting that magnets don’t just attract: they repel, too. So, to be fully magnetic, you must be prepared to put off the wrong-fit people and potentially get less engagement on social media. Talking about this doesn’t make me particularly popular because most people don’t want to hear it. But it does help me connect with the right ones, including my ideal clients. So, I won’t shut up about it, even when I only get 5 likes.

Make sure your behaviour matches your stances

Nowadays, clients can smell a “do as I say, not as I do” approach, and it’ll break their trust while ruining your credibility. 

A photographer claiming you need professional photos to stand out and succeed with your business but never sharing them for themselves?

A content writer insisting your website needs a freshly updated blog but their latest article is from 7 months ago?

Someone saying they don’t care about the algorithm but then leaving 17 comments underneath their own posts, asking all kinds of irrelevant questions just to get random engagement and boost their reach?

People notice and remember it.

Deliver on your (micro)promises

I bet you do deliver on your promise when working with a client or delivering a project. Otherwise, you wouldn’t receive so many brilliant testimonials and referrals.

But to build trust during the current trust recession, this must start before someone becomes a paying client (and if you don’t deliver on those first micro-promises? They never will).

For example, if your freebie promises a specific outcome, make sure you don’t gate it behind an upsell. If your social media hook teases something, don’t let it be clickbait.

Keep your messaging consistent

Of course, your messaging will change eventually. It should evolve with your business! Just… not all the time.

For example, I’ve seen people go from “you should never build your entire business online” to “how to get clients by going all in on ONE platform”, or go from offering done-for-you services to becoming a coach in a completely different niche overnight.

So, if you’re tweaking your LinkedIn headline every other week, you slag a tactic for months and then position yourself as an expert in the same thing, you keep changing what you stand for, or you’re always churning out new offers without giving anything time to stick… your audience is going to start thinking you don’t actually know what you're doing.

If you’re not clear on your messaging and what to lead with in your marketing, or you can tell it’s not doing justice to the value of your services, we can fix it together in one week with Recalibrate. 

Show up with conviction

“I don’t normally talk about my services buuuuuuuuuuuuut…”

“Keep scrolling if you don’t like promotional posts.”

Never talking about your services or openly inviting your audience to book a call.

Continuing to complain because the algorithm is against you.

Adding endless padding whenever you dare to take a stance.

These (more or less) subtle behaviours are sending the signal that you care more about vanity metrics and validation than reaching and impacting the right people with your message and services.

So, it’s making it harder for the right clients—the ones looking for an authority they can trust with their time, energy, and money—to pick you.

Showing up as a trusted authority—and the only logical option for your ideal clients—uring the trust recession

Yes, most of these points require big mindset shifts and practical changes to how you show up and market your services. 

But as I said before: I don’t sugarcoat things.

We can either keep complaining that “It’s harder to sign new clients” and that “People are more reluctant to invest” or we can change something (and be patient while we give it time to stick).

If you’re prepared to do the latter but your current marketing isn’t doing justice to the value of your services or you’d benefit from the right systemised approach to keep it up (so you can regain hours, headspace, and control while working with more perfect-fit clients):

Shoot for the Moon, Land Among the Stars (to Sign Better Clients)

Do you prefer relying on bigger projects, high-ticket offers, or retainers but signing them feels like a fluke rather than your standard? Maybe they mostly come from unpredictable referrals, or most new clients tend to opt for your smallest offer and expect the world from it?

That’s a common situation for many of my clients (if you’re new here, I’m a marketing strategist and mentor for brilliant but undervalued women founders).

In most cases, we can change that. But there are objective realities and challenges to keep in mind.

For example, we’re going through a trust recession. While plenty of people and businesses do have the budget, they’re more hesitant to invest because they got burned before.

Which is why I don’t tell my clients “just keep showing up, raise your vibration, and trust that more of those high-level clients will find you” (even though that’d make me more popular on social media).

Instead, we usually do this:

My “shoot for the moon, land among the stars” approach to marketing. How does it work?

• We get crystal-clear on who their high-calibre clients are (beyond surface-level avatars like “purpose-led businesses”): those who actually need their bigger offers, have the budget, and are prepared to invest (and spoiler alert: they all realise they weren’t actually targeting them with their marketing)

• We stop seeing their smaller offers as “a cheaper one-off option for a separate client avatar who just hasn’t got the budget for more” (instead of continuing to wonder why so many clients expect the world from them or why not enough upgrade to bigger services afterwards)

• In the bulk of their marketing, we always talk to that high-calibre client. Always. We don’t keep switching from them to a lower-vibe version or a different avatar (read this again, as it’s one of the most common traps, and I fell for it myself, years ago)

What tends to happen to my clients after they adopt my “shoot for the moon, land among the stars” approach to marketing

• Even their new clients who opt for lower offers tend to be higher-vibe and more committed

• It’s easier for them to retain or turn some of these new clients into bigger projects after that initial trust is gained

• They also start getting more premium clients into their highest-ticket offers or bigger projects (for example, R., a brilliant coach, had never sold her £3k offer before working with me, and she has now sold it multiple times, and F. couldn’t believe how much she got to charge for a new project that came directly from her marketing)

Start aiming higher, strategically

The moral of the story?

You can’t just “trust that high-calibre clients will find you and start dropping £££ on your highest-ticket offer”, especially during the current trust recession. But if you’re strategic about it and implement the right changes, you can certainly give yourself the best chances of signing them more consistently.

Are you going to try my “shoot for the moon, land among the stars” approach?

And if this made you look at your marketing from a different perspective (and you’re serious about regaining hours, headspace, and control while working with more perfect-fit clients):

Use Your Personality to Get CLIENTS from Your Marketing (Not Engagement)

“Just be your authentic self, and your dream clients will be drawn to you.

“Your personality is the USP.”

Everyone’s telling you this, especially personal branding gurus selling you *cough cough* social media popularity disguised as authority and client attraction.

I get it: as women, in particular, it’s appealing because it reinforces the conditioning that we must be liked by everyone and the common desire to sell without looking like we’re selling.

And it all sounds super easy and (let’s be honest) flattering, too. “Just be yourself, and use your personality in your marketing. Literally just that.” Piece of cake, right?

So, anyone who wants to continue believing that: close this article right now (but don’t keep complaining about all those price objections, calls with undecided leads, and feeling under-recognised, okay?)

Would you rather work with more of the high-ticket, perfect-fit clients who energise you?

Keep reading.

I’ll show you how to use your personality in your marketing in a way that helps you do that.

The marketing myth of “just show your personality and be authentic”

Now, my stance isn’t as sexy as the gurus’.

I am however saying this as a marketing strategist with a background in an in-house marketing department and who’s been running her business for +6 years:

using your personality and being authentic is NOT enough to get high-level clients from your marketing consistently.

And I’m by no means saying you shouldn’t use your personality or be authentic, of course. But here’s the thing:

if you want them to pay you—not just praise you—your ideal clients must also see you as “the authority they can confidently trust with their time, energy, and money”.

Otherwise, you’ll keep attracting supportive social media fans who tell you “OMG, I looooove your vibe” but then drop thousands on your competitors instead.

How to use your personality in your marketing in a way that helps you get more paying clients

As I teased, it’s not about hiding our personality. Not at all! It’s about using it strategically.

So, here’s how my clients and I use our unique personality and background in our marketing.

We keep our personality but put the ego aside

Your ideal clients need to see themselves in your marketing and understand how you can help them go from their current problem to their happy ending.

If your messaging doesn’t lead with THAT… good luck retaining their attention and getting them to take action, in a saturated market and online space.

We focus on the most relevant parts of our life

My clients and I aren’t here to bare our entire soul to get engagement on social media or to confuse our target audience by jumping from one random topic to the next.

So, for example:

- Did you use to be in your ideal client’s shoes (and how did you overcome that challenge)?

- Do you believe in something they also care about?

- What’s a lesson from your past job that can build credibility now?

- Have you got engaging anecdotes or analogies that can feed into your services?

We take stances and share our fresh perspective instead of being vanilla

This isn’t about being controversial for the sake of it. But when everyone has a similar approach or believes the same stuff about our industry, whereas we believe the opposite?

We’re freakin’ vocal about it—even if someone might disagree in the comments—because we know the right clients will appreciate it, especially when we help them look at their situation from a different perspective.

We share our client stories and results

Any other competitor and AI can easily share “10 tips to do this and that” or a generic post about your industry. But nobody has got your client stories!

Plus, you can’t expect high-level clients to buy from you because of “vibes”: they also need to see that you’ve already helped someone who used to be in their shoes

We start leaning into that upgraded version of ourselves

The one who rejected the conditioning that, as women, we must shrink, be everything for everyone, and downplay our brilliance. The one who shares what she stands for, without worrying about “what if someone thinks I’m too much”.

Yes, it can feel uncomfortable at first. But once you commit to acting like that version, you then start feeling like her, too (and eventually become her).

What to keep in mind when using your personality in your marketing (beyond ‘just being authentic’)

By all means: keep being yourself and injecting your personality into your marketing (for example, I often sprinkle references to my Italian heritage, my obsession for 80s fashion, or the fact that I dance and write fiction on the side, and I talk about some of my challenges, too).

But if you’re serious about working with more high-ticket and perfect-fit clients who see you as the authority you are—before they even speak to you—be more intentional and strategic, too.

Personality, clear messaging, and authority must go together.

Start showing up and being seen as the authority you already are behind the scenes

Serious about going beyond sporadic word-of-mouth referrals and stop spending so much time and energy on scattered action and calls or touchpoints with “I’ll think about it” prospects?

You might be a good fit to become The Intentional Authority with me.

During this 90-day 1:1 programme, you’ll boost your authority and implement more efficient, structured, high-impact marketing, gaining back hours and headspace every week while attracting more of the high-ticket, perfect-fit clients who energise you ⚡

The Year We Go Analogue: Will This Impact Your Client Acquisition?

Your friends’ Instagram feeds that haven’t been updated for months. Someone announcing they got a physical planner for the first time in years. More mentions of vinyl, Polaroids, and spending time in nature without phones.

You’ve probably felt this shift even before all those pretty carousels announced (ironically, on social media) that 2026 is the year we go analogue. But I’m not here to add to them.

As the marketing strategist for talented but under-recognised women founders, I’m encouraging you to consider the aspect of this off-line resurgence that’s most relevant to your service-based business (and that I still haven’t seen anyone else talk about), especially if you got a little too comfortable relying on unpredictable word-of-mouth referrals and social media:

since people are spending less time scrolling, how will ‘the year we go analogue’ affect your lead generation and client acquisition?

And mind you: this goes beyond what could end up being just a trend, because our online behaviour #has already been changing, and there’s another challenge to take into account—and these are facts, not predictions.

So, let’s look into the offline and analogue resurgence together, so you can make the right adjustments and keep thriving (instead of seeing your lead generation and revenue go down with organic social media reach).

Is 2026 the age of analogue? 

Yes, 2026 is already considered the year we go analogue, and it might very well end up being the start of a much bigger and longer shift, although I most definitely do not believe it’s going to be as drastic as some make it out to be.

But overall:

• People are experiencing digital burnout after years of endless scrolling, inflated promises that didn’t deliver (like “Buy my online course so you can start working only 3h a day”), and influencers showcasing their perfectly curated lives

• As a result, they’re now craving phone detoxes and more meaningful off-line experiences, like owning some physical media (instead of relying entirely on subscriptions), reading books in cafes, planning fun activities with friends, or going for walks in nature without endless pings

So, if people—and statistically, that’s bound to include some of your ideal clients—are spending LESS time online, especially on social media, what does that mean for your visibility and client acquisition?

My thoughts as a marketing strategist (who’s already seen all kinds of trends and drastic statements)

I used to work in a marketing department, and I’ve been running my own business since 2019. 

So, as a marketer, I’ve already seen plenty of bold statements about trends and tactics that were meant to be the next big thing (anyone remembers NFTs?) or, on the contrary, being dead (“SEO is dead”, “Email marketing is dead”, “Blogging is dead”—and yet you’re still reading).

And that’s why I take them with a pinch of salt. So, when it comes to 2026 being the year we go analogue, let me be clear:

• No, I don’t believe everyone will ditch social media, phones, and the online space

• Yes, there will be a shift in how people engage online. In fact, it’s already started. Overall, we are becoming more mindful about how, when, with whom, and why we engage online

If you want to keep thriving, you must make changes to your marketing… and not just because it’s the year we go analogue

I wouldn’t be writing this blog post for you if it was just a temporary trend.

Sure, some people being so vocal about the year we go analogue might very well be a trend. But these are facts:

• We’ve already been spending less and less time on social media – Social media usage peaked in 2022 and has been going down slowly but steadily since then

• Organic reach on social media is harder than ever – In 2025, in particular, did you often feel like “Nobody is seeing my posts”, even though you used to be able to reach 10x more people? It wasn’t just you. For example, during Q3 in 2025, LinkedIn reach was down 65% from its peak. This is due to a variety of factors, but especially users becoming more mindful with their engagement, and social media platforms focusing on a pay-to-play model (= they’re making organic reach harder so that you start paying for ads to reach more people. Cheeky, I know)

• People are tired of impersonal, AI-generated content – They were already becoming more mindful with how they used social media. Now that so many business owners and content creators are relying so heavily on AI? I’ve lost count of how many conversations I’ve had or how many posts I’ve seen where people are complaining that “Everyone in my feed sounds the same. I’m thinking of leaving this platform”

So, the moral of the story?

People are experiencing digital burnout and are no longer engaging in the same way they did years ago. So, if you want your business to keep thriving and reaching your ideal clients consistently, you must adapt. 

Relying on unpredictable word-of-mouth referrals or putting all your eggs in the social media basket has always been a risky game. I’ve been a broken record about this for years. Now, during the year we go analogue and with those additional challenges, it’d be more reckless than offering me pineapple on pizza (context: I’m Italian).

Marketing your services during the year we go analogue (and beyond): how to keep reaching and signing the right clients consistently 

I want you to read this with the right expectations: 

• This isn’t an exhaustive list – There are other options, of course. With my clients, we focus on personalised strategies based on their unique situation, strengths, challenges, and goals. But these are some excellent starting points 

• Be realistic: you can’t implement all these steps and tactics – You’re running a business, first and foremost. Your marketing and the actions you take regularly should be there to help you do it more smoothly and keep signing new clients, not to overwhelm you or turn you into a content creator or influencer. Secondly, you don’t even need to do ‘everything’, anyway (although you do need to go beyond word of mouth and social media, if you want to sign clients more predictably)

• I don’t do all these things myself – On top of everything I’ve just shared, I’m autistic. So, for example, I really struggle to ‘build relationships’, and don’t even get me started on coffee chats. However, I still included points that don’t work for me but might very well play to your strengths, too (and vice versa)

Now, let’s get into the key steps to “future-proof” your marketing during the age of analogue and trickier social media reach. Or…

if you’d rather do this with the right 1:1 support (without getting overwhelmed or second-guessing yourself), check out The Intentional Authority

Clarify your messaging, and be memorable for your ideal clients

It’s not 2021 anymore: gone are the days when “just showing up consistently” and “being a generic service provider for everyone” was enough to get clients. 

Markets are becoming more saturated, and your audience has heard the same buzzwords a thousand times, especially during the boom of new online businesses during the pandemic. 

So, if you want to be THE ONE they think of, even during the year they go analogue:

• Clarify your positioning and messaging, and make them magnetic for your specific ideal clients – Position your services as the obvious bridge between their problems and goals, something tangible and specific (not a vague “I’ll supercharge your business” or “Live your truth”).
  In your marketing, keep focusing on your ideal clients. After all, if you want them to keep noticing it and engaging with it, even now that they’re using their phones and social media more mindfully, it must immediately grab their attention and make them think “OMG, it’s like she wrote this about ME!”

• Keep it consistent… and be a broken record – We need to see the same message multiple times in order to absorb it. So, if you want your ideal clients to remember you (and most importantly, how you can help them), you can’t keep jumping from one topic to the next or tweaking your headlines and website copy every month

• Share what only you can share – Personally, I don’t care about whether or not you’re using AI. But if your marketing content could be entirely written by AI (or a competitor), you won’t stand out during the year we go analogue, let alone be remembered.
  Instead, include your perspective, client stories and social proof, relevant personal stories, and so on. Stand for something. And help your ideal clients look at their situation from a different perspective, instead of telling them what they already know or are getting from ChatGPT

• Show up as an actual authority and business owner (while still being yourself, of course) – Over the past few years, gurus and self-proclaimed personal branding experts have been saying that you must “always give value” and that “as long as you’re authentic, clients will want to work with you”. As if!
  But as a consequence, many solopreneurs and founders have been showing up as more of a free resource, online friend, or influencer. Basically, as someone their audience likes and supports… but isn’t even thinking of paying. And that’s why their marketing doesn’t feel worth the time and energy they’re putting into it: it mostly brings them likes, engagement, and undecided leads rather than enough ideal clients.
  So, don’t ever forget why you’re here and what your business depends on. Instead of focusing on vanity metrics and content that makes you feel popular, lead with your unique message and tie it back to your services

That way, it doesn’t matter if your ideal clients have missed your latest social media post or are enjoying a phone-free walk in the woods when they realise they’re ready to solve their problem or achieve their goal: you will be the one who comes to mind.

Use social media more mindfully

I’m by no means telling you that “social media is dead” or that you shouldn’t be on it. But… 

• Depend less on social media – Don’t put all your marketing eggs in this basket, and don’t spread yourself thin by trying to be active on every platform. That’s not the best use of your time, energy, or money, especially now that social media usage is going down and people are engaging differently!

• Use these platforms strategically, and stay focused – Start seeing social media as one part of your marketing and client acquisition strategy (especially as a way to reach new people and stay top of mind, while still inviting them to take action regularly), not to feel popular with influencer-style content and then complain when you don’t get as much engagement

And for the record, you’re not imagining it: when you post a picture of your cat or talk about pineapple on pizza, you are getting more engagement… but that’s because you’re sharing light-hearted content that everyone and their dog can easily have an opinion on. 

The kind of magnetic content that activates your ideal clients will probably get less engagement. From the outside, it might look like ‘it bombed’… even though it brought you actual leads.

For example, my client Rita’s social media “got me a lot of reactions, comments, followers and irrelevant DMs, but no clients.” And after we changed her messaging and overall strategy together: “My relevant network is growing at quite a pace as well, with 32 new connections in just 7 days since I started using my new brand messaging, all from my ideal audience. I started getting my first organic enquiries on social media within the first month.” 

So, remember: are you here to get cheap dopamine or to connect with your ideal clients?

Get people away from your social media feeds

Most of my clients come to me complaining that “Hardly anyone sees my posts!”

And while there are some tweaks we make to improve their chances of reaching more of the right people, I always tell them the same thing: we can’t control the algorithm, but what we do have control over is our actions and strategy.

So, instead of continuing to do more of the same and magically expecting different results (which sounds an awful lot like the definition of insanity, but I know it’s easy to fall into this trap when “posting on socials” has become a familiar habit), focus on turning your social media followers and eyeballs into “someone you can stay in touch with, without an algorithm getting in the way”. 

For example, grow an email list (without letting it gather dust), a Telegram group, or a low-ticket community.

Reach your ideal clients online but in different and more strategic ways 

Yes, it’s the year we go analogue, and people are more selective with how they engage online, but they’re still consuming content!

So, instead of continuing to rely so heavily on social media or spray-and-pray tactics, prioritise other ways to keep reaching your clients.

For example (and mind you: you can’t expect overnight results with most of these tactics, but they will be worth it in the long run, and unlike social media posts with a short shelf-life, they’ll keep working in the background for you):

• Optimise your website for SEO, and write blog posts to be found on Google and through AI

• Appear on the podcasts your ideal clients listen to in their spare time

• Plan collaborations with complementary service providers 

• Do some PR with online publications

And no matter what you do, remember: the goal isn’t ‘visibility for the sake of it’. You must also direct your ideal clients to channels you own, so you can stay in touch or make the next step a no-brainer.

Consider some offline activities, too 

Use ‘the year we go analogue’ to your advantage by physically showing up in front of your target audience or giving them something they can use offline.

For example:

• Attend networking and relevant events 

• Speak at those events

• Organise your own 

• Write a book 

• Do some PR with offline publications

And once again, always have a strategy to stay in touch with your ideal clients afterwards.

Be more proactive

Personally, I prefer inbound marketing, but that doesn’t mean we can always afford to get lazy with our lead generation and client acquisition, especially if you have specific targets (like wanting to sign x new clients before you go on holiday). 

So, consider reaching out to your ideal clients:

• Cold and warm outreach 

• Building relationships (for example, in the DMs)

I’ll be completely honest: being autistic, that’s one of the things I really struggle with. So, I stopped feeling guilty for not doing coffee chats or starting 20 ‘casual’ chats in my DMs every day.

However, if I think I might be able to help someone, I do occasionally start strategic conversations. Personally, I prefer being more upfront about it rather than pretending we’re having a casual chat. Some love this because they appreciate my transparency and the fact that I save them time by getting straight to the point in a no-pressure way, some others hate it—and that’s okay. 

Find what works for you.

Don’t sleep on client retention

It’s not just about finding new clients.

In fact, did you know you have a 60-70% chance of selling to an existing customer, compared to only 5-20% for a new prospect? 

It makes sense when you think about it, especially as a service provider: past clients already got to experience your genius. And yet we often forget about them, even though I’m sure you can help them again.

So, find the right way to stay in touch, keep them in your world, or offer them something new to re-activate them.

For example, I encouraged several of my clients to reach out to their past clients or create exclusive offers, and that brought in new sales and cash they weren’t expecting. 

And if you’d rather implement all this with the right guidance and a bespoke strategy that plays to your strenghts, check out The Intentional Authority

Keep thriving during the year we go analogue and beyond: implement the right marketing strategy and authority-boosting plan for you

Don’t be fooled: this is bigger than a few people switching to old cameras and vinyl. ‘The year we go analogue’ isn’t a trend. It’s a sign that our online habits have already been changing.

So, if you want to keep working with your ideal clients (without panicking or getting frustrated whenever word of mouth goes quiet or your reach and engagement go down), your marketing must adapt.

Remember, though: you don’t need to try and do everything or spread yourself thin. Craft the right strategy for you and keep taking action without getting distracted or going off-track.

If you’re serious about starting to do that while also avoiding wasting months on scattered action and second-guessing yourself, I’d love to support you. 

During my 90-day 1:1 programme, you will: 

• Clarify your messaging, positioning yourself as the obvious choice for your ideal clients and knowing exactly what to lead with and repeat in your marketing to truly connect with them 

• Implement more efficient and structured marketing, so that you only use your time and energy for high-impact tactics and action that feed into your business goals and that actually help you sign high-level clients (not “posting more on social media and complaining because the algorithm is hiding your content”) 

• Boost your authority and conviction, stepping things up without trying to be someone you’re not, and finally owning your brilliance and expertise instead of downplaying them 

So, if you’re serious about gaining back hours and headspace every week while attracting more of the high-ticket, perfect-fit clients who energise you (during the year we go analogue and beyond)...

Why You Hear ‘I'll Think About It' or Get Ghosted After Sales Calls

You get on a call with someone who could be a perfect-fit client. You’d love to work with them, and you know full well you could help them. They seem keen, too (woop, woop). 

But then they drop the bomb you heard from another dream prospect last week: “I’ll think about it” (and we all know what that means).

Oooooor they feed you one of the usual excuses: “It’s just not the right time” or “We haven’t got the budget”, even though you then see them invest in a more expensive competitor only a few weeks later.

Or they flat-out ghost you, ignoring all your “Hiiiiiii, just checking in” emails.

And the worst part?

Even though you’ve been running a successful business for years and your past and current clients love you, it still happens regularly—even after long or multiple calls, endless back-and-forths, free advice and value, or lengthy proposals—causing you to waste hours with people who don’t become clients, week after week.

But I bet you’re ready to change that.

You want to repel time-wasters and attract more “When can we start?” leads, right?

Excellent! So, let’s look into why you’re still getting ghosted after so many sales calls, so that you know exactly what to focus on to change it.

Why you’re getting ghosted after sales calls

Technically, there can be a million reasons why you’re getting ghosted after sales calls or hearing the same objections, even more so if we were to look at these potential clients on an individual basis (you never know what someone is going through. Maybe that specific person was hit with a huge struggle in their personal life only the day after your call).

But we’re here to focus on recurring patterns and, most importantly, their root cause.

In fact, I’m writing this article for a specific type of business owner, especially fellow women founders and solopreneurs because… I’ve seen this scenario LOADS of times.

So, if you tick all these boxes, I can pretty much guarantee that the actual problem is the same (if you don’t, the list will still show you what else you must fix first. You’re welcome).

• You’re already running a successful business, and you are getting clients, even though it’s more unpredictable and time-consuming than you’d like (= you have a proven business model and the right services for your ideal clients, with a strong product-market fit)

• You’re getting referrals and word of mouth (= your past and current clients are satisfied with the actual delivery of your services)

• You’re not letting every Tom, Vik & Harry book a free call without any kind of pre-qualification (= you’re already weeding out the most obvious time-wasters and uncommitted prospects)

• Some people do become clients after a discovery call or sales call, especially if they’ve come through networking or word of mouth (= you’re not hopeless at running the calls themselves)

If all that applies but you’re still hearing “I’ll think about it” or getting ghosted after sales calls, especially the ones that come directly from your marketing, I bet my 80s blazer that the actual problem is this:

your messaging and positioning—and therefore, your overall marketing—aren’t doing justice to the value of your services.

So, your ideal clients are only seeing your offers as a “non-urgent nice-to-have” and thinking of you as “just another option in your niche” (or worse, a free resource, online friend, or influencer whose content they love but whom they aren’t even thinking of paying) rather THE authority they can feel confident investing in as soon as they’re ready to take action.

How your messaging can act as an initial screening tool

By messaging, I mean the way you talk and write about your business, how you convey your value proposition and positioning, and what you focus on the most and repeat in your marketing to reach, connect with, and activate your ideal clients.

Why is it so important? Because your messaging:

• Is what conveys the value of your services to people who haven’t experienced them first-hand just yet – If your ideal clients can’t see and fully understand that value ‘from the outside’? They either won’t take action or come to you with loads of excuses and hesitation 

• Can either make you stand out or blend in – If everything you share makes your ideal clients think “It’s like she’s in my head”, they’ll think of YOU as soon as they’re ready to invest in your types of services, no questions asked. If it’s too generic, if it confuses them, or if it trains them to think of you as more of a free resource, online friend, or influencer… they’ll pick your competitors or, once again, come to you with the same objections and excuses 

• Influences your entire marketing – It doesn’t matter if you’re showing up on Instagram, LinkedIn, via email, at networking events, and so on. Your messaging is the foundation. So, if you’re not clear on it or you don’t know how to amplify it in a way that makes it click for your ideal clients (= that you’re THE ONE for them), mastering one tactic won’t fix it. You’ll keep being busy and doing a lot while thinking “My marketing just doesn’t feel worth it”

• Acts like a magnet – Magnetic messaging can attract your ideal clients while also repelling wrong-fit prospects and time-wasters on a 1:many basis. Without this, you are going to have to keep doing it on a 1:1 basis during calls and back-and-forths (and tackling objections or getting ghosted)

Basically, while it’s wise to have an additional filter in place (like pre-qualifying your leads with strategic questions before getting on a call with them), your messaging acts as the first screening:

it determines whether you keep attracting so many uncommitted leads or you mostly speak to perfect-fit, high-level ones who, by the time they get in touch, already know they want to work with you. Their main question during a discovery call (if that call is even needed by then)? “When can we start?”

For example, take my client Shannon, founder of High Flying Design:

“Before investing in Giada, I would get ghosted more frequently. I now know that this was happening because my copy didn't pre-qualify people - leading everyone to get in touch. As you can imagine, this has saved me a lot of time as I now no longer have as many people to get back to. 

And when people do get in touch, they are more likely to say yes to working with me - therefore the time spent with the prospect was not a waste of time but instead can be seen as time building rapport / in 'discovery'.”

That’s the power of magnetic messaging! 

But by now, you’re probably thinking “Ok, Giada. I get that messaging is important, but how can this look like in practice?”

I’ll show you.

Examples of bad and good messaging 

I’ll use a nervous system coach as an example.

Bad messaging

“Step into alignment and embody your highest self. My programme is the nervous system regulation you need.

Together, we’ll rewrite your narrative, rewire your limiting beliefs, and activate your flow states so you can take your business to the next level and operate at your highest potential.”

Why it’s bad and more likely to result in calls with “I’ll think about it” prospects and ghosters:

❌ Too vague and generic (who is this even for? Plus, ‘take your business to the next level’ can mean everything and NOTHING at the same time)

❌ Full of buzzwords and jargon (for example, someone who isn’t a nervous system expert probably doesn’t know what ‘activating your flow states’ means. And what does ‘step into alignment’ or ‘embody your highest self’ actually mean?!)

❌ Hard to picture (what will this look like? How will my day-to-day change?)

Magnetic messaging

“From the outside, you’re running a successful business and life but, inside, you always feel like you’re about to break, pushing, and thinking ‘I just need to make it to tomorrow’?

It’s because your nervous system is still holding on to outdated or downright wrong beliefs, acting as if you were in danger.

No wonder all those self-help books and affirmations haven’t worked: the problem is deep inside your body, not just your mind.

So, let’s get to the root cause and fix this once and for all, so you can start feeling calm in your everyday life and running and scaling your business from a place of safety, opportunity, and ease, not survival”

Why it’s magnetic and more likely to bring you enquiries from “When can we start?” prospects:

✅ Hyper-specific, making them think “It’s like she’s describing MY situation”

✅ Simple and clear language, mirroring the way they talk about their problems and goals in their own heads

✅ Includes details and specific situations that create an instant vivid image in her ideal clients’ minds, something they can see themselves in (current problem) and that they crave (desired outcome and goal)

Making your messaging magnetic is a no-brainer, right?

But here’s the thing…

Why it’s tricky to get your messaging right and speak to “When can we start” leads

If you’re already feeling on fire and ready to make your messaging more magnetic and strategic, go for it.

If, on the other hand:

• You’re constantly tweaking your website copy and social media bios

• You can tell your current messaging isn’t doing justice to the value of your services but can’t figure out how to change it 

please know that it’s not just you: it’s really common and, in fact, completely normal.

You’re simply too close to your business to sum it up and convey the value of your services in a way that connects with people who haven’t experienced them. I always say that it’s like trying to read the label from inside the jar.

… and even more so for women

Ever since we were little girls, we’ve been conditioned to shrink, be everything for everyone, and downplay our brilliance.

And showing up as THE authority that a specific ideal client can feel confident investing it? Being that niche and bold with our messaging? It feels like the complete opposite. 

So, your brain won’t like that. And this will show up in sneaky ways, like:

• Continuing to let every Tom, Vik & Harry book a free call with you, even though you’re tired of hearing “I’ll think about it” or getting ghosted

• Being more generic and vanilla with your messaging to try and appeal to everyone

• Churning out the kind of marketing that everyone and their dog can engage with (tips, surface-level statements, empowering quotes, what you did during the weekend…) to get engagement and validation from the masses

So, I’m going to be upfront.

YES: even though it’s incredibly beneficial, changing your messaging can feel a little uncomfortable at first. You simply need to choose your kind of ‘hard’:

• Sticking to messaging that feels safe while continuing to feel resentful because your ideal clients can’t see the value of your services, taking on low-vibe clients and work that doesn’t excite you, and wasting hours talking to “I’ll think about it” prospects and getting hosted, week after week

• Going through that initial discomfort to then get used to owning your brilliance unapologetically, standing out, making your ideal clients think “It’s like she’s always talking about ME”, receiving more enquiries and call bookings from leads who are itching to get started, and signing more and better clients more easily—consistently

If it’s the latter and you’re craving that external perspective to read the label from outside the jar…

How I’ll make your messaging magnetic, so you can sign high-level clients with ease

I’m Giada, the marketing message strategist and mentor for women becoming THE ONE their ideal clients want to hire.

And with Recalibrate, we’ll fix your messaging and get complete clarity during a high-impact 1:1 session and a full week of support, positioning your services as the only option.

So, instead of continuing to hear “I’ll think about it” or get ghosted by people and businesses you’d love to work with, you’ll start creating marketing that does the heavy-lifting for you to hit your income goals, showing the value of your services to perfect-fit leads before they’ve even spoken to you.

Ready to sign more high-level clients with ease?

4 Ways I Use Stories to Get Clients (Not Just Engagement)

Our brains are wired to connect with stories, but storytelling has become a dangerous buzzword in the marketing world.

So, if you’ve been trying to “tell stories” but they only brought you fruitless engagement rather than paying clients, fret not: that’s about to change.

The first chapter? Understanding the difference between random and strategic storytelling.

I’ll then share the 4 main ways in which I (and the women who work with me) use stories to connect with our target audience, make something ‘click’, and compel them to take action. 

Marketing storytelling works…

• Our brains really are wired to connect with stories – I wasn’t exaggerating. When we’re told a story, our brain releases specific chemicals: cortisol (which helps us formulate memories), dopamine (regulating our emotional response), and oxytocin (creating or maintaining a connection since it’s associated with empathy)

• We remember them more easily – Facts are 22 times more likely to be remembered when they’re part of a story. Since your audience is exposed to 6,000-10,000 marketing messages EVERY. SINGLE. DAY (yes, really), being noticed and remembered can make all the difference for your business

• Stories sell – On average, marketing storytelling leads to a 30% increase in conversions. So, you’ll get more paying clients

In other words, it’d be crazy not to use storytelling in your marketing.

… but only when used correctly

Unfortunately, storytelling has also become a marketing buzzword. 

Many gurus and self-proclaimed  experts promised you that, as long as you tell random stories and show up authentically, clients will magically want to invest in your services. As if!

In fact, in some cases, consistently telling “the wrong” stories can train them to only see you as an online friend or influencer rather than “the authority they can trust with their money”. 

For example, this is often the case when:

• You share business stories that undermine your credibility (I’m all for being authentic and talking about how we overcame certain struggles, but if you’re making your ideal clients think “Uuuuh, working with her feels like a gamble” or “She seems nice and relatable but I’m not sure she knows what she’s doing”, it’d backfire big time)

• You always share random personal anecdotes without tying them to what you actually do for your clients or what you stand for when it comes to your industry

That’s why, in my world, my clients and I do things differently (and if you’re tired of wasting time or money on fruitless marketing or finding yourself on so many calls with “I’ll think about it” prospects, I suggest you do, too).

4 ways to tell stories that help you get actual leads and clients

1. Client stories

Instead of sharing screenshots of clunky testimonials opening with “She’s lovely to work with”, we tell the story of how that person went from their problem to their goal through our help.

2. Relevant parts of your own story

For example, did we use to be in our ideal clients’ shoes? Did we make some of their same mistakes (and how did we overcome them)? Did we have an epiphany that can be a  game-changer for them, too? Maybe we let go of an unhelpful belief?

3. Non-business anecdotes that can amplify our key messaging

Stories and analogies make it easier for people to absorb our message. So, have we got a fun / quirky / emotional / unusual / relatable anecdote we can turn into a relevant analogy or business lesson?

4. Our ideal clients’ story

This is the most important and effective marketing narrative. So, instead of sharing endless tips or impersonal “buy from me” posts, we paint vivid pictures of our ideal clients’ life, problem, and goal, making them think “She really gets me” and “She can help me”.

Ready to rewrite your story and attract more perfect-fit, ready-to-start clients?

If you want to get tangible results from your marketing and make more sales, it should never be about telling random stories. It’s about connecting with your ideal clients, proving you can serve them better than anyone else in your niche, and positioning yourself as the only logical choice.

When you do that consistently with your marketing, you attract more perfect-fit clients without putting in all the effort on a 1:1 basis—like answering the same questions, dealing with endless calls and back-and-forths with time-wasters, or chasing uncommitted leads who then ghost you—because the right stories will show your ideal clients that you can help them rewrite theirs.

If this made you look at your marketing from a different perspective, there are 2 main ways to build on this momentum and actually make it happen:

More blog posts on this topic:

Do Clients Only See You as Free Advice, Friend, or Influencer?

I’m going to save everyone some time: this is only for you if you run a service-based business and aren’t attracting many dream clients from your marketing (they mostly come from unpredictable word of mouth and a lot more effort than you’d like).

Bonus points if you’re a woman, because I’ll also share why we are more likely to show up as a free resource, online friend, or influencer.

Still here?

Then, I’ll show you why your current strategy isn’t helping you attract clients who’re ready to pay you, help you identify how your audience sees you (psst: while the biggest one is the same, each of those three scenarios comes with different symptoms), and how you should position yourself instead.

You are showing up for your business. But are your ideal clients only seeing you as a free resource, online friend, or influencer?

First things first: if you want to be perceived as such, then you do you. In fact, in some cases, it might even make more sense. For example:

• If you offer cheap digital products to the masses, being seen as a free resource might help you make more low-ticket sales

• If you feel lonely and want to connect with more people, then you might want to be seen as an online friend

• If you mostly make money through brand partnerships, then of course, you want to position yourself as an influencer

But if your business literally relies on you selling your services, those three are equally counterproductive.

So, let’s start by diagnosing the problem. If you recognise yourself in some of these symptoms, then you’ll know that’s how most of your ideal clients see you right now (and being aware of it is the first step to changing it!).

Free resource

Ooooooh yes: the one whose content everyone loves to consume but without even thinking about paying for their expertise. 

Main symptoms

• You get a lot of saves on social media and comments along the lines of “That’s so helpful” or “I’ll give it a go” and “Thank you for sharing that”

• You’re regularly asked “Can I just pick your brain on this?” or “Would you mind helping me with [what’s disguised as a quick question but would require over half an hour of your time]?”

• You often find yourself on calls with people who are secretly after free advice, aren’t committed, or have a lot of objections. Some then tell you “It’s just not the right time” or even ghost you

... and you’re not attracting enough perfect-fit, ready-to-start clients from your marketing

Why your ideal clients see you as a free resource

• You’re always sharing free tips, advice, and how-to content

• Instead of appealing to those who are ready to invest in the help of an expert, you’re attracting people who want to DIY everything or even industry peers who are a few steps behind you (I made this mistake when I was a generic copywriter, years ago: my old copywriting tips were more relevant to copywriting beginners than clients looking to hire a copywriter)

• Maybe your ideal clients are consuming your content, but they aren’t seeing you as someone they would or should invest in

Why it’s worse for women

We’re often conditioned to feel like we must prove our worth and always “give, give, give” without ever asking for anything in return 

Online friend 

The one everyone adores… but whose expertise and help they wouldn’t pay for

Main symptoms

• You get lots of messages and—on social media, in particular—likes and comments along the lines of “You’re so cool and relatable” or “haha I love your content”

• You often find yourself on calls with uncommitted leads and maybe even get ghosted

• You’re regularly asked to get on coffee chats

• Some of those people then expect you to help them out for free… only to invest in your competitors a few weeks later, paying them big money

... and you’re not attracting enough perfect-fit, ready-to-start clients from your marketing

Why your ideal clients see you as an online friend

• You’re mostly sharing personal content and talking about your life

• You’re sticking to vanilla and generic messaging to try and please everyone

• You hardly ever talk about your services, or your content doesn’t directly feed into them

Why it’s worse for women

We often associate “being liked” with “being safe”. So, we might be subconsciously looking for that approval and validation from online strangers

Influencer

Everyone is inspired by you. Shame they don’t pay you for it, though

Main symptoms

• You get loooooads of engagement (especially on social media) and comments or DMs along the lines of “You’re so inspiring” 

• You get plenty of visibility, but your number of new leads and clients doesn’t feel proportional to your reach 

• While some ideal clients might engage with your marketing, they don’t go on to booking a call with you or inquiring about your services

... and you’re not attracting enough perfect-fit, ready-to-start clients from your marketing

Why your ideal clients see you as an influencer

• You’re sharing whatever comes to mind, and a lot of it has nothing to do with… what you do for your clients

• You either try to tackle too many topics (so, your audience doesn’t know what to associate you with) or your content is too generic and surface-level

• Even when you do talk about your industry, you’re not doing it in a way that feeds into your services (and God forbid you include calls to action to work with you) 

Why it’s worse for women

Authenticity tends to be important for us. And I’m not saying you shouldn’t be authentic (whatever that means to you)! But the problem is that we were sold the lie that “you just need to build your personal brand, keep showing up, and be authentic, and your dream clients will magically want to work with you” 

How your ideal clients should start seeing and treating you: the ONLY logical choice

As you probably figured out by now, whether they see you as a free resource, online friend, or influencer, the core problem is the same: they keep seeing your services as a “non-urgent nice-to-have” (if they’re even aware of what you do) and treating you as “just another option”.

And you get frustrated because you knoooooow they need what you’re offering, but they JUST. DON’T. GET IT. 

So, what needs to change?

You must help them see you as THE ONE they’re going to invest in as soon as they’re ready to solve their problem and achieve their dream outcome (and guess what? Some of them are ready right now)

Main symptoms, once you get there

• Most enquiries turn into new clients fast (and you might even close some of them without a call) because, by the time they get in touch, they’re pretty much sold

• The main question you get is “When can we start?”

• Word of mouth becomes the cherry on top (not something you rely on), and you can finally afford to turn away uncommitted and red-flag clients, only working with those who light you up and make your business feel worth it

• You get hours of your time back every week 

• Whenever you show up for your business, you feel clear, confident, and like you’re finally owning your brilliance and worth

When will your ideal clients see you as the only logical choice? When you finally:

• Start seeing your services as the bridge between their current problem and dream outcome (and market them as such, planting and watering that seed—consistently)

• Stop chasing virality, popularity, and validation, and instead, you focus on connecting with your ideal clients, showing them you can serve them better than anyone else in your niche, and compelling them to take action

• Get super specific with your messaging and always talk to them in your marketing, making them think “It’s like she’s reading my mind or describing my situation”

Why it’s actually the best choice for women 

• We get to make more of an impact by attracting those perfect-fit clients 

• We gain back hours every week (bye bye, fruitless marketing and endless calls and back-and-forts with time-wasters)

• We feel re-energised because our ideal clients understand how valuable our services are

• We get to flip the finger at all that counterproductive conditioning and, instead, finally own our brilliance and worth

And I really hope more and more of us do this because… who is that conditioning actually benefiting? Surely, not us.

And I’m not going to lie: it can feel uncomfortable at first. A client of mine even asked me “How can I show up as an authority without being seen as rude?”

That’s how sneaky that conditioning is! We end up thinking we can’t be confident without being seen as rude, bitchy, or greedy.

Meanwhile, our ideal clients—whose life or business we could genuinely change for the better—keep flocking to our competitors.

So, the choice is yours: would you rather put up with the initial discomfort of changing how you show up, or the ongoing resentment of being overlooked by the very people you LOVE working with?

In other words…

Will you continue to be treated as a free resource, online friend, and influencer, or will you become The One They Want?

Realistically, most business owners will continue to do what they’re doing just because it feels familiar. They say they want change but aren’t prepared TO change.

If you are not “most business owners”, this is your invitation to flip that narrative.

I’m Giada, the marketing message mentor for women service providers.

I can give you the clarity, strategy & a system to consistently market your services as the ONLY logical choice, attracting more perfect-fit, ready-to-start clients who want to work with YOU (without feeling icky, wasting time on stuff that doesn’t move the needle, or needing to book more sales calls with every Tom, Vik, and Harry).

Stop letting your ideal clients see your services as a “non-urgent nice-to-have” or treat you as a resource, online friend, influencer, or “just another option”. Start owning your brilliance and worth: become The One They Want