The Aspirant Podcast
Hello, incredible entrepreneurs, and welcome to 'The Aspirant Podcast!' I’m your host, Natasha Clawson, a Digital Marketing Educator and Strategist, and I’m here to help you build a business that doesn’t just work but thrives—and feels good while doing it.
🌟 Every week, we explore actionable business wisdom designed to help you create a business that aligns with your values, generates the income you desire, and operates like a well-oiled machine with the right systems, processes, and automation in place.
Imagine a business where taking consistent action is purposeful and attracts the clients you actually want to work with. So doing the work you love is more than just a goal—it’s your everyday reality.
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The Aspirant Podcast
5 Common Marketing Setbacks (and How to Overcome Them to Build Confidence and Boost Sales in 2025)
Are these common marketing challenges holding you back from achieving your business goals?
In this episode, I break down the five most frequent marketing roadblocks I see with my clients and share actionable strategies to overcome them. You'll discover how to adopt a proactive marketing mindset that not only builds your confidence but also helps grow your income this year.
Here’s what we’ll tackle together:
- Struggling to find time for marketing.
- Feeling afraid of coming across as salesy, repetitive, or annoying.
- Relying too much on word-of-mouth instead of taking proactive steps.
- Feeling lost when it comes to how or where to start marketing yourself.
- Doubting the effectiveness of your efforts, leading to hesitation or even giving up altogether.
If any of these resonate, make sure you listen until the end! Take the first step toward overcoming these challenges today.
Bonus Resource: Don’t forget to grab your free copy of the Mindset Reset Meditation at natashaclawson.com/mindset-reset to set yourself up for success.
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Get In Touch:
Hello everyone and welcome to today's episode. I'm excited to talk about something that keeps so many entrepreneurs stuck. These are some of the most common setbacks I see hold my customers back from marketing their business effectively. Today, we're going to break them down and talk about how you can move past them to show up with more clarity and confidence in this coming year. Before we get started, I have something special to share with you. I just released my free mindset reset meditation and I don't want you to miss it. It's designed to help you let go of those mental roadblocks and step into 2025 feeling abundant and ready to market with confidence. I'll share more details later in the episode, but trust me, you're going to want to grab it, so head over to natashaclawsoncom slash mindset reset to get your copy right now. All right back to our topic for today.
Speaker 1:After over a decade of working with business owners mostly those in business for one to five years the most common problem I see is that business owners simply are not marketing themselves enough. A business that is not marketed enough is not getting enough traction or traffic, and that's also a business that is not earning you the kind of money that you're looking to make or may even need to survive, and that's just not my research, though. This is also supported by the data from the U S small business administration. Approximately 68% of new businesses survive at least two years, 49% make it to five and 34% of them reach the 10 year mark. That means that most businesses fail in the first five years. Let's not have you be one of them. We're going to avoid being a statistic and we're really going to make the type of money that you want and deserve. We're going to strategize how to make you part of the third of businesses that do succeed past 10 years, because I truly believe to my core that we live in an age of unprecedented opportunities. Yes, the algorithm changes frequently and it does take effort, but come on, we're entrepreneurs. We know this venture is not for the weak of heart. With consistent effort, you can build a feel good business that doesn't leave you wondering where your next client will come from or if you can afford to pay your expenses this month, let alone yourself.
Speaker 1:Okay, so we've established that most entrepreneurs are not marketing their business enough, but why? We're going to dive into the top five reasons that I hear. The first one is lack of time for marketing. The second is fear of being salesy, repetitive or annoying by promoting too much. The third is over-reliance on word of mouth instead of proactive marketing. The fourth is uncertainty about how to effectively market yourself or where to even start. And five is doubts about the effectiveness of the marketing efforts you are putting in, leading to a hesitation or outright abandonment of marketing at all.
Speaker 1:Before we go any further, I want to pause and address something important your offer, product or service matters. You need to be using something that you have validated. If you've sold your offer to a few people and achieved successful transformations, that's a strong starting point for validation. However, if you've never sold an offer or haven't yet delivered transformational results, it may be time to revisit and refine it. Make sure you've validated your offer through past sales or that you pause here to take some time to get to know your audience and their struggles. Make several phone calls with your target audience and make sure that what you're building lights them up and gets them excited to buy. Your confidence in selling your offer or service is crucial, so make sure it's something you're genuinely excited about. Strong offers should be a win-win one that you feel great about delivering and selling, and one that your clients are thrilled to invest in because they can't wait to experience the solution you provide. When everyone wins, selling and marketing becomes effortless.
Speaker 1:All right, now that we've established that you validated your offer, it's time to focus on the marketing. We'll start with number one lack of time to dedicate to marketing. How much time are you currently spending on marketing your business? Take a moment to think about this. If you're unsure, it's time to do a time audit to uncover where your time is really going.
Speaker 1:I'll share a personal story here and I will not name who this person is, but she will know who it is. One of my clients come to me and she was just busy all the time but she was not making the income that she needed and I asked her where she was spending her time. I said let's do this time audit, let's look at all the appointments on your calendar, let's have you journal what you're doing each day and let's look at it. And we sat down and looked at her calendar and I cannot tell you how many masterminds and coffee dates and things she had on there and all of these things can be great things, but if they're not directly contributing to your income and making an income is what your primary focus is on, then you need to cut some of those and have realistic timeframes, because she was literally running around to these different things multiple days a week. There was no time for concentration and showing up to really work on and build her business. And again, masterminds all of those things can be great and instrumental. I love those tools, but if you're in four masterminds and not earning the income, you're going to have an imbalance that you need to address.
Speaker 1:So how much time should you be spending marketing your business? Ideally, you should be dedicating 25 to 50% of your time to marketing. Does that number surprise or scare you? Most people I've worked with report spending 10% or less of their time on marketing, if they're spending any year at all. So here's the breakdown If you have a predictable income stream, you can aim for the lower end of 25% and even less if you're consistently and predictably hitting the income you need. With less effort, go you. However, if your income isn't consistent, your calendar is not full, then you need to lean into that 50% to build momentum. Of course, these are just ideal scenarios, but we don't live in perfection. If you're not hitting at least 25% of your time, marketing or the income you want. Here's some quick strategies to help you get there.
Speaker 1:Number one focus only on high impact strategies. Drop activities that aren't yielding results and focus on what works. You need to take time to actually sit down and look at the data to see what's effective. How did you get your high paying clients? Who are your low paying clients? You need to know that. Sit down, journal some time. Make it happen. Number two raise your rates or replace lower paying clients. Free up time for higher value work by reassessing your client base. You can do this annually. It does not have to be a painful process. If there are still people you want to serve who can't afford your services, there are ways to do that. There are scholarships. When you make more money, you will have more time to give back.
Speaker 1:Number three leverage your time. If you're stretched, then consider working more hours temporarily, outsourcing non-business tasks like cleaning or asking for help from friends or family. It's also a good time to mention that this is the perfect opportunity to leverage AI tools to save time. For example, if you've written a blog post or recorded a podcast, use AI to repurpose that content into smaller pieces like social posts or newsletters. This allows you to maximize the value of what you've already created while spending fewer hours on the actual marketing.
Speaker 1:The key is to work smarter, not harder, and to prioritize the activities that are actually going to move the needle. For you Probably heard of the 80-20 rule, also known as the Pareto principle, and this is a rule of thumb that states that 80% of the results come from 20% of the efforts. So, if you think about that, that states that 80% of the results come from 20% of the efforts. So, if you think about that, that means that 80% of your efforts are not on high priority tasks that are not moving the needle. So you need to analyze and prioritize your day based on those highest action efforts, so that top 20%, so you can do less and get more done. All right, we're onto number two the fear of being salesy, repetitive or annoying by promoting too much.
Speaker 1:Let's start with the good news Most people aren't marketing their business enough, so the likelihood of over-promoting is low. However, if you're only posting what you're trying to sell something also known as the posting ghost that's where the actual risk begins, consistently showing up solely to sell something also known as the post and ghost that's where the actual risk begins Consistently. Showing up solely to sell can come across as transactional and off-putting. Instead, think of your marketing channels as you would your relationship with friends. You want them to feel balanced, natural and mutually beneficial. In marketing, this means building relationships by creating trust upfront, offering value before making an ask. A great way to achieve this balance is by striving to have a four to five value posts and one ask posts. So always delivering a lot heavier on the value driven posts and then sprinkling in those asks. So four to five value driven, one ask and you can just repeat that as you go through. By providing helpful and engaging content, most of the time, you'll build trust and nurture your audience, making your promotional posts feel welcome and well-received.
Speaker 1:Onto number three over-reliance on word of mouth instead of proactive marketing. Almost all businesses I've worked with start their marketing with word of mouth, and it's a fantastic foundation that reflects strong customer satisfaction. However, relying solely on referrals can limit your ability to scale in the long run. Without systems in place such as social media posting, email marketing, paid ads or funnels, you risk stagnation and will struggle to attract new customers consistently. There are some businesses who do word of mouth really well and need nothing else. It is true, they are the exception, not the rule. Further, if you don't approach marketing with measurable strategies, you may find yourself unsure of what to do when leads do dry up. A balanced approach that combines the power of word of mouth marketing with proactive marketing ensures that you can expand your reach, build a predictable pipeline of incoming clients and set your business up for sustainable growth over the longterm.
Speaker 1:Number four and I get this a lot is people uncertain about how to effectively market themselves or where to even start. Feeling unsure about how to market yourself can be paralyzing, but starting small and focusing on foundational strategies can make a big difference. Begin by identifying your target audience and the platforms they use most. Craft a clear message that communicates the value you bring. Make this very simple. You don't want to use any jargon. You want it to be crystal clear. Make this very simple. You don't want to use any jargon. You want it to be crystal clear. Confused people do not buy.
Speaker 1:Start by engaging consistently on one or two channels. Don't overwhelm yourself here. Start small. Choose a social channel. Create an email marketing list. Experiment with different types of content. Track what resonates by looking at the data and refine your approach as you go.
Speaker 1:Marketing is a process of discovery, and even small, consistent efforts can build momentum over time. I know most businesses are shooting in the wind and never looking back at data to see what works. If you choose just one strategy and check in on that strategy consistently, you're going to be ahead of most businesses. If you need help with a step, you can also work with a digital marketing coach or consultant to help you evaluate where you're at and strategies on where your efforts are most useful. It can be hard to see these things on your own, so find a trusted guide. This is also an area I can help you in. Drop me a line on my contact form If you'd like a consultation to see how I can help.
Speaker 1:Now we're going to jump into number five, which is somewhat similar to number four, and that's the doubts about the effectiveness of your marketing efforts, leading to hesitation or outright abandonment of your marketing efforts. Marketing is something that needs trust and time. Once you choose a strategy, you need to stick with it long enough to see if it's working or not. It's natural to question whether your efforts are yielding results. Success does not happen overnight. This consistency and patience, though, is going to get you ahead of most people. So many people, in one to two weeks, think about abandoning things. It's just like the gym. You don't expect to lose 50 pounds in two weeks. It takes a long time of consistent effort to see those results in your body. The same is true of marketing. So it's a long-term investment. Every small action builds towards larger cumulative results. Make sure that you are checking that data. Doubt is part of that process, but the persistence will drive that growth. You have got this. Show up, do the work, do it consistently. So that's going to wrap up the five most common setbacks that are holding you back from marketing your business effectively, as I've seen them in the people that I've worked with and I've shared some strategies to overcome them.
Speaker 1:It's time to revisit that freebie I mentioned earlier. At that start of the episode, I introduced my new offer, the Mindset Reset Meditation, which is completely free, and it's designed to help you tap into abundance and market your business with confidence in 2025. I created this powerful but short meditation because everything in business begins and ends with your mindset. It is the most powerful tool for your success or failure, shaping how you perceive and respond to the opportunities in front of you. If you listened to my first episode with my cousin, marie Reginado, she shared the actual science behind this.
Speaker 1:Our reticular activating system, ras, a network of neurons in the brainstem, regulates attention, focus and awareness. It acts as a filtering system for your brain, helping you process and prioritize the overwhelming amount of information we see every day. Understanding and harnessing this can completely transform how you approach your goals in business. When we set specific goals, that reticular if I can remember the name, reticular activating system, the RAS, r-a-s, helps tag and filter relevant information. For example, after buying a new car, like a gray Subaru, you might suddenly start noticing gray Subarus everywhere. It's not that there are any more gray Subarus on the road, your brain is simply tuned into them. I experience this often when reading. I learn a new word. I've this often when reading. I learned a new word I've never encountered before and suddenly I started seeing it everywhere. It's kind of creepy. So think of that as your brain's default software, one that you have the power to program to work for you or against you, and it's designed to keep you safe, right Like your default programming wants to keep you safe and alive. And we live in a world that is very different than what that default programming was built for.
Speaker 1:Meditation is a transformative tool that can help you rewrite the space code, align your mind with the beliefs and patterns that can help you be successful in the world that we live in, patterns that can help you be successful in the world that we live in. So if you're ready to grow your business and income in 2025, if marketing feels overwhelming, if sales aren't where you want them to be, or if you simply need a confidence boost, this meditation is for you. It's a tool that you can revisit as often as you need to throughout the year to refocus and realign. Mindfulness and intention benefit us all, and if this meditation is designed to help you approach your goals with clarity and confidence, you can make so many changes in this coming year. So go ahead and grab your copy at natashaglossincom. Slash mindset reset.
Speaker 1:As we begin to wrap up, let's recap two key takeaways from our chat today. If you take nothing else, take these things. One approach your marketing with the same care and intention as your personal relationships. When it's rooted in authenticity, it will never feel out of alignment. Number two always lead with service and value by focusing on what you can give rather than what you can gain, you'll naturally build trust and connection with your audience. With that, it's time to wrap up today's episode. I'll leave you with one final thought. You have got this. As we stand on the edge of a new year, remember that you already have everything you need to succeed and reap the rewards of the seeds you have been planting. Here's to your growth and success in the year ahead.
