Michelle Mazur [00:00:00]: What if a recession could be good for experts? I know. That question is bananas, and I am not here to give you a dose of toxic positivity or a rah rah speech about how you're gonna make it through and be just fine. But in every recession, there are always businesses that thrive. And what if that could be your business? Hear me out. When budgets tighten, people become more selective, which means they want to hire businesses who they feel confident can reliably solve their problem. And that is you. So how do you capitalize on that during a time when people are looking for real experts? Well, that's what we're gonna talk about on today's podcast. Let's dive in.

Michelle Mazur [00:01:02]: Welcome to Make Marketing Suck Less. The podcast that knows marketing is freaking hard, especially when you're a solo business owner trying to juggle it all. I'm your host, Dr. Michelle Mazur, author of the 3 Word Rebellion and founder of the Expert Up Club. Forget the latest marketing fads and tactics promising social media stardom. I'm here with research-backed strategies to help you clarify your message and get twice as effective with your marketing. And while I can't promise you'll ever love marketing, I'm here. to make you hate it a tiny bit less.

Michelle Mazur [00:01:42]: Here's a rebel truth. In a downturn, good enough is no longer good enough. When every dollar counts, clients want their problem solved right the first time and not the 27 time. When times were good, inflation was low, people were more willing to take a chance on those who made big promises because what if? Like, what if this is the thing that gets me to 6 figures? What if this is the thing that let’s me scale my business without the burnout? What if this lets me live my best life and make an exponential impact? And we're willing to roll the dice and take the chance because it might work. You never know. But when the economy gets bad, we want to mitigate risk. Because we have been sold on this idea in the online space that you need just to be one step ahead of your client to market yourself. That junk works when the economy is booming and people are willing to experiment. But when it gets tough, guess what? One step ahead is nonsense that just crumbles. So now is not the time for your clients to roll the dice and hope things turn out. You want someone who knows their shit, someone who has been using their expertise for years.

Michelle Mazur [00:03:23]: And that is where you have an edge, my friend, because you're not just one step ahead. You are light years. You are a galaxy far, far away ahead. So your expertise to your clients isn't a luxury. It's a necessity. It is a way to move forward when times are rough. So now you know your clients are looking for real experts. But here's the question.

Michelle Mazur [00:03:56]: Are you making it easier to find you? Because this is an opportunity right now that you can capitalize on if people can find you. And then if they find you, do they know 100%, without a doubt, you are the solution they are looking for? So let's talk about finding you first. Finding you obviously means marketing. I know. I know it sucks, but we can do it. But I think what makes marketing suck less, it's not the spray and pray, be everywhere marketing. It's going to be targeted, and it's going to help you build the relationships with the right people who are interested and want to hire you for your expertise. And what that marketing looks like, it's different for every single person.

Michelle Mazur [00:04:58]: I don't know who's listening to this right now. If I was having a conversation with you, I'd be able to help you and tell you what that looks like. But the next best thing to figure that out is the Market Like An Expert course because it is a seven day email crash course that will walk you through the options that you have to market so that you can create your do less but better strategy so people can actually find you. So you can go to drmichellemazur.com/mle and grab it, or you can just open your podcast app and click the link for Market Like An Expert. The second question about, do they know 100% without a doubt they need you and that you're the solution they're looking for? That one is a trickier question. And it's the one that I am most concerned about for my clients, for people in my community, because I have been holding these monthly conversations about how to fix your message in an economic downturn. And we'll hook you up with the link if you wanna come to our next one. It's been really eye opening for me because at the end of each call, I will look at people's messaging.

Michelle Mazur [00:06:23]: I will go to their website and tell them what I'm seeing. And so many business owners are not set up right now with their website, with their messaging, with their marketing, to make it 100% clear that their clients have found the solution that they are looking for. And, for the most part, it's because the problem they solve is missing completely, and they're not positioning their solution as the thing that solves the problem their clients have. Like, all these websites are so solution oriented, and that is not how we sell during an economic downturn. Heck, it's not how we sell anytime because we get paid to solve problems. That is our job. So during a tumultuous economic time, fixing your message is the one thing that will make everything else easier in your business. Because when you don't, it's like that Greek myth about Sisyphus in Hades rolling a boulder up a hill.

Michelle Mazur [00:07:42]: And if you're not familiar with it, basically, Sisyphus really pissed off Zeus. Zeus condemned him to hell and an eternity of pushing a boulder up a hill. And when you reach the top, it would roll right back down. And when we're marketing without a message, that's how marketing feels. Like, every email you write, every blog post, every if you're on social media, every personal outreach you do, if you're pitching yourself for your podcast, every pitch feels like Sisyphus. You're pushing the rock up the hill. It's so much work. And then when you get to the top, it rolls back down, and you have to start over again.

Michelle Mazur [00:08:27]: Whereas if you know what to say to land a podcast or what you wanna say in your emails, it's all downhill because every time you sit down to write, you know what to say to make sure that people understand that your expertise is 100% the solution that can solve their problem. And when you can say in your messaging, like, “Hey, I get you, and I'm an expert. I have done this before, and I know what works, and I can customize that for you and your life and your business”, you become indispensable. You're not just another option. You're the obvious choice. This is what we've been focusing on in the Expert Up Club. Members are doubling down on their expertise and figuring out the marketing that works for them, and they are refining their messaging and positioning themselves as the choice for their clients. Because in a downturn, people aren't experimenting.

Michelle Mazur [00:09:33]: They are making thoughtful, strategic, calculated decisions. So if you're listening to this and you're like, yes, I don't wanna be Sisyphus anymore. I want to be prepared for whatever the economy has in store for us. And if you're tired of feeling like your expertise is being overshadowed by people who are just shouting louder, then the Expert Up Club could be for you. I am opening up more tours for the club in mid June. You can book those now, and you will create that clear messaging and market with authority. So you're the first choice and not their fallback. So you can head over to expertup.club to book your private tour, and you can see for yourself how the club can support you. Because right now, expertise is non-negotiable. You could actually set yourself up for success. If you own it, market it, and be their first choice and not the fall back.

Michelle Mazur [00:10:43]: If the Make Marketing Suck Less pod is making your marketing more effective so that your clients can find and hire you, please share the show with a friend. The easiest way to do that is through pod link. You can find the show at pod.link/rebel, and that page will allow anyone you share the show with to subscribe and start listening in their favorite podcast player.

That's pod.link/rebel.

The Make Marketing Suck Less podcast is a production of Communication Rebel. Our production coordinator is Jessica Gulley-Ward. The podcast is edited by Steven Mills, our executive producer is me, Dr. Michelle Mazur.

The make marketing suck less podcast is recorded on the unseated traditional lands of the coast salish peoples, specifically the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish people, original stewards of the land, past, and present.