Suz Chadwick [00:00:00]:
Welcome to the Brand Builders Lab Podcast. I'm your host, Suze Chadwick, certified business and mindset coach, author and speaker. Each week we'll be talking about simple but powerful business and mindset strategies that will help you build a lean, clean and profitable business so you can learn to get out of your own way and pay yourself more. Forget average, it's time to level up. Welcome back to the Brand Builders Lab podcast. We are in part two of our future proofing your business and I'm super excited to dive into this. I know that we've had a lot of listeners in part one, so make sure you go back and listen to that. If you haven't, which is episode 384.

Suz Chadwick [00:00:43]:
As I've just mentioned, you'll be able to watch this video on YouTube and Spotify as well. I'm recording for the first time on my DJI Osmos, which I just got, so I'm very excited about that. So, I mean, even before we kick off just for me, one of the things that I really am focused on when it comes to future proofing my business is becoming a better creator, becoming a better content creator. Really thinking about my business as a media business as well as a service coaching and consulting business, I think that that is just where business is going. All of the business professionals and amazing people that I follow, absolutely that's what they're doing. So that's what I am also thinking about. But listen, let's dive into today's episode. I'm going to be taking a look at some of my notes as well as we go through these, but I just want you to really be thinking about what are you seeing in the market and what do you think needs to be happening for your business based on where it is at the moment and where you want it to be going.

Suz Chadwick [00:01:53]:
Like, where do you want your business to be in the next two, three, five years? When you think about what's happening in the market around content creation, the creator economy, online products, digital services, AI, all the rest of it from where your business is now, I think one of the big things is you've got to start thinking in leaps and bounds. Like it's not just like slow evolution anymore. It really is a market that is moving fast. And as a business owner, you want to make sure that you're moving at that same pace as well. Yeah. Okay, cool. So the first thing that I really wanted to talk about today when we're talking about future proofing part two and looking to the future is really updating your marketing Strategy and really embracing the omnichannel approach. Now it's really interesting, I am totally going to say this, that you'll have people online where they're like just focus on one platform and just do that.

Suz Chadwick [00:02:50]:
You've got other people that will talk about Omnichannel channel. Now I want to give you the reason why I'm an Omni channel believer and that's because we can create content and automatically distribute it across channels without it costing us more time and effort. Obviously you'll front load the setup of it. You could have people in your business that are doing it right now. My scheduler, which is plan, which I love, P L, a double N. If you want to check it out, you can use my affiliate link which is suzchadwick.com Plan P L A double N. And they have got every channel there. So I could take one video and I could literally schedule it for LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, shorts, threads, like all of the above.

Suz Chadwick [00:03:41]:
So why would you not? Because if you have a message to get out there, you can get it out there to different people in different channels. Now I have to be honest is that I am not across all the channels, as in I don't consume on all the channels, but I have followers on all my channels. And so without me having to be present and in those channels all the time, I can create a message that I think is really important and that I want to be working for me and then set up automations, set up scheduling. The other thing that I'm looking into as well are things like repurpose IO and make.com to really take a look at how I am repurposing even from video and from podcast into things like blogs, captions, visuals, et cetera, where you can put one thing in and then the automation will do its thing and go and create all your other assets. And I think that that is a really big huge shift and element that you've got to be aware of come 20, 25 and beyond. Like how are you setting up amazing automations for your marketing for your content? Like once content goes out, what is the automation that happens next when it comes to people that are then applying to work with you or buying your products and services, whatever it is that you're selling. So really think about what that's going to look like and really embracing an omnichannel approach by using automations and systems to be able to do that. This isn't about working harder, it's about working oh so smarter.

Suz Chadwick [00:05:24]:
Obviously we want to be focusing on our content strategy, too. Now, I'm just going to say this, and you can come for me if you like, but the majority of business owners that I speak to, a lot of business owners that I speak to who are not in the marketing and social media arena, as in their service providers, their consultants, their coaches, a lot of times don't have a content strategy. They're not sure what they're posting, when they're posting it. They're not sure what part of the funnel they're trying to focus on. Is this growth? Is this nurturing? Am I selling here? They're just kind of posting and hoping that somehow it works. And so really being like, I am going to figure this out, I'm going to know this, I am going to make sure that we are working to a content strategy that can be measured. Like, is the strategy that we've got, is it working for us? Are we getting more views? Are we getting more followers? Are we getting more leads? Are we getting more conversion? Those are the questions you want to be asking, but if you don't have a plan, you can't measure whether the plan is working or not. So really making sure that that is something that you've dialed in, I don't feel like that is, you know, new.

Suz Chadwick [00:06:37]:
But I am going to call it out as something that I don't think I see a lot as well. Yeah, that I think we need to be getting better at. And just when it comes to your content strategy, social media, et cetera, there was something that came to mind for me the other day, and I have to share it with you. It's a term that I'm calling entrepreneurial amnesia. And what it means is that you learn something and then you forget that you learn it, and then you feel like you've got to learn it again. And this can go on for years. So you could literally be like, oh, I don't. Like, I don't know how to grow my social media.

Suz Chadwick [00:07:14]:
I don't know how to do a content strategy. I don't know how to plan for things in my business. But at one point or another, you did learn that skill. You either did a course, you went to a workshop, you did a session with somebody, you learned how to do it, but you're constantly telling yourself that you don't know how to do it. And so I just really want to encourage you to think about, do I know this now? It's really interesting. I bought a email marketing course, I want to say, a couple of years ago from somebody who I love, and she's awesome. She's all about copywriting and emailing. And I will sometimes go back to that course over and over again just to refresh my memory.

Suz Chadwick [00:07:56]:
Just to refresh and make sure, yes, I'm still doing that. Oh, I could be doing that better, et cetera. Why? Because she updates that course as well. And so I bought it ages ago. She updates it. So I'm still seeing great new content. And I think that we just need to remember the things that we've purchased and make sure that we've consumed them and we've implemented well so that we can continue to grow our business and not be feeling like we have entrepreneurial amnesia where we don't know that and we need to learn it again. I think that we always need to be updating.

Suz Chadwick [00:08:30]:
Obviously, the market's changing, but you already know things that you're not currently using, and I just want to remind you of that. So when it comes to updating your marketing strategy, when we're talking about future proofing, we're going to embrace Omnichannel. If you believe what I believe, I'm like, why would you not. Why would you not access more audiences? And it doesn't cost you more time or effort. We're going to focus on having a measurable content strategy and a strategy marketing strategy that works. So even taking a look at making sure, you know, how's your SEO? Are you getting great traffic to your website? Are you getting leads through your socials? Do you have a formal referral or affiliate program for clients who are loving working with you and they can refer other people like, what is your marketing strategy? What is it that's helping you to earn more in your business? And also then looking at leveraging new platforms. Now, I think that future proofing your business is becoming somebody that is like, I can adapt to anything. Like, bring it on.

Suz Chadwick [00:09:35]:
Not having the thought, oh, my God, not another platform. Oh, my gosh, no, I can't deal with it. Like, when you have an omnichannel mindset where it's like, just another platform, there's an easy way for me to systemize this. Like, if I want to use it. I'm not saying you need to. I'm not saying you need to jump on everything. But the question is, what are you going to focus on? And for me, like, after so long, YouTube is absolutely something that I'm focusing on. Why? Because it's a cascade model.

Suz Chadwick [00:10:07]:
Once you create the video for your YouTube, we've got the podcast, we Then cut it up, we distribute it across channels, blah, blah, blah, you know the drill. So really having a mindset of whatever comes my way, I know that I'm going to be able to handle it. I know that I'm going to be able to do this in a way that works for me. So I really want you to be thinking about that. The next area that we're looking at when it comes to future proofing your business, and one that I've seen in all the trend reports and videos that I've watched is personalization and customer experience. So questions like, how well do you know your customers evolving needs? And so I really want you to know what's happening in your industry? What are the trends in your industry? What are the experiences and the things that other people are doing? What do you need to think about when it comes to your particular client and what they want? Now, for me, even when I was talking before about building a community of people that want to build their personal brand, want to become better creators, want to learn from each other, want to engage on a regular basis, for me, if I was looking at that as a customer group, I would be like, okay, we want to have really fun, engaging events. We want to bring people in who are going to teach us, like, how to do things better. And so really take a look at your customer and sit down and think, what do they want? You know, what is it that is going to help them, what's going to engage them, what's going to attract them, what's going to keep them here? Like, what's sticky that you can create in your business, that's really going to work and really thinking about it from an evolving customer perspective because, you know, like I said last week, it's been really interesting.

Suz Chadwick [00:11:53]:
A lot of the trends are talking about the fact that whilst advertising is still something that you might want to do in your business, you know, new generations are just not responding to ads the way that older generations have. And so really thinking about your customer, where are they in their customer journey with you? What are the things that they are responding to that they're loving? I have to be honest, I don't think apart from clothing, I don't really respond to ads. I'm not really finding people online in the service industry through ads. I am finding people through great content that they're creating and sharing. And then I'm going to take a look at what they offer, how they work with their customers, all the rest of it. So just like the way that I'm buying is Changing, you've got to know how your customer and the way that they're buying is changing as well. And having really hyper personalized experience was another trend that I saw, which is really, really interesting. So in order to give hyper personalized experiences, you would have to be collecting that data.

Suz Chadwick [00:13:00]:
So something that is really simple that we've done for quite a while is that when somebody becomes a coaching client, etcetera, or joins our mastermind, we do ask like different questions about what they like to eat and drink and their favorite things and all the rest of it. So that when we send them welcome gifts or things like that, then it's custom to like them and what it is they like, don't like, what they might be allergic to. I always say I'm allergic to chocolate. And I have consistently been given chocolate by people I work with, as in I'm their customer on an ongoing basis because they never asked me. And so it's a disappointing feeling. And I know it's so minor, it's so not a big deal. But I once got sent, and I'm not even joking, a huge bag, as in a. What is it like a cold storage bag of cocoa, black chocolate from somebody who I was a client for and I couldn't touch anything.

Suz Chadwick [00:14:01]:
My husband was thrilled with it. But when we talk about hyper personalized experiences, you have to collect the data in order to give your customers an experience that they want, an experience that works for them and not just their husbands. Okay. And then also thinking about, is your customer generally seamless across all channels? And so, for example, whether I find you on Instagram or YouTube or TikTok or Threads or wherever it is, am I able to go and see you in different places? Now, obviously, if you've got an omnichannel approach, there's going to be different ways that you're going to do this. So obviously we might create the video, have it on YouTube, Spotify, cut it up for socials, but then we'll also have quotes and, you know, information and lists and stuff from the videos that might then go onto Blue sky, which, as I'm speaking right now, is kind of the new Twitter. So it's brought to you by the guys who owned Twitter before it was purchased. I have now got bluesky.com and so it's pretty much obviously, you know, threads is the same as well. So where are you writing? You could be writing on LinkedIn, you could be doing video on LinkedIn, you could be doing carousels across platforms.

Suz Chadwick [00:15:12]:
And so is your customer journey seamless across all channels. Like, can people go and consume you but also purchase from you? Are you growing through certain channels and then nurturing through others and then selling as well? And really understanding how that ecosystem works together is really important. And I remember ages ago somebody, Amanda from Wolf company, she's fantastic. She created the Insta site, if you know what that is, where Instagram becomes your main site. Well, not your main site, but a version of your website. And she was sort of saying, you know, TikTok is amazing for new customer growth. So building community, attracting new customers. And then they might go over to Instagram and check out your stories and that's where you can sell to them in the stories, et cetera.

Suz Chadwick [00:16:07]:
And they'll get to know you over there and there might be other places that they then go to find out more about you. If you're doing consulting, more professional services type work, then they might go to your LinkedIn. So just really thinking about where is, you know, which platform are customers coming from and then where are they going and also, also where are you leading them to? Because you might actually say, if you're somebody who is in consulting or, you know, whatever it is where you're on LinkedIn, make sure you go, follow me on LinkedIn if you enjoy this type of content, if you want to see behind the scenes and just get to know me as a person, etc, come and follow me over on Instagram. So understand how your omnichannel ecosystem is working for you and be strategic with it as well. The next trend we want to talk about is strengthening customer relationships. So making sure that you've got really strong feedback systems within your business and obviously you can do that through building community. So how are you building community? How are you engaging with your community? How are you getting feedback from them? So this could be pre purchase where they're deciding what it is that they need from you and how you can create a flow for people based on what it is that they need. Obviously when you're in the process, what's working for them, how are they finding it, et cetera.

Suz Chadwick [00:17:31]:
I've got one beautiful client at the moment where every single time we get on the amplify call, she's just like, oh my God, I know I say this every week, but I just have to tell you how incredible this program is and how much I'm learning and how much I'm getting so much clearer on my message and blah, blah, blah. And I'm just like, more clients like you, like, I want more clients like you, like Showing up, implementing, giving feedback like every week on what she's done and what's been great, etc. So really thinking about what are those feedback systems. And then the other thing is when somebody's either finished work with you or completed a program, then having some automation as well around asking them to fill in a survey or whatever it is that you want to do. Now, one thing that I did quite a while ago is that I selected a group of clients that had gone through a particular program and I did zoom calls with them to ask them questions and kind of be able to go a little bit deeper on what really worked, what didn't work, what they learned the most, what the transformation was. And not only can you use that obviously for transformation stories, but I think that as a creator and as a teacher and coach, for me personally, personally, it's something that I'm really focused on is making sure the clients who want the results, who show up for the results, get the results. Like, is there anything else that you need in order to get a better result? Could we have done this in a shorter amount of time with more support and impact? Could we have, you know, created something that was an additional support to help you achieve your goals and so really understanding the customer relationship. And so obviously we've just talked about, you know, customer experience and the customer journey.

Suz Chadwick [00:19:21]:
When you've now attracted people into your community, you're working with them, they might be a customer, which is somebody that might just buy something and consume it. Otherwise they're a client where you're working with them one on one. Then how are you getting that feedback from them so that you can continuously be improving what it is that you've got and making sure that you are like nailing it. I'm a big believer in whatever you are promising, make sure that you are delivering on it. Because I get it. Like, as somebody who creates courses and provides group coaching, I have purchased things where I'm just like, this did not deliver on the promise and I 100% never want to be that person. So it's really important for you, if you care about the quality of your product, which I hope you do, that you think about that. And the last thing that we're really doing to future proof our business that we mentioned in our last episode in part one, but really just looking at AI integration within your business, making sure that you're automating as much as you possibly can and really thinking about the future of your tech stack.

Suz Chadwick [00:20:35]:
And somebody said to me, what's a tech stack? The other day, which is totally fine. I'm always happy to get that question. But your tech stack is obviously. Well, not obviously, but your tech stack are all of the different systems that you use within your business to be able to achieve an outcome and to run your business. So for me, right now my tech stack looks like Heartbeat is where we have our communities, our courses, our carts, all the rest of it. Show it Kit, which was ConvertKit, we use Stripe and PayPal as well. So many other, so many other tech platforms. We've got Zapier, et cetera.

Suz Chadwick [00:21:14]:
So what are the technologies that you're using in your business? And I think it's really important and definitely worthwhile from both an efficiency and a pricing perspective to be looking at. Does this still work for me? Is it still cost effective? Does it still do exactly what I want it to do? Because there are so many new technologies coming out into the market as well. I think that it is worth looking at and seeing. Can I save money here? Is there something that does this better? Because one thing that tech companies have to make sure that they're doing is constantly improving and keeping up with what's happening in the market so that we're getting the best out of it. And I mean even simple things, you know, time saving, little things. Like for me, Loom. So when I'm recording content for my courses, I might have either slides or I will have a Google Doc that I've written in all use Loom. And now it's like a click of a button where it gets rid of all of my filler words, it gets rid of all of the silences I can edit from, you know, from the transcription.

Suz Chadwick [00:22:24]:
Like little things. It's not, it. Well, it's not really little, but it feels like little things like that just save so much time and really help you to be able to create with a lot less friction and more ease. So really thinking about what is my tech stack right now? And if I was to say to you, what are all the technologies that you're using, how are they helping you? How are they working together, how are they giving you time efficiencies, then you want to be somebody who really understands what, what's working for you and what's not as well. And the great thing that I just want to say here is that you can systemize so much in your business and still have a human touch. It's important. I know. I think that's what people are really worried that they're going to lose it somehow is we're going to lose the human touch and I just want you to know that that doesn't have to be the case.

Suz Chadwick [00:23:17]:
You just have to decide where you are going to be connecting with your audience and doing things like surprising and delighting them, et cetera. That's going to continue to make them feel like they're part of a really amazing connected community and part of whatever it is you're doing in your business. So that is our part two of future proofing your business. I hope that that's been helpful. I hope that it's helping you to think in new and different ways when it comes to your business. There are so many great videos on new trends for 2025. What's happening in the market for me, what's happening in the creator space as well as the coaching and consulting space that I just love to watch so that I can continuously be looking at how I'm evolving my business with that. Have an amazing day.

Suz Chadwick [00:24:12]:
I will see you next time on the podcast.