Leveraging the Content Diamond Strategy | Larissa Salazar | Work Like A Mother Podcast, Episode 22
Dive into the world of personal branding and business success with Larissa and Marina on the Work Like A Mother Podcast! In this episode featuring Larissa Salazar, discover the secrets to sustainable branding and effective marketing strategies. Learn about the powerful 'content diamond' approach to supercharge your social media presence and reach. Gain insights into building trust and connections through authentic personal branding, and uncover the strategic phases of brand development. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur or aiming to elevate your brand game, this episode provides crucial tips, mentorship, and actionable steps for long-lasting success!
Mentioned in this Episode
Worthy - Jamie Kern Lima
Practicing the Way - Jon Mark Comer
The Awe of God - John Bevere
Larissa Salazar
IG: @larissasalazar
Marina Tolentino
https://www.marinatolentino.com/
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@marinatolentino
Newsletter: https://marinatolentino.myflodesk.com/opt-in
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Transcript:
Marina [00:00:00]:
Why do you invest so much time and money into your brand? What is the whole point? Can you shed light onto why it's so important?
Larissa [00:00:05]:
When we're talking about a personal brand, we're really looking inward at somebody's like, superpower. What makes them unique, what they uniquely solve for people.
Marina [00:00:14]:
I've seen how it works. I've seen how people can share the information and they really get to understand the person behind the business. And that's what sells. It's the connection and the authenticity.
Larissa [00:00:23]:
It takes time to build trust, so you have to play the long game when you're really showing up online and trying to build reputation.
Marina [00:00:32]:
So I feel like personal brand is also an ongoing evolution of growth, too. And I'm sure you've seen absolutely across the board, like, you never really arrive.
Larissa [00:00:40]:
Where are you in the journey? If you're in year one, then let's be really proud of what you can accomplish for your brand and your company in year one. But we can't revert backwards. We can only take steps forward.
Marina [00:01:00]:
Alrighty. Today I have someone super special and unique to the show. She's actually my personal brand strategist that I've had for the last two years with brand builders group. So Larissa is here, and she's freshly new to Nashville as well, recently from Texas. So we love that, that she's on the move. She's been so fun to watch and follow along, too, on her personal side. And so I think she's a great person to bring on the show. Talk real life, talk real branding, real entrepreneurship, because she works with dozens of clients every single day doing this exact thing and giving strategy and advice.
Marina [00:01:31]:
So welcome to the show, Larissa.
Larissa [00:01:32]:
Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to talk with you. But also talk with all your listeners and tell them a little bit about personal branding, what it is, what it isn't, and how they can leverage it in their own entrepreneur journey, 100%.
Marina [00:01:46]:
And it's something I feel like people have heard me talk about personally. Like, I'll share about Brandon, but they don't always understand the why behind it. Like, why do you invest so much time and money into your brand? Like, what is the real, like, why is there a juice and squeeze? You know, like, what is the whole point? Can you shed light onto why it's so important?
Larissa [00:02:01]:
Yeah, absolutely. And so with personal branding, it's. I think people get a little bit confused on what truly is a personal brand and how do we use it, like, in real life. And so when people hear the word brand. They oftentimes think of colors, fonts, all of the pretty visuals that go along with marketing, actually for a brand or business. And all of those things are important, but it's not the end all of a person's brand. That's the packaging that almost comes after. When we're talking about a personal brand, we're really looking inward at somebody's, like, superpower, what makes them unique, what they uniquely solve for people.
Larissa [00:02:44]:
But also, like, if we really wanted to describe it in simple terms, it's somebody's reputation, it's who they are, it's what they believe, it's what they're passionate about. That is a true personal brand. And so when people are like, why do I need it? Why does it matter? It's because we know that people do business with people. People don't do business with just companies. And so you have to know how you're showing up for your audience or your client base so that you build trust.
Marina [00:03:17]:
Yeah, and a good way I like to phrase it, too. It's like your personal brand is what someone says when they talk about you at a restaurant or something. And they're like, you have to meet Marina, because XYZ, that's your one liner. Like, what are other people saying about you?
Larissa [00:03:29]:
Hopefully, it's a good thing when you're not around.
Marina [00:03:32]:
Yeah, it's hopefully that good. Like, two to three items that they know that you do, and they know that you're there for, like, your character and stuff. And so, again, it's the brand stuff for your company is like the umbrella, but who is the person that you're going to work with? Especially in service oriented businesses, we don't care that you're allstate. We want to know that you're Susan. You know, like that. Exactly 100%. So I think just in my brand, I mean, I've seen how it works. I've seen how people can share the information, and they really get to understand the person behind the business.
Marina [00:04:02]:
And that's what sells. It's the connection and the authenticity. And I feel like those are kind of buzzwords for 2024 and especially, like, I don't know if it's the next generation or just millennials in general. Like, we're done with the fluff. We're done with the perfection and the Instagram looking perfect. We want authenticity. So what are some ways that you're seeing some of your clients really put that authenticity first? Do you have any examples of what that looks like?
Larissa [00:04:27]:
Yeah, and I think the. The biggest thing for my clients and with how in demand and popular social media is, the one thing I always remind people is that just because you have millions of followers doesn't mean you're going to make millions of dollars. And that's a quote straight from AJ Baden, our co founder at Brambler's group. And so really putting that expectation down of how many followers do I have, how many likes am I getting? And really just saying, am I showing up as me? Am I giving information to my audience or client base that I actually believe in and that I will continue to share, practice, and believe in whether or not I have any likes or support online? So I always like to break down that barrier with clients when I first meet them. But how are people actually showing up authentically online? I think it's being really vulnerable, and I don't mean vulnerable in the sense of, like, share all your dirty laundry, but just be real about what's happening in your business. Little behind the scenes of like, how did I get here? What am I learning? Not being scared to say, hey, I messed up, or, hey, I did really good. And finding the balance between all of those elements and then staying consistent with it, it takes time to build trust, and so you have to play the long game when you're really showing up online and trying to build reputation.
Marina [00:05:54]:
Yeah. And I think with the reputation, you're building relationships which take time naturally. You can't just, like, cold date someone and be like, let's get married. It takes a long time.
Larissa [00:06:03]:
Exactly. It's, and people don't like, I think everybody just, in our time today, in our generation, we're so used to, like, the instant gratification or things happening very quickly. And so when somebody steps into trying to build a personal brand, they do it for a short period of time, and then they're like, this isn't working. I'm not seeing the return on any, like, investment, but that's just not the case with the personal brand. Think about, like, if we're truly saying that a personal brand is your reputation, how many years are people looking at you to say, oh, that's the reputation they carry. Right. So it's something that accumulates slowly over time. And so a personal brand isn't going to happen in 30 days.
Larissa [00:06:49]:
Personal brand probably isn't going to be at its full potential in even 365 days. And it's because your reputation is always growing and being refined because you have to show up every day.
Marina [00:07:02]:
Yeah.
Larissa [00:07:03]:
And so it, it takes, it's the long game.
Marina [00:07:06]:
Mm hmm. And I think that's been. I mean, that's true for me. Like, the patience is so much part of it. Like, if I go back to when I first started working with you, this is like 2022, I think. Yeah, I mean, I had an idea of what my personal brand was, but then you started to ask some really good questions and I was like, oh, wait, shoot. Do I know my avatar? Do I know my ideal client profile? Like, maybe not anymore. Or am I just doing what everyone else is doing and thinking that that's the way you should do it? Because it's so easy to just live in comparison and be like, oh, my gosh, I love these other five real estate agents.
Marina [00:07:36]:
So I'm just going to do everything that they're doing because it seems to be working, so let's just duplicate it. Well, it can't. It's totally different markets, it's totally different culture, totally different. You, like, you just can't do it. Um, so I feel like personal brand is also an ongoing evolution of growth, too. And I'm sure you've seen absolutely across the board, like, you never really arrive. You're always, well, if you're doing, if.
Larissa [00:07:57]:
You'Re doing a personal brand in any sort of, like, personal development or company scaling or growth, if you're not changing, something's not working. You should constantly be evolving. I was talking to a client today, actually, about how people like, are we supposed to, or are we not supposed to look at our competition essentially for inspiration or to see what they're doing in our specific industry? And my response to that was, you can look at somebody else's business or brand and say, man, it really looks like things are working for them. But unless you're on the inside of their company and you're seeing their close rates, you're seeing their purchases, if you aren't inside, you really don't know if it's working for them or not. It might look shiny and pretty from the outside, but to attempt to follow something that you actually don't know is working isn't going to do you and your brand any justice. You actually have to say, okay, what they're doing seems good, but what they're doing is consistency. Like, they are showing up constantly. If I show up in a consistent way, in a way that I know I can track and I can see if it's working or not working, then I can make adjustments and I can continue to show up.
Larissa [00:09:21]:
And so it's really shifting the mindset as a entrepreneur to say, I see what the competition is doing but I'm going to choose to do it my way and in my lens because I know what works for me and for my audience.
Marina [00:09:34]:
Yeah, no, 100%. And I think that's one of the things that's so great about having you, who we work with once a month. Um, it's because we're always going back and reflecting, did this work? Did this not work? Let's test again. Let's tweak it and the accountability, because I know a lot of people just hiring someone in general, there's so many, you know, walls up about, oh, I can't afford it, oh, it's not worth it. Like who? You know, just excuses. But then when you take the plunge to invest in yourself, in your business, and you have an accountability partner holding your hand and someone has a sounding board to say, is this really in line with you or did you get this from somewhere else? Like just like a good check, you know, it goes beeps and downs and you waste all the time and money wasted that you could have by throwing something at the wall, seeing what's going to stick. And so I think that's been really empowering for me, is to go like, okay, I have a million ideas, but what is actually most important, because we waste so much energy on the what ifs instead of, like, what's real on the what ifs?
Larissa [00:10:28]:
And I typically tell entrepreneurs, it's like, do you really know what it is you want to do and share with the world? Because if you do, if you've done the work, then go hire a marketing agency who's going to like, crank it out for you and post, post, post, do all of those things. What we do in personal branding is so different because it's like half therapist, half idea maker, half, let me hold you accountable. And it's because we're getting to the core of who you are, because your business on the outside may shift and change. And I think that's something people forget about, personal branding. It's like, Marina, you could stop being a real estate agent tomorrow if you really wanted to, but your personal brand, your beliefs and your character and what. How you show up for people and for your clients is going to stay the same. And so if you went and opened any other business in the world, like anything else, people could still come do business with you and be like, I trust Marina. I know what she's all about.
Larissa [00:11:30]:
And that's what we're trying to do when we say, let's build a personal brand, not let's market your company. And that's where people like, experience the disconnect.
Marina [00:11:43]:
Yeah, no, that's so good.
Marina [00:11:44]:
Hey ladies, real quick. If you are looking for a mentor, I just wanted to remind you that I offer mentorship to entrepreneurs. So if you're someone who has a never ending to do list and you're spiling out of control and feel like your business doesn't have a track, I want to work with you every single week for a month at a time. It's super simple, but I come from over ten years of experience doing this myself and now I'm willing to give that information back to people. So I've mentored real estate agents, I've mentored wedding photographers, I've mentored other business owners, and they've come from a place of overwhelm mostly. And they really just needed clarity and a couple of action steps to move the needle. And we've seen Gigantombe leaps and bounds in their business. Like, I can't even tell you.
Marina [00:12:25]:
So if you're interested and you want.
Marina [00:12:27]:
To know what that looks like, I.
Marina [00:12:28]:
Want you to go to marinatolentino.com and there's a calendly link there to do a 15 minutes discovery call with me just to see if we're a good vibe check to make sure we're on the same page. And I would love to work with you one on one to really boost your business to the next level.
Marina [00:12:41]:
Let's dive back in. Walk me through kind of like the different phases that we go through as a personal brand from like ground zero. I've never worked on this before. To like the end product where you have five streams of income. Like what does that journey look like?
Larissa [00:12:54]:
That's a great question. And so within brand builders group, we have a four phase process. So we go through branding, marketing, selling and then scaling. And people come in and they're like, okay, so we're going to do this in a year. And I say, no, we're not going to do it in a year. You can go as fast as you want to, but we're going to go as slow as you have to, essentially. And so in our first piece of the program and where we really start with personal branding, we do what we call Brand DNA. And it's what we've kind of been describing here, getting down into the nitty gritty and saying, who am I? Who can I serve? What am I doing for them? Like what problem do I need to help them overcome? What have I been through in my own life that I can leverage as proof and encouragement? For these people.
Larissa [00:13:48]:
And then what is my unique lens that I take to solving problems? Because every entrepreneur, every personal brand approaches solving problems in a different way. It looks different for everybody. And so when you can do that deep work of saying, I know who I am, I know how I show up in the marketplace, people can't take that from you. They can't take who you are on the inside. And so we deep dive into those kinds of things for our clients at the very beginning. We then take them through a process of creating their own thought leadership. And so if you've ever read any kind of personal development book or taken any kind of course, like people had to slow down to map all that content out. And so we do that for our clients, not because they have to immediately go sell a product, but because no matter what, if you're in business, if you've done life, you've learned some lessons.
Larissa [00:14:47]:
And so if you can document all of those things that you know how to share with people, you have this bank of information that you can always go back and say, hey, I know this, I can give that to somebody. And I don't say give in a free way, but I can, like, I can really take it and help somebody live life differently. And so we spend a lot of time in that section. We typically say that people don't make it to a marketing side of a business, not because you can't do some outward marketing, but when you're building, it takes time. And so we go into our marketing phase, typically at the end of year one, going into year two, we spend some time there. People can live in those first two sections of branding and marketing for a long time because you have to build something that is sustainable. And when we say marketing, we're talking about, okay, let's build your website, let's build your funnels, let's build your email list, let's make sure you have lead magnets and opportunities to bring people in. And that's not even scratching the surface of actually selling, like on the phone.
Larissa [00:16:02]:
And so we have those four phases. And typically we tell people it'll take you about three years, but it could save you a lot of years if you do things in a slow, at a slow pace, in the right order. At the right time.
Marina [00:16:19]:
Yeah, so good. And just, I mean, you talking about getting stuck in the middle. It's not that we're stuck or it takes a long time. It does take a long time, but it's the, like for funnels, let's just say funnels out of how many entrepreneurs who actually has an operating funnel that's not leaky? And it's going straight to the point and getting your customer exactly what they want and letting you in their email list. Like, what percentage nut one.
Larissa [00:16:40]:
The thing is, it's like, some of them have them, but the question becomes, how much support do they have to create? Not. Not only, like, create copy. And the idea of, I want to take somebody from point a, point a to point z creating that concept, but then actually, like, technologically creating it, which is a whole different beast. And so when you see these, like, big personalities brands, the names that we see all the time online, Ed Milette, Amy Porterfield, all those people, they have teams. These are not, like, solo entrepreneurs doing it in the basement by themself. And oftentimes, people are a one man band or a small band of, like, three to four people. And so I always like to put that into perspective when I'm talking about growth with clients. It's like, those people are there today.
Larissa [00:17:38]:
They weren't there five years ago. So where are you in the journey? If you're in year one, then let's be really proud of what you can accomplish for your, your brand and your company in year one. But we can't revert backwards. We can only take steps forward.
Marina [00:17:55]:
True. Yeah. Can you go through the content diamond that we teach and go through? Because I feel like so often we'll just post it once and be like, I checked the box. I did it. And then there's so much that you're leaving out there that could have been taking advantage of, like, what is the content diamond that we preach?
Larissa [00:18:10]:
Absolutely. Okay, so the content diamond is our unique approach to creating social content that does not wear you down as an entrepreneur, because if you're looking at your schedule, and Marina's the best about talking about taking control of your calendar. Like, if you are a business owner and a parent and a spouse and a friend and all of these things, or maybe you're managing employees or a team, whatever that might be, probably the last thing on your calendar is carved out. Time to post on your instagram. Although, you know, it's important, it's probably not the first thing that you do in the morning. And so we created a structure to help entrepreneurs create content in a very efficient way. But how then is able to be stretched? So, essentially, the content diamond is based around the calendar of the year. So we start with what we call the 52 questions, and it's you sitting down and saying, okay, I know who my audience is.
Larissa [00:19:17]:
And the 52 things that they could potentially ask me within the year. And I'm not talking about, like, groundbreaking information or knowledge. I'm talking about the basics. So if somebody called you up and said, hey, Marina, I want to buy my second property and I want to buy it in Hawaii, how many questions are they going to ask you over that time span? Yeah, so many. A lot. And so it's saying, okay, I'm going to write out every basic question that they could potentially throw at me, from the basics down to, like, getting started all the way up, maybe questions I don't even know the answer to yet, but I could find it for them and listing out those questions, because if you can answer one question a week for your audience, you have content for a year. Now, how do we stretch that past one post? We actually used to teach it that we would start with a Facebook live video. And so some people are still on Facebook.
Larissa [00:20:18]:
Some people are not on Facebook. It just kind of depends. But what we're starting with is a long, longer form video to begin with. And that can be anywhere from five to, to seven minutes is usually what we're aiming for. You want it to be long enough that we can house it on YouTube so it, if it were shorter, we could probably toss it on Instagram. We're looking for something a little bit more substantial.
Marina [00:20:42]:
Hey, guys, I hope you're enjoying the podcast. But real quick, if you are someone that's super overwhelmed and you're worrying, how the heck am I supposed to do all this stuff, I want to tell you I have a really good four week course for you. It's called core values of your calendar. It's super succinct, to the point, filled with stories about how I've overcome, overwhelmed myself and the strategies and tools I use today to do all the things that I'm doing today. So I've been there. I've seen it. I mean, I still see it on my feed today. All the influencers who are telling us, do this, sell more, be more, post twelve times a day, right? And it's freaking impossible.
Marina [00:21:13]:
And so I want you to go to marinatolentino.com, comma, scroll down and look for the course again. It's called core values of your calendar. Read it, see if it's right for you. But I would love for you to dive in and literally implement the tools and systems and strategies that I've learned over the years that have paid thousands of dollars in coaching to get this information and give it to you in this course. Check that out, and we'll get right back to the podcast.
Larissa [00:21:34]:
Imagine this is like a diamond. And your long form video is up at the top. There are now two ways that you can repurpose. There is video and image options, and then there's like text options that people can play around with. And so you have seven minutes worth of content that we can use to cut up into at least five to six pieces of content, essentially. So we want to create some short snippets out of this long form video. So whether that be a 15 2nd clip, a 32nd clip in a 1 minute clip to tease out the content in the longer form video. So you're now up to about five.
Larissa [00:22:18]:
You have the long form, which is one piece of content that is housed on YouTube. You have a 32nd clip, a 15 2nd clip, a 1 minute clip. So you're up to four. The next thing we want you to do is create any kind of social graphic. So this would be more of a standstill image. Whether it's a quote, something that you said that was really pithy and memorable as you were teaching. Maybe that's one, one graphic image that you can use. And then maybe the second post is.
Larissa [00:22:48]:
Maybe you covered like five steps on how to take control of your calendar. You would then turn it into like a carousel post. It's. You have your cover photo, you have every piece of the teaching, every step with maybe a little blurb. So we started with four, then we had a quote image, then we had a slider image. We're up to six pieces of content just from that one question, and we still have more. So then you're going to transcribe your long form video, pop it into whatever AI tool that you need to use, grab all of those words, format it into a blog post, and say, my video is at the top of that blog, and I can have the transcription underneath it. And now you're blogging, too.
Larissa [00:23:35]:
And most people say they don't have time to blog, or blogging is dead. It's not that blogging is dead. It's just that people want to. They want to be able to decide how they're consuming their content. And in that sense, somebody could read the blog, or somebody could just watch the video, but it's up to them. And so that is what we call the content diamond. You've created now upward of six to seven pieces of content, which is one for every day of the week. You don't need more than that.
Larissa [00:24:05]:
And you answered it, or you completed that by answering one question.
Marina [00:24:09]:
So that in an hour or less.
Larissa [00:24:11]:
A week, in an hour or less. And if you're really like running the content diamond smoothly, you film one day a month with four different blouses and you knock out your four weeks of content. I want to say it's that simple. It's not the easiest thing to do, but when you have a system that you have built, then it's simple. It's saying, I'm going to get all the things I need because I know those things are going to save me time, energy and effort in the long run. And the people who are doing content like that are staying consistent and they're protecting their time. And that's what entrepreneurs really need to be focused on. How can I create quality content while also not turning into a formal content creator? Because there is a difference.
Larissa [00:25:10]:
You can be an entrepreneur who creates great and valuable content. And then there is, especially in today's age, like a all day, every day. I'm going to take you with me, content creator, because they're not running a business, they're running themselves. So two different kind of concepts.
Marina [00:25:28]:
Yeah, no, I think all of that is really good. I hope people were taking notes and they might need to like rewind and play that, but automatically, I mean, I'm in this season right now where we're like cleaning up the website and we didn't really take advantage of blogs the way that we should have. And so I'm just kind of deep diving into this and like learning all the things. But like, absolutely, you should do the video with the transcription and then everything should like link to related articles so that you're keeping people within your stuff and then before you know it, they've binged 3 hours of your content and they're your best friend. And all of this is possible by just going step by step by step. It does take patience. And having that system, it's not rocket science, it really is just down and like mapping it out and then making sure you're hitting each box and you don't have to do it all. So that's why I have an assistant that does most of it for me.
Marina [00:26:13]:
I just do the face to camera. She does everything else except for like my personal instagram. So it doesn't even have to take you an hour a week. It could take you 4 hours for the month to film. Unless did it yesterday. In 2 hours I did four videos. And then you just let your team go through it. Yes.
Marina [00:26:30]:
You have to train them and give them everything, but they'll learn it again.
Larissa [00:26:34]:
Systems right it's like carving out what is the right system for me and my business, and then who do I need in order to get that completed? Um, I always, people always ask, like, do I need to be on all social media platforms all the time? Like, do I really need that to succeed as a business owner? And I tell them, no, but where is your audience?
Marina [00:26:56]:
Yeah.
Larissa [00:26:57]:
So where it, where does your audience live? If they say Instagram, then I want you to show up 100% on Instagram instead of on all platforms. And you show up on Instagram 20%, because that doesn't build trust. And so if I had to make any recommendation, I would say, be on your preferred social media platform of choice. So Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, whatever that looks like. Maybe it's more, but at least have one, YouTube, because you need a place to house your videos. But also we know that's where people go to find longer form content and blogging. So if you can do at least those three, give or take, what social platform you want to be engaging on the most, then you can run a really effective content strategy that people return to, like, come back to and continue to watch your stuff.
Marina [00:27:48]:
No. 100%. And part of that, it's going back to blogging is dead. It's like, where are they finding you? They're not actually finding you on social media for the most part. They're going to engine somewhere else that then leads them to your social media.
Larissa [00:28:00]:
Absolutely right. They're like googling you or they're finding your website. And I think this is where people forget how important blogging is. Even if nobody ever reads your blog on your website, you want people to be able to find your website, right? And so for people who don't blog, you write your standard website copy, you put it on your site, and maybe you look at it and edit it twice a year. Maybe like, if it's really just functioning as a static site, and then Google has no way to re index your website, to move it higher and higher up in the search engine because it's not being updated. So every time you add a blog to your website, there is something new for Google to index, which slowly but surely moves you up on that search engine. And so even if nobody is reading your blog, at least it's doing that. At least it's doing that.
Marina [00:29:02]:
Yeah. So I have six SEO statistics I want to share that are pretty fascinating. So 300% more traffic website comes from search engines rather than social media. 300%. So, like, massive. Okay, eight times is how much more likely a lead from Google is to become a paying customer than a lead from a paid advertising. Okay. 72% of users click the top four search results and 75% never make it past the first page, which we know as consumers.
Marina [00:29:29]:
Like, I know page two.
Larissa [00:29:30]:
I never look at page three. Never?
Marina [00:29:33]:
Nope. Yeah. 53% of all website traffic comes from organic searches. So again, they're not finding you from another source. They're like, literally searching. 434% more pages are ranked on Google from companies that blog than from companies that don't blog. So again, 434%, like, that is huge. Last one is 70% of people start their online search session by Google.
Marina [00:29:56]:
So that's majority wins. Right. And again, where are people living? So for me, that's Instagram and Pinterest, actually, which I haven't gotten fully up to speed, but we are getting there.
Larissa [00:30:06]:
When we talked about that, it's such an interesting strategy. Like, Pinterest is such a interesting platform for people that it makes sense for. Right. And I think you are the perfect candidate, and probably a lot of your listeners are also the perfect candidate to use Pinterest as a, as an option. Because Pinterest kind of works like a search engine itself. It is, yeah. Every time you go to Pinterest, you're typing in what is the best recipe for buffalo chicken dip or hoses for senior photography. Right.
Larissa [00:30:41]:
So it's all of these possibilities. If you're a chef, put your recipe on there, the image that you place links back to your blog, and now they're trusting you. They're not just trusting Pinterest. You're a photographer. Same thing. Tips on how to buy a home. Like, link it to the real estate site. Especially if you're a woman in your early twenties to probably like mid fifties, early sixties, you're using Pinterest and you're using it for something and it's so untapped.
Larissa [00:31:13]:
Like, everybody needs to be on that platform.
Marina [00:31:16]:
No. I'm so excited to get this dialed in and get our systems going because again, we just missed the boat. I feel like for two years, like, we created all this content, over 200 videos on YouTube that were not fully utilized. And so now we got to play catch up, but we have content for days, like years now.
Larissa [00:31:32]:
Hey, the best thing about Pinterest is you could go and upload a million things today and there is no, like, feed to overwhelm people with it all on there. Like, if you have a day that you can carve out any entrepreneur, you have a day, pull all your old content, upload that stuff to Pinterest. Take the time and do it. It's like so worth it.
Marina [00:31:55]:
Now I want to have a Pinterest party and like invite a couple of my girlfriends and we all just pin for the whole freaking day at a coffee shop.
Larissa [00:32:01]:
Oh, my gosh, that would be like my dream. All I need is a latte and my computer and we could pinterest all day long.
Marina [00:32:09]:
And you're just living in canva. It's so easy to do it, you guys, like, it's literally like link it to your page, that then links to this, which then they get an email sign up from your website and you're collecting real live leads. Like, it's free. That's the best part. So exciting. So what do you kind of see for the rest of 2024? Like trends and personal brand? Like, what do you kind of hope for? What are you thinking?
Larissa [00:32:30]:
So I, what? I would love to see people, new people who are coming in and saying, do I have a personal brand? Do I need to leverage a personal brand? I would love for individuals to start seeing their personal brand as a piece of their business versus seeing it as two separate things because the people who are able to combine these two areas are the ones who are actually succeeding. What I see a lot with clients is they're like, I don't have time to build a personal brand because I have to be doing like, quote, money making activities. Yeah. And it's really easy, just like as an entrepreneur to be like, my schedule is full, I got to show houses. I got to do this. I don't have time to sit and do x, Y and z. When in reality, when you carve out a little bit of time, you start to realize that building of the reputation building of the personal brand is actually what's going to be what scales your business, what brings more people in. So even though this personal branding is like the long game, it really does pay off.
Larissa [00:33:43]:
And so I would love for more entrepreneurs to be like, yeah, I have a personal brand and it's like a vital part of my business. It's not a separate business. So I think it's a little bit misinterpreted just in general. So really seeing people step into that and being like, yeah, I am the brand, it's me. And then that my company or my business is just my business model. I want the mindset shift to actually take place for people. And I think it's just a really important reminder to be like, I may sell my company, I may join a different company. I'm not saying me or you, but in general, if you left the work you did today, what would you have? You would have you.
Larissa [00:34:33]:
And so you have to start paying attention to how you're showing up.
Marina [00:34:37]:
Yeah. And I think I've heard some crazy statistics about, like, how most people are switching jobs every three to five years. So, I mean, we're absolutely going to keep evolving. And, like, I doubt that I'll be doing this in 20 years. Like, I just have ideas and so much vision that I don't know that I'll be doing transactions in ten years from now, you know?
Larissa [00:34:54]:
Right. Like, who, who really knows? Who knows where? But if we know who Marina is, who her character is, what she does for people, how she treats clients, the connections she makes, like, that's going to translate into any job, any business model, anything that you create next. And I think that should be the mindset and focus for entrepreneurs, not only in 2024, but, like, every year that is coming.
Marina [00:35:21]:
Yeah, totally. Okay, so what is the call to action for people who are like, yes, I need one or I need to work on it? What are they supposed to do?
Larissa [00:35:27]:
So if you're looking to start a personal brand, I would say, well, you already have one. It's there. You may just not be working on it or being intentional about it. So the question is, what first intentional thing can I do to really be in the driver's seat of my personal brand? And, well, you could come work with brand builders group if you wanted some help. We offer free strategy calls for new, interested clients. So if you're looking to say, hey, I want to learn more, or I want to see if I would be a good option to start putting some intentional effort. You can visit the brand builders group website. I can get a link to Marina so you guys can sign up for a free call.
Larissa [00:36:12]:
But I would. The first question I would ask myself is, who are the people, the type of people I want to be of service to? Because if you are showing up to business or showing up to your brand with a really, like, servant mindset, it's more natural and it's sustainable. So who are the people you want to be of service to? And if you can get really clear on that, then every day when you show up to work, you show up with a different attitude. You show up more authentically, whether that be when you're making content or when you're on the phone or when you're making sales calls, like, whatever that may be, if you know who it is, you're going to treat them different you're going to treat them with care. And so I think that would be the first question I would ask myself.
Marina [00:37:03]:
That's so good. And I'll just do a quick plug for brand builders, too. I mean, it's not just what you're going to learn in the courses and with the coaches, it's the community. So how many members are we at now? Like, oh, 600 last time I heard.
Larissa [00:37:16]:
Yeah. So I think at the end of, we do our, what we call our state of the month, our state of the company monthly meeting. And so at the beginning of April, we were at like 876 or something like that. I know 876, like entrepreneurs that are doing this and just all sorts of team sizes, different kind of business models, different audiences, which is really cool. And being able to tap into like minded community, I think is also super important for any kind of entrepreneur because being an entrepreneur can be lonely. And if you don't have a coach or a friend or a spouse that understands this kind of stuff, it kind of feels like you're stuck in a silo. And so that's another recommendation I would make for any entrepreneurs that are trying to build a brand that they're proud of and staying consistent is you need to be in community, whether it's with your friend down the road or with a more formal group, you need to be talking about what you're doing.
Marina [00:38:22]:
Absolutely. And so I'll just say, like, this community is like a whole spectrum of talents and trades and everything, too. So we have authors, we have public speakers. I mean, there's like big names in there we have access to to say, hey, I want to help you. How can you help me? And vice versa. And like leads and needs and there's just so much collaboration going on, that huge value add that I don't think people talk about enough. But that's one of the things I'm most excited about. There's also in person virtual events, like so many things, it's just growing so cool.
Larissa [00:38:51]:
All kinds of events, working with the strategists, all kinds of things. I tell people all the time, it's like I have the best job in the world. Not because like, I get to meet all of these cool people, but because I get to learn from people who are just getting started and people who are big names already. The best part is I'm not a expert in every industry. Right there. There's no way I'm not an expert in every industry. But I love sitting back and saying, okay, hey, client, what are you going to teach me today, and they're like, do I really have to take you back to the basics? And I was like, yeah, I've never learned this before, and if you're going to teach it to somebody else, you might as well practice on me. Oh, my God, it's the best because I get to learn every single day, so.
Marina [00:39:41]:
Oh, my gosh, I can't wait to, like, look back on this in ten years and be like, remember when we were just starting and, like, all the things we didn't know yet, like, how fun. Um, okay, so we'll definitely have a link in the description below for everyone to click on that book. Your discovery call, like, 100%. I recommend it. It's free to you guys, so there's no risk to you. But just learn something and what's out there, and you'll probably come away with it, like, very inspired and encouraged to, like, take some action. So I think that's really good. Um, so we wrap up every episode with some rapid fire.
Marina [00:40:09]:
So I love it. What is your Starbucks order?
Larissa [00:40:13]:
Oh, okay. Y'all are going to hate me for this one, but it is a venti cold brew with lemonade. It tastes like an Arnold Palmer. It's an acquired taste, but, like, if you really need a shock of caffeine, venti cold brew, add lemonade.
Marina [00:40:30]:
Okay. I might try it just for the weird factor to be like. Larissa said it was good.
Larissa [00:40:35]:
It's an acquired. But it works.
Marina [00:40:37]:
That's funny. Okay, what do you make for dinner? If it's last minute and you're in a bind?
Larissa [00:40:42]:
Ooh. Always have some pasta and pesto in the fridge. So I am a pesto pasta girl and red pepper flakes. That's my go to.
Marina [00:40:54]:
Yeah. Awesome. What's your favorite go to department of target and your favorite designer?
Larissa [00:40:59]:
I am the catch me in the makeup section of target. I will always be in the makeup section of target. I am going to be buying all of the, like, skincare masks and all the things that I don't really need. So I don't really have a favorite brand, but I will definitely be in the makeup aisles of target.
Marina [00:41:18]:
Also, side note, I just saw Ulta is in target. Did you know? Yeah.
Larissa [00:41:22]:
Yes, I just saw. It's even worse, because I was like, now I can buy the minis from Ulta while I'm in target. It's a game changer.
Marina [00:41:30]:
More reason to spend $500. Okay. Name a book or a podcast you'd recommend to our audience and why.
Larissa [00:41:37]:
Ooh. Okay, so right now, I read a lot of books, and so I'm looking around. I have books everywhere because I'm a strategist on the author journey, so I get copies of everybody's books right now. I'm about to start worthy by Jamie Kern Lima. She just had a book launch recently. Yeah, I have it. It's right there on my chair. I haven't read it yet, but that's next on my list.
Larissa [00:42:00]:
Um, but currently, I am reading practicing the way by John Mark Comer. It's an amazing book. Doing that in a small. Yep, doing that in a small group with some new friends that I've made here in Nashville. So those are my two recommendations for right now. Um, I'm also listening to that on audiobook, um, for on Spotify. So that's kind of what's filling my. My podcasting time.
Larissa [00:42:24]:
But I will say that I listen to a lot of podcasts that are client podcasts, because that's what I do for a living. So I love a good pop culture podcast in the morning, like, while I'm doing my. My makeup or my hair. And so right now, I am on chicks in the office kick with Ria and Fran. If you're looking for pop culture, they're the gals for you.
Marina [00:42:47]:
Fun. That's awesome. And then just add on to dark or what's his name?
Larissa [00:42:52]:
John Mark Comer. Yeah.
Marina [00:42:53]:
So if you like that, John Bevere just came out with a book called the Awe of God. That's really, really cool audiobook, too, to, like, I will download when you're listening to it. Just super good storyteller.
Larissa [00:43:04]:
Love that. I'm going to put it on my list.
Marina [00:43:06]:
Yes. Okay. TikTok or Instagram?
Larissa [00:43:08]:
Tick tock.
Marina [00:43:10]:
Do you have a reason why?
Larissa [00:43:11]:
Uh, well, because in the last, like, seven months, I've gone viral a couple times on TikTok, and so I'm. I'm having fun, like, personally creating content for TikTok. Um, and it's, like me talking about the most random stuff. So don't. Don't do what I do. Take my actual personal branding advice and do it with some intention, but I just feel a weird, like, personally feel a weird pressure with Instagram to make it look good. And so with TikTok, I feel like I show up really authentic, and I'm having fun with it. So, like, right now, I'm on the TikTok train.
Larissa [00:43:44]:
Hopefully it doesn't get banned.
Marina [00:43:46]:
We'll see how that goes. Yeah.
Larissa [00:43:48]:
Okay.
Marina [00:43:48]:
Fun. Okay. And then where can people find you online? What's your handles?
Larissa [00:43:52]:
So if you're looking for me on Instagram, it is my first name. Last name. Larissa Salazar. No spaces, no nothing. If you're looking for me on TikTok, it is Larissa Salazar. Zero. Zero. That's my.
Larissa [00:44:03]:
That's my name. If you're looking for fun, TJ Maxx shopping content, follow me on TikTok. That's. That's my. What I do on my Saturday mornings.
Marina [00:44:14]:
It's very entertaining and so good. Yep. Well, thank you, my dear, for your time. I know you're busy. Busy. We really appreciate it, and I just want more people to know. Larissa, like, you, are just amazing and a beautiful creature. So thank you for blessing us today, and I'll see you soon.
Larissa [00:44:27]:
Thank you so much for having me.
