The other day I was sitting in a coffee shop waiting for a client meeting, doing what most of us do when we have five minutes to kill. I pulled out my phone and started scrolling.
Within a couple of minutes, I had watched one marketing expert explain why every business owner should be posting every single day if they wanted to stay relevant. The next video told me daily posting was unnecessary and that I should focus on quality over quantity. A few swipes later someone confidently announced that AI was destroying authentic marketing, followed almost immediately by another creator who insisted AI was the greatest business tool ever invented.
I actually laughed out loud.
Not because any of them were necessarily wrong, but because it is crazy how overwhelming marketing has become for the average business owner.
Imagine you’re a plumber, a financial advisor, a realtor, or you own a boutique. Marketing probably isn’t why you started your business. You started because you’re really good at what you do. Somewhere along the way, though, it became your job to understand algorithms, hashtags, SEO, short-form video, long-form video, AI prompts, captions, thumbnails, engagement rates, and apparently fifteen different opinions about whether your hook should be three seconds or five. No wonder everyone feels behind.
One of the things I love most about sitting down with a new client is that our first conversation almost never starts with marketing. It usually starts with frustration.
“I know I should be doing more video.”
“I have all these ideas but I don’t know where to start.”
“I’ve watched so many videos that now I don’t know which advice is actually good.”
I hear those comments all the time, and every single time I think the same thing. They’re not looking for more information. They’re looking for clarity. Those are two completely different things.
The internet is really good at giving us information. In fact, it gives us so much information that we eventually become convinced we’re one more YouTube video away from finally figuring it all out. Except the next video usually contradicts the last one, so instead of moving forward, we just keep collecting advice. It’s a little like cleaning out your garage by buying more storage bins. At some point, you have to stop organizing the clutter and decide what actually belongs there. Marketing works the same way.
When I work with clients, I’m not trying to cram more ideas into their heads. Usually, I’m trying to remove about half of them. We’ll sit together, and they’ll start telling me everything they think they’re supposed to be doing.
“I should probably start a podcast.”
“I’ve heard YouTube Shorts are important.”
“I need to get better at LinkedIn.”
“I should probably be sending emails.”
After about five minutes, I usually stop them.
“Who told you that?”
Sometimes they don’t even know. They’ve simply collected so much advice over the years that it all starts sounding like obligations instead of options. That’s one of the biggest differences between getting advice online and working with someone one-on-one. The internet gives you more ideas, a strategist helps you decide which ideas are worth your time. Those are not the same thing.
One of my favorite moments with clients is when they realize they don’t actually have to do everything. I can almost see the relief on their face when I tell them, “No, I don’t think you need to be on that platform,” or “Let’s stop worrying about that for now.”
Permission is a funny thing. Sometimes what people need most isn’t another tactic. They need someone they trust to say, “You’re okay. Let’s simplify this.”
Honestly, I think that’s why I enjoy this work so much. Yes, I love video strategy. I love helping people figure out what to say and how to say it. But what I really love is watching someone go from feeling completely overwhelmed to feeling confident again. Marketing should support your business, it shouldn’t become another full-time job inside your business.
The best marketing strategy I’ve ever seen has never been the fanciest one. It’s the one someone can actually stick with because it feels natural. The strategies that are showing your true, authentic self. The strategy that makes you sound like yourself online. That’s the kind of strategy I want for my clients. Not the trendiest one, the one that lets them get back to doing what they love while still showing up consistently and confidently online.
I have a feeling that’s why you started your business in the first place. Not to become a full-time content creator, just to help people.