Marketing Strategies From The Top: “Quality Over Quantity”, With Karrie Brady
By: Christina D. Warner
Tags: Founder, CEO, Leadership, Marketing, Business

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I started this business at 19 years old after my father was in a tragic accident that left him with a broken neck, and it was up to me to take care of him during that time.

I ended up dropping out of college, where I was pursuing a degree in biomedical engineering to move home, and that’s when I dipped my toes in the entrepreneurial space as a personal trainer. Long story short, I ended up falling flat on my face because I didn’t know anything about sales or what it took to run a successful business. But what I did know was that I was knowledgeable about my craft, and I cared so deeply about my clients.

Fast forward five years, and to date, I’ve sold over $1.5 million online. I’ve worked with over 500 entrepreneurs and counting, helped my clients leave their 9–5’s, buy homes, build their savings to six figures, retire their husbands and make cumulatively over $2 million online. Long story short, my passion is helping entrepreneurs combine soul-level connection and radical profits, all coming from a place of science-based sales.

Can you share a story about the funniest marketing mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

When I first started my business I was undercharging my services BIG time. For example, $45 for an entire month of customized health and fitness coaching! I kept telling myself, if i could just get some more testimonials, I could charge more. But because people weren’t paying that much, they didn’t care enough to put in the work, and so i didn’t get any good testimonials haha. It was a revolving door of madness.

Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?

After struggling to make money in my personal training business, I decided to quit and get a corporate job at a gym. I didn’t think I was cut out to be an entrepreneur, but after getting a job that had a boss again, a part of me still wanted to try. I decided that I wouldn’t allow myself to be bad at sales. I invested in mentors and surrounded myself with high vibe and intellectual people who could help grow personally and professionally. Once I started valuing my problems and actively searching for solutions, I saw the results, and that’s the biggest lesson. If you want something to change you have to do something different than you’re currently doing.

One of the biggest takeaways from this tipping point is that when you choose to stop being bad at something or to grow your business, you have to commit fully. No negotiations. A large portion of it is a mindset switch and genuinely believing in yourself, but another part of it is the physical action. Taking action to surround yourself with a positive social network, exposing yourself to different learning styles, failing fast, and trying again.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

I think my authenticity, passion for serving others, and the dedication I bring to my clients is what helps me stand out. I also bring a “no excuse”, tough love but from your big sister, type policy into my coaching programs that I think really helps my clients to push the envelope.

I think people can connect with my story, too. I didn’t follow the go to school, get a degree, a job, and that’s it. I had to do things a little differently when my father was injured and I became his full-time caretaker. Instead of looking at that situation in a negative light where I couldn’t finish my degree, I focused on building something with the resources I know I did have.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

I recently launched my course, the Authority Building Bundle. I’ve been seeing a lot of entrepreneurs and businesses post on Instagram just because they know they should be on the platform. They’re continuously putting content out there, but there’s no strategy or intention behind it.

Instagram has been the #1 source of my income ever since I started my business, and I want to teach others how to use it to grow their business organically. This five-module course teaches you how to show up as an authority, and how to utilize your Instagram to convert your prospects into paying clients in one week.

What advice would you give to other marketers to thrive and avoid burnout?

I have three tips that I use to sustain high vibe energy so I can continue to thrive in my business.

Set a Routine

I cannot stress this enough. Setting a routine is only going to help you keep your productivity levels up and your business flowing. If that involves starting your day with a workout and meditation to get you in the right mindset, make this a daily priority. If it’s batching your work and saving your creative energy and more technical tasks for different days, incorporate this into your weekly routine and stick to it — the results will follow.

Create Boundaries

Sometimes when I’m coming up on a deadline, my “working hours” can extend into my personal hours, and I can tell I’m teetering on the edge of a burnout. Instead of letting this happen time and time again, I create non-negotiable boundaries for myself and my work. Some of those include having a dedicated workspace and never bringing my work outside of that. Another is creating my working hours around the time I need for myself and the time I need to spend with my family. Those hours don’t change. As a result, my work-life balance experiences a healthy shift, and I’m able to thrive.

Self-Care

Self-care is crucial. Not only will you benefit from a little self-care, but so will others around you and your business. This may look like daily affirmations, journaling, meditation, or even treating yourself to a massage. It’s essential to find what feels right for you, whether you’re looking for outlets to de-stress or to slow down.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

At the turning point of my business, I invested in mentors, and I committed to surrounding myself with a positive social network. I’m incredibly grateful for their guidance and support, but the one person in particular that helped me get to where I am today is my husband.

He has always been my biggest cheerleader ever since I started my business. There’s something very powerful about having your number one supporter right by your side. Entrepreneurship is tough, and it can be even harder if those people who are close to you, aren’t on board, or if they don’t fully understand what you’re doing. He held me up when I felt down, and he continued to push me to keep going when I felt defeated. Not to mention, he’s an amazing partner and dad when it comes to parenting our little one. I had my daughter, Sienna, last year, and he’s been such a big piece of my life and business.

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. There are hundreds of memorable marketing campaigns that have become part of the lexicon of our culture. What is your favorite marketing or branding campaign from history? Can you explain why you like that so much?

There are a ton of marketing campaigns out there that have resonated with me, but one brand that continues to push the limits in terms of marketing and inspire me is Nike. Now, they’ve done a ton of memorable marketing campaigns that honestly give me goosebumps, but one that resonated with me was their Dream Crazier campaign spearheaded by Serena Williams. I like it because of the way it makes me feel. It addresses the hurdles female athletes have to face in a male-dominated world. And although I may not be an athlete anymore or been super involved in sports/fitness after my personal training days, it was something I could relate to. It felt raw and real. Emotion is one of the strongest forms of marketing, and they hit the nail on the head there.

If you could break down a very successful campaign into a “blueprint”, what would that blueprint look like? Please share some stories or examples of your ideas.

Research, Set Goals + Strategize

Understanding your buyer’s behavior is essential to a successful campaign. If you’re unsure of who you’re targeting, you can find your answers by conducting market research. This will help you to identify what their current needs are and how you can better serve them. Market research will also define your campaign goals and objectives. Is it to convert your customer to buy something from you? Is it to grow your lead generating lists? From there, you can create a cohesive plan on how to target your audience with just the right messaging, and how much of your budget is necessary to reach your goals.

Content Creation + Channel Optimization

This is one of my favorite stages of marketing campaigns because it’s when the planning, strategy, and messaging come to life. The content you create for your campaign is one of your first touchpoints to your buyer seeing your brand/offer, and it needs to be designed with a close eye. It’s also essential that each piece of content is optimized for every channel it’s going to be live on while also staying true to your brand identity. An example I like to use is Nike. It’s a global brand with multiple marketing campaigns facilitating different product launches, initiatives, and critical moments. They each live on in their own way while having a unified “look” under Nike’s brand identity.

Monitor, Optimize + Report

A lot of people think there isn’t hard data behind a marketing campaign, but in reality, the numbers and performance metrics can go a long way. In this stage, it’s important to be tracking the campaign’s performance based on your goals, and running tests to make any real-time adjustments. At the end of the campaign, it’s crucial to collect performance information to determine what goals were met and areas of improvement for the next campaign.

Companies like Google and Facebook have totally disrupted how companies market over the past 15 years. At the same time, consumers have become more jaded and resistant to anything “salesy.” In your industry, where do you see the future of marketing going?

I see marketing going a few different ways.

Quality Over Quantity

Consumers are getting bombarded with an infinite amount of content telling them to read this blog post, like this post on social media and so on, from competing brands day in and day out. It’s one thing to be showing up on multiple platforms or having thousands of followers, but it’s another to be serving high-quality content day in and day out. Consumers want to be understood. In terms of quality, brands need to focus on how best to serve the consumer on each channel, versus a blanketed approach.

Storytelling and Authenticity

Storytelling is one of the strongest tools for a brand to show its authenticity and to build trust amongst its consumers. It’s also an excellent way for brands to stand out and connect with their audience. I see a handful of brands adopting this marketing strategy now and over the past year or so, but I think we’re going to be seeing even more of it across the board.

Community Give Back Programs + Social Responsibility

With the world vastly changing and consumer buying habits changing alongside it, brands are seeing the benefit of incorporating social responsibility programs into their business plans. Consumers are looking for more from businesses than just buying a product; they want to invest in a company’s mission, too. These programs can come in many different forms, from offering local sponsorships to supporting and participating in various charities or setting aside a portion of your profits.

Can you please tell us the 5 things you wish someone told you before you started? Can you please share a story or example for each.

Invest Sooner

I didn’t invest in myself and my first business as a personal trainer until I failed. It was only after I had spent all of my time and energy trying different methods and failing at sales, only to find out that I really needed a little outside help to succeed. These initial investments don’t need to be huge as long as they’re helping you get from point A to point B.

Outsource to Scale Quickly

Hiring additional help was one of the best ways for me to streamline my business. I found myself spending way too much time on content creation and copywriting, which was taking time away from crucial growth areas of my business. Outsource tasks where needed, whether that’s a virtual assistant, a copywriter, or even an operations lead.

Recognize Imposter Syndrome

When I first got started in the online entrepreneurial space, it was easy to fall into imposter syndrome. I began to look at other people’s achievements, certifications, and my successes with the feeling that I didn’t deserve it. When I recognized these thoughts and reframed my thinking, only then was I able to overcome this roadblock and take my business to the next level.

Educate, Always

Creating free content and consistently providing value for my viewers is one of the most reliable methods I’ve used to build my business to what it is today. It wasn’t until much later when I realized the actual benefit of educating my audience and positioning my authority. Incorporating an element of education into your marketing strategy will help your viewers to know, like, and trust you, so when they are ready — they will buy from you.

Set Boundaries

I touched on this a bit earlier, but I’m bringing it up again because it’s something I think is so essential to have to build a successful business. There will be times when it feels like you need to work late to get something done, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from those experiences, it’s to set hard boundaries and to stick to them. Your work will only benefit from this.

Can you share a few examples of marketing tools or marketing technology that you think can dramatically empower small business owners to become more effective marketers?

I have tons! It’s taken a lot of trial and error over the years to figure out what works best for me and my business, but I have an excellent recipe for tools and technology that I can’t live without. In terms of managing customer relationships, I turn to Dubsado to create workflow streams and Zoom for interacting and hosting client and mastermind calls.

I’m no graphic designer, but I love Canva’s easy-to-use interface and resources for all of my branding needs and for creating workbooks for my courses. And when I’m ready to put everything together — from my courses to my content creation and products — Kajabi is my go-to all-in-one marketing tool.

What books, podcasts, documentaries or other resources do you use to sharpen your marketing skills?

I personally love the Goal Digger podcast by Jenna Kutcher, the book Building A Story Brand by Donald Miller, and the Amy Porterfield podcast. I’m always upleveling my business with higher forms of coaching, education, and technology to continuously uplevel my products, services and my client experience.

Who is your hero? Can you explain or share a story about why that person resonates with you?

I would say, my mom. She’s been one of my biggest supporters and there since day one. From encouraging me to start my first business and even financially helping me out during that time, to working on my team now with business management and organization. She’s a main rock in my life, and has always been someone I can count on.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I’m a big advocate for adopting and rescuing animals. I even adopted my own three dogs. I would personally start a movement around animal advocacy. There’s something to be said about helping animals who don’t have a voice of their own; it’s so powerful and meaningful to me.

How can our readers follow you online?

They can follow me on Instagram,@karriebradyor on my website, www.karriebrady.com

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.