Why Your Personal Brand Is Your Business’s Biggest Asset with Catharine O’Leary

If you're feeling like you're creating content but hearing crickets, and if you feel like you're speaking to everyone but connecting with no one, then you are not alone! Are you tired of feeling like you're just yelling into the void, creating content that's not turning into sales? If you're ready to build a loyal tribe and turn your audience into raving fans, then this is exactly what you need. Let's uncover the strategies to build your first 1000 person tribe and make it the key to your long-term success.

This week's special guest is Catharine O' Leary. Catharine O'Leary is a seasoned marketing strategist who has worked with renowned brands such as Apple and Pepsi. With her expertise, she now focuses on helping entrepreneurs attract their first 1000 true fans through smart lead magnets and scalable audience building strategies. Her deep understanding of the power of personal branding and storytelling in marketing, combined with her practical approach, makes her a valuable resource for small business owners looking to enhance their email marketing strategies and lead generation. Catharine's insights and tips will undoubtedly provide valuable guidance for anyone seeking to grow a loyal tribe and achieve long-term success in their business.

Join CIA now. https://clientintelligenceagency.com/?affid=bffg

Visit Catharine O’Leary's social media pages:

Website: https://clientintelligenceagency.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/catharineolearyconsulting

Email: [email protected]

[00:00:00] Let me ask you this. Are you creating offers and content, but hearing crickets well, do you feel like you're speaking to everyone but connecting with no one? Well, then this episode is exactly what you need. We're talking about how to build your first 1000 person tribe, and why that tribe is the key to long-term success.

This episode is brought to you by Metrical, from planning to publishing, to understanding what's actually working. Metrical gives you data-driven control, and with their built-in AI tools and competitor tracking, you'll stop guessing and start growing. Just click the link in the show notes for 30 free days of premium access and make sure to use the code KD 30 all.

Let's get into today's episode.

Welcome back to this week's episode of Rocky Mountain Marketing. Today we're talking with a past guest, but we're talking about something that every entrepreneur needs, but honestly most overlook [00:01:00] until it's, you know, until it's too late. And that is building your tribe. Whether you're just starting out or you've been in the game for a while, growing a community of people who know.

Like and trust you. It's not optional. It is essential. And with the help of AI, it's more accessible than ever. And joining me today is Catherine O'Leary once again. She's a marketing strategist who's worked with brands like Apple and Pepsi, and she now helps entrepreneurs attract their first 1000 true fans with smart lead magnets and simple, scalable audience building strategies.

Catherine, thanks for coming back on Rocky Mountain Marketing today. Oh, thank you for having me, Katie. I'm so happy to be back. I love hanging out with you and your peeps. I know. Well, and you're joining us from, from up north, uh, north of the border there. And, uh, you know, it's a little chilly for you.

You're, you're, you know, you and I both enjoy the four seasons that happen in our, our climates, but I'm sure you're [00:02:00] probably ready for, for some warmer weather, but Yeah. But you know, like it's, it's April, so Yeah. Like, you know, let's. Let's move along right to like the spring, the springtime, because it's actually snowing here today.

So that, you know, I could do, I could do without that from now on. Well, well, Catherine, you are you, well, you're a genius when it comes to ai and I'm really excited to talk to you about this, this topic today, because I think that even in this AI world, it's more important than ever to have your, your tribe.

And a lot of entrepreneurs feel like they're just. You know, yelling into the void. They're creating the content, they're doing all the things. They're showing up online, but it's not turning into sales. And so tell me, why do you think that that is? I think that there's a, there's a few things going on with that.

So let's, let's kind of sit down and unpack it. So, um, first of all, I think that AI is a fantastic tool in the toolkit. Um, just like the internet [00:03:00] back in the day, you know, when it first came out, I remember my, you know, my father and I talking about, and he's like, oh my God, we still need the yellow pages.

Like, I still need to be in the yellow pages. Like, how are people gonna find me? Um, it's like, oh, okay. You know, 20 years, 30 years later, it's like, wow, not. Not so much. Um, AI I think is, is similar to that where, you know, I think that people need to embrace it as a tool. Mm-hmm. It's not the end all the be all, and it's not a replacement.

I. For human connection. Totally. What it allows you to do is automate and systemize certain processes or certain tasks that allow you to have more time for the, that human to human conversation. Um, which is amazing 'cause that's what people actually want. They wanna feel connected. And, um, I know that the World Health Organization has.

Actually named Isolation as the new pandemic. Oh man. Um, people feel lonely. They feel outta touch, they feel like they're not [00:04:00] connecting. And this is, you know, across all ages. So how do we spend our time? Actually making those connections as opposed to, I think what we do right now is talk at people a lot.

Mm-hmm. Um, you know, here's my value. Take it. Here's the things that I can offer you. Like, here's, here's me, here's me, here's, here's me. Yeah. Um, and there's not a lot of. How are you doing? Like, what's going on in your world? Like, what, you know, what can we help you with? Um, there's a lot less questioning going on and a whole lot less listening, um, than I think that, um, and that's, that's coming through in your conversion rates.

Uh, if you're just talking at people, especially if you're not entirely sure they're your people. Yeah. Um, which is where I think the tribe comes in and really, you know, um. Attracting those people who want to be in your world, who wanna speak to speak and like, you know, wanna kind of geek out on the [00:05:00] same kinds of things.

And, um, and people that you can also help in the same, you know, in the same breath. That's awesome. So how do you. How do you connect and build that tribe so that you can then serve? Um, but I think that we put content before connection. Oh, I love that. Think. Yeah. I think it should be the opposite way. I think it should connect and then I.

Determine the content that you need to share. So not everyone, not even within your, your ideal client or within your tribe. Not everyone needs the exact same information at the exact same time. That's where. AI can help with personalization and customization at scale, um, to give to, to actually deliver content at the right time to the right person.

But you gotta, you gotta connect with that person first. Um, so I think that we're running around shouting into the void and is literally, we're shouting into the [00:06:00] void because we're not trying to talk to one person. We're not trying to connect to, to that person on the other end of the post. We're just trying to get what a million likes or something like.

Like I don't wanna connect with a million people. That's, that sounds exhausting. Yeah. Um. I think that so many people are focused on the likes, on the vanity metrics, on getting more followers, but that's where you focus on, on building a tribe. So just explain to us really quickly about what the difference is between more followers and actually building that tribe.

Well, first of all, followers doesn't, doesn't mean financing, right? Followers don't buy necessarily. So, um, I don't, I, I'm, I'm not, um, I'm not a big fan of a me anything that, anytime that you call it a vanity metric, that should be the signal. Like, if you're a business owner, don't track the vanity metrics track.

How many people have you [00:07:00] talked to? How many people have you connected with? Are they engaged? And you know, are you having meaningful conversations? And then are you converting? Um, so I think that followers is very passive. I can follow a whole bunch of people without having any intention of going further because they're not, they're not people to me.

Right. It's just content. That's interesting. And, and the thing is, is that content or information I. That is interesting is that's nice. It's a commodity, right? If you can implement and you can make an impact with those insights, that's where people start to convert, right? Totally. So just having information out there, you can get that on YouTube, you can get it, you know, you can, information is available.

It's a commodity. Don't, don't play the commodity game. How do people actually use the information to better their lives? And in order to answer that, I think that you have to have some sort of connection, [00:08:00] right? And some sort of a shared Oh, I understand. I get it. This is like, you know, this is how we can help.

And I think that if, if we start, um, concentrating more on the super niche, almost like more on the who's like, I don't need a stadium full of people. I need my hundred. Like, how do I, how do I, you know, how do I, you know, talk to the people that I can, you know, serve with content and with intent? Because I don't think that, you know, we can serve with intent to that many people.

I mean, I think it's just, I think that that's, that's a little heroic. Yeah. So, you know, you teach people how to, you know, the, the thousand True fans, you know, why, why do you think that that's so powerful? So there's, so this is a little bit where the art meets science of online marketing and online businesses.

Um, that thousand [00:09:00] person tipping point, that's where. For a business, having a list that size and every business should be, should be, you know, building their list. Um, but having a list that size allows you to then start, um, partnering with other people that might have your tribe. Right. So people that are talking to the people that you wanna be talking to.

So, um, by being able to cross promote or being pa part of a giveaway or being part of a summit, um, places where, you know, your ex or the expectation is that you're promoting the event and getting people your tribe to the event to be able to, you know, be, um, you know, learning from Katie, learning from, um, Molly Mahoney, learning from, you know, all these great, um.

You know, great partners that we have. Um, but you have to have a list to begin with. So, um, that thousand person tends to be the tipping point of having a list that actually [00:10:00] allows you to get into some of those gift giveaways and summits. That's what um, you know, one of the focuses that I have is like, everyone's been in it that catch 22 of I really wanna be in the summit.

But I can't promote because I don't have enough of people on my list that that's exactly it, because I can't be in the summit. Exactly. And you're just like, now you're in this, like, very frustrating circle. Yeah. So what do you, what do you say to the, the business owner, the entrepreneur that thinks like, I can't even get a hundred people to sign up for my list.

How am I supposed to get to a thousand? You know, like, I need, I wanna be on this summit, but they have a, you know, minimum of 5,000 email subscribers and you know, all that. So what do you, what do you say to that? No, and that's, that's, um, like, that's tough and especially for, you know, a solo printer or you know, a business that's just starting out because here's what not to do is throw money at Facebook ads.

Um, in my personal opinion, um, because that's a whole different. [00:11:00] Skillset and, um, you know, ability to scale and ability like that, that's not the way to get your first thousand people, um, in my opinion. So one of the things that we've done is actually created a system that's a done for you, um, gift giveaway and, you know, lead magnet creation system, um, where we do all of the.

Facebook ads and YouTube ads and something, and you don't have to, and you also don't have to promote. Um, so you're getting the leads in through your lead magnets and, and a gift giveaway, and you're able to build your business without being in that catch 22, right? Yeah. So without being in the. I have to promote, but I can't promote, um, because I don't have the list.

So we actually help you build that list. Um, and the reason why we did that was we've all been there. Like I've been there, I've been in that, that, you know, circular logic of I wanna build my list, but I can't build my list 'cause I don't have a list like that doesn't make any sense. Um, so that's, you know, and it's so important because that's your [00:12:00] first line of.

Client intelligence, right, is your tribe. So, you know, when you have a poll question, when you have a, I'm thinking of this offer, or I, you know, like, what are you guys struggling with? That's your first, your first go-to is your list. Um, and, you know, building that list and owning that list is a, in my opinion, business necessity.

You know, like Facebook, for all honesty, you're renting the land. Yep. You're not getting the list. So, you know, stop renting, start owning. Um, and ways to do that is by building your list. And it doesn't sound maybe as sexy as, as some other, like, you know, a hundred million followers. That's amazing. But if you can't turn them into tribe members.

If you can't talk to them whenever you want to, and if you can't, like, you know, like give them value and content, know them well enough to, um, you know, move them [00:13:00] along in your business and in your client journey, then I'm not sure what you're doing other than educating. And if that's what your, your metric is, then, then so be it.

But that's not necessarily a business. For sure. Yeah. But preaching to the choir here. So, um, you know, you are, you know, you've built out some amazing AI tools. Let's, let's talk some tools. Um, what, what kind of AI powered lead magnets have you seen work? Like, what do they look like and how is it different than the basic freebie?

So one, the one of the reasons why I'm loving this new project that we have is because we are actually building and changing the, um, we're kind of innovating and changing how the gifts, I'm gonna call it the gifts look like, right? Um, because I don't know about you, but I have that folder. Right where PDF lead magnets go to die.

Um, I full intention of going back and reviewing the material 'cause I'm [00:14:00] sure it's fantastic. Um, but then you go back into the folder and it's got a weird, like it's, it's like the name is saved weird and you have no idea, you don't remember who it was. And to be honest, it's overwhelming to go through it all and try to figure out what was what.

So you end up deleting it. Right. So. Like, how about we don't have PDFs that go somewhere to die? Um, because the information that we do have and the, you know, the intention that we have is good, but how do we make it interactive? And how do we make it so that it becomes, that, you know, slightly more personalized and customized so that like every single person that downloads lead magnet doesn't get the exact same thing.

It actually customized to what they are looking for, what your, what your tribe member or your potential tribe member is trying to figure out for themselves. And that's where. Like that sounds awful if you're trying to do that manually. But if, if you can actually set up, um, you know, some AI templates and AI help to [00:15:00] do that, that's where the innovation comes in.

And I think that that's where, um, it becomes more valuable because the. It's not a one size fit all, it's not a cookie cutter. It's a wow. They listened to me. Um, and it's more of a two-way conversation, um, than it is an information dump. Yeah. I, and I think that, I love that you said the PDF folder where, you know, things go to die.

So what, what, it's because it's true. So what lead lead magnets do you think are working. Right now. And which ones should we leave in 2018? Oh, wow. Okay. So lead magnets that are doing really well right now are templates, um, and, uh, checklists and even blueprints. But they're short, they're snappy. They're like the, the trick with the lead magnet are trick with a free gift is you like as much.

[00:16:00] You know, intent as you put into, you know, a full on course you need to put into what, what is the transformation that I'm trying to achieve with this whatever, checklist, blueprint, whatever it is. Um, you know, what's the snack size little, um, micro problem that you can get people a quick win on? Because if they can get a quick win, that's, that's, that's when you're having like, okay, great.

That's, that's value. I like, they've gotten a win that's value. It's not just information passed on, it's actual value that they can implement. Um, so things like checklists and templates where, um, things need to be left behind. Sorry folks, but your eBooks, I. Yeah, not, not so much. Um, anything longer than probably three pages.

People are like, now I'm out. Um, you know, things that where you can mix the media, like if you can do a little bit of a video or an audio along with the reading. Perfect. Um, [00:17:00] straight out here's a 25 minute something, something, probably not. Um, people just don't have the time. So yeah, bite-sized pieces, snack size problems.

That give your tribe member or your, your potential tribe member a quick win that's gonna win. Totally, totally. So, so now that we've got this great lead magnet and people are opting in now, what, how do you turn that subscriber into a fan? Not just someone that's on your list, but actually turning them into a fan?

That, that is the million dollar question, right? Um, and it comes down to, I think it comes down to honestly mindset and intent. Um, are these your friends, right? Are these, are these people you wanna hang out with? Are these people that you want to geek out with? Are these people that you wanna share things with every, you know, every day?

Um, because if they're not, then I question, are you building a [00:18:00] tribe or are you just building a list? That's the difference. Right? Um, so your intent, your enthusiasm, your energy into, um, connecting with them, uh, at, you know, as often as, as makes sense for your particular tribe. Um, I think that that's where the difference comes in.

'cause the platforms will come and go, right? So whether you use Facebook or Insta Loops or, um, school or circle like, I mean, those are just platforms. Um, they can, you know, they've all got their pros and cons and, um, it's really about what, you know, what Hmm. What experience are you trying to create and allow your tribe to have with you.

And if you can make it experiential and you can, you know, kind of even uplevel to what's called a Disney experience. 'cause Disney is known worldwide to have some of the best customer [00:19:00] experiences known. Um, then you'll, you'll, uh, I mean it's a little bit of a build the experience and, and stay true to that and people will react to that.

Don't just build a list and then just, and, and please don't, don't like, you know, as soon as they buy the leave magnet, try to offer them a $25,000 something. Yeah. Right, because that's proposing marriage on the first date, and it's creepy. Um, so, you know, like there's, there's a con like court, court. Your, your, you know, the people in your tribe, you know, like get to know them a little bit better, get them.

That's, that's it. I love that you said court them. It's almost, it's making that shift to establish trust. Yeah. So what, what is one simple shift that someone could make in the email strategy? That would instantly create more trust. I mean, I think that podcasting is one of the best ways to establish trust with your ideal [00:20:00] audience.

But what do you think as far as email, because that's going out to a lot of people. Mm-hmm. How can you instantly create more trust through an email? So I think there's a couple ways. I think stories. Tell some stories, tell stories that, that show vulnerability. Um, tell stories about how you got to where you are, um, about your family, about the dog, about like what happened today.

Um, tell stories, um, with the intent to connect back to, you know, like, Hey, if you're going through this, or you're going through this challenge, like, we're here to help. Um, we're here to help serve and you know, like, just let us know how we can help. Um, I think so. Stories for sure, and podcasting is fantastic for stories.

Um, and then, um, this is where people get caught up in the content over connection. Um, don't just spam a whole bunch of AI content 'cause everybody is doing that right now. [00:21:00] And the thing is, is that AI is very generalized, right? Ai, AI is basically the whole internet. Is, is what is, you know, powering, um, you know, those AI conversations.

So we all start talking alike. If we all use ai, and that's what you're seeing in a lot of social content right now, is that it's being mass produced in batches and then people are starting to sound like each other without intending it. So, um, AI is a great brainstorming tool and a great way not to start with a blank sheet, but it still needs you.

1000%. Right. What's your special sauce? What's like, what's the sprinkle on top? Like, what's, um, you know, what's something that you only say? Um, and, and again, I use AI every day, but at the end of the day, nothing goes out to my people that I haven't put my energy into. At least your set of eyes on to be like, yeah, this is something, would I say, delve into this?

You know? No. Well, not only that, but AI has [00:22:00] a, like, I mean, it's not perfect and it can go down these like. Like time zone or time warps, right? Like, I mean, like these AI hallucinations that's real. Mm-hmm. Right? Where all of a sudden you're, you're in a story and you're like, I would not ever share that. Like, that is not something that I would talk about.

Like, what is that? That's not even real. Um. So you need to be, you know, you need to be cautious. And again, it's, it's a tool in the toolkit. It's a very powerful tool. If you use it well, it can, you know, it can really propel your business forward and help you make those human connections. But you still have to make the human connections.

That's so true. It's so true. I mean, I think that in this world of AI are you, are, are invaluable. You have to be willing to stand out and create your story and share your story. I, I think that's probab in my opinion, that's one of the biggest mistakes that I see is so many people just copying and pasting ai.

Yeah. And [00:23:00] especially with social media, if we're just a bunch of AI generated text. Being pushed out there then like we've really lost the point of social media. What do you think is one of the biggest mistakes that you see a lot of people making when they're trying to build out their list or, or trying to attract their tribe?

I. Uh, so I think that people are afraid that they're gonna bother their list so they don't reach out and mail their list. Um, and I can tell you from the people that I've talked to that have done all the, the AB testing and everything, uh, you know, some of the best lists or most responsive lists are emailing them six times a day a day.

Not three times a week, but six times a day. Now, I'm not saying that everyone goes out there and start emailing six times a day. Um, but uh, by the same token, once a week is outta sight, outta mind. I [00:24:00] think, um, the other thing that people, uh, tend not to do is, or they tend to only use their email when they have to promote something.

So, so it's just a promotion machine, and then there's no value add, there's no stories, there's no, uh, why, like, you know, now, now it's just a, like a true marketing push as opposed to a connection. And, um, and then the, the third thing is, um, you know, just not having that. Consistency. It's like social media, right?

Yes. Like if you're not consistent, it's outside outta mind. Same, same with email marketing. Um, so, you know, having the right tone, having the right cadence for you. And, and I get that not everyone wants to be emailing, you know, several times, but honestly, like the, the people that I'm talking to now, it's the least once a day.

Mm-hmm. Um, and it can be, you know, your, your Monday morning thought your. Tuesday tip your Wednesday wonder your Thursday [00:25:00] thankfulness. What, like, you, you can, you can create your universe the way that you wanna create it. Um, you know, just like, you know, bring your tribe along and, and the people that you know, if, if you're geeked out and you're excited for it, then you'll do it.

What? So make sure that you're. You are doing it. What's one thing that someone could do today after they're done listening to this episode? They could take this action and they're going to start attracting their people. They're gonna start attracting their tribe. Uh, that's, I, I think telling your story in as many ways and as, you know, in, in as many different ways as you possibly can.

So, booking podcasts, um, you know, getting onto summits, getting onto, uh, gift giveaways, like, like being able to share the human. You, right? Like the, I'm doing this to try and connect to Jason, to Barbara, to [00:26:00] Diane in order to help them do this. 'cause this is what I went through and I don't want you to go through the same thing.

Yeah. Whatever that is. Right? And you can do that in your email. You can, like, even though a lot of people tend to, um, you know, share their story once in an email nurture, like in the welcome sequence and then never talk about it again. Like, Katie, you and I have have talked several times. I'm still getting to know you.

Like it does, like it's not, you're not a one story wonder, right? So like, share your stories, um, and, and show that you're, you're a person and that you're human and that you know behind. Here's the other thing is that people buy. People and experiences, they don't buy brands. Right? Yeah. That's why you see a lot of personal branding happening right now, um, around the, you know, the bigger businesses is they're putting a, a face to the brand, and that's because people want to buy from people.

Especially in the AI world. Exactly. Um, and, um, and so, [00:27:00] you know, tell, tell your stories, um, stories are fantastic and you don't, don't get hung up that you're not a writer or you're not, you know, a public speaker. You can, you can tell, tell stories all sorts of different ways. Well, Catherine, this has been an awesome conversation.

So how can people connect with you and learn more about you? So, um, everyone can absolutely go to join CIA now.com. Um, become a part of the Client Intelligence agency, um, and become an agent of course. 'cause that's, I. Fun. Um, and um, and then, uh, we'll I'll have my, uh, my email also in the show notes. Uh, but it's katherine at katherine O'Leary dot com.

Uh, Katherine with two as in it. And, um, and yeah, uh, just uh, follow me on the on show notes and. And I hope to, uh, talk to you soon. Well, this has been an awesome conversation and I think it just [00:28:00] reminds all of us that you're your first 1000 fans, and they're not just a goal. They really are the foundation of your business.

That's how you grow with ease. That's how you grow without getting overwhelmed. And with tools like AI and people like you, Catherine, building that tribe does not need to. So

thank you for having me again. I can't wait to come back.