51: Azalee Maslow: Social Media and Blogger Freelancer to Branding Coach + CMO
This podcast episode is part of our course creator series where I'm chatting with ordinary course creators, just like you. We’re talking about their journey in their online course business, how they got started, the challenges they've experienced, and how they overcame them. These are real discussions with real people.
In this episode, you’ll hear Azalee Maslow’s journey from a social media and blogger freelancer to a Branding Coach + CMO. Azalee will talk about how she was let go from her FT job which forced her to get her side hustle up and running quickly.
Listen in to find out her tips for creating an online course if you’re just getting started and why it’s important to brand yourself.
Mentioned In This Episode
Transcript:
0:01
Welcome to the Course Creator's MBA podcast. I'm your host Destini Copp. And in this podcast, we're covering actionable tips to grow your online course business. Before I begin, I want to let you know that this episode is sponsored by my Course in a Box program, which helps you create your revenue generating course in less than a week. Course in a Box is offered on the AppSumo marketplace at a special deal. And the link for course in a box on AppSumo is in our show notes. And today we're in the middle of a course creator series where I'm chatting with ordinary course creators just like you were talking about their journey in their online course business, how they got started, the challenges they've experienced and how they overcame them. These are real discussions with real people. Today I have a special guest with me, I have Azalee Maslow. Azalee is a top 10 brandy coach, and has been in digital media for over 10 years. She's the Founder and CMO of PrettyAF, a philanthropic lifestyle brand as well as The Babble Boutique, a digital marketing agency for entrepreneurs.
Her passion is guiding multi-passionate female entrepreneurs to establish their online presence and position themselves online so they stand out as the go-to expert in their niche.
She does this through coaching, courses, and speaking.
I am so excited to have you today, Azalee, thanks so much for joining me, we have a lot of questions to go through. But before I begin, I want you to tell the audience a little bit more about you, your businesses and how you help others.
1:48
Thank you so much for having me on. So I started I went to school to actually can't become a journalist. I got my master's in Journalism and Media Studies. And that was kind of my plan until I graduated. And I realized how hard it was to find a job in journalism and how much they didn't pay. So I ended up getting started working in digital marketing. So I kind of just fell into it. And social media was really becoming more of a thing then. And so I took my first job in social media type position, and then started doing it as a freelancer on the side. And I was also a blogger at the time freelance. And then I was working at a music tech startup, and doing all their digital marketing and customer support. And then one of because they were startup, one of their investors saw what I was doing for their digital marketing and reached out to me and asked if I could do the same thing for another company he invested in so that was kind of the start of agency. But that also made me realize that other people could do this too. And that's when I created my first course the digital Academy, a social media that teaches other people how to either manage social media for their own company or how to do it freelance like so that they could start making some extra money on the side. Or if they were like a stay at home mom, they could do that. And that's kind of how I got started. Now I have three courses, the agency pretty as like you mentioned, and I'm a branding coach.
3:51
So I want to kind of go back and unpack this a little bit. You started out as a social media freelancer, a blogger freelancer. And your story is like many of those out there. And I've been doing a lot of these interviews and a lot of people start out freelancing. Tell me a little bit about how it was for you freelance and how did you find clients? Was it difficult? Was the income consistent? Tell me a little bit more about that? Yeah,
4:23
so when I kind of dependent when I was working with companies one on one, I felt like that those were pretty good gigs. The only thing is that, especially with marketing, it's usually the first thing people cut. So whenever the company was having struggling or anything like that, usually those clients would cut me one of the first things they would cut. And then at the time I was also working with a company that I guess they were basically an online digital agency but then they out sourced everything. But they I learned a lot from it. So it was good for that. But they would only pay like $1 a post. So it it was not really good paying, but I definitely I learned kind of how they are doing things and what companies wanted basically,
5:22
they would only pay you $1 for each social media post that you created?
5:26
Yeah. Yeah. And that and that included, like going back and forth and like fixing it. So yeah, I would not recommend
5:34
that. Wow, that's got to be less than minimum wage. Oh, my goodness gracious. So and then you started working for this music tech startup. Were you full time in that role?
5:46
Yeah, I was. I was the senior marketing manager. And then I was also overseeing the customer support department. I was their first employee. So I kind of grew with the company.
5:58
Okay, so you were at this tech startup, they and then you met this somebody else who wanted you to do it for another business that he or she owned? And that's kind of what started your agency?
6:11
Yeah.
6:12
Okay, so tell us a little bit more about that. So you are starting your agency? How many clients did you have in your business hat? And tell us a little bit? How long ago was this?
6:23
So this was in 2015, I believe. Um, yeah, cuz I, I got my master's in 2015. And I worked at another job for a little bit, but then I ended up at the startup. And I was there for three and a half, four years. And it was only six months into working there that I got that first client. And other time, I mean, I was still full time at that company. And I had the one client, so I didn't take on more clients until I left that full time job. Okay,
7:08
so what made you want to leave that full time job? And how did you make that transition into being a full time entrepreneur and leaving that salaried position that you had?
7:21
So I had already, at that time, I was, I had already started pretty AF. And I was really starting to create more of my personal brand. And they saw that and they actually let me go. So it wasn't really a choice. Like I had, I wanted for a while to be on my own. But I I don't know, I didn't have like the courage to leave. And I think they kind of knew I was on that path anyways, and they just made the decision for me.
7:58
And sometimes that happens, right? We get decisions made for us, and we have to pivot and change from there. So they they knew that you were starting, you had this side hustle. And you know, so that, you know, they let you go and then you are thrown full time into this full time into this entrepreneur role. What did you do from there? How did you find clients? How did you make up the income that you just recently lost? And tell us a little bit about what you were feeling at the time?
8:31
Yeah, I was really nervous because I had the other client, and then I'd created two courses at that point. And they were bringing in some income. And it was like with my salary, it was just like, extra. And that was nice. But then once you took away the salary, like it wasn't enough to live off of. So I felt like I had to figure it out quickly. And that's kind of where the coaching came into play. Because it's a lot of stuff that I was helping people with through courses or what I was doing in my actual job. But I realized that with core to coaching one, I could charge more than I would charge for a course and then people would see results a lot faster. So what I focused on was kind of focusing on getting more higher paying things versus things that are slow income over a long amount of time.
9:41
Which is not a bad strategy, right? Because you just lost your job you needed the income and you needed it fast. So you moved into doing the coaching. How did you find those clients?
9:54
Um, I had a fitness coach at the time and I'm still working with her today. But she was transitioning into being a business coach, but mainly for other fitness professionals. And she really helped me figure out how to basically be a coach and find those type of clients. And that a lot of what I did was direct message outreach on Instagram. And I also have a couple of freebies, ebooks. And then I also recently started doing webinars to attract people and kind of get them in my funnel,
10:43
or the webinars is that is that is what is working? I'm asking you a question. I'm not saying it correctly, but is that what is what working to find these one on one coaching clients?
10:54
I feel like it's, it's all so different, like, I was in an article, and that has brought several clients. But then lately, I feel like because I've just had my website for so long. And I've been blogging and podcasting. I'm actually getting most of my clients now from Google, which is surprising, because I don't, I feel like I'm not doing anything.
11:20
And that's surprising, because, you know, I my websites the same same way it's been out there for many years, I have a lot of content on it. And it takes a while to build up that content and to build up that SEO authority and and get client you know, and get that traffic. So and I think that's an important point for everybody out there who is listening is that content marketing, whether it's blogging, whether it's podcasting, it is so very critical for the long term success of your business. So now you're getting the majority of your traffic and clients and you know, probably core sales. We haven't gotten there yet, but are coming from organic, you know, traffic coming from Google. And I don't know, are you using Pinterest also,
12:13
um, I've used it in the past. So some of my old blogs have like that pin at the bottom, and they're pinned on my Pinterest, but I honestly haven't been consistent with it with my new blog posts.
12:26
So really, so truly, it's coming, you know, strictly strictly from Google there. So there, you're the majority of your traffic and the majority of your clients and your that that's finding you is finding you through your website through Google. How do you have your Legion, you know, set up on your website? Or do you have like a main lead magnet on your web page? How are you interacting with them? Are you trying? Are you getting them on your email list? Or what are you what specifically are you doing?
12:58
Yeah, so I have a couple of different ways when you go on my web site that people could come through on my main website. Just as legalzoom.com. At the top, I have all the different ways you can work with me. One of the buttons is courses. So when you click on that is where you're also see my freebies, which are all ebooks. And then I also have a button for coaching. And on there, I have an application so and then you can also find my agency, and there's an application for that. And usually I've noticed people from Google will apply to either the coaching or the agency. Okay,
13:44
so they're wanting more done for you type services. Yeah. So they come to your website, they either click on and you know, the set up an appointment with you. Maybe it's up, you know, a coaching session, or maybe it's just a discovery call. Let's talk about the coaching first. So how do how do you capture that lead? Do they set up a discovery call? Or do they go ahead and book directly with you? Or how does that work?
14:12
Yeah, so I use Google Forms. So they'll basically just answer some questions about what they're needing help with what their goals are, as far as branding and marketing, go for the next 90 days. And like what they think it is that's holding them back from making those things happen. And then all read through it. And it also has on there like, are you ready to invest that type of thing, because in the beginning, I was getting on the Discovery calls, I guess, with anyone, and I felt like I was spending a lot of time doing it and it wasn't paying off. So I change the tour they have to fill it out before I'll send them the link to schedule a call. So, once they fill it out, if I feel like they would be a good fit, if I could help them, if there's someone that I want to work with, I'll send them the link to schedule a discovery call. Okay,
15:12
so, um, so that's your coaching services for the agency services. How do you do it the same way?
15:21
Yeah, it's pretty much the same thing. They follow up application, and then I'll hop on a call with them usually for well, either one really on the call all already give them some feedback on things they could start implementing now. And some people, I'll get on a call, and they don't have a huge budget, but they want help with marketing or something. And I'll usually use the call as an opportunity just to like, give them any feedback or advice. But then usually, from there, I would point them to my courses, they're fine. No, that's more what their price ranges right now. Okay.
16:02
So you have revenue coming in through your agency revenue coming in for your coaching services. And then you have your online courses, tell us a little bit more about the sales funnel for your online courses.
16:16
So actually, I feel like, I need to like go back and redo them, because it's not super built out. But basically, if you opt in to one of my free ebooks, or you hopped on one of the free webinars, then I would, you'll get an A follow up email, that usually will point you to the next thing. So I have three courses. So they all kind of can point to each other, I have one that is a, it's called 3d slay. And it just walks you through how to get your social media and online presence at a good place where you can look more established, and people can tell who you are, what you do, that type of thing. And it also helps you set up to start building your email list. And then from there, I have either my full blown social media course or I have my it walks you through how to create a brand kit. And so usually from that three day mini course called point people to one of the other bigger courses, through emails, and then from the bigger courses, that's when all done, point them to coaching.
17:40
So you they're either coming through the sales funnel through a lead magnet or webinar, is that webinar live? Or is that a recorded or evergreen webinar?
17:51
So I actually, I did it a couple of times live and then I recorded it, and now it's one of my courses that I sell.
18:00
Okay. Okay. All right. So, tell us a little bit about where, you know, you've been doing this for it sounds like a few years now, where do you see yourself? Or what do you want to test or change? Or, you know, where do you want to move in in 2021? Where do you want to take your business?
18:24
Um, I definitely want to optimize all of my landing pages. And the email funnels that come after signing up for a freebie or a course or anything like that. I definitely feel like those could be better. And I'm really focusing right now on getting more one on one coaching clients. Once I basically fill out my roster for now, I'm probably going to focus on creating a course that is more on the branding side. So it'll basically teach someone everything that I usually teach in my one on one coaching, but as a core so that it'll be more people will be able to do it.
19:18
is the reason why you're wanting to do that course, have you gotten feedback from your audience or what's what's making you go down that direction to build another course.
19:31
The main thing with me, the whole reason that I even ever wanted to have my own business is because eventually I want to be a mom and be able to be really present with my kids. So to me, that means I need more of my income coming from things that don't always need my time and me being present all the time. So it's really for me personal reasons. But I also know that because working one on one is a significantly higher investment, but I know that having a personal brand can really change someone's life. Because if you're positioned a certain way online, you're just going to get more opportunities, whether that's through your wanting to work nine to five, or you're wanting to have your own business. So I feel like creating something that is more affordable, will just be able to help more people.
20:36
And I think that what you're saying there, a lot of people listening can relate to that. Because, you know, that's one of the reasons, right, right, that we want to go into and create passive income products, create digital products, create online courses is number one, we don't have the time to sit here and do one on one coaching calls all day long, you know, or, you know, or the middle capacity right to do that, too. So I think that's, you know, a motivating factor for a lot of people who are listening to this. So you've been you've been doing this for a while you you're doing your agency work, you're doing your one on one coaching, you definitely want to expand on the online coursing online course sign. What advice do you have for other online course creators entrepreneurs out there that may be in the initial stage of creating their business? What would you say to them?
21:37
Um, I think, especially with my first course, I just wanted to teach someone everything that I knew about digital marketing and social media marketing. So I think I put way too much in the course that it's overwhelming. And so my advice would be to create a course that fixes one small problem that someone when they're first starting out, is going through, instead of trying to fix every problem they could possibly have, or trying to teach them how to do like an entire job or something. If you create something smaller, I feel like a lot of times we feel like, for something to be valuable has to be like all this content. But in reality, if you can get someone from their point, pain point to where they want to be in a five minute video, that is a lot more valuable than them having to sit through hours of stuff that aren't giving them results quickly.
22:46
And honestly, I think that the point that you just made is, you know, a mistake that a lot of people make, I know that I can say for certain that there was a mistake that I made in the when I was just first starting my online course business I created, you know, this Signature Course that had you know, everything in it took me a long time to create it. It took basically a beta test, right, I had, you know, clients and customers and students going through it with me and giving me feedback. If I had to do it all over again. And this is one thing that I teach with my course in a box, it's something of content that I have on my website. I prefer that, you know, when I'm giving, you know, majority of my clients, I tell them, you should start with a mini course you should start and then call different things. Start a course tiny offer whatever you want to call it. Start with the mini course. Give your students a quick win. Yeah, and and just you know, and just, you know, figure out what is keeping them from moving forward. Give them a quick wind start with a mini course mini course you can turn it into a tripwire. You can you can sell it directly from your website, which you can't really sell a huge $2,000 Signature Course from your website. It generally takes like launches. There's just it just has so much more potential. And I think that advice that you just gave everybody is so targeted and so right on track there. Yeah,
24:21
I think to that, so many people have freebies right now. So I actually prefer offering a mini course versus something free even if it's like $20 or less because then converting someone that's paid you something even if it's $5 is a lot easier than trying to convert someone that downloaded a free ebook that they never looked at.
24:48
Well, and the thing too with like and I love mini courses for online course creators as lead magnets. The other thing is, they get a taste of what it's like to work with you they get a taste of what it what it's like for you to teach them. So they don't know, right pretty quickly if this is somebody that I want to stick around with, and that's another reason why I love mini courses. Let me let me ask you this. Can you tell us you've been doing this for a few years? Can you tell us how your revenue is breaking down in terms of percentages between your online course part, your agency part and your one on one coaching? Yeah,
25:30
I'd say 40% is from the agency. 40 is from coaching. And then the other. I'd say 10% is from courses and then 10% is from affiliates.
25:47
Okay, tell us a little bit more about the affiliates. And how does that work for you. I'm a big fan of affiliate marketing.
25:55
Yeah, so I actually I offer affiliates for my own coaching and courses to people that have gone through it. But then I also am part of affiliates for courses that I've done myself. And then just different products that I use, because pretty AF is more of a lifestyle brand. So I'm able to work with different especially Amazon, I use a lot of their links, even like my ring, light, my podcast, microphone, all that stuff. Because if someone, if I'm creating a freebie that's like, here's the thing, here's the products you need for starting a podcast, for example, you might as well put in your Amazon affiliate link in there. So that's kind of how I do that.
26:52
Very good. Any last minute comments you want to make before we close it up here.
26:58
Um, I think just the only other bias I would give is just how important I think having a personal brand is because you can use it when you're creating courses. And it kind of just makes it easier to because when you're creating a course, you should just be solving a problem that you've been through yourself. And if you have yourself as a personal brand, it kind of just makes it easier because you're just going off of the connections that you already have and helping those people versus trying to look at it as like, Okay, I gotta start this whole like, other company and figure all that out. Like, I feel like we a lot of times overcomplicate things like creating a course.
27:54
So So let's talk about that for a second. Because I think you're making a very good point here. So are you suggesting that people who want to start an online course business, one of the best ways to do it is just to put themselves as a personal brand?
28:08
Yeah, yeah. Because especially when you're first starting something like that, you have to try it to know if that's going to be like your thing or not? And eventually, it's probably not. So if instead of branding and marketing, a course like, Okay, I'm going to create a course on how to make candles. And then you you figure out that like, okay, that's not my thing. If you're building a personal brand, it doesn't really matter that people are following you because they're, they're invested in who you are and your values. So they're gonna continue following. But if you were you launched the course, and then realized that wasn't your thing, then you're going to have to basically start all over if it was your just branding, course versus yourself.
29:01
And and I think that's important, because what happens inevitably, right, as we start these online businesses, that we're we're going to pivot at some point. I know I have in my business, I'm certainly you have also in, you know, maybe one day you're talking about Facebook and Instagram ads, and I do a lot of that right in my courses and in my content, because I've been on Facebook Ads Manager, but you know, I am a little bit moving away from that. And my focus is changing a little bit in 2021. For a lot of different reasons. But to your point when you're when you have a personal brand that allows you to kind of pivot and change and change your focus but not changing your whole entire existence of your company. Right. All right. Well, thank you so much for joining us as they can you tell people where they can find you.
29:59
Thank you so much for having me. And it's https://www.azaleemaslow.com/
30:13
Well, we will make I will make sure that all of those links are in the show notes so people know where they can find you.
30:20
Thank you.
30:20
Thank you course creators. Thanks so much for joining us today. If you have any questions about Course in a Box which is offered on AppSumo please reach out to me on LinkedIn or DM me on Instagram. I hope you enjoyed this episode. We'd love for you to rate and review the podcasts on iTunes or your favorite podcast platform and show us some love there. Have a great rest of your day. Bye for now.