Redefining your marketing strategy by leveraging Pinterest with Sarah Erickson

Akua: 71 percent of businesses in the U. S. say they use Instagram to market their business. But what if I told you that you don’t need to be an Instagram or any other social media platform in order to grow a sustainable business? I’m really excited for today’s guest brand designer Sarah Erickson, who shares with us how she stopped using Instagram to market her business and focus her time on platforms that would generate revenue.

And that is Pinterest. We do a deep dive into Sarah’s Pinterest strategy and how she’s using that to grow her email list and the type of opt ins that have worked really well for her and her business. This episode is a reminder that you don’t have to do what everyone else is doing in order to see success.

It is okay to focus on what matters to you and forge your own path. Now let’s get into the episode. Hey everyone. This is your host Akua Konadu and you’re listening to the Independent Business Podcast. More people than ever are working for themselves and building profitable businesses in the process. So on this show, I get to sit down with some of the most influential authors, entrepreneurs, and creators to break down the signs of self made success so that you can achieve it too.

Hello. Hello, Sarah. How are we doing?

Sarah: I’m doing well. Thank you so much. How are you?

Akua: I’m doing good. You guys, I’m so excited for you guys to get to know Sarah because number one, she is an extremely talented, phenomenal designer. Number one, two, she’s an avid bird watcher. I have never met an avid bird watcher in my life.

And so the fact that you’re so passionate about that, I love it. And three, you were about to drop with us so many gems and knowledge today on all the things. So thank you so much for being here.

Sarah: Well, thank you for the kind words. Yes. I am super excited for our chat today and always excited about birds.

Akua: I just, I wish we could have like a whole different episode of just talking about that, but I digress.

Cause I’m so interested to know more. And everybody like first told me about that. And I was like, that is phenomenal, but I digress. We’ll definitely, we’ll have to chat off camera about it, but I really would love to know. And I think our audience too, would love to get to know you more of essentially like, how did you find yourself?

into entrepreneurship, like building the business that you have today?

Sarah: Yeah. So I feel really fortunate that I actually did get my start in design in college. I have a degree for it. And I know in our industry, people come from all different paths, which is one of the things I really love about this slice of the industry.

Um, but for me, it was actually a pretty traditional path there that I got to study design in college and worked for a small design agency shortly after graduating, which really gave me a chance to To have a taste of the entrepreneurial life. And it was a pretty easy transition from there to launch my own business.

So I started in wedding stationary design and calligraphy, which still has a special place in my heart. I love those tangible paper goods, but pretty quickly returned to the things I’d originally studied with brand design, logo design, um, and that feels really rewarding to be able to work with small businesses and help them elevate their businesses, elevate their income and help them attract their dream clients.

Um, so it’s been just a really rewarding path since then.

Akua: That’s amazing. I think, you know, that is, everybody has such a unique journey to entrepreneurship and I like that yours was It’s pretty smooth.

Sarah: Yeah. Thankfully, so there are definitely things that I feel like you do learn at a more formal education that I was able to bring into entrepreneurship that were really helpful.

And I think that goes both ways. There are a lot of people who come from other jobs before they got into creative industry and they’re able to bring that unique perspective. So just like anyone else, I think I’m able to bring those things from the more formal education into the entrepreneurship. And, you know, they certainly didn’t teach you about running a business in my design program.

The design stuff, I feel like I did fortunately receive a lot of great education from some really talented professors.

Akua: Yeah. And I mean, it shows. I mean, your work is, is absolutely phenomenal. And one thing that is so interesting about you is that you only post on Instagram once a year. Like you are not on a lot of social media platforms.

First, let’s talk about why that is. And two, how have you been able to grow your business essentially like not really being on social media at all? Because up to 70%, I’m pretty sure Haley just sent this to me, 71 percent of US businesses say that they use Instagram.

Sarah: Yeah. Which is crazy. And I believe

Akua: it.

You are not one of them.

Sarah: I am not one of them, but I know that that is definitely where a lot of people are attracting clients in our industry. Um, and that, that’s valid. I’m not here to, you know, hate on Instagram if it’s working for anybody. And some people really love it and thrive on Instagram. That is just.

Not me, um, for me personally, I just realized that the time investment that it was taking to create Instagram posts, Instagram reels, Instagram captions to engage. I just sat down and took a look at it and thought, this is a lot of time for me personally to invest in this. And I’m not sure that I’m necessarily seeing the return on that time that I would want to see, uh, given how much time it’s taking up.

Again, for some people, I know that they’re able to create reels really quickly, and they really enjoy it and thrive on that. But for me, that is not at all the case. Uh, so I just started seeing how much time it was taking and, and really envisioning what time am I trading away by spending this time on Instagram graphics.

So, you know, full circle, I thought about birding. I would much rather be out in the mountains with my binoculars than spending time, you know, editing a video to match a certain music and putting it all together in a reel that may or may not actually get seen by anybody at all. Um, and I really started thinking about those trade offs truly.

Like I really would rather be birding or out in nature. I feel like there’s just so much goodness in the world to see. And I was not finding that in my screen in the Instagram app. So.

Akua: Oh my gosh, I love that so much. And one thing that I loved that you said of like, this isn’t generating revenue for me, right?

Like this is just not a good use of my time as a business owner. And I would rather prefer, you know, doing things that bring me joy. And I think naturally for us, when we’re thinking about, we have to get more clients, we instantly, marketing is the top priority. The number one and instantly, Oh, we got to post more.

Like we, our minds just go to this very traditional route. And instead of really looking at it as okay, like maybe Instagram is not the platform for you. Like what, how much time and investment is this taking for you? And what are other ways that you can, you know, get more leads, get more clients. So for you, how do you get clients?

How have you been able to build and sustain your business? Not really being that much on social media.

Sarah: Right. And I’m so glad you said that too, because I think when people hear I’m going to work on my marketing, they do think of Instagram, you know, those things are pretty much, yes, those are synonymous to a lot of people.

And it doesn’t have to be that way. Again, if that’s something that really works well for you, more power to you. But if you are struggling on Instagram and feeling like your time is not worth the investment that you’re putting in, I’m happy to share that there are plenty of alternatives. You don’t have to be so.

stuck on Instagram investing this time that’s not working for you. So for me, Pinterest has been a huge driver of traffic, of lead generation, of people who are joining my email list. And that’s really where we’ve put, uh, I say a lot of our time investment, but compared to Instagram, it’s just a really small sliver of what it takes to perform well on Pinterest.

Um, so I would say Pinterest has been huge in captivating that audience. Uh, at our highest level, we were at 9 million monthly impressions, which is far beyond anything I could have ever hoped for on Instagram. Um, yeah, 9 million. Sometimes I’m still amazed by that number.

Akua: Like you just said that so casually, 9 million.

I’m like, what, ma’am?

Sarah: That’s how I feel sometimes too. And it just goes to show that there’s so much power in Pinterest that people are neglecting. I mean, I, I think very few of us have been able to reach 9 million impressions monthly, every month on, on Instagram. So that number has gone up and down for me, but hasn’t gone below about 6 million, uh, in a couple of years.

So, and I think

Akua: you only have, just based on here, you only have like 14, 000 followers around there.

Sarah: Yeah, I do not have a whole lot of followers on it. It’s just all those, all those impressions that once you put out graphics, people from a wider audience can see. So it’s a lot different from Instagram and that you’re not posting to people who are following you.

You can really leverage the Pinterest algorithm to get in front of people who are new. And that’s something that’s really hard to do on Instagram to break through and to reach new audiences versus on Pinterest. That’s actually very easy to get your work in front of new people.

Akua: But let’s talk about that though, because, you know, I’m on Pinterest as well.

That is a platform that I have been investing more of, and I am much more at a beginner level. I actually am starting to see, like, one of my pins finally took off, and that was after three months. Like, now, Pinterest is definitely a long game. So I kind of want to, like, go through your Pinterest journey of, like, when you first started out, when, when did you start to see some, like, really Where it takes off because that’s the thing about Pinterest is like you’re not gonna see results right away But once you finally do you have to take that momentum and keep going and keep going and that’s where it can lead to like Bigger right like where more people can see your content So just walk us through a little bit with your Pinterest journey of like when you were starting out Like when did you finally see growth?

What strategies were you doing that then finally like took you to like, you know Maybe a couple hundred thousand to like a million I just asked you a whole bunch of questions in one, so let’s just walk through it step by step.

Sarah: Yeah, yeah, we’ll start from the beginning and cover all of that. And I think the key thing here that you’re talking about is longevity, and that’s something that we’re not seeing on Instagram.

On Instagram, things disappear so quickly, and even if you do get that viral moment, it’s over so fast. And on Pinterest, it’s really lasting. So I have pins that are from a couple of years ago that are still there. still picking up momentum that are still going viral. Uh, and that’s the thing that’s really incredible about it is you’re putting in this work now to pay off later.

So it is a long game, just like you said, it does take a lot more, uh, patience, I would say, but it’s so, so worth it because you’re investing this small amount of time now to see that growth exponentially for years and years to come. So I started on Pinterest. Let’s see. Back when I was in high school, we had our laptops in class and Pinterest at the time was invitation only.

So someone had to invite you to join it. Uh, you know, at the time, of course, I was just pinning crafts or recipes, uh, you know, during, during biology class. So I have had Pinterest for quite a while, but it was not something I was using for business, uh, until we really made that shift to get off Instagram.

So I would say probably in 20. 2018, 2019 was when I started to invest more time in Pinterest. So it has been a little while now, but when I started to see a lot more growth was when I started leveraging Pinterest tied into my email list. And I know that’s something you guys have talked about on this podcast before, um, really building your email list and growing it in a way that feels sustainable.

Um, but Pinterest and your email list are a match made in heaven. Uh, they are just meant to work together so seamlessly. And I think if you can really be smart about the content you’re putting on Pinterest, leading back to your email list, getting people on that list, then you’re able to have a real conversation with them in a space where you’re not competing for their attention the way that you would be on Instagram.

So I know that’s again, kind of a bird’s eye view of everything, but does that at least start to answer some of the questions about, about my Pinterest journey so far?

Akua: Yeah, absolutely. And I think, you know, let’s kind of break it down even a little bit more, right? So even with Pinterest, right, it’s heavily obviously blogs, right?

Blogs, videos, and all of that type of stuff in terms of content that you create. And you also want to lean more into evergreen content, right? Because you just said you have pins that have stuff that you’ve created years ago that are still gaining momentum now. And so for you. What kind of, like, how are you determining the types of content that works well for you, for your Pinterest?

I know keywords, you know, don’t mean to get so granular. I think just giving people just some of that foundational piece. Yeah, no, let’s get strategic

Sarah: about it. Let’s get strategic

Akua: about it. So let’s talk about, like, you determining the type of content that works really well for your Pinterest. How are you seeing your blogs converting to where, like, they are getting to your email list?

Like, I think let’s talk about those things as well.

Sarah: Yeah, so I think again, that email is tying into your Pinterest is one of the best ways that you can leverage Pinterest and I love the idea of evergreen content again. That’s something I’m really passionate about because it is something that you can set in motion once and never touch it again.

And again, years and years later, you’re picking up that traffic, which I think is what we all want. You know, it’s so much. More rewarding to invest that small amount of time now, and then just see that growing in the background without having to touch it again. So I think that it does really start with really quality content that you’re creating for your audience.

And there’s no way around that. I think a lot of people are looking for a cheat code, but you are going to have to create a good piece of content. The thing about Pinterest. those that you only have to make one really great piece of content. And I think, again, that’s a difference from Instagram where you’re having to reinvent the wheel every day to come up with new content every single time, uh, that you’re posting.

But with Pinterest, you can just focus on leveraging one really great piece of content. So that’s what I always tell people. And they asked me about Pinterest is invest your time in that one amazing piece of content. So for some people that might be a podcast episode, it could be a blog post. But I think where you’re really going to get a lot of return on your investment is having some type of email opt in that is just insanely good.

You know, this is something that you can hardly even believe that you’re giving away for free. So a couple of them that have done really well for me, I have an email opt in that is a download of 100 different color palettes. And again, that’s a lot, right? Like a hundred. That’s, that’s a lot. That’s a hard to believe you’re giving it away for free kind of opt in.

Another one that’s performed really well is a list of 100 daily affirmations. So again, two totally different types of freebies. That are attracting different audiences into my business. Um, but again, they’re really high value. It’s something I put a lot of time and effort into, and it’s something that people will continue to be interested in for years to come and that are pulling, pulling an audience onto my email list, where then I can start to nurture them and market to them and have real conversations with them.

So I would tell people to really invest a lot of time in that one piece of content. And then you, once you get it on Pinterest, you can leverage it in all kinds of So that you’re getting traffic back to that content in different boards, in different ways that you’re getting in front of people. So that it’s just that one or two really, really great pieces of content are pulling in all of that traffic.

Akua: Yes. Oh my gosh. I love that so much. And I love that you brought that up because truly it’s really like high value content. It’s truly quality over quantity. And that was something I even learned in my own Pinterest journey of like as I was pinning, I had one. blog posts like take off that did really well.

And it was about podcasting, not even about storytelling. And I was like, look, I need one to come up from, for storytelling, like, which I’m still going back and refining, but then I use that data. Okay. I’m like, I got this one quality piece of content here that now like my audience is looking at. Now I took that one piece and then created other types of content from that one piece.

And I’m currently even testing it on Pinterest to see how it does, but I’ll just do one piece of content can give you like 20. Pins, you know what I mean? And I think that’s

Sarah: where a lot of people are actually making a big mistake. And I think a lot of the big names out there are telling you, here’s how you can get three pins out of this one piece of content.

And I think you can go way beyond that. So again, using my example of a hundred color palettes, download. I probably have a hundred pin graphics or more out there for that, uh, and that’s something that scares a lot of people. I think they think I’m going to do a Pinterest marketing. How am I ever going to create a hundred graphics, but it’s actually so much easier than you would think just to create subtle variations.

It’s even just creating the exact same pin, but changing the background color. Now you have two different pins that are linking back to the same content. So. So, uh, that’s something that I love to show people how to do is how they can multiply their content on Pinterest so that you are taking just one pin design and multiplying it so that it becomes 30 different pins, 50 different pins, a hundred different pins, all leading back to the same content.

And that’s actually where, you know, I’m, I’m always focusing on quality and I really care about being intentional and doing things well. Uh, but one of the things about Pinterest is that it is a quantity game. You know, you need that high quality. content. But once you have that high quality content, then you can go for the quantity game.

And again, you can create 100 different pins, all linking back to that same piece of content. So again, totally different from Instagram, that you are able to really multiply that content, get it out there in front of people in a lot of different formats. And then remembering that it’s always linking back to your content, which again, is something that it’s hard to get on Instagram.

Uh, I think that’s one of the huge advantages of Pinterest as well is that everything is linking back to your website, is linking back to your email list, so that’s a huge advantage, uh, in terms of SEO, in terms of getting people onto a platform where, again, you’re getting to have that direct conversation with them, you’re getting to really walk them into your brand, you’re getting them to know you as a person in a way that is very different from shouting into the void on Instagram.

Akua: Yes, and I also love that Pinterest just really does take the pressure off of social media in general. And I think again, I, we always hear this, but just repeating this again, that Pinterest is a search engine, right? Like some people don’t even consider it a social media platform. Um, I still do. I’m like, you know what I mean?

But some people are like, it’s a search, which I agree, like YouTube, which is also a social media platform, like, right? Like having those. Skills like if you’re on youtube number one, you can repurpose those videos or clips on pinterest But also you already have that expertise on how to research keywords Right and be able to take those skills over to pinterest and so How for you right because that’s the thing about pinterest is being found so let’s talk about some of the strategies that you have used to where like Especially with your keywords and your titles, your pin descriptions, that really essentially led to you taking off and growing your list.

But did you grow it rapidly or was it gradually, would you say?

Sarah: I feel like it grew fairly quickly. I think you were spot on about the lead time you talked about that for most of our super successful pins, it is about three months to see them take off. So there definitely is a long lead time, but overall the growth did happen pretty quickly.

And again, it is kind of a quantity game. So, uh, I do have plenty of pins that went nowhere. You know, I think that’s normal on Pinterest. You know, you are going to get those pins that have very few views, very few impressions, and that’s why it is important to put out a pretty large quantity of pins because you will find out which ones work.

And like you mentioned before, you’ll also be able to look at the patterns of which ones are successful and build on that so that you have a strategy. Um, you know, sometimes it’s even. Stuff like the pins that have a darker background always tend to do better or the ones that have a certain, you’re using a certain call to action on them always tend to do better.

So you’ll pick up on those over time and get to understand which ones are really producing results and that way you can incorporate that data into your next round of pins that you’re creating. Um, and again, just remembering you can always create more new pins leading back to that same old content. So the more data that you’re able to accumulate, the more then you can tailor future pins to leverage that content in a new way moving forward.

Akua: Love that. And so even in terms of like the keyword research, like what strategies have you implemented as well to really help you be found on Pinterest?

Sarah: Yeah, this is one that I think some people kind of overcomplicate sometimes and I like to keep it really simple and Again, just kind of bringing in a little bit of my branding background really just take a minute to think about what are people searching for?

On Pinterest, it’s kind of that simple I think a lot of people do overcomplicate it and come up with all these strategies for different keywords But at the end of the day, it’s all about your target audience your ideal client and what are they looking for on Pinterest? So I’m using my 100 color palettes as an example.

That’s something that I know people who are interested in booking a brand design are looking for that’s, they may not exactly be looking for logos per se, but they’re starting to collect some ideas. They’re starting to collect inspiration. So that’s an easy way where I can step in, offer them something helpful, and then get them on the email list and start talking to them about booking a custom brand design.

So that’s something that I would encourage people to think about again, not overcomplicating it, but really just taking a minute to sit down, be thoughtful. Think about your target audience. Who are you actually trying to reach on Pinterest and what are they looking for as they’re searching on Pinterest?

It’s really, it’s really that easy.

Akua: Yes. 1000%. And I think to, um, just to your point of like leaning to your target audience, what are questions that you commonly get? That’s where you can start creating content off of. Right. And one thing I want to highlight with you is that. You were very intentional even in like your customer journey.

So even like highlighting that for business owners, like really think about where people are in their customer journey and building content off of that. For businesses, like, I remember for me of like getting to a certain point of like, okay, now I know I need a brand designer and you already were like, all right, This is for the person that is now ready to invest, looking for a brand designer, doing the research.

Here is the color palette, because color palettes is such a big part of the branding process, right? Like you were very strategic more so on that end, so I think really just like diving deep for people just to think about of like where your client or customer is at in their journey.

Sarah: That’s spot on, and You know, you want to give them something really valuable, this high quality content, but you’re also not giving them everything, you know?

So for me, people who are downloading those color palettes, they think, okay, great. This really helped me. I was able to implement the color palettes on my website, but now I’m kind of wondering what’s next. And that’s where I’m able to step in and then offer them my services beyond the color palettes. So that’s really the sweet spot.

If you can get there as you’re thinking about that signature content you’re creating is how can I offer my audience something that is really valuable, but does also kind of leave them wondering what the next step would be. Um, you know, and that’s where you step in and can offer your services to help them solve that problem.

Akua: Yeah, and I really want to transition out into opt ins because I do think, like, I love how you pointed out your really great opt ins for me, minus quizzes. And I do think that we need to be testing more opt ins. And so for you, what has your process looked like where you were like, alright, these two were it, like, how were, do you test your opt ins?

What has this process looked like? What type of opt ins have you tried that you’d be like, eh, this hasn’t worked? Like, what are your, what’s, what’s your process like?

Sarah: Yeah, yeah. Let’s start with the one that has not worked. Uh, some lessons learned, I would say. In one sense, it’s actually been hugely successful.

But I think I mentioned earlier that one of my biggest opt ins was an, uh, a list of 100 affirmations. So when people sign up for the list, every day they’re getting an affirmation into their inbox. I put out these affirmations really as a passion project. They were a hundred affirmations I had written for myself.

And I just wanted to share them with anyone who might be needing that little boost in the morning. Um, it really wasn’t so much a business decision as just, this is a personal project that I would love to put out there, uh, and share with anyone who would like it turned out to be a really huge lead generator in the way that it was getting subscribers, it was one of my best opt ins, but people would sign up and I had no idea who they were or how to serve them, it was such a broad audience.

And it got a lot of people onto my list, but I was like, I have no idea who you are. I have no idea how to sell to you. I don’t know what you’re looking for. Um, so I would say that was a bit of a mistake on my part. And I should have been a lot more strategic about understanding this audience. How can I determine who they are?

And could I create any offers that would serve them now that they’re on this list? Um, so that kind of goes back to what we’re talking about in terms of creating really Smart, strategic, thoughtful opt ins to start with. Um, the color palettes on the other hand have been a really great one that are people in the right target audience that do eventually book my brand design services, you know, or are happy to receive any of my other design tips from my blog that I’m sending out to my email.

Um, so that was a much smarter opt in than one that did not really have a whole lot of thought and strategy behind the audience. So I would just encourage people to really think. Carefully about who that audience is, who you want on your email list. Um, and to be patient, I think Pinterest is a great time to get people who are probably a little bit earlier in that customer journey sometimes.

So again, people who are downloading color palettes are at the very beginning of their brand design journey. Thought process. They are not necessarily a hundred percent ready to book right away. And that’s okay. You know, they’re getting on my email list and sometimes it’s a year later that they decide to book.

And I think that’s part of Pinterest is just being patient and knowing that you’re setting up your marketing for a sustainable marketing plan for, for longevity. It’s not just a quick fix.

Akua: Yes. Oh my gosh. Love that so much. And I love that you highlighted just the two opt ins of like, yeah, one worked great, but it literally had nothing to do with my goals as a business owner and how I can sell to these people and how I can serve them.

And I think that’s just a, just a really great thing to highlight. It’s like, yeah, we want to grow our list, but we want the right kind of people on that list. I think that’s just such an important, important thing, because that makes all the difference. All the difference when it’s time to really start selling your products and services.

And so I really would love to know more about you about how you’re nurturing your audience. Because I do feel like sometimes like we’ll have a great opt in and then we know we do the exchange or we give them the value, but then sometimes we just leave them. Right. And I think that like that nurturing piece is so, so, so crucial.

And so what does your nurture sequence look like?

Sarah: Yeah, so for most of my nurture sequences, I do have a couple of different tweaks depending on the opt in so that they are getting tailored content depending on how they came to me. But overall, I like to create a nurture sequence that I’ve set up in advance, so a workflow that is 6 months or 12 months long, which again does tend to scare people a little bit I think when we say that, but it’s just one email per month even.

So, you know, you could sit down in a day and write six emails or 12 emails, you know, that’s totally doable. And then I also like to think a lot about recycling that evergreen content. So again, thinking about Pinterest, thinking about how it ties into your blog and your email list. My goal is always to create that email opt in.

Get it out on Pinterest. People sign up from Pinterest to get on the email list, and then I’m sending them stuff from my blog. Maybe it’s even from years ago. Like, I’m repurposing content that has been thoughtfully created to be evergreen, uh, so that they’re on that list and receiving value, uh, until the next time that I’m posting a new opt in, in which case it’s getting back out on Pinterest and garnering more people who are joining the list.

Akua: Oh my gosh, I love that so so much and I think I know like when we hear of like, oh my gosh Like batching for the whole year. How is that possible? And so right because it does sound stressful How what does that look like for you as you’re like batching? Yeah again

Sarah: I think you’re right that it does tend to scare people when I talk about how many pin graphics I create Or how many emails I write but just remember that these are now Emails and graphics that have been serving me well for at least two, three, four years.

So it’s so, so worth it to sit down and just do it well, and to know that once you do it, this one time it will continue to serve you and your audience for these years to come. So if you can think about it that way, and just know that it’s going to be worth this time investment upfront, it’s a little less scary to say, okay, I’m going to really sit down and do this all at once and know that it’s going to last for a really long time.

Thanks. So for me, I definitely do have a pretty hefty blog at this point. I’ve been blogging for a long time and have a lot of good resources, but you don’t have to start with a lot on your plate. I think again, if you can just create that one really good piece of content, that is the key. You can always add more later, but I think.

Like, like we talked about before, just having that one really great piece of content is something that you can leverage. You can put it out on Pinterest. You can send it to your email list multiple times. You can copy and paste a quote from it to use on your email list. Just get that one solid piece of content and then leverage it in as many ways as you can.

Akua: Yes. Oh, love that. Love that so much. I think that’s just such a good key point of, if you have a really great high value blog post, you can literally take that and like make And email, like there’s, again, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel to make it more complicated and build things from scratch. And I think that’s what the beauty of Pinterest and even email marketing is, is that you truly get to work with what you have.

You don’t have to start over. It’s not overwhelming. Just go back and look at the pieces of content that I’ve been doing well, even on Instagram, if you’re like, Hey, I want to invest more. Go back and look at pieces of content that has done well for you on other platforms and then repurpose it into other ways that can really serve your audience on Pinterest or on your email list.

You know what I mean? And I think these are, these are really, it’s very strategic. It’s a good use of your time. And that’s my love is that with you, you are extremely intentional with how you spend your time as a business owner. Like, you know what I mean? And so, and I think that is, that Like where you have that time to enjoy, you know, birdwatching and all these other different types of activities that you love to do.

Like, and I think that’s great. I think that that’s what, that’s what entrepreneurship is supposed to be. Like you looked at something that most people are always doing and you’re like, no, that doesn’t work for me. And that’s okay. Here’s what’s going to work for me. And like, the benefits that have come from that.

It’s absolutely fantastic. And so this is, this is not telling people like, Hey, you should leave Instagram. It’s like, just really figure out what works for you as a business owner. Right.

Sarah: Understand your time and where it’s going and where you want it to be invested. And I, it’s funny that you say that because most of my blog posts Um, and I think a lot of times too, really come from a selfish motivation almost of wanting to save time on my end.

Yeah. Anytime that I, I get an email that someone is asking me the same question more than once, I write a blog post about it. So that way the next time someone asks me that question, I can just say, Oh, I have a blog post about that. And I’ve actually had friends that kind of made fun of me for always saying, Oh, I have a blog post about that.

Yeah. But if you are looking for content and trying to create that content that is going to be really long lasting, durable, evergreen, start to pay attention to those questions that you’re getting asked. It could be questions that you’re getting from clients, it could be questions that you’re getting on Instagram, but if it’s something that has come across your inbox or your DMs more than once, start Turn it into a blog post.

You don’t need to be typing that up every single time and answering the same thing over and over again. Turn it into a blog post so that can, that it can live on your blog, that it can be in a spot where people are coming to you as that source of information and it’s saving time on your end. Cause the next time that somebody asks about it, instead of having to actually think about your answer, you can just send them a link to the post.

And that’s where a lot of my great content comes from is selfishly. I don’t want to spend the time to think about it and type out an answer more than once. So you’re getting a link to the blog post.

Akua: But that is so true though, because the pin that took off for me on Pinterest finally was podcasting equipment.

And then that was a question I got consistently in the DMs all the time was what equipment have I been using, um, for the podcast, like also two more budget friendly options, made a whole blog post about it. So now I send that to people all the time. And that was the pin that took off on Pinterest.

Sarah: And that’s so great too, because you’re also really growing your business in a way that allows for someone else to step in.

Like for those of you who are building teams, if you have an assistant, so easy for them to grab that link. They don’t have to forward that email and say, Hey, can you answer this? What, what equipment do you use? They can just go grab that blog post link. So it really saves time for you. If you’re a solopreneur right now, it saves time for you as you’re growing the team and really building your business.

It’s just a great way to cut out all those little pieces of time that are adding up and preventing you from. Grabbing the binoculars and getting out there birding or whatever it is that you like to do. But it really does add up those little pieces of time when you’re rewriting content that you don’t need to be rewriting.

So get it out there on the blog. It’s a great sign that it’s going to be something searchable too. If people are already asking you that question, there’s a good chance that they are also googling that question. So now if you have it coming up in your Google search results and in Pinterest search results tied into your Google search results as well, um, you know, there’s a good chance that you are going to be attracting that audience that’s, that’s there and looking to you as an expert.

Akua: Yes. Oh my gosh. Love that. Love that so much. This has been such a great conversation. And Sarah, one thing I want to ask is like, what’s next for you in this season of life? Any exciting projects that you’re working on? Hint, hint,

Sarah: hint. Hint, hint, hint. Uh, I’m so glad that we’ve been talking about Pinterest today because I have been working on a Pinterest course where I really am going to walk through all the things that we’ve talked about today in really concrete steps.

I want people to be able to feel confident in taking that one piece of content and leveraging it on Pinterest, uh, in a way that doesn’t feel overwhelming and instead feels sustainable for long term marketing. So, I am working on that course. I’ll have it out soon and I would love to share the waitlist in the show notes if y’all are up for it.

Yes. Oh,

Akua: 1000%. It will be in there. I’m on that waitlist, girl.

Sarah: Well, if anyone else is feeling that Instagram is a bit of a struggle, which I hear a lot, I would love to invite you to join that wait list and to see you inside the course because I think it’s a great way for all of us to think about our time and be a little bit more intentional and really leverage Pinterest as that long term strategy, um, so that you can have more time for the things that really matter in your life.

Akua: Yes, absolutely. I’ve been like, please, let’s get that now. Now, please. No, I am so, so excited for you because I know this Pinterest course is going to be so impactful for so many business owners. And I have loved this conversation because I think this just, again, really reiterates that there’s more than one way to do business.

And I love that everything with you has been so strategic, so intentional so that you can really craft the life and business of your dreams and right. And doing what truly, truly works for you. for you. And I just, I really always want to really emphasize that as just as a business owner, like there’s more than one way to do everything.

And so always, always, I

Sarah: hope that gives people some hope because I know when I thought about leaving Instagram, even I thought, is that really possible? I mean, Instagram is where it’s at. That’s where all the marketing efforts are focused. That’s what everybody is saying. Um, you know, and I just, I just want to put it out there that it is possible.

And maybe it’s not even Pinterest for you. Maybe you’re someone who is going to receive that return on investment on YouTube, uh, you know, or maybe you’re just really going to sit back and focus on personal connections, networking and referrals and drop Instagram so that you can have more time to spend on that.

Um, you know, I think there are so many ways to do things and to do them really well in a way that feels really sustainable for your business. Um, you know, and I always like to say that it feels sustaining, not draining. Um, so I want, I want for you all to have hope that there is a way that your business can feel really good and the marketing can feel really good, uh, instead of feeling like spinning your wheels and not seeing the results that you’re looking for.

Akua: Yes, Oh, 1000%. I love that. And, and, uh, Every single question that we love to end with every episode is, what do you think is the biggest differentiator between the businesses that succeed and the ones that fail?

Sarah: I think just a heart for service. Uh, I think that the people who are really looking to serve their audience well, I think that comes through when it’s authentic and intentional.

Um, you know, I think your, your customers and your clients can really tell when you’re pouring that, uh, just Heartfelt, uh, heartfelt strategy and heartfelt service into your offerings. I think that really does come across, uh, and it will set you apart, even if sometimes it takes a little bit longer than some of the quick sales strategies.

Um, but I think that that is the key difference maker and, uh, we’ll always eventually get noticed, uh, and we’ll build a thriving, successful business.

Akua: 1000%. And Sarah, that is truly you all the time is that you’re always looking to help and serve others and make an impact. Like I see it and so many others people see it.

So thank you. Thank you so much for coming on the show. Like I have loved this conversation and I think again, it just I think it was needed. I think it’s been very refreshing and fun just to see how you run your business and how it’s really shaped your life and your journey. And so for anybody that wants to connect with you, obviously not on Instagram.

So where can we

Sarah: find you? Don’t, don’t find me on Instagram. You’re welcome to, but I won’t, won’t be sharing much there. So I would love to see you over on my website. Uh, that’s the. The best place to find me in all the different ways. That’s where you can join my email list. You’re always welcome to just send me a personal email.

Um, I love to receive those in my inbox. I would be so excited to share a conversation with you. So please do feel free to send me that email, um, or to get on my email list. If you’d like to receive, uh, the inspirations and resources that we’ve talked about today, I’d be happy to see you there. Um, my goal is always to have a real heart to heart conversation.

So I would love to receive that from you. Um, that means a lot more to me than just a like or follow. So I hope, hope to get to connect with you in that way.

Akua: Oh my gosh, Sarah, I love,

I love you. Oh, that’s amazing. Oh my gosh. This conversation has been everything and for everybody listening, I hope you enjoyed it just as much as I did. This has been fantastic and thank you so much again, Sarah. And for everybody listening until next time, that ends our episode of the independent business podcast.

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