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454: Funnels vs. Personal Branding: Which One Actually Makes You More Money?
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Funnels or personal branding. But if you had to choose just one to focus on, which would actually make you more money, that is exactly what we're going to break down today. The reason that this conversation matters is that most entrepreneurs waste months, sometimes years chasing visibility without ever turning it into actual sales. Or they obsess over perfecting a funnel and only to realize no one's actually seeing it or going through it. It's like having a store with the best products inside, but the lights are off and the door is locked. So what really moves the needle? Becoming the face of your brand or building the system behind it? Let's start with funnels. A funnel is simply a system that takes someone from I just discovered you to here's my credit card. It's not just a landing page, it really is the entire journey. You've heard me talk about it. The ideal client qualifier, the conversion event, the the emails, the sales pages, the checkout, and then even the post purchase follow ups. Think about it like this. If personal branding is how you get someone to walk past your store, the funnel is what gets them to walk inside, browse, and end up buying. The beauty of a good funnel is that it works while you sleep. And listen. We all love things working while we sleep. You should see the state of me when I wake up in the morning. What is it that they say the morning shed? The that's the way I think about a good funnel. Imagine waking up to sales notifications not because you are actively selling, but because your system did it for you. And here's the best part. Funnels give you predictability. If you know that for every a hundred people who enter your funnel, five of them buy. You can reverse engineer your revenue goals. But a funnel without traffic is like a billboard in like the desert. No one is seeing it. And that's where personal branding can become a game changer. So that's really, really why I think this conversation is important to talk about. So let's talk about personal branding. Personal branding is often misunderstood. It is not just posting on Instagram or showing your face on TikTok YouTube. It's the trust factor. It's how people will decide if they actually like you, trust you, and believe you can actually help them. Think about all the entrepreneurs that you follow online. So why do you follow them? I'm gonna guess it's not what they sell. It's them. It's their values, their stories, the way that they communicate, the interest in seeing the behind the scenes of their life. A strong personal brand can do Three critical things for your business. The first is it can turn cold traffic into warm leads. Your personal brand can be the reason someone pauses while they're scrolling. It can be why they click your profile, binge your content and sign up for your freebie. That is huge. Being able to turn that cold traffic into someone that actually wants to learn from you is huge. It really shortens the sales cycle. So when someone trusts you, they don't need 20 touch points to buy, they need two or three. That is a huge, huge difference. It also really increases your conversions because a well known trusted personal brand could literally triple the conversion rate at least of any funnel. Can I just really like tell you the power of that tripling the conversion rate of a funnel, you guys, that is game changing. So if you're running a webinar funnel and someone already follows you, they trust you and they see you as an expert, they are far more likely to buy at the end. Right? I've seen Funnels convert at 2% for cold audiences, but jump to 10% or more when the traffic actually comes from a well established personal brand. And if you put that into the context of numbers, that is a huge amount of revenue. Like that is game changing when it comes to actually scaling your business. So I really want that to land like, the power of having a personal brand behind a funnel can just take everything to the next level. So I know a lot of you are probably hearing this and being like, what does a personal brand actually look like? Like, is it having an Instagram account? It's more than just showing up. It is showing up with purpose. Because just posting on social media. Can I tell you the one thing that separates businesses that thrive from the ones that constantly struggle? It is not the perfect Instagram strateg. It's not the way they're running ads and it is definitely not working way more hours. It is having a system that turns strangers into buyers and keeps sales flowing on repeat. That's exactly what I'm breaking down for you in my completely free training, how to build a profitable, predictable and a repeatable business. So inside the training, what I'm going to teach you is how to build an offer so irresistible, buyers literally cannot say no. We are going to go into how to actually grow an audience of buyers, not just followers. And we're going to talk about the exact sales engine that I personally use to create consistent revenue for the last decade without launching 24. 7. I'm also going to be diving into how to leverage AI to really automate the busy work and focus only on what moves the needle. If you are finally ready to break free from the chaos and build a business that really works for you, not the other way around, go to bossbab.comlive to register for the free training now and I'll see you there. There, yeah, does not mean that you have a brand. So I'm going to break it down in a few different ways for you. The first is positioning. So what do you want to be known for? A good question to ask is if someone mentioned your name, what would they associate you with? Are you the go to for scaling digital products? Are you the expert in gut health for busy mums? Are you the mindset coach who helps women hit six figures? Do you help women to get pregnant through low toxic lifestyles like whatever. Whatever your niche is, there is a personal brand there. So I really want you to think about nailing your positioning first because everything else is going to build from there. I also really want you to really double down on the power of storytelling because this is the heartbeat of your personal brand. People don't buy because of features. They buy because they resonate with your story. This is really profound and important and it can take a lot of time to pull your story together. Like you're really raking back into your life to figure out, sharing the moments that shaped you, that shaped your business. Why did you start? What mistakes did you make? What transformation or experiences have you gone through that you could help others with? And the more that people can see themselves in your story, the more trust that you're going to build, and that's really important. And the more people relate to you, the more that they're going to want to follow your story. You're also going to want to think about content strategy, because this is where a lot of people get stuck. Your content. Content should do three things. It should educate. So teaching your audience something really valuable, it should connect. It should be showing your personality and your values. And it should convert. It should have people follow you or move towards your offer. Right? And it's not about posting every single day to be quote unquote consistent. It's about posting really strategically. So visibility is showing up consistently. But the thing is, consistency doesn't have to mean daily. It means being dependable. Whether it's three times a week or twice a day, your audience kind of should know when and where to find you. And that dependability builds trust without you even having to ask for it. You know, if someone says they release a podcast episode every Tuesday and then they just Don't. And one week's a Wednesday, or one week it's a Thursday. You might not realize it, but that's breaking trust with your audience. They don't know that they can depend on you. And another part that people miss is that your personal brand isn't separate from your funnel. So when people are deciding between the two, the way that I like to frame it is your personal brand is probably the top of your funnel. So if you think about it like this, right, your content is awareness. So every time you post, every time you podcast or you go live, you're attracting new eyes. Then your ideal client qualifier is interest. So once people trust you, they are way more likely to opt into your freebie. Then your nurture sequence is consideration. The more they see your face, they hear your voice, they read your words, the more that they're going to trust you. And then your offer is the conversion. So when you finally present your offer, the hope is that they're kind of already sold. Without personal branding, what you're doing is asking strangers to buy. And with personal branding, it's like inviting friends into your funnel. Now, neither of those is right or wrong. It's okay to sell to strangers, but if you can supercharge what you're doing with personal branding, I actually think that you're positioning yourself in a really, really strong position in the long term. And listen, we're all in business for the long term. We're not just in it for the next few months. And I really, really think personal branding is here to stay. And it's something you really need to invest in in 2025. Let's talk about that. Why do you need both in 2025? Because I really think this year is where the game is changing. We say it a lot, but the digital landscape is shifting so fast. I mean, you guys with AI driven content, paid ads are getting more expensive. Organic reach becoming harder to maintain. Trust is the new currency. AI is literally flooding the market. AI is making it easier than ever to create content. Blogs, videos, social posts, you name it, can literally be generated in mass in minutes. But AI cannot replicate you. Your personality, your values, your unique perspective, and most importantly, your story. Your story is so important. Personal branding, I believe this year is more important than ever. It's how you're going to stand out in a sea of AI generated noise. Because, listen, you're seeing it, I'm seeing it, we're all seeing it. Another thing to call out, and this is the truth, is ad costs are rising with increased competition, ad costs are climbing. And so if you're relying solely on paid traffic without a personal brand, you are going to start to pay more to acquire customers. But when your personal brand can drive organic traffic for you, your funnel probably becomes more cost effective because warm leads are converting faster and probably at a higher conversion rate. Audiences, I really think, are craving authenticity. You know, we're tired of polished corporate style marketing. We want to buy from people that we know, that we like and that we trust. And so I do think in 2025, if you're not showing up as a personal brand, as the face of your brand, you're invisible to a huge chunk of your audience. And so that's a huge opportunity for you. Another thing to call out this year, privacy changes are making tracking a lot harder. So iOS updates, third party cookie bans, stricter privacy laws, Tracking user behavior is getting harder. And I'm not getting into whether this is a good or a bad thing, but ultimately it does mean it is getting more and more difficult to retarget cold traffic. But when you are building a personal brand, you're not relying on algorithms, you're building relationships. And that is really powerful. That is something an algorithm cannot take away from you or data change cannot take away from you. We're also seeing the rise of micro influencers. And we've been seeing this for a while. But big influencers are not the only ones winning. So, like, a micro influencer is probably people with like 2,000 to 20,000 followers that driving really, really massive results because their audiences trust them. And most of the time they're in a very defined niche and a defined space. And that's the power of personal branding. And so if in 2025 you don't have both a funnel and a personal brand, you are going to struggle to stand out. You might struggle when it comes to converting leads and then scaling in a profitable way. So let's dive into which of these actually make more money. The honest truth is that neither one works in isolation. But if you are coming to this episode choosing where to start, then my advice is I would start by building a simple funnel and then simultaneously build your personal brand to feed that funnel. Here's the thing, funnels generate revenue. If your business is not generating revenue, it's a hobby. And listen, I don't know about you, but we can't, I don't have time to be funding hobbies. We really want businesses that generate revenue. And then personal branding increases volume and conversions, and together that is just a really incredible mix that can set you Apart from the rest, and I really, really think is a great place to be spending your time. So if I was starting from scratch tomorrow, here's exactly what I would be doing, step by step. The first thing I would clarify my personal brand. So I'd be defining my niche, my core message and brand pillars, positioning myself as a go to expert. So that would mean getting crystal clear on how I want to be perceived and what transformation I'm promising. And I would really ensure that my messaging is concise, is powerful, and speaks directly to my ideal audience's pain points and desires. Then I would be building authority content. So I'd probably focus on quality over quantity. Every single piece of content would be serving a purpose, either to educate, to connect, or to convert. And I'd probably start with three to five core content topics or content pillars and consistently create posts, reels, videos all around those themes. And the hope would be this establishes authority while keeping me the top of people's minds. Then I would launch a simple funnel. And I really mean simple, you guys. This does not need to be complicated. I would start lean. So I'd have one clear ideal client qualifier connected to an email sequence that nurtures trusts and leads straight to my core offer. No complicated tech, just a very clear path from discovery to purchase. And I would really prioritize clarity over complexity. Then I'd be thinking about driving traffic. I personally use organic content and I would be doing collaborations with other people that have a similar audience to me. I'd also put a small budget through ads to get my lead magnet in front of the right people. And then I would leverage platforms where my audience already hangs out. So I'd find out ollie on Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn and then I'd go all in there. And something else that would really, really help, starting from scratch would be leveraging social proof. So even if I didn't have clients yet, I'd share wins from free workshops, beta programs, or personal results. Because that kind of testimonial is going to build trust really fast. And I would try to weave that into every single touch point I have. So sales pages, emails, social posts, you name it, I would be putting results in there. And then I'd be optimizing consistently for conversion. So I'd be tracking key metrics like click through rates, email open rates, sales page conversions. Where are people dropping off? I'd be refining copy, adjusting offers, and then a B test until my funnel consistently converts. Then I would be building an evergreen content ecosystem. I'd call this my Million dollar ecosystem. I would create three to five pillar pieces of content like a signature webinar podcast episode or a blog that constantly drives traffic. These would act as magnets pulling new leads into my funnel without that constant effort. And once this funnel's converting, I'm thinking about scaling without burnout. So I'd be increasing my ad spend, I'd be repurposing top performing content and automate everything possible. Think about scheduling platforms, email automation, Pre made templates, ChatGPT, you name it. I'd be really trying to keep things efficient there and then I really think community is so incredibly important. And I would nurture my audience through some kind of separate area to social media, whether that's a private group, a slack, an email list, some kind of space for conversation and high value can build that loyalty. And loyal audiences convert way faster. They also give you better feedback. And then speaking of that, you know, as I'm gathering feedback, I'd probably strengthen my core offer. I would add value driven bonuses, simplify delivery, tighten up messaging, and the goal would be to make it an absolute no brainer for my audience. And then overall, you know, the goal from that would be build a system that runs like clockwork while I focus on growth content and actually serving clients. And I don't think that this is just a nice to have, right? I really think that this is how you build a business that doesn't burn you out. And I think it's how you build a business that you don't, you know, two years from now decide that you want to fully burn down because you are so exhausted and you cannot picture yourself running it for another year. I think that is really, really important. Let's build businesses that we don't want to burn down. So kind of coming back to the funnel or brand conversation, which one actually makes you more money? Funnels make you more money, predictably, and personal branding makes you more money consistently. So if you want that shorter term cash flow, build a funnel. And if you want the longer term authority, I'm going to recommend building your personal brand alongside it. But if you're like Natalie right now, I just have the capacity to choose one, then my recommendation would be start with the funnel. Because revenue is the fuel that allows you to keep showing up and actually scaling your brand. And that's what's really important. Like I said, if you do not have revenue in your business, it's a hobby and it is very hard to give so much time and attention to a hobby. So let's focus on that. So if this episode really resonated with you, I've got two resources that I think will really, really support you and just help you to take all of this to the absolute next level. So the first is a funnel template that you can literally copy and paste into your business. It's actually one of my most successful funnels ever. I compiled every single detail of it. You can grab that in the link below. It's a game changer. And then the second is a completely free 130 page guide to growing and monetizing your personal brand on Instagram. It is so comprehensive, I couldn't even put it into words. It took us, I think, about five months to create this. It's filled with every single detail you need to really grow your business. And the link for that is also below so you can grab those resources. I think they will make a massive difference for you when it comes to growing your funnel and your personal brand. And then I also would love to hear, does this episode resonate with you? Do you like this format? Is there something I could do another topic on? Is there a way I could present this that would resonate more with you? Please let me know. I am all ears and I want to make sure that I keep delivering as much value as I can in these episodes. So thank you so, so much for tuning in and I will see you next time.