In this episode, Hillary Weiss Presswood provides valuable guidance for creative service providers looking to
She also provides a comprehensive overview of her advice and strategies for positioning and marketing in the freelancing and personal branding space.
She is a creative director, messaging strategist, positioning coach, and founder of Statement Piece Studio at hillaryweiss.com.
Name: Hillary Weiss Presswood
What Hillary Does: Positioning Coach for Expert Brands
Company: Hillary Weiss
Noteworthy: Since 2011, she has assisted thousands of personality-fueled brands in defining their Statement Piece — a.k.a. the big idea that makes them unmissable in their market, and radically relevant to their perfect people.
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💡 Playing the Long Game
Hillary Weiss Presswood emphasizes the importance of patience and playing the long game when it comes to achieving a six-figure income. She shares her personal journey, highlighting that it took her several years to reach this milestone in her copywriting career. Her advice is to avoid shortcuts and focus on sustainable growth, even in a space that often promotes quick success.
💡Narrowing Down Target Audience and Focus
Hillary highlights the importance of narrowing down one’s target audience and focusing on what they genuinely enjoy doing. She advises against getting distracted or constantly pivoting, as it can dilute one’s message and hinder the development of brand equity. Staying committed to a specific niche or area of expertise is key.
💡 Consistent Self-Marketing and Thought Leadership
Hillary discusses the importance of consistent self-marketing and thought leadership. She shares her own experience of starting with one high-quality blog post a month and gradually expanding her online presence. The key takeaway is to build sustainable marketing habits and avoid overwhelming oneself with trying to be everywhere all at once.
💡Avoiding Overloading Your Offers:
Hillary discusses the negative impact of offering too many services or products. She draws parallels with the “jam study” from Harvard, where too many choices overwhelm customers. Simplifying your service offerings and focusing on a few core services can make it easier for clients to understand and choose what you offer.
💡Creating a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
Hillary explains the formula for creating a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) by intersecting offers, audiences, and differentiators. She highlights that crafting a USP can be challenging for many individuals and offers a step-by-step approach to creating one. She emphasizes the importance of being straightforward and literal when developing a USP and how it can be a core component of one’s positioning.
💡 Strategies for Effective Social Media Presence
Hillary provides two key rules for an effective social media strategy. She advises focusing on one job per post to avoid overwhelming your audience with complex content and simplifying your message. Additionally, she introduces the concept of A, B, and C plots on social media. A plot relates to your primary expertise, B plot allows your audience to connect with your personal life, and C plot showcases your other interests, creating a more well-rounded personal brand.
The Challenge of Self-Positioning.
Hillary highlights the common struggle that many freelancers face when it comes to positioning themselves and creating a unique selling proposition (USP). She emphasizes the difficulty of doing this for oneself, even if you are skilled at doing it for clients. The challenge arises from the inability to see oneself objectively from within the business.
Transitioning from Copywriter to Creative Director
Hillary shares her journey of transitioning from a copywriter to a creative director. She explains that this shift took several years and involved a gradual process of changing the content she talked about, testing coaching and strategy services, and building brand equity in her new areas of expertise. She also highlights the importance of rebranding and making a bold transition despite the uncertainties in the industry.
Differentiating Yourself as a Service Provider
To stand out in the creative industry, Hillary suggests identifying your unique differentiators. These include the experience of working with you, your background and training, and the flavor or personality you bring to your work. Additionally, feedback from testimonials can be a valuable source of information to highlight your strengths and unique qualities.
