A marketing maven with over two decades of industry experience, Trish has left an indelible mark on both corporate giants and entrepreneurial ventures. Her early career saw her honing her skill at Chrysler and CBS before she founded GoBeyondSEO in 2009. Her client roster boasts impressive names such as Berkshire Hathaway, Deutsch NY, Ogilvy, Saturn, Beauty Brands, and Honora Pearls, alongside numerous local and regional brands. Trish speaks to us about her approach to marketing and her new book, ‘Get More Clients Your Love…’.

1. Tell us more about the art of attracting clients you love.

Clients you love are the clients who will see the most success when working with you; it’s your favourite kind of work to do. They respect you and your craft and pay on time. Attracting them is as much about mindset as it is about marketing.

2. Why is it important to attract the clients that are the best fit for your business rather than just looking at the bottom line?

Best-fit clients are better for your bottom line! The attrition rate is lower, and when the fit is strong, you can charge more. 

3. What are the main marketing tools needed to effectively attract the right clients?

Mindset, Market, Message, Medium. Once you have these in place, the digital tools will vary a bit. I can talk in more detail if needed. 

4. What are the key factors involved in an effective advertising campaign? 

Mindset, Market, Message, Medium, and Money.

5. How does the approach need to adapt for social media marketing?

Tracking the engagement, you must determine if social media is being used to educate the audience or convert the audience. The messaging and the metrics you track will vary. 

6. Does conventional display advertising still work?

Yes, but it depends on the goal. With the right message and targeting the right audience, nearly all kinds of advertising can work. 

7. How important is it for a business to establish a branding strategy?

All businesses have a brand, whether intentional or not. Having a strategy puts you in control of that brand narrative. 

8. What are the key components to building a brand? 

Identity, Positioning, Consistency, Customer Experience, Trust Building

9. How have SEO and search engine algorithms influenced strategic marketing campaigns?

They changed the game entirely. SEO has encouraged the businesses to be more transparent in their advertising and offer a better digital buying experience. Advertising still has its place, but SEO gives the people what they want.

10. What are the top tips for having a good SEO strategy for a small business?

Know your audience and how they look for you. Use Google Search Console and Google Keyword Planner (there are other tools available as well) to determine what your audience wants and create content to give them the info they seek. Take a list of your FAQs, turn them into blog post titles, and answer them in your blog. 

11. You have attracted some very exclusive clients, including the billionaire investor Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway. How did you achieve this?

Being sought after for being a straight shooter and offering exclusivity to my clients. If I work with you, I won’t work with a competitor of yours. I landed BH through a referral from an existing client.

12. Where did you develop your passion for strategic marketing?

In college. I have a psych degree in addition to an English degree. Understanding the “why” behind behaviour informs how you present information. It all works together. 

13. Your book, ‘Get More Clients Your Love,’ has just been released. Why did you decide to write this book?

The marketing knowledge was all there, but I wasn’t as selective with my own client base as I should have been. I had one very large client who was so impossible to deal with that when I finally fired him, I took a huge financial hit. I promised myself I would never get caught in that position again. After speaking to other business owners, they too had a crappy client. The concept of “clients you love” was born. 

14. What do you hope readers will gain from reading your book?

To know that none of us have it all figured out, that they are worthy of charging a fair price, and that the right clients will make you happy and pay you what you’re worth.

15. Which brands would you say have the best advertising strategy?

Dove, Apple, Liquid Death

16. Which entrepreneurs do you most admire and why?

Arianna Huffington, She diversified in a fabulous way.

17. How do you keep a good work-life balance?

I stay connected with other small business owners. They understand the life more than others do. I start my day later than others do. It works for me despite what all the books say. Knowing what works for you is the key. 

18. Where do you find your inspiration for ideas from?

My family, nature, and reading. Meditation is great for inspiration too. 

19. How do you see AI changing the marketing and advertising strategies?

AI is a tool in the same way a typewriter or a laptop is a tool. It will make things move faster, and creating content becomes easier, but I don’t see it replacing humans. Not yet. 

20. Lastly, if you could provide 3 tips for any business struggling to attract clients, what would they be?

1. Stop trying to be the best in your field, but rather offer something no one else does. Then you’re the only one. Being the only is always better than being the best.

2. Network your heart out. If you don’t have the money, find the time. When you’re so busy you don’t have time, then you’ll have the money to outsource some marketing.

3. Never stop learning. There’s always more. Always.