15. How Your Podcast Can Strengthen Your Brand with Cassandra Emmerson

This transcript was created using Headliner. It has been copied and pasted but not proofread or edited, so it may contain errors or inaccuracies.

Laura: Welcome to Podcasting for Business Owners. I’m Your host, Laura McRae, a podcast consultant, educator and self confessed podcast nerd. If you’re thinking of launching a podcast.

Laura: Or want to grow the one you have, you’re in the right place. Hold on to your headphones and let’s go.

Laura: Hello and welcome back to Podcasting for Business Owners, the podcast that helps you share your story, lead your industry and grow your network through podcasting. Today, I’m thrilled to introduce Cassandra Emerson, a remarkable brand and marketing strategist who specialises in helping high level business owners create unforgettable brands. In this episode, Cass reveals her journey from corporate to consulting and shares invaluable tips on building a brand that truly stands out. Get ready for some insights that can transform how you connect with your audience. Let’s get started.

Laura: Cassandra, welcome to the show.

Cassandra: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. I’m so excited about this chat.

Laura: Me too. So could you start by sharing a bit about your background as a brand strategist and what led you to specialise in this area?

Cassandra: So, my background, I went to uni and I did, uh, marketing as part of that and I think I’ve always loved it. So I did a double major at Murdoch and Curtin on marketing and management and then I spent a long time in sales actually. So I’ve got a really strong sales background. And once I finally moved into corporate, it was in that marketing space. I think where the brand stuff really started to come in is when I was working at the law firm Laven, because they have such a strong brand. They’re a West Australian independent law firm and the brand was so strong and the way that they adhered to it and managed it so tightly and it was really eye opening because until then I really worked in businesses, but they weren’t really focused on brand, it was a lot more marketing. And then when I went to Gryphon and I was head of brand there, they’re a property developer for over four years. I really brought that with me and embedded that into their business and really built a strong brand. And it started with the developments. So, uh, we sell boutique apartment properties. And what I did is rather than just focus on the product of being a building, I created brands for them. And it was so successful because each of them had an identity, a, uh, personality, it had a story and, uh, it just made such a big difference to selling the developments. And that’s when I was just like, oh, wow, this is really powerful. Above and beyond all of that, it’s actually just who I am and how I think I naturally am, um, very entrepreneurial by nature. I analyse and think about things. So in a little nutshell, or big nutshell, that’s kind of how I got to be where I am today. And then 18 months ago, freedom is my biggest value. And I was just like, I’m kind of done. I’ve done my years and years in the corporate world. It was just time to, to do my own thing where I could be free and not have any limitations on my creativity.

Laura: Oh, that’s incredible.

Cassandra: Yeah.

Laura: I guess it’s really important for a law firm to have good branding because people need to trust a law firm, don’t they?

Cassandra: Yeah. But it’s funnily enough, so many of them have these really old school law brands. But Lavin was really different in the way that it was bold, it was red, they had a combi, like they had all these different elements that made up part of the brand to be the story. And it really differentiated them and it was really cool to see then, not only that, but being within that team, seeing, like how pedantic things were around, you know, when we would have big events, how. Uh-huh. Things had to be perfect and if we were having an event and people weren’t showing, we would be behind the scenes changing the table all around to rejig everything to make sure that it was perfect so that the experience, which is what brand is about, was perfect.

Laura: Oh, wow. So there’s a lot of thought goes into it then.

Cassandra: Yeah, a lot.

Laura: For those who are unfamiliar, um, with the role, how would you define a brand strategist and what does your day to day work typically involve?

Cassandra: So one thing I would say is that what I do is what even is a brand. And, um, a brand is a few things, but it’s what people say about you when you’re not in the room so about your business, it’s how people feel and think about it. So then it’s also giving your business that sells a product or service a personality by using this whole framework, which is a lot more than just some colours and a logo. And then the process of that is then how do you build that and then how do you grow that and how do you weave that into every single aspect of what a business does through all areas of the business, from HR sales, you know, the whole thing. Brand is kind of like the backbone of a, uh, business. So as a brand strategist, my role is to create, grow and build that for the businesses and my day to day is so different every single day. This morning I just got a pitch for a client into a property magazine to sharing his story. Yesterday I had back to back meetings where I was with business owners that, you know, I’ve either built their brand

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Cassandra: or I’m, um, building and we’re launching and then I’m talking about, well, how do we evolve, how do we grow that brand? What are the next steps, how do we get you in front of more audiences? Um, how do we, you know, obviously get more sales, but what are the strategies that we’re going to do? So having insights, which are, uh, ideas with a plan and turning them into brand campaigns. So, you know, I’ve just recently been working with one client and we created. He’s got a food business, it’s called a Moon Bar. But from listening to a conversation at my brother’s house between surfers, I had this idea of like, oh, wonder if we could create a bar like by my client, gluten free for the surface so that they didn’t have to come in off the waves in waterproof packaging that they can have out tuck it into their web suit. And now that’s launched and it’s come to life. So from an idea in an environment where I’m not even working for that client and I floated it to my client, he created it, we built it, we branded it, we come up with a story and we’ve launched it and it sold out in the first month. So.

Laura: Wow, that’s incredible. What a brilliant idea.

Cassandra: Yeah, so it’s really, really varied and it just depends on which client I’m working with as to what I’m doing and what ideas I have and then when I have the ideas that I have to execute them.

Laura: Yeah, it must be so interesting if you’ve got different types of clients.

Cassandra: Yeah, and I do, because people are just like, oh, what industry do you work for? And I’m like, all of them. I work for all sorts of industries because it doesn’t matter to me because it’s. The idea is like I will immerse myself into that business and then my nature is to have these ideas, which I’ve always called ideas. And it was literally about a week ago that I realised, oh my gosh, they’re actually insights because an idea is just something that you don’t necessarily do anything with. But an insight is when, then you can plan it and then you can execute it and then I turn them into campaigns, which is really cool.

Laura: Wow, that is really cool. How can podcasting serve as A tool for building and expressing a brand’s personality.

Cassandra: You know, we’re in this world now, like back in the day, if you think about marketing, even, you know what, 30 years ago in the 80s, you’d have to, to be a business and to have marketing, you would have to go to like big advertising agencies or get newspaper ads or something. So it was really expensive. We now have social media and these tools, you know, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, where every business owner can be a marketer and therefore they’re all building brands. And podcasting is exploding because it’s long form content. It’s a way that people can share more about their stories and opinions and things that they believe in. And what that also does is give the audiences a chance to, without having to make contact, get a feel for what that business is about. And I think it’s just so, so important. And it’s definitely where it’s going. You know, YouTube is exploding because it’s that longer form content, Podcasting is part of that. And everybody, in order to, you know, get more awareness and speed up that sales process, is leaning into and should podcast.

Laura: Yeah, I totally agree. And I think it’s great as well, because people can just get on with their everyday life and still consume your content.

Cassandra: That’s right. And I, oh my gosh, like, I can’t even tell you how many hours of podcast content that I digest weekly. You know, from health ones to business ones to brand ones. I don’t really listen to music anymore. I just listen to podcasts. So when I drive down south, I just listen to podcasts the whole time and learn. And it’s amazing. Half the time I have to stop and pull over because I need to write notes or by the time I get there, I might have forgot about what I wanted to write down. But no, it’s really, really, it’s really, really powerful because when you’re building a brand and probably circling back to brand for a minute, what you’re actually doing is one bit is building an emotional connection with your audience, but what you’re doing is helping your business get noticed. So how are you going to stand out from the competition and be different then? How are you going to get people to like you? So how are you going to be memorable? So one, you’ve got to get noticed, then you’ve got to be like memorable, then you get the sale, you know, so how do you actually get to be the chosen one out of all the competition? And then the next level from that is how do you actually get the people that choose you to tell their friends and family about it so you get those referral sales. And I don’t know if this is a good time to tell you the story, but my business coach, I chose her from a podcast. So over, uh, two years ago I was walking on the beach in Queensland. Some stuff was going on with my work at the time. It was when I made the decision to leave my corporate job and I was listening to Steph Gordon. I found this podcast episode by chance, don’t even know how. Wasn’t even a, ah, big podcast listener back then. Found one, loved it. Then I went on to digest everything that she had recorded. And on that trip I said to my mum, oh, I’m going to

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Cassandra: sign up with this business coach. Now I hadn’t even spoken with her, but the decision was made and I signed up. You know, two months later. It was just then a matter of logistics and the finding uh, out the investment and time. But that podcast had exposed me enough to what she was about. And the other part of this is how she showed up. And my experience with her is what I got on the podcast. So that’s a really big thing, that consistency. You want to make sure that how you’re showing up on your podcast is how people are going to experience you in real life because otherwise they will backtrack in that decision. Now I’ve been with her for two years. I’m into my third year. That’s made over 25k revenue from her from just doing a podcast. How amazing is that?

Laura: That is amazing. And I’m exactly the same. There’s a show called the Podcast Manager show and I started doing podcast management and did the lady, her name’s Lauren Ryton who has that podcast and I did her course too. So yeah, I’m exactly the same. Binge listened to the whole thing and then I signed up for a course.

Cassandra: Yeah. So that in itself, doesn’t that just say how powerful it is? But within that it’s like, how do you make sure that the podcast is good? Because you know you want the sound to be good. So you were just like, cass, you need to put some headphones in so that it blocks out the sound. You know, having a microphone in front of you because you don’t want to be listening to a, ah, podcast and it doesn’t sound good. That’s, I think more your, that’s going to be your area of expertise. But it’s part brand experience as well. What does it sound like and what is the listening experience? Like, as well.

Laura: Yeah, exactly. So, in your opinion, what are the key elements of a strong brand, and how can these be communicated through a podcast?

Cassandra: A brand is made up of multiple things, and I think that the area that most people skip, so a lot of business owners will just go to giving it, like an identity on the outside. But I was listening to something yesterday when I was on the treadmill, and they said to me, oh, what is a cross? And, you know, when we think of a cross, like a crucifix, we immediately go to, well, it’s. It means God or it means this and that, but it’s not. It’s actually just a cross. Right. But it’s given a meaning through story. So when you’re building a brand, there’s multiple layers that you have. It’s like, who you are, uh, what is your story? What is your personality going to be like? So then, therefore, what is your tone of voice? What language do you use? What do you believe in? What’s unique about you? What are your customers? Pain points and what do you sell? And then from there you can go to, well, how does that look like? What does that look like in the world? So your visual identity, because you want to make sure that it all ties in together. So building a brand is really multilayered, but it’s what gives that visual identity meaning on the outside. So a McDonald’s arches is just a yellow M, but we’ve all got stories and meanings and associations with it. Uh, and that’s kind of the brand stuff underneath that gives that visual identity a meaning. So many people just go to the colours and the fonts, but it’s all the work that’s underneath that actually gives that context.

Laura: Yeah, it’s more than just visual identity, isn’t it?

Cassandra: Uh, yeah, it is. But so with podcasting, I mean, people are listening first. So your visual identity has nothing to do with it, but it’s still a brand experience. So how do you sound? What are you saying? What’s your story? What are your beliefs? What’s that personality show up like? Are you warm, nurturing and caring? Are you fun, vibrant? Are you a little bit disruptive? Like, all of that is part of the brand, but that all needs to tie together then with how you look as well, and then how people experience you. You don’t want to have this podcast where you’re all, like, really disruptive. But then if a person connects with you and real life and you try to buy from them and you’re really quiet like a mouse, and you know Very, very different. People are going to be like, what? That’s not the experience. It needs to be a consistent experience. So podcasting, we listen to it, uh, we’re not shopping with our eyes, we’re shopping with our ears. So the brand stuff is really more important than ever when it comes to the podcasting aspect of, you know, as an element to build your brand.

Laura: Yeah, gotta keep it real.

Cassandra: Yeah, you do have to keep it real. Yeah, you wanna be, like, genuine and authentic.

Laura: So many business owners struggle to define their brand. How can starting a podcast help them clarify and articulate their brand identity?

Cassandra: It can’t. You should not start a podcast if you do not know those things. It’s the worst thing you can do. Because what’s gonna happen is, like, so many people, I, uh, think that they build this brand and they get that pretty look, but they. Because I have this conversation all the time, like, what’s your message? What’s your story? What’s unique about you? And they’re like, I don’t know. So how, what are you going to do a podcast on? Because you would be winging it. And if you’re not conscious about it, you’re not going to be able to be consistent because it’s not going to be a common thread. You might be able to wing it, which is cool. But if you’re going to put all that time, effort and money, because hopefully, like, you invest in actually getting someone like you

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Cassandra: to produce the podcast so that it’s going professional, if you’re going to put in that time, you want to make sure that you’re doing it strategically. Like, what’s the ban around it? What are you hoping to achieve? What is your message? What do you want people to believe? Because what branding is, is shaping people’s perceptions and opinions about you, but you have control of that. You don’t have control over how they receive it through their philtres, but you do have, like 80% control on what you put out there and how you do that. And then you just have to hope that you’ve done enough work to make it land the way you want it to land.

Laura: Yeah, you’re talking my language.

Cassandra: So, yeah, absolutely. Do not start a podcast without knowing what your brand is and what you want to achieve and who you are and what your message is, because you’re wasting your time, energy, money, and you’re going to do damage to your brand as well. Because everybody is actually jumping on the podcast train right now. I’ve got people, like, chasing me to ask me to do and I’m like, I’m not ready for it because of, you know, the time aspect of it. Ah. But I also want to know, if I’m going to do it, how am I going to be different to the other people that are talking about brand? What’s going to be unique about my story that’s going to make me stand out, and how am I going to run that as a common thread through what I do? And I want time and space to make sure that I’m ready for that. So, yeah, don’t just jump into it just because we’ve got riversuite studio where you can record it and you can find people to talk to. It’s not going to work.

Laura: Yeah, I totally agree. And when I meet with clients, I always make sure we go through what their mission, vision and values is, their goals. Why are they starting a podcast? Who’s their audience? What’s their ideal listener? Everything beforehand. Because if you don’t know, you’re just throwing spaghetti at the wall, as they say. You need to know where you’re going with your podcast.

Cassandra: Yeah, 100%. And look, some people can really wing it, and that’s amazing, but some people don’t. And, um, you just want to make sure that if you’re going to invest that amount of energy and portion of your brand into it, that you just do it really well and you do it intentionally as well.

Laura: Yeah, totally. So what are some practical ways podcasters can infuse their personality and values into their episodes to strengthen their brand identity?

Cassandra: So how are you going to sound and show up? You know, what’s your brand personality? Are you really energetic and high value? Do you swear, you know, what are you going to be talking about? So that’s going to be really important. And even just tying in the structure of a podcast back to your brand and how you want to sound, what does the video look behind you? You know, like even that, because you can be infusing your brand into that through the background. So if people are looking at on YouTube, they can see it. And then podcasting is really a chance to be sharing your story. So make sure that you know your story if you’re going to do it. So then you can be weaving that in throughout the journey. But also I have heard podcasts where facts are inconsistent, and I hear that, and that’s not good, you know, so you want to make sure that you know, you know what you’re about and you share, uh, that consistently. And it doesn’t change because over time, when people are on that journey with you, people will start to notice.

Laura: Yeah. And they’ll start to lose trust in you 100%.

Cassandra: That’s the worst thing that you can do. But. But yeah, ultimately, you know, with the podcast, also make sure that it’s professionally produced so that you get good sound quality because you don’t want it to be sounding tinny or hollow. You, um, want to make sure your voice sounds good. So invest in the right things to do that as well. But ultimately, like, podcasting is a listening platform, M. So it’s going to be how you sound, what you say and how you say it.

Laura: Totally. What are some common misconceptions about branding that you often encounter, especially among podcasters or small business owners?

Cassandra: I couldn’t say that I probably experienced it amongst podcasters, but definitely about, ah, business owners is that one. It’s that visual identity, like, I’ve got a brand, it’s my logo, it’s my fonts, it’s this. That’s probably the biggest misconception that people have around brand. And that also, uh, this is probably a segue to that question, but it’s just like the importance of brand and what it even means. So if you don’t actually understand what it is, then you don’t know what you’re missing in building it into your business. And, um, then there’s a big gap in the market because when it comes to answering the questions like you ask for people coming onto and wanting to do a podcast, then they’re not going to have the answers to that. So many business owners that I meet with, when I talk to them about, well, what’s your big vision like, where are we going with this? How are you going to. What’s the bigger plan with this business? Are you going to sell it? Are you, you know, is it a personal brand? Because that all shapes the brand strategy and how you build and grow that brand. And a lot of them don’t even have answers to those questions and they haven’t even thought about it. And that’s where it being. So this visual looking, how it looks, that mistake, it causes a lot of ripples throughout

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Cassandra: the whole business because there’s so many things that they’re missing.

Laura: Absolutely. So consistency is crucial for both branding and podcasting. Could you share some tips on how to maintain brand consistency across all podcast episodes?

Cassandra: Yeah, you know, just how you choose to sound and show up from day one, make sure that you’re going to do that always. So if you’re there on the first day and you’re really Pumped and excited and full of energy, and you’re, like, talking really fast and really loud, and your. Your tone variation changes a lot. But then the next time you show up and you’re really tired, my God, is hard. So then your energy is really low. I mean, that’s going to be terrible from a branding point of view, because that’s going to be inconsistent what you talk about. So your message that you’re sharing and then your story is going to be really important. Um, and then also frequency, like, don’t start a podcast and then do a few episodes and then miss a few, you know, do seasons if you’re going to. Or commit to something. But that consistency in showing up as well is going to be really important.

Laura: Yeah, I totally agree. You’ve got to be in the mood to record a podcast episode. I’ve had clients where their episodes are due for that day, and they’ve messaged me and been like, laura, I’m, um, just not feeling it today. I’m like, it’s all right. Just leave it a couple of days. Wait till you’re in the mood. Because there’s no point in recording if you’re not in the mood, because the energy is not going to be the same. So you make sure you’re in the right frame of mind.

Cassandra: That’s right. And that’s another consideration when you’re thinking about doing a podcasting, is knowing that commitment and knowing that being aware that how you show up is part of your brand and that it matters. Um, and then, you know, that’s going to have a big impact on how you experience through that podcast.

Laura: Yeah. And also, like, if you’re in the mood for podcasting and recording episodes, I just say smash them out when you’re in the mood, because you never know. Next week you might get the flu. So, yeah, it’s really important to do that. Yeah. And like you say, with consistency as well. I always say to clients, if you’re not comfortable doing weekly, you don’t know if you’re going to be able to do it weekly. Then start with fortnightly episodes, and then if you think you can do more, then do more, because it’s best to have fortnightly and then go to weekly rather than weekly to fortnightly, because you’re kind of letting people down.

Cassandra: Yeah. And I guess another way is if you’re going to do it and do a series, maybe people do a series of 12. Right. And then you could bang them all out in a few days, get them chopped up, then they’re all going to sound consistent and then you’ve done a series and you don’t have to worry about it. That’s probably how I would do it, to be honest.

Laura: I’ve done that for a couple of clients. They’ve just given me all the episodes and said, here you go, Laura, just do that. And then it’s all done and dusted and they don’t need to worry about it.

Cassandra: Yeah, that sounds like a good plan.

Laura: Yeah. So what role does storytelling play in branding? And how can podcasters use storytelling to attract their ideal listeners?

Cassandra: Well, uh, storytelling is everything. There’s a reason why we all know the story, Cinderella, because we remember stories, we remember facts through stories. So when, as a brand, one of the biggest aspects is to have a story that you’re sharing, because that’s where people connect with you, that’s where values come through. That’s where the essence of who you are and what you’re about also shines. And knowing what your story is is super important. And we all have stories. And look, sometimes when you’re building a brand, it takes a while to really nail that story and what it is. So sometimes it can’t be rushed. But that is going to be part of podcasting, because that’s going to be weaved through every episode, because you are going to often centre back to that story or learnings from it, or the growth that you’ve had from that, depending on what your podcast is about. But we all have a story, and stories are how we share and communicate with other people about what something is about. Yeah. So I think that it’s super, super important. I mean, it’s a massive part of brand. And I was just having a conversation with someone yesterday and they were doing a social media campaign around a business anniversary and they’d been in business for six years, but they were quite focused on the product service aspect of it, that they were missing the story. And why are they even having that celebration? What does it mean? Because they’ve done six years in business that they’ve seen all of these things happen and that’s the stuff that people can relate to, that they’ve built a business using this tool. It’s not that they’re getting this freebie and what that does for them, it’s that story that’s going to make them want the freebie. So the story is what creates the motivation to take the next step.

Laura: Yeah, it’s hard, isn’t it? Because marketing has changed over the years. It used to be all about the actual Product. And now it’s about the transformation, isn’t it?

Cassandra: It is like brand is honestly in its infancy of people really starting. People are starting to. I hear it like, I hear the word being thrown around more than ever. I spend a lot of my time educating people about what even is a brand and why does it matter? I’m spending a lot of time trying to work out how to make it relatable for people. Like, well, what does it mean to have a brand? It means that you would get noticed in a crowd. You know, it means to be people, then M will remember you. It’ll mean that you’ll get chosen over the competitors. It gives people a reason why, which is story.

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Cassandra: That story of why choose you over someone else. And people connect story. They want that. They don’t want to just, you know, we don’t care about our energy provider because it’s service orientated. They have a story. But when you put a story into it, like the hbf, you know, the cocker and things like that, and you start to give it personality and things, people have more of a reason to connect and then remember it like, we know what our, uh, health brand is. The clocker.

Laura: Yeah, definitely. So what advice would you give to business owners who are just starting out with podcasting and want to use it as a tool to enhance their branding?

Cassandra: I would make sure that you understand what your brand is first. You know, really dig in and know that you have built a brand. So don’t just come in and go, okay, uh, I want to do a podcast because everybody’s doing it and this and that. Because how are you going to stand out and be different? You want to get a return on investment for anything that you do in business. Because those four hours that you spend recording, prepping, promoting that podcast, you want to get some traction on it. And then if you don’t, that’s four hours you could have spent doing something else in your business and getting money for it. So make sure that you have got a brand, you have got something that’s different. You’ve got a reason to have a voice on your podcast and then work with someone professional to do it so that the quality is really good. And then make sure that you’re consistent and that you’re also true to who you are, that it’s authentic.

Laura: Yeah, it’s so important to know your branding first. I totally agree. I spoke to a lady the other day, she was really keen to start a podcast, but she’s got many areas of her business that she wanted to Focus on.

Laura: And I was trying to picture it.

Laura: In my head, and I couldn’t work out what the podcast would be about. So I ended up giving her these documents and say, fill these in and try and work out what the podcast is going to be about. Who’s it for? And then let’s get back together again. Because if you don’t know, then I was worried it wasn’t going to enhance her brand because there wasn’t a goal in mind.

Cassandra: Well, it would have been really diluted, and then it would have been mixed messaging. And so many business owners come to me and they’ve got all of these big shiny balls happening, and I’m like, what’s the common theme? So a big part of what I do is try and bring all of those balls together and go, what’s the common theme? And how do they all match? And sometimes we have to get rid of some, Sometimes they don’t make sense. But that’s where I do kind of distil it back into a story. I work with Heidi Anderson, and she’s phenomenal, and she creates so many different things, but I’m like, they all have a little bit of different messaging, so what’s this common message that we can have? And it all came down to being drunk on confidence. And we’ve now woven that through every aspect of what she does, and she’s really narrowed it in on what she does and the things. And that meant changing some language around it. You know, we tuned into her vision as part of it. Uh, but that’s really given her a solid focus and drive on then how to build and level up. And she’s levelling up her business massively at the moment, but she’s now got a solid foundation to do that on. And she’s really clear about her messaging and the impact because she had prayed and then she had personal empowerment, but, like, you know, personal stuff that holds you back and, you know, being comfortable in your own skin. And. And I’m like, well, how does PR relate to that? And then I brought it all back into confidence, so. So you can have all these different arms, but you need to know what the common thread is underneath to make sure that they all make sense.

Laura: Oh, that’s amazing that you worked on that, because that is really good for her. It works so well.

Cassandra: Yeah, it really does. And, yeah, she’s gone gangbusters this year.

Laura: She has. She’s doing so well.

Cassandra: Yeah. And then a big part of. Of that story with Hyde was when we started working together. You know, I’M just like, where is all this going? What’s the big vision? And she was really scared to say this, but I don’t think she would mind me saying this, but she’s just like, I. She finally said to me, she goes, cass, I want to do Tony Robbins style events where women shed their shit and get down in the bra and it’s like they, you know, like walk across hot coal stones with him. I want to have this impact. She really is so about empowering women and letting them find their inner confidence. And she goes, I’ve never said that out loud before, but once she did, it empowered the hell out of her and it allowed us to really step into her big vision. And I still had to pull everything all together. A lot of entrepreneurs, um, have, um, lots of amazing ideas and then they’re all over the place. I had a meeting with someone yesterday and the same kind of thing and I was like, how do we bring it all back together and then set it on a course to get you to where you want to go? But yeah, like, her messaging is just now so clear and it sits across all of her channels. It’s the same message, even though she helps in different ways, businesses or personal.

Laura: And we all know her for that. Now. When I see a bunch of women naked or in their undies on the beach and that’s Heidi’s organised that Heidi’s in there somewhere.

Cassandra: Yeah.

Laura: How can well developed brand strategy help podcasters not only grow their audience, but also connect more deeply with them?

Cassandra: Yeah, when you just know who you are and what you’re about

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Cassandra: and you’re really clear about it, it’s just going to make it so much easier and it’s going to make it faster. So you’re not going to flip flop about. You’re going to be really clear and it’s just going to have far more impact to get you the return on investment, which is customers, which is why you’re doing it, because you’re doing it for exposure and you’re going to help people build, know like and trust faster with you.

Laura: And when do you think a business owner should consider hiring a brand strategist, especially if they’re already podcasting?

Cassandra: As soon as possible. I just think even having an hour session is going to be so valuable, which is why I do what I do. I’ve got, you know, I work with clients longer term, but I, uh, give you access to me for just even one hour to unpack, um, and see the gaps or show you what’s going on or See if something’s not working or help you get alignment or understand your messaging. Business owners aren’t marketing or brand strategists, but everyone is trying to be that when they don’t have that skill set. And it’s like big corporations have those skill sets in their teams. And we’re trying to build these big businesses without it, uh, and trying to do it all ourselves. Business owners are amazing. You know, we have to do so much in our business across so many different sectors that step in and get that advice from someone that can see it really quickly, and then it can close that gap, and they can help you get returns faster because you’re not wasting time. I worked with someone just recently, and they spent all this time building this separate website for their business. So hours and hours and hours. And when I stepped in and started talking, asking questions, we had to get rid of it. It wasn’t relevant. And because we’re changing the brand, so they spent all this time doing something, whereas within 10 minutes I unpacked it and I was just like, no, this is why it’s not the right strategy. So giving business owners that direction to go. This is where you are. This is where you want to get to. What are you doing or what opportunities have you missed so that you can make sure that you don’t leave money on the table or that you are building your brand properly. Because no one’s a brand strategist, and I am. But, you know, if you’re not a brand strategist, then you don’t know what you’re doing, so then you don’t know what you don’t know. So I just think it’s really helpful for everyone to have access to that insight, which is why I, you know, stepped out of the corporate world into consultancy, so that everyone can get access to that, because I’m so passionate about everyone being able to do it right.

Laura: Yeah, that’s great. You can feel your passing in your voice.

Cassandra: Yeah, well, it’s just like business owners work so hard, you know, my biggest value is freedom. And business owners work so hard to build their businesses, but they miss things or go down this wrong path and spend all this time and energy and money on it. Whereas if they had that insight and direction, they could be on a much clearer path.

Laura: Yeah, totally. So for those looking to distinguish their podcast brand from the competition, what’s your advice on finding and leveraging their, uh, unique point of difference?

Cassandra: Yeah, well, it’s going to be. The podcast should be a reflection of who their brand already is. So if they’ve already, like, defined and understood who their brand is, the podcast is just another arm. Um, it’s just another touch point in your client journey to allow people to connect with you. So it should be an amplification of who and what you already are. Yeah, so that’s why I said don’t do a podcast until you know your brand.

Laura: Totally. And talking of connection, where can listeners find more about your work and connect with you if they’re interested in enhancing their brand strategy?

Cassandra: I hang out on Instagram and I’m also on LinkedIn, so I’ve, um, got Facebook and then my website, but I would just say come and visit me on Instagram because that’s where I hang out the most and talk on stories or share all my content and my educational posts. I do speed dates every fortnight where I jump in and I answer questions for business owners for free to give them free advice because I’m so passionate about giving back and making sure everyone can go in the right direction. I’ve got lots of freebies, so on my Instagram and my LinkedIn bio, there’s free resources for you to tap into as well. And I always love having a chat.

Laura: Wow, that’s so valuable. And I’ll put all the links in the show notes, so thanks so much for coming today, Cas. I really enjoyed this chat. It’s so interesting and I love the work you do. So thanks for coming.

Cassandra: Thank you so much for having me.

Laura: Wow, that was such a great conversation with Cas. Hearing her stories about shaping brands for so many different industries really underlines the power of a well thought out brand strategy. I, uh, particularly loved her emphasis on knowing your story and infusing it consistently across all touch points, including podcasting. It’s all about staying true to who you are, creating an authentic experience that resonates with your audience and allowing people to feel connected to your brand even before they engage. Personally, I couldn’t agree more with her advice on podcasting being an extension of your brand’s personality. It’s a platform where you don’t just share information, but create a consistent, relatable voice that listeners can connect to. If you’re serious about using a podcast as a brand tool, remember to keep that consistency

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Laura: strong from your message to your tone. Thanks for tuning in and I hope you got as much value out of this as I did. If you found value in this podcast, please leave. A five star rating and a review would be even better. Your support shows that this is a good show, which will attract high profile guests and in turn deliver greater value to you. This podcast is produced and edited by me. Don’t waste your time on editing. Let me help you with your podcast. Cheque out the links in the show notes to get in touch.

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