The Proffitt Podcast
Are you thinking about starting a podcast? Launching a YouTube channel? Repurposing your old blog content into something fresh? Hi, I'm Krystal - host of "The Proffitt Podcast." And I'm happy to say you've come to the right place!
Business owners and content creators dream of building a platform where they can connect deeply with their audience, and marketing feels easy. But I also know what it's like to feel confused and overwhelmed.
Join us weekly as we strip down those processes and remove all the overwhelm with new tips, simple strategies, and great conversations with creators like you. Tune in to hear how I help creators start, launch, and market their content confidently. The motto here is, "We all have to start somewhere."
The Proffitt Podcast
How to Succeed in Digital Marketing: Lessons From 20 Years
After 20 years in marketing, I'm sharing exactly what I would do differently if I were starting over today in 2025. These three fundamental strategies will help you stand out in the digital marketing landscape and achieve sustainable success without burning out.
• Storytelling is your competitive advantage against AI and other creators, as your unique experiences cannot be replicated
• The PREPM method (Plan, Record, Edit, Publish, Market) provides a proven system that scales across all content types
• Focus on what matters most to your customers rather than chasing every new trend
• Invest in continuous learning, but remember that clarity comes from taking action, not just thinking
• Treat marketing like a marathon, not a sprint—be strategic and consistent rather than trying to be everywhere at once
• You don't need perfect strategies—you just need to start somewhere and keep improving
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So, after 20 years in marketing, if I were to start over today, in 2025, what would I do differently? Here's exactly what I would do. Welcome to the Profit Podcast, where we teach you how to start, launch and market your content with confidence. I'm your host, crystal Profit, and I'm so excited that you're here. Thanks for hanging out with me today, because if you've been trying to figure out the world of content creation, this is the show that will help be your time-saving shortcut. So let's get right to it, shall we? Hi, I'm Crystal Prophet, a digital marketing expert and content coach, and I am so excited to talk to you about.
Speaker 1:If I were to learn digital marketing today, what would that look like and what are the three things that I would focus on? Number one first and foremost, we have to talk about storytelling. It is the thing that so many people think. I'll learn how to do that one day, and we're going to go into the reasons why. You cannot put off understand really telling awesome stories. You cannot put off understand really telling awesome stories. The second thing is having a proven system that can work for your business and it's sustainable, so that you can keep showing up on a regular basis. And the third thing is following a roadmap that will lead to success. So let's dive right in.
Speaker 1:So most marketing fails because you're trying to be everywhere all at once. So you're trying to figure out, like, how do I fit into this specific niche or market, wherever you want to show up online but also stand out right, like you want to be in a business, like a business content creator, but how do I stand out and actually get heard by the people I'm trying to reach? What ends up happening nine times out of 10, is you burn out. You aren't targeting the right audience. Therefore, they're not hearing your story and you're not standing out the way that you want to. And, the worst of all, you are not going to reach success in your content, in your business, with your digital marketing because of all of those things. Now, don't worry, I'm not here just to deliver bad news. I'm here to tell you the good news is that storytelling can help differentiate you from everyone else.
Speaker 1:So what is my story? I have been doing marketing of some sort since 2005, and I was reflecting on this the other day and here's a clip for you to check out. So I just came to the realization today that I've been studying marketing in some form or fashion for 20 years. 20 years, like. I started as a freshman in college studying marketing and it just hit me. I'm like that was in 2005 and it's kind of blowing my mind. So, yeah, there you go, there's your reflection tip of the day that, um 20 years goes by really fast. But, um, it's why I'm still obsessed with marketing today, whether it's digital marketing, email marketing, content marketing, marketing strategy, whatever you want to call it Like, I'm obsessed with marketing and it's been going on.
Speaker 1:This love affair of marketing, has been happening since 2005, which is just bonkers. I think back to who I was in 2005, as a broke college student trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. And I look to today and realize, oh, storytelling has been a piece of my journey from the beginning and it's something that I continue to weave through all the pieces of my content. I talk about it on my podcast, I talk about it on my YouTube channel, I write about stories in my email newsletters and our blog posts and our social media captions, like it is literally everywhere and it is the thing that's going to help you in 2025 and beyond to stand out, especially from all the AI generated content. Y'all, claude and Chad. Gpt has nothing on those stories, those mistakes that you've made, those big goals and milestones that you have achieved. So make sure that you are weaving those into your digital marketing at every single turn, because it will be the thing that separates you from everyone else in your market.
Speaker 1:The second thing to focus on is having a proven system. Now, proven systems will be the thing that takes you from okay I kind of got a handle on this, I think I know what I'm doing to pouring rocket fuel on that little tiny flame, that little ember that you have to create your content and really succeed in your business. And it makes all the difference when you have a proven system. Now, what do I mean by this? Well, I have systems and framework in the backend of our business. Let's take, for example, our PREPM method. That's P-R-E-P-M and that stands for plan record, edit, publish and market, and that stands for plan record, edit, publish and market.
Speaker 1:Now, our prep and method has been used in every single piece of content that we create, whether it's a blog post, it's a YouTube video, it's a podcast episode, it's our weekly newsletter, it's a post on Instagram, we use our prep and method for literally everything in our business. Why? Because it's scalable, because it applies to everything in our business. Why? Because it's scalable? Because it applies to everything in our business and it helps us really focus on the things that matter most. And, most importantly because people ask me about it all the time it helps us batch content. Now, when people say, crystal, how do you batch, how do you get so much content? How do you stay consistent? How does this actually work? My default is a proven system. So the famous quote is you don't rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems, and that's why it's so important to have systems in your business, and especially proven ones. So if you don't have one today, then please still mind. The prep method can work for any type of business, for any content creator, no matter what you're creating in your digital marketing strategies. And if you want to learn in more detail about the prep method and how we use it in podcasting, make sure you check out this video where I go into detail and how we've used it in our podcast. Also, make sure to like and subscribe this video today. That way you get more content. Just like it, delivered right to you whenever you follow and subscribe.
Speaker 1:Okay, let's move on to point number three. So the third thing we should talk about is having a simplified roadmap to success. Now, this can apply to your digital marketing strategy, this could apply to your business, this could apply just to your life, but, at the end of the day, I want you to focus, learn and practice. Now, what do I mean by this? I mean that if you are trying to chase all the trends, right, you're like, oh, but there's this new thing out Crystal that so-and-so just started talking about, and then there's this AI tool that I should learn how to use. And then I got this ad telling me that if I'm not doing this, that I'm going to fail at life and I'm a loser. No, no, no, no, no. We need to focus. I need you to get laser focused on the things that are actually going to move the needle in your business in 2025 and beyond.
Speaker 1:So what does that look like? What should you focus on? Well, I want you to just skip the guesswork, right? This isn't a pop quiz that you don't have. The answer to. The focus is what is the most important thing to your customer? Oh, good question, right? What's the most important thing to your customer Now? This could be, what's their number one pain point, what's the problem that you could solve for them today? Or what is the thing that they may already be asking you for right now and you're just ignoring them, right, like? Some of these are so basic, but, at the end of the day, these are important questions if you have not already answered them. So, if you're looking for a journaling prompt or you want to know what to focus on next, those are the questions that you should go focus on immediately. And that really leads us into learning.
Speaker 1:At the end of the day, I've invested more than $20,000. Yes, you heard me right $20,000 in learning about content creation, online business, digital course, email marketing, even YouTube, and what it looks like to grow and scale my business, because I'm a firm believer that we should all be learning and evolving and continuing to grow in our business. Now am I telling you to drop 20 grand on your education to learn digital marketing? Absolutely not, remember, I've been doing this for 20 years. But at the end of the day, I am saying what are you going to learn in the next 90 days, in the next 30 days, like what's the thing that you're gonna put your focus on and really go all in. What is that thing? Maybe say it out loud, drop it in the comments. Let us know what that thing is, because whenever you have a little bit of that accountability, it can help you go further faster. Okay, so after we are focusing, we're learning.
Speaker 1:You have to practice, and I love the quote from Marie Forleo that is clarity comes from engagement, not thought. Because at the end of the day, if you are focusing and you're learning, you're going to have so many ideas swirling around in your head, but you have to actually practice. You have to get into action. You have to do something with it. Because if I had been sitting on all the things that I learned Like let's just stack up all the textbooks that I've read over my 20 years in learning marketing and just not done anything I never created that first website, never launched that very first podcast, never pitched myself to speak on stage Then I would still be sitting here wondering what, if, like, what if one day I did that you need to lean on. Clarity comes from engagement, not thought. That means stop sitting around. What are you going to do to get into action in the next 30, 60, 90 days.
Speaker 1:Again, we talked about focus. What are you going to focus on Then? What are you going to learn? And then what are you going to put into practice? Because this is your proven roadmap to success. It's executing this over and over and over again until you've hit that level where you are the one that is the thought leader in your industry. You are the one that people go to whenever they have questions about your specific topic in your market.
Speaker 1:So, because I am all about accountability, I want you to tell me what is your focus. What's your focus Whether it's the next 30 days, 60 days or 90 days? But what is it that you're going to focus on? Tell us in the comments. I would love to hold you accountable or even offer some resources, right, if you decided this one I'm going to focus on now.
Speaker 1:Crystal's saying I got to learn something. What am I supposed to learn? Tell us in the comments, and I would love to give you the resources that I've learned from. That helped me become a better digital marketer, and I really want to give you those go-to guides that have helped me in growing a successful business and scaling my content and being able to hit all the milestones I've been able to hit in my journey.
Speaker 1:And one final reminder marketing isn't a sprint. It is a full-blown marathon, one that I have been running for 20 years, and I still love it. I still love the marketing game. I'm obsessed with it. But just remember, you don't have to be everywhere all at once. You just need to be strategic and consistent with the message that you're sharing. So let's recap one more time. We talked about storytelling, we talked about proven systems and we talked about a roadmap to success. So if you have more questions about that, be sure to drop them in the comments and make sure you hit that bell. That way, you get future notifications all about our content to help you get better with your digital marketing. And if you need more tips, make sure you check out our playlist called Digital Marketing Tips for Business Owners, because you're gonna find great content in there. And, as always, remember, keep it up. We all have to start somewhere.
