Minimalist Marketing: How to Sell Without Social Media Overload

In today’s online world, it’s easy to believe that the only way to grow your coaching or consulting business is by constantly posting on social media. But what if that’s not the case? What if you could attract clients, establish your authority, and build a thriving business—without spending hours glued to your phone or stressing about the algorithm?

That’s exactly what TaVona Denise teaches with her Minimalist Marketing approach. On the latest episode of The Amanda Kaufman Show, TaVona and Amanda dive deep into why social media isn’t the only way (or even the best way) to get clients and what you should be focusing on instead.

The Problem with Social Media as a Primary Strategy

Many coaches and entrepreneurs are led to believe that success comes from showing up consistently on social media—posting multiple times per week, engaging in comments, and hoping their content magically converts into clients. But for many, this approach is draining and doesn’t produce real results.

TaVona saw this firsthand. She noticed that despite posting regularly, many talented coaches weren’t landing clients. The truth? Social media is just one way to meet people—not the only way.

So What’s the Alternative? Meet Minimalist Marketing

Minimalist Marketing is all about cutting out the noise and focusing on what actually moves the needle in your business. Instead of burning yourself out trying to beat the algorithm, it’s about getting known in your industry through positioning, partnerships, and conversations.

Here’s how it works:

1. Position Yourself as the Go-To Expert

If you’re trying to market to everyone, you’re really marketing to no one. The first step in this strategy is to take a stand for a specific group of people. Instead of saying you help “high-achieving women,” get specific. Who are they really? Entrepreneurs? Women in STEM? Healthcare professionals? Narrowing your niche helps the right people find you.

For example, in the episode, TaVona shared how a coach she worked with refined her niche from “high-achieving women” to women in STEM—and immediately started getting more traction.

2. Build Power Partnerships (Find Your Peanut Butter to Their Jelly)

Growing your audience doesn’t mean going viral—it means tapping into the right circles. Instead of chasing endless social media engagement, ask yourself:

👉 Who already serves your ideal audience?
👉 How can you collaborate to add value to each other?

For instance, a copywriter could partner with a web designer, or a weight loss coach could collaborate with a personal trainer. These power partnerships allow you to access warm, trusted audiences without fighting for attention on social media.

3. Leverage Other People’s Platforms

Not a fan of posting every day? You don’t have to! Instead, consider:

🎤 Guesting on podcasts – Share your expertise with established audiences.
📝 Writing guest blogs – Contribute to industry websites and newsletters.
🎥 Speaking at events or summits – Get in front of qualified leads who are actively looking for solutions.

This allows you to show up where your ideal clients already are, instead of trying to bring them to you.

How Do You Know It’s Working? Key Indicators of Success

If you’re stepping away from social media, you need to track different key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure your strategy is working. Some signs that your minimalist marketing approach is on the right track:

✅ More inbound leads – People start reaching out instead of you chasing them.
✅ Increased engagement in DMs or emails – More conversations = more conversions.
✅ Higher conversion rates – Less “I need to think about it” and more “Where do I sign up?”
✅ Speaking invites and collaborations – Other experts start noticing you.

The beauty of this approach is it’s built on relationships, not trends. When done right, you create a steady flow of high-quality leads who are already primed to work with you.

Final Thoughts: Give It Time & Stay Consistent

Minimalist Marketing is not a quick-fix strategy, but it’s a sustainable, stress-free way to grow your business. The biggest mistake entrepreneurs make? Giving up too soon.

As TaVona shared, “We don’t give ourselves enough time to get good at something. We have to overcome the initial friction for it to really take off.”

So, if social media is exhausting you and you’re looking for a better way, try this approach. Focus on positioning, partnerships, and platforms—and watch your business thrive.

Chapter List:

00:00 Introduction to Minimalist Marketing

02:54 The Shift to Minimalist Marketing

08:11 Positioning Yourself for Success

12:05 Power Partnerships in Business

13:56 Choosing the Right Platforms

17:11 The Importance of Consistency and Patience

20:40 Key Performance Indicators for Success

Full Transcript:

TaVona Denise (00:00)

I think a lot of times we don't give enough time for us to get good at something, to get proficient at it, to really let the momentum build up because like anything, we have to overcome the initial friction for it to really take off.

Amanda Kaufman (00:33)

Hey, hey, welcome back to the Amanda Kaufman show. And I am so excited to meet and spend time with, with my friend Tavonna Denise. So Tavonna shows entrepreneurs how to become sought after for their area of expertise and sell their services without relying on social media or complicated funnels or huge email lists. I'm a big fan of this. I'm gonna tell you some

Backstory as we go through this because I was absolutely Instagram phobic I was scared of having my pictures taken and all of that and I know a lot of people that's where you start right so her low-tech anti social media approach which she calls minimalist marketing has helped clients generate six figures in their business by positioning themselves as the go-to for their area of expertise and building a reputation that makes key players within

their industry, invite them to the bigger stages for wider visibility and credibility with their ideal clients. So they stop hearing, I need to think about it. I can't afford it. When she's not helping people build their dream businesses, you'll find her deep in an audio book, singing karaoke and enjoying life by the water. And that is why Tavonna and I are about to become besties. Cause I think she, she and I, I have a feeling Tavonna, if we were to go and hang out,

TaVona Denise (01:35)

you

Amanda Kaufman (01:53)

and we were like at a lake house, we could probably be very happy sitting next to each other, not talking, and then very excitedly talking about what we just learned in our books.

TaVona Denise (02:02)

Right, and then we gotta go for karaoke, because I heard you're singer too.

Amanda Kaufman (02:05)

And then karaoke.

Yes, that's actually one of the ways that I got over my fear of people and talking to people. I'm like, if you can embarrass yourself in karaoke, then you're gonna be just okay in like any kind of business environment, any other kind of, you know, the DM conversations, anyway, I digress. Davonna, welcome to the show. I'm so glad you're here.

TaVona Denise (02:26)

I'm so happy to be here. I can't wait to see where this conversation goes.

Amanda Kaufman (02:30)

Yeah, absolutely. So I'm a big fan of like meeting yourself where you are when you're building a business, especially like I focus mostly on working with people in coaching businesses and consulting, know, doing expertise based businesses. And I started my business with eight names on a post-it. That was my list. So I want to know your backstory. Like what drew you to minimalist marketing?

TaVona Denise (02:54)

Well, what drew me to minimalist marketing, think, it was what I was doing before the pandemic. And I, like many people, had to pivot and shift how I was marketing because the world was shut down. Everybody was inside, online, and also they're living by the water. I moved to Mexico. And so I wasn't going to be networking in a different language with people that earn differently than I do. And so I

took what I used to do offline and modified it so that I could do it virtually and online in terms of networking and connecting with amazing people like yourself. And what I noticed was, of course it was a necessity at the time because you couldn't commune with other people in person. And then it became overwhelmed and overload and just, it was just too much all the way around. And I also found

Amanda Kaufman (03:33)

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

TaVona Denise (03:50)

that of course, because a lot of people went into coaching during the pandemic, they were two by 2022, 2023, they were two and three years in and really struggling to find clients because they had bought into the belief that social media in terms of posting three or five times a week or three times a day was the way to get clients. I, once the world opened back up especially, was like, wait a minute.

There is another way, and if you have truly been working in your business, and most of the people were, they were diligent about posting three times a week and thus and so forth, but they weren't getting any traction, they weren't getting any engagement, they weren't getting any clients. And I'm like, if you've been really working on your business two to three years and you don't have clients, there is a problem. And so I went off to solve it.

Amanda Kaufman (04:33)

Mm-hmm.

There's a big problem.

Yeah, no, I love this. And I love to remind my folks that social media is a way of meeting people. It's not the only way. Our framework that we teach is meet people, talk.

to people, fit with people and coach the people. And one of the biggest issues that I see with social media content for the most part, and it's a struggle that I have as well, is like the conversation that you're having on social media, it's just it's a different sort of a feeling because it's more of a consumption vibe. Like you're trying to get some people to consume things to then earn the trust in the report and like move up towards that in-person conversation, whether you're having it on

or you're having it, you know, over a Zoom call or what have you. And it's a little like taking the, if we were playing golf, this is the only sports metaphor that I've ever used. It's like taking the ball and putting it way far away from the green and it can work and it can work in volume, but boy boy, you better be ready to like build social media as a discipline on its own. And most people...

don't realize that. Like they think that it's just if I post a lot, if I'm really diligent, I post frequently. And it's like, that's a little like going to an in-person event and then never talking to somebody. Right? Because you're not engaging in the conversation. Yeah.

TaVona Denise (06:03)

or just putting the card, just passing out the business cards and expecting people to come to you.

I really hated that in in-person networking. And you're right, like as I was working on what I call the six figure problem for those coaches that had been in it two and three years and they were really only focused on social media and really afraid to talk to humans. I keep telling people, we are just two humans separated by a computer screen. And to your analogy of golf and putting the ball so far away, it's like,

Amanda Kaufman (06:11)

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

TaVona Denise (06:33)

Do you know how many skills you have to be good at in order to proficient in in order to make one social media post work? You've got to be a photographer and get the lights and the angles. You've got to be a copywriter and get the hook. You got it. Like there are so many things that you have to get right in order to make one post. And then if you don't have an audience, people are still probably not going to see it. And then it dies after 24 hours and you got to do it again.

And so I am with you on that in that when we think about social media as the primary and or the only way, especially if we're a coach and we have a high ticket offer, I think we're just making it more difficult for ourselves. And I think a lot of people burn themselves out of the business, really good coaches that are amazing at what they do. When I just like you have like, please go talk to humans.

Amanda Kaufman (07:02)

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

TaVona Denise (07:28)

Even if it's not in person, if you're like me and you're in Mexico or you're out in the woods somewhere and you don't have access to in-person networking events, you have to find a way to interact with other human beings.

Amanda Kaufman (07:42)

A thousand percent. all right. Give us the farm. Like tell us exactly what we need to do, you know, differently if you know the whole fear of giving away the farm. We don't do that around here. There's no gatekeeping. So like what is your top advice for someone who's like, I am so committed to making six figures as a coach. I am so committed to not driving myself absolutely crazy with doing it through a business. What would you say they need to do next?

TaVona Denise (08:11)

Well, I would say the first thing that you need to do is position yourself properly, meaning really take a stand for who you're going to serve and what you want to be known for. When you do that, and I know, like, I'm sure you've had other people in here that talk about niches and we go crazy with the niches and a lot of us, especially in the beginning, we're like, I don't have any clients now. If I start excluding any people, I'm not going to have any clients.

or I'm definitely not gonna have clients, but what you will find is when you take a stand for those people, it's gonna be a lot easier for you to find people and for people to find you and to refer you and to really eliminate the competition. And I'll give you an example. I was on a call where I was guest coaching in somebody's group around this very topic.

And when she came on for support around her I-Help statement, she was like, I help high achieving women not be burned out and something else. I can't remember the whole thing. That's the first thing. If it's too long and people can't remember it, they're not going to be able to talk about you when you're not in the room. So whatever you say when you're introducing yourself and talking about your business, you need to make sure that people can remember it and repeat it. OK, so that's one thing. When I was helping her with hers,

Amanda Kaufman (09:11)

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

TaVona Denise (09:23)

I was like, okay, well, what kind of high achieving people? have a background in physical therapy. I worked with a lot of physicians. They are high achieving. Are you talking about them? And she wasn't really specific, but what we found was that she had a background in engineering. And so we shifted it to women in STEM and we took it off of burnout, which tends to bring disempowered people into our world. And we switched it to like, okay, well, why are they burned out and what do they want instead?

they wanted to get the raises and recognition that they deserve.

Amanda Kaufman (09:54)

Bang, bang, I love this. This is so good. You know, because I call it broken wing messaging when you are making your message, just speak to somebody who's the broken winged baby bird that like they.

You said it very eloquently the disempowered person right and Coaching is very much an empowered decision like when people are choosing to enroll with a coach They're choosing you because they're ready to run at it and I call that more eagle messaging, right? And what's really interesting is is like the same person, you know I'm thinking about like this engineering this woman in engineering She might have seen high achiever and it's like okay and it's like a bigger group But when she sees the word step

And she's like, well, that's definitely me, right? And I love that that tweak of the eagle messaging where it's like you're appealing to her most empowered self. And what's really interesting is you could have the exact same woman see the message of the high performer who's burned out and she's going to bring the burned out version of herself to that conversation, right? As opposed to the empowered, like I want the I want the the the thing at the top of the mountain kind of person. I love that.

TaVona Denise (11:06)

Yeah. And so once we just really honed in on her people, like even if we hadn't gotten to raising the recognition they deserved, and we went with women in STEM who were burned out, we're so much closer because women in STEM, that's a very proud group of people. They really love being a part of that group in that community. And so it's easier to find her. And as soon as we made that switch, she was like, oh, now I know where all the people are. I can go to this conference, and this conference, and this conference, and this group of people. And I'm like,

Amanda Kaufman (11:06)

So good.

Totally.

TaVona Denise (11:36)

It's not as hard when you really just take a stand for people instead of saying vague and ambiguous things like high achieving women, you know, and pick a group, right? So that's one of the things that I would say that people really would need to do an S first and foremost. Just that one tweak alone will tremendously help your business in terms of finding the people, getting all of those things. Then the other huge piece of it is partnering with people. I think about who's the peanut butter to your jelly.

Amanda Kaufman (11:42)

Mm-hmm.

TaVona Denise (12:05)

ends.

Amanda Kaufman (12:05)

So cute, I love this. It's a peanut buttered ear jelly. I'm gonna remember that, that's good.

TaVona Denise (12:09)

Yeah.

Okay, so who's the peanut butter to your jelly? And

one of my favorites, just like a simple example, is a website designer and a copywriter. They go together like peanut butter and jelly because I used to work a lot with web designers because what would happen is the person's like, I started my business, I need a website. Put your half down on the deposit and the web designer's like, great, I'll build you this beautiful website. Where's the copy? Where are the words to go on the website? And the...

Amanda Kaufman (12:19)

Totally.

TaVona Denise (12:39)

The new business owners like what? don't know what you're talking about. I just need a website. Yeah, but you need words for that website so they'd be at a stalemate. And so what I did was say, OK, well, you need to partner with copywriters or you could partner with a copywriter because the copywriter could create this amazing piece of copy to copy for your sales page, but it still needs to be designed and put somewhere, right? And so those two go together like peanut butter and jelly. So who is the peanut butter to your jelly? If you are

Amanda Kaufman (12:46)

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

TaVona Denise (13:08)

a weight loss coach, could you potentially partner with a personal trainer? Because you all are potentially doing different things. Maybe you're working on mindset and maybe you're working on their meal plan and sticking to, said this is what you were gonna eat, that fuels your body, this is what you eat. And then this person helps them move their body in a way that helps them. So who is it that complements what you do that serves the same demographic that you do without being in competition with what you do?

so that you're able to really come to them as a value add and say, this is how I actually can help you. I'm not asking you to do something for me. This is what I'm helping you with or I'm doing for you and or your people.

Amanda Kaufman (13:37)

Mm-hmm.

I love that, I love that. Okay, so we've got our positioning, we've got our power partnership, anything else?

TaVona Denise (13:56)

And I think the other one would be figuring out. So you've got the partners, know, who's the peanut butter to your jelly and then what are the platforms? So some of us are writers. Some of us love to talk. Some of us don't mind being on camera. There's always going to be a platform that you can find where someone just like in the case that we're doing right now is having a platform where they need guests, where they need content. And you want to make sure that you.

are seen in your best light as your best self and that you actually look forward to doing it. And so if you love to write, maybe you want to be a guest blogger or contribute to articles or newspapers, things like that. If you love being on camera, maybe people have YouTube channels or live streams. That's another form. Or if you just love running your mouth like I do and you don't mind a live conversation that's unscripted, maybe you.

Amanda Kaufman (14:31)

Mm.

TaVona Denise (14:53)

go be a guest expert on podcasts.

Amanda Kaufman (14:56)

I love that. You know when I'm working with folks in my community in world of my programs, I think one of the biggest challenges is to do itis like hey they hear like here's a new to do here's something else to do and something else to do and something else to do and something else to do and Like I know I fell victim to that as well of like just it's almost like I'm getting personal with you here, but I think for me it was it was

almost this void of this feeling like I'm not good enough and not enoughness. And because of that big void, I would hear like, here's this new marketing strategy, here's this new way to do it, here's this new positioning, here's this new thing, new thing, new thing, new thing, new thing. And it's almost like you're trying to like fill this black hole with more commitments to do more things on top of what you've already committed to do to the point where I had to really like, I got

Existential about it and I have a tattoo that says like do what matters on it and I have this tattoo for literally six six months before I put the other side with it which is let it go and it was just like learning to just be able to move with your Strength one of my coaches always says like hey girl go strength strength to strength always go strength to strength and so it's it's more about like pivoting into the strength and as you were talking about like hey like pick your medium pick your platform pick like that thing that really resonates

TaVona Denise (16:02)

you

Amanda Kaufman (16:22)

for you. What was coming up for me is I'm like, pick the thing you can see yourself doing for like four hours a day for the next five years. Like that's the thing you should probably dig into because if you don't believe that you're gonna have to spend the next five years doing that, it's like, well wait, why are you even starting a business? You know?

TaVona Denise (16:32)

Oof.

Oh, you

just hit the nail on the head from so many different angles. And I think one of the biggest things to note, like you might be listening to this and being excited about, I don't have to be on social media. can just go just share my expertise on somebody else's platform. And just like anything else, it takes time to get traction and momentum and to keep working. And so I think in addition to us finding worth and validation in our busyness.

I think a lot of times we don't give enough time for us to get good at something, to get proficient at it, to really let the momentum build up because like anything, we have to overcome the initial friction for it to really take off.

And so I would say, because I've fallen victim to it too, is give it time to work. You, if anything, this is what I often tell my clients is whatever you get excited about,

in our lovely little bubble here where it's just you and me and you're excited and we're brainstorming and there's a lot of energy and you have good reasons for doing it, that's the thing. And then you have to actually go out and do the thing and overcome your own internal resistance, overcome external resistance, rejection, just falling flat on your face, maybe not quite getting it all the way right.

remember when you had the idea because that's how you know it's for you and then you just have to keep with it. But I think to your other point is that we don't prepare ourselves for it to take longer than we may want it to or hope for it to. And we don't prepare ourselves for it to suck a little bit sometimes in the beginning.

Amanda Kaufman (18:23)

Totally, totally, totally. Peter Drucker said that hope is not a strategy.

TaVona Denise (18:28)

heard that.

Amanda Kaufman (18:29)

I love that reminder and you know,

One of the things I'm actually thinking about this very show. So we're on the Amanda Kaufman show. Well, it wasn't always the Amanda Kaufman show. You know, I had another brand that I did when I very first at the very beginning and an inception of this show like eight years ago. And like a trap that I've certainly fallen into that I've gotten wise to, you know, more recently is our tendency to like go after something and just expect that showing up to it for a long time with consistency.

is gonna get us the result, right? And what I had to learn was like, no, actually there are particular goals that you're responsible for setting when you take on an initiative. And then there's key performance indicators that are telling you, like you're indicating that you're on an upward trend. You're indicating that you are getting closer, closer, closer to the goal. And like this show being eight years old, there were seasons where I

Honestly, wasn't all that consistent about posting. I was all over the place about about what the theme and the intent of the program was. And you know what happened is like about at the time of this recording, it was roughly about six months ago, maybe maybe a little more, maybe seven or eight. But I basically said, I'm going to treat this like a real show. And like my coach was like, I called it a little show once in front of my couch. He's like, never say that again. And I'm like,

Actually, you're right. This is a big, awesome show that's designed to help people in a particular way with evaluating entrepreneurship. Okay, what are the key indicators that my show is doing better? What are the key indicators and key inputs, the primary activities of performance that I have to put into this that it's not a little show, that it's an awesome show, that I'm really excited to show up for, but also the show does the work that I want the show to do.

And so I'm curious, like for the strategies that you teach people, what are those primary activities, like the key things that they would need to show up and do every day for a couple of hours, and what are some of the key indicators that they're on the right track, that they should keep going?

TaVona Denise (20:40)

so good. Because one of the things that I hear so often from our colleagues and coaches is like, it's not working. It's not working. And I'm like, OK, well, first of all, were you working? Were you working the strategy? I mean, at some point, we have to be honest with ourselves and take responsibility for our results. And so and look at the data to say we're

Amanda Kaufman (20:53)

no.

TaVona Denise (21:05)

Were we being consistent? Were we doing the things that we were gonna say? Just like you said, what are the lead indicators versus the lag indicators? The lead indicators mean that the inputs that I can put in, what am I responsible for? I can't be responsible for a person listening. I can't make them put their ear pods in and listen to the channel, but.

Amanda Kaufman (21:25)

Good for

you listener for doing it. You're here. You did that.

TaVona Denise (21:27)

Exactly.

But I can, like some of my favorite YouTubers, I know when they are going to drop an episode. So I can do that. They have amazing hooks. Like these are the things that I can be responsible for. And then the people come. So when it comes to your guessing, what are some of the things that I can do?

Amanda Kaufman (21:36)

Mmm.

Totally.

TaVona Denise (21:50)

I can make sure that I'm making connections with amazing people. I can find the people that are the peanut butter to my jelly. That is something that I can do on a regular basis. What is something that's working? For example, if you're on a podcast and you offer a lead magnet or something like that, you can look at your email list the next day for the new subscribers.

Amanda Kaufman (21:56)

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

TaVona Denise (22:14)

That's an indicator that it's working. That particular episode and what you said and how you helped promote it is an indicator that it's working. The clients come down the path, but did they come into your world, onto your list? Or if you're like me, I just want people to come play with me in the DMs and let's have conversations. So did you get people at least following you afterwards? Did they take you up on the offer to come say hi in the DMs? Maybe people might be shy.

But if I look at the follower count, did it go up? I can always tell when a podcast episode has dropped because all of a sudden I'll be on Instagram like, where all those people come from? And like, a podcast dropped and sure enough, I'll go to my email and the podcast host will be like, your episode dropped today. Well, that's just awesome. That's an indicator that it's working.

Amanda Kaufman (23:02)

Exactly.

I think that that's so interesting and I found the same thing with mine too. It's like my first explanation when I was seeing, for example, rises in Instagram headcount is I'm like, finally unlock the code of social media. Like I was first taking like all the credit. It's like the algorithm finally loves me back. And then I realized I was like, no, no, no, no, actually this thing that my, that my power partner did, did have an influx and it like motivated people extra to do the thing. And I think the

biggest myth right now in the industry is that the algorithm is gonna do all the work for you and you just need to be positioned to catch the wave of the algorithm and it's like, maybe not, maybe that's not enough these days.

TaVona Denise (23:47)

Well, but

even if you're a coach, if you're an expert, like that's not your jam anyway, for the most part, it's not around creating content. It's about being an amazing coach. And so unless you want to become an internet influencer or a content creator and compete against that folks, against those folks, that's not really how I recommend using social media. What I help people do is think about like when your power partner did whatever and you had that influx of people.

when I'm on podcasts, when I speak in groups, when I'm on stages, the people are following me. Now it reminds me a little bit of like circa 2019 when people followed you because they were really interested in hearing what you had to say, not because you were dancing and pointing and shaking the tail feather on the platform. Yeah. So I have way less people following me than most, but I have higher engagement because the people are actually looking for me on the platform. And this is how you make yourself algorithm.

Amanda Kaufman (24:31)

Totally, totally, my gosh.

Totally, I love this. Tavonna, I could talk to you for four hours, but we did not book that. So what's the best way for people to follow you?

TaVona Denise (24:55)

Yeah, just like I said, I would love for you to come to my Instagram at Tavonna Denise and just find me in the DM, say hello. I do check the requests so you won't be left in there more than probably a day.

Amanda Kaufman (25:08)

That's awesome. That's so good. And we'll be including the links to Tavana's other sites and social profiles and all that good stuff in the show notes. And dear listener, don't forget to hit the subscribe button if you haven't already. And go ahead and take 30 seconds to leave us a honest review because Tavana really brought it. But seriously, those reviews really help people make the decision about whether they want to listen to the episode or not. Thank you so much for your support in that. And in fact, if you've

some friends who are maybe a little stuck in their marketing, stuck in getting the sales in and they're a coach, go ahead and grab the link to this episode and send it to three of your friends like that because we're here to make the coaching industry rise up and I'm so excited that you were here today. Go ahead and share that love. We'll see you on an upcoming episode and thank you so much for coming, Tavonna!

TaVona Denise (25:58)

Thank you so much for having me.

Amanda Kaufman (26:00)

Alright, well we'll see you guys later. Bye. Bye