308: Marketing When YOU are the Face of Your Business with Heidi Schmidt

Hi there. You’re listening to the Leading Lady Podcast. I’m your host, AliceAnne Loftus, and I’m a certified professional coach specializing in leadership and work-life balance. I work with clients to shift their limiting beliefs, insecurities, and self-doubt. This podcast will be filled with tools and strategies to help high-achieving women like you feel connected, empowered, and in the lead of your life, both personally and professionally. Let’s transform your life, starting now. Lead yourself. The rest will follow.

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Meet Heidi Schmidt

AliceAnne: Hi there, leading ladies, and welcome to today’s episode. Today I’m joined by my dear friend and fellow Leading Lady Ambassador, also my social media manager, Miss Heidi Schmidt. Heidi is an award-winning marketing professional with over 15 years of digital marketing and communications experience. She is passionate about helping brands create and market content that authentically showcases their expertise and solves problems for their ideal customer.

She has worked with various businesses from larger technology companies to smaller local healthcare organizations, both on the agency side and in-house. When she’s not marketing herself or her clients, you can find her nose deep in a book, going for a long walk or run, or spending time with her husband and son. She was born and raised in Vermont but now calls the shores of Chesapeake Bay in Maryland her home.

I am so excited to have you here with me today, Heidi. Thank you for joining me. And let’s just jump right in, because as my social media marketer and as someone who is the face of your business, I think an important conversation for us to have is the nuances of how to market yourself when you are your brand.

Heidi: Yeah, it is something that I talk with clients all the time about, and it’s a struggle because you’re your brand, but your business has goals. Your business wants to grow. So we inherently feel like we have to be promotional, right?

However, I often feel like a broken record—people want to connect with people, especially in this age of AI content. So where’s the balance? This is why I lean so heavily into authenticity, because that’s what sells and builds that know, like, and trust.

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The Challenge of Being the Brand

AliceAnne: I think it’s really hard. I own two businesses. One is a childcare business, which is easy to talk about—the mission, the values, the services. I’ve been doing that for 22 years.

On the flip side, I have Leading Lady Coaching, where I am the face of the business. Even though I say we are the leading ladies, it’s still me—my services, my coaching, my vision. And it’s really hard to promote that.

Heidi: I have the same struggles. When I do posts that perform well, it’s usually because they’re authentic. And we’ve talked about letting your audience into your head a little bit. But it’s okay to have boundaries.

You don’t have to share everything. It’s okay to say, “The struggle is real,” without giving every detail.

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Boundaries and Authenticity

AliceAnne: Especially because our lives involve other people—family, friends—who didn’t choose to be part of our brand.

Heidi: Exactly. It comes down to boundaries. Social media is like inviting people into your home—you don’t have to show them every room.

The more human you can be, the better your results.

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Marketing Is More Than Strategy

AliceAnne: When you’re the face of your business, marketing isn’t just strategy—it’s identity. But we have to remember, we are not the product.

We’re marketing the transformation, the structure, the experience—not just ourselves.

Heidi: Yes. It’s about the transformation your audience wants and the challenges they face. Most business owners are their own ideal client, so you need to speak to that.

People hire you because they like you, but they stay because they trust your process.

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Consistency Over Virality

AliceAnne: A big struggle is consistency. It feels like you’re talking about yourself all the time.

But consistency builds trust faster than brilliance.

Heidi: I won’t work with clients whose goal is to go viral. You can’t control that. It might grow awareness, but it doesn’t always bring ideal clients.

Consistency doesn’t mean posting every day—it means showing up regularly in a way you can sustain.

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Clarity vs. Confusion

AliceAnne: Consistency helps people understand what you stand for.

Heidi: Exactly. Without consistency, you create confusion.

And you don’t have to be everywhere—just choose where you’ll show up and commit to it.

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Visibility vs. Oversharing

AliceAnne: Sharing your life is not a content strategy.

What’s the difference between intentional visibility and emotional exposure?

Heidi: There’s a place for both. Authentic moments can connect deeply—but if everything is emotional dumping, it can erode trust.

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Building Trust and Connection

AliceAnne: People buy proximity before they buy programs. They want to feel seen.

Heidi: Yes, but social media is still a highlight reel. What you present has to match the actual experience.

That’s why strategy matters—your values, tone, and content all need to align.

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Energy and Alignment

AliceAnne: Your energy is part of your marketing strategy.

If your messaging feels scattered or heavy, it impacts how people perceive your brand.

Heidi: People can see through inauthenticity—especially now with AI.

The content that performs best is human, honest, and connected to real challenges.

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Heidi’s Personal Insight

Heidi: I’m currently running for political office, and I tried to separate that from my business—but I couldn’t.

I had to integrate it while maintaining boundaries. I don’t share everything, but I share lessons.

Consistency has been the biggest lesson—especially with a clear timeline and goal.

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Advice for Business Owners

AliceAnne: What would you say to someone struggling to market themselves?

Heidi: You don’t have to be everywhere—but you have to do something.

Find the platform that matches your energy. Your audience will find you there.

And don’t be afraid to outsource. If something is holding you back, get help.

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Closing Thoughts

AliceAnne: If you’re the bottleneck, and you know marketing matters, find a way to show up—or get support.

Heidi, thank you so much for being here.

Heidi: Thanks. I’m glad to be here.

AliceAnne: If this resonated, feel free to reach out. I’ll include Heidi’s links in the show notes. Until next time, ladies—take the lead.

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Thanks for tuning in for another episode of the Leading Lady Podcast. You can find all of the links and information mentioned in this episode at www.leadinglady-coaching.com. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to follow the show so you don’t miss future episodes. And while you’re there, it would mean the world to me if you took a few seconds to leave an honest review. This helps other high-achieving women find inspiration, connection, and strategies to live and lead with purpose and intention. See you here next week.