Yours in Marketing

On this week's episode, I speak with Kelly Glover, the Founder of The Talent Squad. We focus the show on podcasting, specifically addressing if you are a company or individual that is trying to get booked onto podcasts. We talk about how to get booked on podcasts, the perfect elements for a "perfect" pitch, and how great podcasts grow their audience. Episode Highlights: Kelly's background in media and "talk show host" influence.Key differences between Australian and American schools.Internships that began to shape Kelly's career and her unique career path.Major differences between radio and podcasting.How the number of current podcasts affects the quality of content.The key factors for podcasting's rapid growth.Podcast's multi-faceted purposes and potential for even greater reach.Why you should "not" have a podcast.The 2 ways of approaching podcasting to be successful.The first step before attempting to pitch your brand.The key foundational elements to a great pitch.The "secret sauce" for getting a response from a pitch.The process for improving how you communicate your value.What should be on your "one-sheet" to peak the greatest interest?Key elements to have in your online press kit.How the ROI of podcasting stacks up vs. the ROI of a conference circuit.Strategies for preparing for your interview.Techniques for finding the "right" shows for you.The 1 strategy to take you to the "top tier" of pitches.Foundational steps to grow your podcast from "ground zero."Kelly's definition of "ROI" for podcasts.Key factors for shows attracting the right guests.Lessons to learn from podcasts that are growing well. 3 Key Points:Podcasting has been one of the fastest growing mediums in the last few years and companies are realizing it's incredible potential.You don't have to have a show to succeed and/or benefit from podcasts.Being successful in podcasting is knowing how to track ROI correctly and presenting yourself and your content effectively to the right audience. Quotes:“People are starting to realize that sometimes the audience isn't actually the target of a podcast, it can actually be the guest on a show.” – Kelly Glover“You need to think of it in a different, more than just as questions and answers with commercials." – Kelly Glover"Do you want to throw 1 party a year, or be a guest at 50 parties a year.” – Kelly Glover"No one really cares about the person unless you're a start in your field, they actually care about the content and what you're going to teach the audience." - Kelly Glover"Treat yourself as a brand and as a media expert, and then your opportunities will be more frequent and bigger." - Kelly Glover Resources Mentioned: The Talent SquadKelly Glover on LinkedIn

On this week's episode, I speak with Ross Simonds, the CEO and Digital Marketing Strategist at Foundation Marketing. Ross is an extremely active entrepreneur and has numerous side projects including Hustle and Grind. We discuss why content strategy doesn't stop when you hit "publish", how distribution is a "game-changer" for any type of content, and the future of social media. Episode Highlights: Ross's current projects and ventures.Ross's background and journey into the marketing sphere.How blogging drives growth in building a brand.Biggest differences between building a brand now and when Ross first started.Game-changing content distribution tips for marketers.The time-frame for "optimal growth" after publishing content.Common misconceptions around content distribution.Examples of great content distribution strategies.The "Sherlock-Homeboy" effect.Advice for creating content to build a successful brand.The importance of experimentation in creating content.Key failures to learn from when creating content.Types of content that generate the greatest potential ROI.The hardest platform to currently have the biggest impact.The next "big thing" in social media.Podcasting: a strategic platform for the future.Predictions on fading social media platforms.Video: The future of content for all channelsSteps to take for landing speaking engagements.Tips on creating great presentation topics.Keys to juggling multiple ventures at the same time.C.R.E.A.M: How things get done.Ross' "call-to-action" on content strategy. 3 Key Points: Distribution of content is just as important as the creation of content.Focusing on creating content that withstands the test of time.Listen and be aware of trends in social media and create and distribute content based on those trends. Quotes: "Oftentimes we get caught up in the idea that once we press publish on a piece of content I've succeeded... but in reality, that's when the livelihood of your article really begins." - Ross Simonds"Distribution is, without question, the most underrated element of the content marketing process." - Ross Simonds"If you are creating content that's reaching masses, you have the ability to shape the way that they view their world." - Ross Simonds"Spend as much time distributing your content as you did, creating it." - Ross Simonds Resources Mentioned: Ross Simonds WebsiteRoss Simonds on TwitterRoss’ “85 Distribution Tips” Guide

On this week's episode, I speak with Joel Harrison, the Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of B2B.net. He's been in the B2B space for decades and really has much to share. We discuss the current state of B2B and what's important, the common thread between ABM, MarTech, and CX, and how to use thought leadership to build a trustworthy brand. Episode Highlights:Joel's background in urban planning and journey into marketing. Joel's early years in journalism.How marketing got "onto the radar."The ideas and challenges of starting a media-based company.Journalism's effect on the product.What is the draw to B2B?The most challenging part of being Editor-in-Chief.The most challenging aspect of being an Entrepreneur.Key efforts B2B leaders should be involved in, to positively affect their business.The Journey every marketer should go on.Key tactics for building your thought leadership.Other key tactics to build a loyal following.What is ABM?ABM model: different types and processes.The common thread between ABM, MarTech, and CXThe Rise of behavioral economicsBecoming a trusted brand in B2BWhere in-house and B2B marketers "fall short." 3 Key Points:Being an entrepreneur is both challenging and rewarding, but totally worth the effort.It's critical to become the authority in your space to build your following.To build your brand and become a trusted source in your industry you must be authentic and be yourself. Tweetable Quotes:“We're only here once, and if you don't do this, it's not a rehearsal.” – Joel Harrison“It's about exposure therapy, just about putting yourself out there and starting small." – Joel Harrison"If you can speak authoritatively and clearly, representing the organization, then you will be taken seriously.” – Joel Harrison“Having gray hairs helps" – Joel Harrison Resources Mentioned:B2B.net WebsiteThinking Fast and Slow by Daniel KahnemanJoel Harrison on LinkedIn and Twitter

On this week's episode, I speak with Seth Avergon, the President at Avergon Marketing Group. His focus is on strategic marketing. We discuss how to have a top 1% marketing strategy, how psychology plays into marketing, and his time as a "fractional" CMO. Episode Highlights: Seth's background in psychology and shift to marketing. How psychology plays into marketing.Discussion on growth ideology vs. marketing.The cohesion of Sales and Marketing.Consulting vs. company work.Creating a marketing group focused on both strategy development and implementation.Seth's personal marketing strategy.Honing the skills to be a complete marketing strategist.The need for flexibility in marketing strategies.Understanding those that have a vested interest and approach to strategy.The importance of marketing intelligence.The role of "fractional" CMO and its place in the market.The goals of a "fractional" CMO.The foundational elements that go into a marketing strategy.What the top 1% of marketing strategies have that others don't.The need for "delighting" your customer.The game plan to learn how to become a strategic marketer.The top marketing minds on the planet.What Seth is working on right now.

On this week's episode, I speak with Rachael Pilcher, the Founder, B2B, and SaaS Conversion Copywriter and Growth Strategist at Mighty Fine Copy in New Zealand. Rachael shares how to bring to light your company’s personality, how insurance companies and insurance commercials became interesting, and also her framework called SNACKS for creating great converting copy. Episode Highlights:Rachael articulates what Mighty Fine Copy is and does. How did Rachael make the transition from a legal PA to copywriting? What hands-on experience taught Rachael niche marketing and branding?How far has she come in copywriting? The Copywriter Club group on Facebook opened her eyes to the bigger money she could make as a copywriter. What did she learn during her rebranding process at Mighty Fine Copy?If your brand isn’t ‘funny’ how can you still stand out?Did she ever go against her own recommendations during rebranding? What are the fine points of Rachael Pilcher’s personality that need to be represented on the page? Has she had to turn any clients down for them not being a good fit? What tips or optimizations does Rachael have for B2B SaaS businesses to help their users care about their words? Are companies trying to cast too big of a net in terms of their marketing efforts? What is the relationship between copy and design? Did she think about design first or copy first when working on her website? Is it more of a challenge for a company looking for a serious tone? What is her process for getting up to speed with a client’s needs? What is her SNACKS framework?Rachael Pilcher applies SNACKS to a mock example. How long should a company wait to revamp their copy? Rachael states her opinion on keywords for traffic. What does it take to identify a company’s personality and bring it to life? What if a company’s founder has a terrible personality? What are some ways to incorporate a brand story into the copy? What is the brand story behind Mighty Fine Copy?Does that copy she writes for clients feel like books she has written? Has she come across a company that has changed her copy for the worst? How can something boring like insurance be made interesting with marketing? Video and YouTube channels have been great for showing a company’s personality. There is still a great need for great copy. What tips does she have for copywriters? Are great copywriters born that way? How many words does she think she may have written for other companies? How many words does she typically put into a conversion copywriting project? 3 Key Points:Copy and design should come together, be cohesive, and draw your eye.SNACKS stands for Strategy, Niche, Asking, Knowledge, and Sales. It is better to focus on good copy than being keyword-driven to force traffic.

On this week's episode, I speak with Steve Toth, who is the Manager of SEO Strategy at Freshbooks. Steve brings a great mix of creative and analytical knowledge to the show. We discuss why the top of "the funnel" gets ignored but really shouldn't, what content really belongs in the middle of the funnel, and his journey from agency life to in-house work at Freshbooks. If you are in SEO, or even starting out, this episode is for you! Episode Highlights:Steve's passions beyond SEO.Spheres of SEO leaders and who you should follow in the space.Why Facebook is a good place to watch for emerging SEO leaders.What to learn from Steve's journey starting with blogging, through the agency world, and on to Freshbooks.The advantages of starting in an agency.The advantages of working in a SAAS company.The key skills you can learn from working with an agency.The main questions to ask when hiring someone working in SEO.Comparing UX and SEO: How much does UX play into SEO ranking?The importance of focusing on the top of funnel and mid-funnel content.How to convince business owners to invest in SEO long-term.Success Stories with Freshbooks and strategies for implementation.Insights into the industries that always "work well" in SEO.Local SEO strategies vs. national.Steve's opinion on how Google feels about SEO's.Using top-of-the-funnel content effectively.How functional content and tools fit into SEO strategy.Should you optimize for social engagement?How to "sell" top-of-the-funnel content to a business owner.Examples of optimal mid-funnel content and why it's important.The advantages/disadvantages of working for a company like Freshbooks.Key tools to have in your SEO toolbag.Steve's advice to the young marketer: passion and healthy obsession.The process for making a strategic content creation shift.What's happening at Freshbooks 3 Key Points:The best gains in SEO are found when you are willing to invest long-term.Focusing on top-funnel and mid-funnel content is key to long-term success.The key to being successful in SEO is having both passion and a healthy obsession for content creation.

On this week's episode, I speak with Hal Werner. Hal is the Global Manager of Digital Marketing and Strategy at Mitel. He' a content strategist extraordinaire and copywriter. We talk about the power of content strategy in marketing, how you can put data at the forefront of your content, and how to become a T-shaped marketer. Episode Highlights:Hal Werner's Superpower: "The Analytical Creative"The journey from traditional advertising to digital content creation.Aha Moment: The importance of collaboration among teams to develop a content strategy.The importance of moving beyond "hard boundaries" in standard roles.What all copywriters need to know about data and marketing.Valuing terminology as a content strategist.A Thought Experiment: the questions to ask when building out a new site.Strategies for getting solid feedback from your customers.Defining Content Strategy: The steps to take for defining your strategy.The "T-shaped" Marketer: Is it possible? Is it recommended?Hal's advice on combating writer or idea block.Moving from "I need to create content" to "a valuable content resource."The value of regular data analysis.Hal's "expert secret" for content strategy: Data Over-Dogma and Insight.Hal's "favorite" piece of content he ever created.Rapid Fire Round: the most "successful" person, one "insane" thing you believe, a common misconception about you, a deep regret, book recommendation, a movie about your life, and personal call-to-action.Mitel's current direction and market shift

On this week's episode, I speak with Louis Grenier. Louis is the Content Lead at HotJar and the host of the "Everyone Hates Marketers" Podcast. On the show, Louis gives us insight into how to make your marketing less deceitful and less "slimy", how to create engaging content that drives value, and how the "golden rule" applies to marketing. Episode Highlights:Turning your fascinations into a successful career.The 2 steps to take that will help you discover what energizes you.The importance of humility in business.Insight into the "balancing act" of creating titles and content that are engaging.The keys to creating content that converts.Why you need to interview your top 5 clients.The difference in "best practices" and "first principles", and how they each play a part.Applying the "golden rule" to marketing and why you would never do anything different.Creating "tension" to attract engaged customers.Rapid Fire Round: the #1 "successful" person, others might think this is insane, a common misconception, deepest regret, a movie about your life (genre & actor), impactful books, and personal "call-to-action." 3 Key Points:Sustaining a successful career requires you to pursue the things that energize you, not just the things that you are good at.Successful business hinges on the customer being the center of everything."Good products" and "good marketing" go hand-in-hand. Deceitfulness in marketing is only necessary if you have a bad product.

On this week's episode, I speak with Julie Hogan. Julie is the VP of the Customer Team at Drift. She shares about balancing family and work, how to find your way into positions with big companies, and how to make your career about people and not positions. Episode Highlights:Defining a "Customer Team."Julie shares her journey, love for working with people, and how it informs her role at Drift.When is the best time to jump onto a new company?Key principles that can inform the work you do.The most important advice for landing jobs at key, influential companies.Work/Life balance is never going to be perfect: How do you make it work?How negative statements can affect your long-term goals and how to deal with them.The 3 downfalls of extroverted leaders, and how to combat them.Keys to learning to build out a company, globallyThe major things that Marketers need to learn from Customer Success Teams.Rapid Fire round: the #1 "successful" person, other's might think this is insane, deep regrets, a movie about your life, impactful books, and personal "call-to-action." 3 Key Points:Work hard and don't focus so much on a specific title or for a specific brand, but on what you enjoy and what you are good at.Work/Life "blend" is more important than balance.Customer centricity is the key to success for a company, and every single person has to be focused on aiding the customer journey.

On this week's episode, I speak with Morgan Ingram. Morgan is a video creator, mentor, entrepreneur, and speaker. He's the Director of Sales Execution and Evolution at JBarrows.We discuss how to become a top voice on LinkedIn, what separates a "meh" SDR from a great one, and why videos games could actually be the future of marketing. Episode Highlights:Morgan shares about his journey from cold-calling his boss, landing in an SDR, running a YouTube channel, and into his current role.The Importance of taking time to create content.Navigating the shifting landscape of the LinkedIn algorithm and adjusting to the platform.What it takes to become a "top voice" on LinkedIn.Morgan shares why E-Sports gaming is the future it's effect on marketing.Morgan's advice for those needing liberation from negativity, especially in the workspace.Why LinkedIn is Morgan's platform of choice and how he uses it for his sales efforts.What NOT to do on LinkedIn when it comes to connecting with people.Morgan's answers to our "Rapid Fire" round of questions.Morgan shares what he's working on right now, what's important to him, and what people should check out that he's doing right now.3 Key Points:Consistently creating content affords you an advantage over the majority of people.Focus your energy on things that are positive and surround yourself with those that feed that positivity.Work hard, but always have a plan and method for doing what you are wanting to do.Resources Mentioned:Morgan Ingram's LinkedIn

This week on Yours in Marketing:I speak with Sangram Vajre, one of the masterminds behind the Account Based Marketing movement that is quickly sweeping the marketing sphere.Sangram is the Co-Founder and Chief Evangelist of Terminus. He’s a passionate Marketing geek at heart and loves to solve problems, whether analytical or creative.Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:–What is Account Based Marketing (ABM) and why is it beneficial?–What is it like for an immigrant to build a successful brand in another country?–How to build a community around your business?Sangram is a natural at talking about marketing, so you’ll want to stick around for the whole episode to absorb his wisdom and follow him on LinkedIn!

On this week's episode, I speak with AJ Wilcox. You may have heard of him from his LinkedIn ads agency, B2Linked. This was the first agency to be endorsed and certified by LinkedIn itself as an ad agency. AJ is a thought leader on LinkedIn, and hosts the LinkedIn Learning course called "Advertising on LinkedIn".Aside from all that, AJ is a great guy and provides a lot of honest and humble insights on getting fired from his last job, and rising up from the ashes to start his own business.AJ Wilcox is a great follow on LinkedIn and Twitter, so check out @wilcoxaj.Also, if you need help overcoming your immense fear of running ads on LinkedIn, check out B2Linked.