Actionable Marketing Podcast

While staying at home and practicing social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, why not learn a new skill? Translate your marketing content for international audiences. If more people can read your content, more will understand your mission and buy your products/services.

Today’s guest is Adrian Cohn, Brand Strategy and Communications Director at Smartling. If you want your content to be translated accurately and resonate with customers, focus on localization.

Some of the highlights of the show include:

• Translation and Localization: What’s the difference?
• Localized Experience: Where’s the best pizza or hot dog? New York or Chicago?
• Multiple Markets: Localize content if operating in different regions
• Content Localization: Speak the language to embrace local culture on product
• Mistakes/Myths: Scale of problem, language translators, and searchable content
• Audience: Who they are, what they need, where they reside, language they speak
• Top 3 Tips:
  • Understand your business goals
  • Identify staff resources to enable process
  • Measure and communicate results with team

Links:

• Adrian Cohn
• Smartling
• Lyft
• Slack
• Shopify
• CoSchedule

Sad but true, some marketing agencies try to sell services to clients based on what’s best and most important for the agency, not their client. When and how do you know that you’ve made the mistake of partnering with the wrong agency for the wrong reasons based on what seemed like a solid sales pitch?

Today’s guest is John Bertino, founder and CEO of The Agency Guy (TAG), a marketing consultancy that connects clients with agencies. John knows what it takes to create a successful client/agency relationship, and what businesses and marketers need to consider when shopping for an agency. 

Some of the highlights of the show include: 

• TAG’s Model: Consult with brands of all sizes to demystify marketing channels
• Top Problems: Too many marketing teams, specialties, and biased advice
• Issues: Growing fast by sacrificing fundamental factors of business operations 
• Inexperience and Inexpensive: You get what you pay for 
• Education and Expectations: Talk in a transparent way, not over people's heads
• How to be a better client? Be willing and ready to learn
• How to choose an agency? Consider personality, services, and teamwork
• Best Practices: Slow, controlled, methodical growth; put clients first
• Hiring Process: Prioritize communication 
• 4 Steps to Worry-free Marketing: 
• • Start a conversation with a brand
  • Create a high-level custom strategy
  • Connect with a vetted, proven partner
  • Measure performance to produce results

Links:

• The Agency Guy
• CoSchedule

Struggling to work from home? Not sure how to adjust to a remote working lifestyle? Do you need some timely and helpful tips to stay positive and productive? 

Today’s guest is Timur Valishev, co-founder and CEO of JivoChat, a simple yet comprehensive messaging chat app. Timur’s company has talented staff all over the world, so he has extensive experience with remote working and managing remote teams. Bottom Line: It works. Manage to stay alive and grow.   

Some of the highlights of the show include:

• JivoChat: Messenger for teams to communicate with clients across all channels
• JivoChat’s Goal: Be more effective at handling multiple inquiries, calls, reminders
• Why remote staff and physical office? Temporary option turned permanent perk
• Competing for Talent: Option to work remotely is main way to hire the best staff
• Marketing in Local Markets: Working in America, Asia, Africa, and India for ROI 
• U.S. Market: Primary source of revenue internationally, but burns more cash
• Lessons Learned: Conduct as many trial-and-error experiments as possible
• Most Common Fear: Remote staff is not working, but doing everything else
• Remote Work: Not for everyone; requires self-motivation and discipline
• What are outcomes of work, rather than maintaining the illusion of being busy?
• Scouting Talent: Find and accommodate remote freelancers via specific sites
• Misconception: Money is not always saved working remotely or by paying less

Links:

• JivoChat
• Zoom
• Slack
• Asana
• CoSchedule

How can marketers make their content go beyond Google and Facebook for audience research to be a competitive advantage? The duopoly may monopolize your attention and saturate SEO and social media channels, but it doesn’t own Web and search marketing. 

Today’s guest is Rand Fishkin from SparkToro. He describes problems and solutions related to audience research. Rand’s insight continues to be inspirational and instrumental in many marketers’ careers.

Some of the highlights of the show include:

• SparkToro’s Solutions: Pay-to-play frustration? Alternative channels are available
• Broaden, Don’t Abandon Scope: Turbocharge marketing without spending much
• Find the Right People: Scrape and scroll through shares on social platforms 
• Speak the Language: In-jokes and memes won’t work, don’t make assumptions
• Avoid Potential Pitfalls: Know, understand, measure, audit competitive landscape
• Event Attendance for Audience Research: Don’t limit learning and consumption 
• Formalized Practice: Turn intelligence into product features, data, and positioning 
• What it takes to win? Position product’s story, language, and solutions
• Product Content: Influencers earn amplification, engagement, and awareness
• Narrow Niche: From reachable audience to ideal customers  
• Purchasing Decisions: What makes qualified customers buy or not buy products? 

Links: 

• SparkToro
• Moz
• SEMrush
• Ahrefs
• Obviously Awesome by April Dunford
• Making Websites Win by Ben Jesson and Karl Blanks 
• AMP081: How To Do Remarkable Customer Research With Rand Fishkin From SparkToro 
• CoSchedule

Influencer marketing is a multi-billion-dollar industry that continues to grow and shows no signs of slowing down. It’s a direct line to your customer base to grow your brand and gain insight about your products. 

Today’s guest is Jamie Lieberman, owner and founder of Hashtag Legal. Jamie describes specific do’s and don’ts of influencer marketing to avoid conflict with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Stay ethical and legal!

Some of the highlights of the show include:

• Big Business: Influencer marketing shifted from blogs and brands to billions 
• All Parties Involved: Transactions include influencers, agencies, and brands
• Misconceptions: Influencers take any sponsored content and focus only on ROI
• Best Practices: Quality over quantity, metrics, and analytics of sponsored content
• Worst Tactics: FTC disclosures defeat trust between influencers and brands
• Getting Started: Conduct research, learn from others, and find influencers
• Do’s: Build authentic relationships and form true partnerships

Links:

• Jamie Lieberman’s Email
• Jamie Lieberman’s Phone: 973-419-5854
• Hashtag Legal
• Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
• Influencer Marketing Association
• CoSchedule

Why should content marketers start a podcast? How are podcasts different from other content mediums? What does it take to make podcasts possible and sustain success? 

Today’s guest is Craig Hewitt from Podcast Motor and Castos. From first-hand experience, Craig understands how painful podcasting can be. It takes time, skills, and effort. He helps others get started to understand the value of podcasts.

Some of the highlights of the show include:

• Biggest Challenges: How brands position content and podcast presence
• Plan Ahead: Purpose of podcast, types of content, and brand positioning
• Podcast Popularity: Effective content, earning potential, and making connections
• Branded Content vs. Content for a Brand: What’s the difference? 
• Podcast Perseverance: Be different to be successful or die in a sea of sameness
• Audience Podcast Series: How to start a podcast? How to grow an audience?
• Podcast Skepticism: Is it worth the investment? Why? Marketing toolbelt asset
• Recommended Gear: Microphone, headphones, and pop filter
• Measuring and Monitoring ROI Metrics: Depends on brand and podcast 

Links:

• Podcast Motor
• Castos
• How To Start A Podcast: Your 2020 Step-By-Step Guide
• Audience Podcast
• Audio Technica ATR2100 Microphone
• Sony MDR7506 Headphones
• PEMOTech Microphone Pop Filter
• Wondery
• Gimlet Media Podcasts
• National Public Radio (NPR) Podcasts
• Seth Godin
• Joe Rogan
• CoSchedule

How can marketers create successful social media video ads that go viral and generate intentional results via an iterative approach? There are no bad ideas!

Today’s guest is Travis Chambers of Chamber Media. He describes how to infuse social media video ads by using quantitative creativity. Why? What works is usually not what you think is going to work. 

Some of the highlights of the show include:

• Chamber Media: Creates high-production social ads to 5X brand revenue growth
• Chamber Media’s Secret Sauce: Create different types of profitable video ads
• Chambers’s Career Choice: Writing on the wall that journalism was dead and TV was too competitive; decided on digital marketing  
• Creative Ideation Process: 7 key foundational categories for ad types 
• Formulaic Output and Focus Group Feedback: Hook, problem, solution, social proof, testimonials, reviews, calls to action, and then testing, testing, testing
• Ad Campaign Workflow: Customer, problem, solution, product, and conversion
• Creative is Creative: Randomness, less predictability consistently increase sales 
• Main Mistake: Novice creatives come up with one good idea, cling to it, and refuse to let go

Links:

• Chamber Media
• Made to Stick by Heath Brothers 
• Facebook Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO)
• Lindsey Stirling
• Devin Graham (aka devinsupertramp)
• Dollar Shave Club
• Old Spice
• Seinfeld
• CoSchedule

What is most content marketers’ biggest concern? Not getting enough traffic. The struggle is real. Why? Declining organic reach on social media and increased search competition. 

Today’s guest is Nadya Khoja, Chief Growth Officer at Venngage. Nadya developed a simple yet effective process known as the Goals, Research, Authority, and Promotion (GRAP) Framework. Venngage uses it consistently to create and promote content that boosts Website traffic and delivers results. 

Some of the highlights of the show include: 

• GRAP Framework: What it is and how it works
• Goals: Grow faster, get more links, and create better content for conversions
• Research: What is search engine optimization (SEO)? What content gets best conversion rates, drives traffic? What keywords rank?
• Authority: Brand mentions from credible sources, quality press links, and data-driven, unique, and compelling content
• Promotion: Outreach, optimization strategies, content clusters, and backlinks 
• Company Culture: Tie in themes and trends (i.e., Harry Potter and Game of Thrones) to give data a narrative
• EAT: Google’s take on ranking content customers want to consume should include expertise, authority, and trust

Links:

• Venngage
• Nadya Khoja - Drunk Entrepreneurs
• GRAP Framework: How to Increase Web Traffic Without a Huge Budget
• EAT and SEO
• Tony Robbins
• Jeff Bezos
• CoSchedule

Do you dread going to work? Does it impact your productivity? How can companies improve their culture? It’s not about putting ping pong tables, napping pods, and laundry services in the workplace. 

Today’s guest is Wayne Mullins, founder of Ugly Mug Marketing. Wayne has consulted on some of the world’s biggest brands. He has gone from being a culture skeptic to a firm believer in the power of creating self-accountable cultures to help companies achieve their full potential and productivity. Wayne provides a rational and practical way to think about company culture.

Some of the highlights of the show include:

• Old School Approach: Results-focused marketing that goes back to the basics
• Components of Self-accountable Culture: 
• • Activity and accomplishment are two different things
  • Accountability flows from within, not from the top down
  • Each individual’s ability to quickly and easily assess their goals
• Quantity vs. Quality: Improving company culture, improves company’s marketing campaign results for clients
• Aptitude and Attitude: How marketing managers can accurately assess potential hires for culture fit 
• Culture Matters: How is it working for you? Are you constantly having to micromanage and fix mistakes?
• Consistency Creates Miracles: Culture is misunderstood as end thing to pursue instead of byproduct of components put in place
• Lead by Example: Foundation conversation around trust versus suspicion
• If unintentional about building a high-performance, self-accountable culture, then you’re intentional about building a low-performance, non-accountable culture 
• Three steps to get started: Self-evaluation, scoreboard, and rhythms of accountability 

Links: 

• Ugly Mug Marketing
• Work Rules!
• RightFit Profile
• CoSchedule

How much do you know about your customers, especially the very best ones? Companies that conduct ongoing customer research grow two to three times faster than those that don’t. How many? About 70% of companies are not doing 10 or more interviews with customers every month. 

Today’s guest is Katelyn Bourgoin of Customer Camp. As a customer research expert and advocate, she explains how to gather customer data and extract useful insights from customer interviews to apply and achieve results. 

Some of the highlights of the show include: 

• Marketer by Trade, Founder by Choice: Identify and understand your customers to make marketing and product decisions
• What matters most for marketers? Target customer/audience, not chasing multiple customer segments at the same time
• What’s holding companies back? Not focusing on right customers, or understanding how to talk about what they do to position product for purchase 
• Customer-Centric Opportunity: If 70% of companies aren't conducting customer research, it gives you a chance to stand out from competitors
• Common Challenges: Some marketers don’t believe in customer research or don’t want to bother their customers to accelerate and achieve growth
• Which customers to contact to start a conversation? Recent buyers recall the journey
• Research shows 95% of decisions occur unconsciously when making a purchase 
• Questions: Avoid scripts or asking the same questions about buying journey
• Value Proposition: What’s #1 reason customers decided to buy a product? 
• How to analyze gathered customer data to gain insights? Summarize key pain points, outcomes, channels, influencers, and other products
• Common Mistakes: Avoid asking customers too many questions from too many departments; document and process what you learn before you forget it
• Customer Ranking Calculator: What makes an average vs. awesome customer? 

Links:

• Katelyn Bourgoin
• Customer Camp
• Customer Ranking Calculator
• ProfitWell
• CoSchedule