In this episode of the HMBT podcast, I sit down with strategy and marketing consultant Henk Wolff for a no-fluff, high-value conversation that bridges the worlds of iGaming and email marketing. We dive into Henk’s background in turning around struggling online casinos and scaling growth using smart retention and acquisition strategies. He brings a sharp, operator-first mindset that’s not just valuable for gaming companies, it’s relevant for any business trying to build loyal customers and optimize marketing channels.

We covered a lot, from retention tactics and lifecycle marketing to some of the wild creative strategies Henk uses interesting strategies to revive dead email lists (yes, a fake password reset email that actually works). It was refreshing to swap email marketing strategies with someone who’s seen the front lines of an industry where attention spans are short and margins are thin. We even joked our way into a new business idea: the Henk & Hank toothpaste, powered by bluetooth chips and behavioral data.

Whether you’re in gaming, retail, SaaS, or running your own ecommerce site, you’ll walk away from this episode with fresh perspective on how to think differently about retention, lifecycle campaigns, and segmentation.

 Retention is everything. In high-churn industries like iGaming, Hank looks at 30-day cohort data to spot leaks in customer retention. Smart segmentation and onboarding automation make or break performance.

 Creative reactivation campaigns work. Hank’s “Did you forget your password?” email trick sounds simple but drives real logins and engagement. Especially useful for aging or dormant lists.

 Segmentation isn’t optional. You can’t send the same email to a VIP player and a casual user. Tailor content based on behavior, balance, and lifecycle stage. Lazy email blasts are a waste.

 Marketers forget the middle of the funnel. Everyone obsesses over top-of-funnel growth, but neglecting the middle leads to leaks and lost revenue. Onboarding and lifecycle content need more love.

 Use AI and voice like a tool, not a toy. We talked about the rise of voice interaction and local LLMs for research, productivity, and daily insights. Ignore these tools at your own risk.

Connect with Henk on Linkedin.

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I sat down with Dan Nottingham—founder and CEO of Plan C, and the brains behind Am I Credible, an AI platform that evaluates the credibility of content in real time. We had a great conversation about what credibility really means in today’s digital world, especially for those of us in marketing, content creation, and business leadership. With so much information (and misinformation) flying around online, how can we make sure our content is trustworthy? Dan shared why credibility isn’t just about fact-checking, it’s about context, perception, and responsibility.

Right out of the gate, Dan and I got into why credibility matters more now than ever. With so many people relying on social media and AI tools to consume, and create, content, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s actually true. We talked about how Am I Credible helps solve this problem by giving content a score from 1 to 10 based on a variety of factors like factual accuracy, context, and delivery. It’s like a spellcheck, but for your reputation.

One thing Dan said that stuck with me: just being technically right isn’t enough. If your content is misleading or overhyped, even unintentionally, it chips away at trust. That’s a big deal for marketers, especially when we’re using AI to create blog posts, emails, or video scripts. You don’t want to hit “publish” on something that sounds great but is factually off, or worse, feels like a bluff.

What made this episode really fun was how practical it got. Dan’s tool can give instant feedback before you publish a post or hit send on that campaign. It even helped him revise one of his own blog posts from a 3 out of 10 to a 9 out of 10 just by changing a single sentence. Little things like that make a big difference in how your audience perceives you—and whether they trust you enough to engage or buy.

Check out Am I Credible here

Connect with Dan on Linkedin.

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I was luck enough to speak with Lucky Kannon, the engineering lead behind Zoho’s deliverability tools—including their custom MTA (Mail Transfer Agent), email validation, and inbox placement systems. Together, we pulled back the curtain on the technical side of email marketing and explore how these unseen systems keep campaigns running smoothly and landing in inboxes.

Lucky breaks down what an MTA really is and why it’s critical to email marketing success, comparing it to a digital postal system that routes and delivers millions of messages efficiently and securely. From IP throttling to adaptive delivery tactics, he shares how Zoho’s tools manage large-scale email operations with precision.

Later on, we discussed the future of AI in email marketing. Lucky envisions a world where marketers no longer have to log into dashboards—simply prompt an AI assistant to craft and send campaigns automatically. But with opportunity comes risk, we discuss how bad actors could misuse automation, underscoring the need for ethical AI use and emerging security standards.

Finally, Lucky highlights data as his favorite part of email marketing—the foundation for smart strategy, personalization, and performance optimization. Remember that even imperfect data (like open rates) still offers insight and should guide marketing decisions.

Key Takeaways:

Connect with Lucky on LinkedIn!

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This was a great discussion with Scott Cohen from Inbox Army about the state of email marketing, the pitfalls businesses fall into, and where the channel is headed. Scott stresses that many brands are addicted to constant promotions—the “promotional drug”—but real success comes from balancing offers with automation, education, and customer experience.

Scott highlights the “big three” automation flows every brand should have in place: abandoned cart, welcome series, and post-purchase communications. He also emphasizes the importance of storytelling, brand values, and customer trust in a crowded marketplace.

We also discuss the future of email, where it will integrate more deeply with SMS, WhatsApp, push notifications, and direct mail. Despite competition from other channels, Scott believes email will remain the backbone of digital communication thanks to its low cost, flexibility, and role as a digital paper trail. And I agree!

Key Takeaways

1. Break Free from the “Promotional Drug” –

2. Automations Drive Real Results

3. Email Should Educate, Entertain, and Build Value

4. Email is Still Powerful (and Misunderstood)

5. The Future: Multi-Channel Ownership

6. If Email Vanished Tomorrow?

7. Why Scott Loves Email

Check out Inbox Army

Connect with Scott on Linkedin

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In this episode, I sat down with Al Safati, CEO of Clarity Digital to talk about how SEO is changing and evolving.

With over 26 years of experience in digital marketing, Al knows the ins and outs of SEO better than most. We first met at Digital Summit in Dallas, and this conversation felt like a continuation of that great exchange about search, content, and email marketing.

Al’s answer was clear—yes. Traditional SEO still drives a significant amount of traffic, especially for transactional searches and local business queries. But AI is reshaping how content gets discovered and consumed. Marketers who ignore SEO risk disappearing from both search engines and AI-driven platforms.

Even as AI summaries and overviews become more common, the core elements of SEO haven’t gone away:

Al shared three key areas marketers should focus on as AI search grows:

One of the biggest takeaways from our conversation was how KPIs are changing. SEO success won’t just be about rankings and traffic anymore. Instead, marketers need to think about multi-touch attribution and how different channels—SEO, AI search, email, and social—work together to drive results.

SEO is not dead, but it is evolving. Marketers must balance the foundations of traditional SEO with the new realities of AI-driven search. That means embracing technical best practices, creating original content, expanding brand presence, and monitoring reputation across the web.

As Al put it, “If you abandon SEO, you’re going to disappear from the AI map.”

Connect with Al on LinkedIn

Visit the Clarity Digital website here

Get 5,000 free Kickbox credits with the code HMBT

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In this episode, Hank and Bolaji discuss effective demand generation strategies where they emphasize the importance of understanding audience needs, creating engaging content, and fostering brand affinity before guiding potential customers into the marketing funnel.

Highlights:

Engaging Content: Craft content that resonates with the audience, placing them at the center of the narrative.

Solve Pain Points: Businesses should focus on providing immediate solutions to urgent problems (painkillers) rather than just general benefits (vitamins).

Brand Recognition: Build a memorable brand through slogans and consistent messaging can enhance customer recall. Nurture Leads: Effective demand generation involves guiding potential customers with targeted information that addresses their specific needs.

Memorable Messaging: Using humor and catchy phrases can enhance brand recall, as shown with examples like Crazy Kevin Powell.

Understanding the Market: It’s crucial to identify when potential customers are ready to engage, rather than pushing them prematurely into the funnel.

Watch Demand Wars – https://www.TACKnetwork.com/demand-wars

Connect with Bolaji: https://www.LinkedIn.com/in/bolaji

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Steven Schneider, co-founder of TrioSEO, joins the show to discuss the significance of blog content and SEO strategies for businesses. We discuss the effectiveness of quality blog writing over quantity, advocating for a strategic approach to content creation and SEO.

Highlights
Quality over Quantity: Focus on fewer, high-quality blog posts to ensure better SEO results.
Avoid AI Pitfalls: Relying solely on AI-generated content can compromise quality and brand integrity.
Strategic Content: Blog topics should align with a broader strategy, not just random ideas.
Basic SEO Practices: Prioritize site architecture, mobile optimization, and essential pages for better SEO performance.
Backlink Importance: Building a strong backlink profile is crucial for improving domain authority.
Page Speed Matters: Fast-loading sites enhance user experience and are favored by Google.
Continuous Improvement: SEO takes time; patience and a commitment to quality will yield long-term benefits.

TrioSEO:

Website: https://trioseo.com

TrioSEO Linkedin Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trioseo/

Steven’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schneis/

Get three free articles (Value of $1200!) by going to the website and signing up for article writing services  → Start with a free discovery audit and see what opportunities await.

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In this episode, I speak with Adam Tsang, a serial entrepreneur with various business ventures including restaurants, a media production company, a PR firm, and an e-commerce product. Adam discusses his journey from owning a single restaurant to managing multiple businesses, emphasizing the importance of people and processes. He shares insights on identifying entrepreneurial talent, the necessity of having a clear problem-solving approach, and the benefits of e-commerce.

Website: https://adamtsang.com

X: https://twitter.com/adamtsang

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAheIUJLk47iW_lueDVNN7A

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/uknowadamtsang/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Z4FPVzEh3M9dBQ5YWMhAH

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uknowadamtsang/

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Scott Cox of STX Consulting joins the show to talk about about strategies for being productive and successful in the current economic climate of 2024.

Key points:

Scott discusses his experience living as a digital nomad in Southeast Asia and the benefits of a lower cost of living. He shares how he structures his time, relies on remote workers, and designs his business to align with his desired lifestyle.

Website: https://www.stxconsulting.co/

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In this episode, Mike Abramowitz from Better Than Rich shares insights on how entrepreneurs can achieve time freedom and work-life balance. He introduces the Time Rich Six framework consisting of boundaries, communication, systems, playbooks, team, and technology.

Highlights
Business is a vehicle for your life, not your entire life.
Understand what season your business is in and be intentional with your actions.
Conduct a time audit to determine the value of your time and delegate tasks below that value.
Delegate administrative tasks first, then focus on marketing, fulfillment, sales, and leadership.
Use the Time Audit Workbook to identify low and high-value activities and receive a free 90-day delegation planning session.

Website: https://www.betterthanrich.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/betterthanrich

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betterthanrich

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betterthan_rich/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BetterThanRich

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/betterthanrichshow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/betterthan_rich

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@betterthanrich

Free Workbook: https://www.betterthanrich.com/90dayplan

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