According to an article from Inc, Bill Gates, now age 63, has a few questions he asks himself that he never thought of when he was younger: 

Did I devote enough time to my family?

Did I learn enough new things?

Did I develop new friendships and deepen old ones?

Do the people you care about love you back?

Consider this a friendly reminder to consider the why and the who behind what we’re doing. It’s very easy to put the “hustle” in now and ignore the things and people who matter most.

Voice Summit is now (at the time of this recording) accepting speakers for Voice Summit 2020. I attended Voice Summit for the first time this year and was impressed with the advances in voice tech and AI within the voice space. 

If you’re doing something relevant to voice and want to share it with an amazing group of people, consider submitting.

Studio North did a succinct recap article on Content Jam 2019. I’m going to paraphrase their recap on Mark Schaefer’s opening keynote: 

We’re in the midst of a marketing rebellion: 

-No more lies

-No more secrets

-No more control

Laws are banning deceptive advertising, information is available to everyone, and people will actively avoid marketing.  So what’s the solution? Stop talking about OUR why and start talking about the customers’ why.

Studio North: Content Jam 2019

Marketing Rebellion (Mark Schaefer)

Today, I’m making an appeal for you to go read Rand Fishkin’s article, “Google in 2020: From Everyone’s Search Engine to Everyone’s Competitor.” 

In short, it’s a slidedeck on the trends of Google and organic search. In the article, Rand says, “the largest source of traffic on the web – free and paid – is becoming a walled garden, intent on not only keeping people on its own properties, but competing directly with those that helped it become a dominant, monopoly power.” 

Really, the slidedeck he presents is pretty crazy explaining how Google is using zero-click searches, the search results that answer your question without needing to click on anything, among other things to dominate the space.

Today’s tip comes from entrepreneur, business owner, and author, Nic Haralambous. 

You can find the article on Medium, and it’s actually an expansion of a previously written article. 

The quote is this: Plan in decades. Think in years. Work in months. Live in days.

Really, the quote doesn’t need much else. It struck me because I’m in the middle of some personal and professional long-term planning. It’s a nice reminder how to think ahead without living in the future.

Lots of people in my sphere of influence were really excited about the Rodecaster Pro. If you haven’t heard of it before, it’s essentially a mixerboard specifically made for podcasters. While interesting, the devices was priced too high for what you were getting and the original release it lacked significant things like the ability to multitrack. 

I wanted to bring your attention to a product I learned about just yesterday, the Zoom Livetrack L-8. It’s a mixerboard geared towards podcasters and creators. In short, it looks fantastic for people who are doing remote recording or recording with multiple people. It’s got 8 channels, mix-minus and multitrack built-in, 6 assignable sound pads for intro/outro music or other effects and more. 

This isn’t a sponsored post. I’m genuinely excited for the device.

If you’re anything like me, you may be interested in picking up a few more books before the end of the fiscal year or as a gift for yourself. Amazon has it’s best business and leadership books of 2019 list available. Here they are (linked!) below.

Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber

The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons learned from 15 years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company

The Infinite Game

Company of One: Why staying small is the next big thing in business 

Digital Minimalism: Choosing a focused life in a noisy world

The Future is Asian

Girl Stop Apologizing: A shame-free plan for embracing and achieving your goals

The Making of a Manager: What to do when everyone looks to you

Loonshots: How to nurture the crazy ideas that win wars, cure diseases, and transform industries

The 100x Leader: How to become someone worth following

Val Giesler’s Master Email Marketing session at the 2019 Content Jam was full of powerful advice.

She says:

“There’s no one right answer when it comes to email marketing. What works for one business might not work for yours. Testing is everything. Why not try it?”

I gave a workshop on everything a marketer needs to know about podcasting at the same event. I explained this same concept, comparing it to travel.

For example, if you are in New York and need to get to Boston, there are lots of options on how to get there. Train, car, plane, bus, etc. The way you choose to get there varies based on your time, budget, knowledge, and comfort.

Creating content and using different mediums to connect with your audience is the same: there are lots of “right” ways to get the same outcome.

For more marketing tips, check out Creative Marketing Brief.

Today’s tip comes from Jordan Bower’s Content Jam session, “Transformational Storytelling and the Age of Distrust.”

He says we need to fundamentally shift our tone.

Before, the goal was winning. Now, the goal is a better world.

Before, Leaders were faceless suits. Now, Leaders are personable activists.

Before, you sold features and benefits. Now, you sell coaching and guidance.

Before, you communicated facts. Now, you create inspiring narratives.

Visit Creative Marketing Brief for more marketing and storytelling tips.

Today’s tip comes from the Content Jam workshop I attended presented by Andy Crestodina from Orbit Media. It’s a general formula to help you decide what keyphrases to focus on for your SEO. Here’s the break down:

If your Domain Authority is less than 30, target keyphrases with monthly searches of fewer than 100 or keyphrases of 5 words in length.

If your Domain Authority is less than 50, target keyphrases with monthly searches of fewer than 1000 or keyphrases of 4 words in length.

And If your Domain Authority is less than 70, target keyphrases with monthly searches of fewer than 3000 or keyphrases of 3 words in length.

How can you apply this to your SEO practices to improve your keyphrases?

Find more marketing tips at Creative Marketing Brief.