Digital Marketing Happy Hour

Data has proven that you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down, yet businesses and individuals alike fail to take this simple action. Why is developing and writing down your marketing plan so important? In this episode, Chris and Ryan chat with Cody Butler about his book, The 90-Day Marketing Plan, and how to develop your goals by beginning with the end in mind and staying committed to them to create lasting success.

Content is King – yep we know that one. However, who doesn’t struggle or have anxiety with consistently creating content ideas? 🙋🏻‍♂️

How much more efficient would you be if the process for generating content ideas was perfected?

In this episode, Chris Casale and Ryan Smith interview Melanie Deziel about her book, The Content Fuel Framework, where she lays out a structured process to generate content faster and more easily along with a few tips and tricks to get you started and keep you moving!

Once you have a honed content framework in place, coming up with your next content idea will no longer be a burden.

Melanie shows you how to tell those stories with her process.

Ask yourself these two questions:

1) What's the lens through which I'm going to tell this story? (The focus – e.g. is it through people, through data, through history?)

2) What's the best way to bring it to life? (The format – e.g. is it video, audio, or something else?)

Melanie will share the answers to:

· How do you overcome vulnerability in publishing content?

· What’s more important in content creation, choosing your focus or format?

· How can a business show that they can make revenue off of content?

If word of mouth is vital to successful marketing, how come businesses never have a word of mouth marketing plan? How have customer expectations changed during this global pandemic? In this episode, Chris and Ryan chat with Jay Baer about how to rewire your customer experience (CX) to exceed customer demands and generate more online reviews.

We've ALL suffered through the accept a LinkedIn invitation and then receive an immediate pitch, right? Ugh!

It's awful, it rarely works and it leaves a sour taste in your mouth...even if you can see the immediate pitch coming a mile away.

However, you don't have to have the spray and pray approach on LinkedIn. Work smarter not harder.

Brynne Tillman is unequivocally a master in the art of social selling that provides results!

Christopher Casale and Ryan Smith have a magnificent conversation with Brynne and she'll show you:

🧐 How to get client referrals without cold calling

🧐 Alternatives to the connect-and-pitch that get results

🧐 Why you must first earn the right to have the conversation with a prospective customer

🧐 How to go beyond LinkedIn for pre-call planning to gain more insight

🧐 Use LinkedIn to develop buyer personas

Before you send your next invitation...check out Brynne's tips and advice.

When you think of Martech you may think of automation. For a lot of SMBs and #entrepreneurs you may think of confusion and feel overwhelmed. It doesn't have to be that way!

If you're in the Martech space you think of Scott Brinker.

Brinker, who we like to think of as the Godfather of Martech, breaks it all down in an interview on Digital Marketing Happy Hour with Christopher Casale and Ryan Smith on how SMBs have a distinct advantage, especially in today's turbulent climate over other larger businesses.

The affordability of martech tools and the agility of most SMBs gives them more opportunities than ever before.

🧐 Does a CMO need to be a tech expert?

🧐 How big of a role does budget play in successfully implementing MarTech in their business?

🧐 What does “No Code” mean?

Click below for the answers to those questions and more.

When it comes to finding the right tools for your business, a simple Google search can feel overwhelming. If you try to experiment with every new martech tool it will inevitably become expensive. It's a common problem.

Christopher Casale and I came up with a list of tools (mostly free or at a freemium level) that every entrepreneur or startup business should experiment with within their business.

The types of tools are categorized into:

🔧 Advertising and Promotion (think native ad platforms)

🔧 Content and Experience

🔧 Social and Relationships

🔧 Commerce and Sales

🔧 Data and Management

Are there successful tools outside of this list? Yes.

You might even currently use better tools. Cool!

So here's your disclaimer: these are tools we've found success with. The list of great tools is not limited to our list, but it will get you started if you're feeling lost or overwhelmed.

Let us know on social media what your favorite tools are and why should an entrepreneur use it.

The 3 most important areas of digital marketing that are vital for your business are:

· SEO

· Social Media

· Email (yes, email)

None of these are actually dead – no matter what clickbait article you read.

The common denominator for these pillars is Content Marketing.

At a very high-level, every SMB and #entrepreneur needs to:

1) Create a Digital Marketing Plan (and document it)!

2) Identify your objectives and goals

3) Create content that speaks to your Ideal Customer Avatar or Buyer Persona

4) Incorporate the 3 digital marketing pillars into your marketing mix:

a. Optimize your content for search engines

b. Distribute your content via your website, social media and email

Listen as Ryan Smith and Christopher Casale dig deep into the 3 Pillars of Digital Marketing on the Digital Marketing Happy Hour.

The digital revolution has changed everything and marketing is no exception. Consumers expect information at their fingertips and want a response on their timeline. How is marketing meeting this demand? In this episode, Chris and Ryan talk with Carlos Gil about the end of marketing and how businesses can outcompete and outperform their competition.

Why do International companies consider influencer marketing the most important tactic in their marketing toolbox? What are the keys to building long-term successful relationships with your customers? In this episode, Chris and Ryan are joined by Neal Schaffer to discuss the Age of Influence and the three main strategic pillars to a successful marketing campaign.

When the economy shuts down during a global pandemic, how do you keep your business alive? The question is how do you survive in the current economic climate, especially if you work for #smbs or are an #entrepreneur?

It's important to change your mindset and list out all the business possibilities, even if it's unconventional to your previous revenue streams.

Christopher Casale and Ryan Smith explore the trending data on business operations during COVID-19 and which industries were hit the hardest.

You must learn to pivot like Ross (yes, that Ross....think Friends) and make the digital transformation so you can survive and thrive in 2020 and beyond!