Everyone Hates Marketers | No-BS Marketing & Brand Strategy Podcast

I've just launched a new YouTube channel!! The concept? I take real businesses struggling to stand the f*ck out, provide my positioning/branding/lead gen help, and record it all for YouTube. The first mini-series features three freelance marketers (copywriter Rob, ecommerce designer Laura, and non-fiction book coach Vicky).

I hope you'll set aside half an hour to watch it through. Maybe with your morning coffee? Or lunch break? Or evening onion soup? And then, the usual "Subscribe, Like, Share" would go a long, long way too.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdNXaHHVnVntg5gpveB-5_Q

***

It’s time to get customer-obsessed. Katelyn Bourgoin, the three-times founder, turned growth geek joins the podcast to explain the importance of using customer research to figure out what triggers customers to buy.

We discuss the processes Katelyn uses to help companies understand what their customers are trying to achieve, and what barriers are stopping them from achieving it, so they can design better products market them more effectively.

Topics covered:

• Why it’s important to understand what triggers your customers
• The reasons why some marketers may be feeling overwhelmed
• Social Media’s draining effect on Katelyn
• The first question Katelyn asks her new clients when starting customer research
• How the startup world taught Katelyn the importance of customer discovery
• The steps it takes to develop your customer’s persona
• Why understanding your customer is more than gathering demographic and firmographic information
• How to disrupt the Super Mario power upmarket
• Don’t forget about the importance of the functional side of your product
• Identify your customer’s challenges with their current solution
• Katelyn’s thoughts on one-on-one customer interviews
• One of Katelyn’s favorite sayings when conducting interviews
• How to make sense of the customer information you’ve gathered

Resources mentioned:

• Katelyn’s Website
• Katelyn on Twitter
• What is a martech stack?
• Strategyzer
• Cerner
• Basecamp
• Wrike
• Hotjar
• Katelyn’s Forget the Funnel Webinar
• Dovetail App
• Airtable
• Katelyn’s Research Template
• Atomic Habits - James Clear
• CXL Blog
• Buyer Personas Need to Die a Violent Death
• Buying Triggers: 6 Steps to Create Explosive Demand

***

→ Buy my book: book.stfo.io
→ Watch my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdNXaHHVnVntg5gpveB-5_Q
→ Take my 60-second quiz: stfo.io/q
→ See my pretty face on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisgrenier/
→ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3p4wL4r
→ Leave a review on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7iEF1qovZZiaP1iRtxGARo

🐔

I've just launched a new YouTube channel!! The concept? I take real businesses struggling to stand the f*ck out, provide my positioning/branding/lead gen help, and record it all for YouTube. The first mini-series features three freelance marketers (copywriter Rob, ecommerce designer Laura, and non-fiction book coach Vicky).

I hope you'll set aside half an hour to watch it through. Maybe with your morning coffee? Or lunch break? Or evening onion soup? And then, the usual "Subscribe, Like, Share" would go a long, long way too.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdNXaHHVnVntg5gpveB-5_Q

***

Want to create a better user experience for your customers?

Start with user research.Before you develop a user experience design you need to understand what your customer really wants.

In this episode, Els Aerts joins us to explain what user research is, why it’s important, and how you can complete user research on a budget.

Topics covered:

• The role of user research in business growth and what it entails
• Why customers don’t respond to your surveys
• How to execute user research and testing on a budget
• The difference between user research vs. market research
• Four personality traits every user test moderator needs
• What questions should be answered in user testing
• Why surveys will tell you more than Google Analytics data

Resources mentioned:

• Buyer Persona: Your Guide to Create 100% Accurate & Detailed Ones
• Moderating with Multiple Personalities: 3 Roles for Facilitating Usability Tests
• ConversionXL
• Copy Hackers
• 3 Steps to Write Copy That Converts with Joanna Wiebe
• Nielsen Norman Group

***

→ Buy my book: book.stfo.io
→ Watch my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdNXaHHVnVntg5gpveB-5_Q
→ Take my 60-second quiz: stfo.io/q
→ See my pretty face on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisgrenier/
→ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3p4wL4r
→ Leave a review on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7iEF1qovZZiaP1iRtxGARo

🐔

I've just launched a new YouTube channel!! The concept? I take real businesses struggling to stand the f*ck out, provide my positioning/branding/lead gen help, and record it all for YouTube. The first mini-series features three freelance marketers (copywriter Rob, ecommerce designer Laura, and non-fiction book coach Vicky).

I hope you'll set aside half an hour to watch it through. Maybe with your morning coffee? Or lunch break? Or evening onion soup? And then, the usual "Subscribe, Like, Share" would go a long, long way too.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdNXaHHVnVntg5gpveB-5_Q

***

If you’ve ever considered using paid ads to generate revenue, this episode is for you.

The trick is to make your ad stand out. But how do you do that amidst the noise of the internet?

This is where Sarah Sal comes in. A copywriter for over 10 years, she has a unique take on what she calls interruption marketing.

Her fascinating interview will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about ad campaigns.

Topics covered:

• The definition of interruption marketing
• The benefits of long-form copy and why Sarah is such a big fan
• Making copy the conversation that people want to read
• Using long-form copy to inform and educate
• Why you should interrogate your customers and turn their answers into an ad
• Recognizing angles in client stories and how to use them in your copy
• Teaching the public something new with your copy
• Talking to your customer's customers and what questions to ask them
• Having someone else to write the copy to ensure you have communicated properly

Resources mentioned:

• Strategyzer
• 3 Steps to Write Copy That Converts with Joanna Wiebe
• Copyhackers
• Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die - Chip Heath
• The Jelly Effect - Andy Bound
• Catch Me If You Can - Frank Abagna

***

→ Buy my book: book.stfo.io
→ Watch my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdNXaHHVnVntg5gpveB-5_Q
→ Take my 60-second quiz: stfo.io/q
→ See my pretty face on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisgrenier/
→ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3p4wL4r
→ Leave a review on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7iEF1qovZZiaP1iRtxGARo

🐔

I've just launched a new YouTube channel!! The concept? I take real businesses struggling to stand the f*ck out, provide my positioning/branding/lead gen help, and record it all for YouTube. The first mini-series features three freelance marketers (copywriter Rob, ecommerce designer Laura, and non-fiction book coach Vicky).

I hope you'll set aside half an hour to watch it through. Maybe with your morning coffee? Or lunch break? Or evening onion soup? And then, the usual "Subscribe, Like, Share" would go a long, long way too.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdNXaHHVnVntg5gpveB-5_Q

***

When Rand Fishkin left Moz in 2018, the marketing world was waiting to see what was going to be his next move.

The reality was, he already had it figured out. A new startup in the shape of SparkToro.

In this episode, I talk with him about where the idea for SparkToro came from and how he left his secure and well-paid job to successfully launch a new tool with no capital, no paying customers, and during a global pandemic!

Topics covered:

• How Rand came up with the idea for SparkToro
• How he followed his own advice when starting up
• Reaping the benefits from 17 years worth of building a network of experts
• How he capitalized on that network for his product research
• The top three most helpful questions he asked when doing his research
• Finally leaving Moz and launching SparkToro
• Using old school techniques to create the initial buzz
• How and why you should pick an enemy early on!
• Raising capital with no paying customers and doing things organically
• Launching during a global pandemic

Resources mentioned:

• Moz
• SparkToro
• Lost and Founder - Rand Fishkin
• Zillow
• Redfin
• Profitwell
• Buying Triggers: 6 Steps to Create Explosive Demand

***

→ Buy my book: book.stfo.io
→ Watch my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdNXaHHVnVntg5gpveB-5_Q
→ Take my 60-second quiz: stfo.io/q
→ See my pretty face on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisgrenier/
→ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3p4wL4r
→ Leave a review on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7iEF1qovZZiaP1iRtxGARo

🐔

I've just launched a new YouTube channel!! The concept? I take real businesses struggling to stand the f*ck out, provide my positioning/branding/lead gen help, and record it all for YouTube. The first mini-series features three freelance marketers (copywriter Rob, ecommerce designer Laura, and non-fiction book coach Vicky).

I hope you'll set aside half an hour to watch it through. Maybe with your morning coffee? Or lunch break? Or evening onion soup? And then, the usual "Subscribe, Like, Share" would go a long, long way too.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdNXaHHVnVntg5gpveB-5_Q

***

There can be few people in the marketing world who haven’t heard of Neil Patel.

At the age of 35, he has already achieved many accolades, including recognition by President Obama as one of the top 100 entrepreneurs under the age of 30.

He’s also known in the marketing world for shady, aggressive tactics like invasive website popups, sexist ads, etc. But, something changed recently which made him realize the value of focusing on people first...

Topics covered:

• What Neil Patel would do with $1,000 to create a new business anonymously
• Why marketers tend not to like Neil Patel
• Why you should never aim to please everyone
• What marketers should learn to help them in the next 10, 20, 50 years

Resources mentioned:

• Crazyegg
• KISSmetrics
• Click Funnels
• Uber Suggest
• Moz
• SEMrush
• Wayback Machine
• Hubspot
• Backlinko
• Larry Kim
• NeilPatel.com
• Buying Triggers: 6 Steps to Create Explosive Demand

***

→ Buy my book: book.stfo.io
→ Watch my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdNXaHHVnVntg5gpveB-5_Q
→ Take my 60-second quiz: stfo.io/q
→ See my pretty face on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisgrenier/
→ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3p4wL4r
→ Leave a review on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7iEF1qovZZiaP1iRtxGARo

🐔

I've just launched a new YouTube channel!! The concept? I take real businesses struggling to stand the f*ck out, provide my positioning/branding/lead gen help, and record it all for YouTube. The first mini-series features three freelance marketers (copywriter Rob, ecommerce designer Laura, and non-fiction book coach Vicky).

I hope you'll set aside half an hour to watch it through. Maybe with your morning coffee? Or lunch break? Or evening onion soup? And then, the usual "Subscribe, Like, Share" would go a long, long way too.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdNXaHHVnVntg5gpveB-5_Q

***

Seth Godin is back.We begin with the story of Ron Johnson and how his disastrous stint as CEO of JC Penney almost destroyed the chain.

The reason behind this massive failure will give you the key to understanding your audience so you can change the World around you for the better.

Topics covered:

• What we can learn from the mistakes that Ron Johnson made
• Don’t use your own worldview in marketing as it will be very different from someone else's worldview
• Acting as a customer to understand how and why people buy
• Why you should test changes in small areas before making big company-wide changes
• Applying the same strategy of watching people in stores to how people behave when they shop online
• Why you have to be specific about the worldview of the people you are seeking to reach and the change you seek to offer to get results
• What you can do to truly understand your audience and build empathy
• Try to imagine what it's like to be the person you seek to serve

Resources mentioned:

• Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins
• Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy
• The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
• The Art of Possibility by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander
• This Is Marketing by Seth Godin
• The Marketing Seminar
• altMBA
• The Mystery Show
• Zig Ziglar on YouTube
• Bandwidth by Eliot Peper
• How to Compete With Big Brands Even With Very Few Resources

***

→ Buy my book: book.stfo.io
→ Watch my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdNXaHHVnVntg5gpveB-5_Q
→ Take my 60-second quiz: stfo.io/q
→ See my pretty face on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisgrenier/
→ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3p4wL4r
→ Leave a review on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7iEF1qovZZiaP1iRtxGARo

🐔

I've just launched a new YouTube channel!! The concept? I take real businesses struggling to stand the f*ck out, provide my positioning/branding/lead gen help, and record it all for YouTube. The first mini-series features three freelance marketers (copywriter Rob, ecommerce designer Laura, and non-fiction book coach Vicky).

I hope you'll set aside half an hour to watch it through. Maybe with your morning coffee? Or lunch break? Or evening onion soup? And then, the usual "Subscribe, Like, Share" would go a long, long way too.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdNXaHHVnVntg5gpveB-5_Q

***

When it comes to digital marketing it's easy to drown ourselves in endless data analytics, campaign results, and market research. But marketing boils down to one thing only--humans. Marketing psychology is the study of consumer psychology and the reasoning behind why we make decisions.

Who is Richard Shotton?

My guest today is Richard Shotton, the author of The Choice Factory: 25 Behavioral Biases That Influence What We Buy. He's also the head of behavioral science for Manning Gottlieb OMD, the #1 advertising agency in Europe.

Topics covered:

5 Little-Known Facts About Consumer Behavior

1. Pratfall Effect: If you can admit a weakness or flaw, you become more appealing to your audience.
2. Confirmation Bias: We're very good at maintaining our existing point of view.
3. Our Habits: You can persuade people in the moments when their habits become destabilized.
4. Brand Purpose: Not every company needs to have have a higher purpose beyond profit.
5. Personalization: Don’t apply it to such a degree that you lose the essence of your brand.

The Pratfall Effect

The pratfall effect is a counter-intuitive idea that was first discussed by Eliott Aronson, a professor of psychology at Harvard in the 1960s. According to this theory, you become more appealing after you admit a weakness or you exhibit a flaw.In marketing, this applies because one of the biggest issues we face is that people don't trust brands. Once you’ve admitted a flaw, you're demonstrating your honesty and the rest of your claims suddenly become more believable.

Confirmation Bias

Our brain instinctively resist new information due to confirmation bias. As Richard Shotton explains, if you already dislike a brand, your brain will continue to come up with counter arguments to maintain its existing point of view. You can counteract this in marketing by reaching your audience at moments of distraction, because they’re potentially persuadable at this point. And you can do this by thinking about the body language and the tone of your advertising.

Our Habits

What are the moments when people’s habits become destabilized? According to consumer psychology, we can encourage people to buy our products during major life events. Richard Shotton conducted research where he discovered that people are 2-3 times more likely to try a new brand after undergoing a life event.These life events can include getting married, divorced, retiring, moving, having your first child, or starting a new job. These are when our habits are in flux and we're open to buying new products to fit these changes.

Brand Purpose

There’s a current trend in marketing at the moment where companies are trying to find a single way of answering briefs. This can go wrong in a lot ways. Because the problems that your target market will face are varied -- and one solution is impossible.Richard explains brand purpose as an example. In some circumstances, brands should have a higher order beyond profit but it can also lead to the wrong approach if you try to apply purpose to everything. Remember the infamous Pepsi protest campaign? That's proof on how this tactic can fail.

Personalization

If you take personalization in marketing too far, there can be huge implications. In this interview, Richard shares a theory from Kevin Simler that explains the value of a brand is in it’s shared cultural meaning.If you're targeting your audience with different messages it can be great in the beginning. However, eventually people will overhear those messages and understand that your brand actually stands for nothing.

Resources mentioned:

• The Choice Factory: 25 Behavioral Biases That Influence What We Buy by Richard Shotton
• A true story: the birth of a great campaign by Paul Feldwick
• Stuff From The Loft by David Dye
• The 22 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by Bern Bolo
• Ads Don't Work That Way by Kevin Simler
• Mark Ritson: 4 Steps to Creating a Rock-Solid Marketing Strategy
• The Anatomy of Humbug: How to Think Differently About Advertising by Paul Feldwick
• Decoded: The Science Behind Why We Buy by Phil Barden
• Rory Sutherland: The Wiki Man
• Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stevens-Davidowitz
• @rshotton on Twitter
• Richard Shotton on LinkedIn
• Pratfall Effect in Marketing: Admit Your Flaws to Win Customers
• How to Influence Buying Decisions Without Being Shady
• How to Convince People to Buy (Without Being Pushy)

***

→ Buy my book: book.stfo.io
→ Watch my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdNXaHHVnVntg5gpveB-5_Q
→ Take my 60-second quiz: stfo.io/q
→ See my pretty face on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisgrenier/
→ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3p4wL4r
→ Leave a review on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7iEF1qovZZiaP1iRtxGARo<...

I've just launched a new YouTube channel!! The concept? I take real businesses struggling to stand the f*ck out, provide my positioning/branding/lead gen help, and record it all for YouTube. The first mini-series features three freelance marketers (copywriter Rob, ecommerce designer Laura, and non-fiction book coach Vicky).

I hope you'll set aside half an hour to watch it through. Maybe with your morning coffee? Or lunch break? Or evening onion soup? And then, the usual "Subscribe, Like, Share" would go a long, long way too.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdNXaHHVnVntg5gpveB-5_Q

***

In the world of marketing sameness, where brands copy each other and play it safe, how do you genuinely differentiate yourself?

Peep Laja is the founder of CXL Institute, an in-depth marketing training program. In this episode, he explains how your brand can stand up, stand out, and be different.

Topics covered:

• The reason why the only difference between most companies is the logo
• How differentiation can be achieved by one strong thing or a combination of lots of smaller things
• The consequences of sameness in your business
• Which differentiations are not worth the investment
• How to define a position in the market
• Why you want to attract a certain group and repel another
• Using differentiation to give potential customers a reason to choose you
• Thinking actively about how you are influenced

Resources mentioned:

• CXL Institute
• Copytesting
• Optimizely
• VWO
• Convert.com
• SiteGainer
• Differentiate or Die - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin
• Positioning - Al Ries and Jack Trout
• Obviously Awesome - April Dunford
• Play Bigger  
• Gainsight
• Codeacadamy
• Linkedin Learning
• Udemy
• Reforge
• Hotjar
• Ahrefs
• Whiteboard Friday
• Moz
• SEMrush
• Basecamp
• Drift
• Squadcast
• How Brands Grow - Byron Sharp
• Monday.com
• Crunchbase
• Trello
• Airtable
• Asana
• Clickup
• Road Less Stupid - Keith J Cunningham
• 22 Immutable laws of Marketing - Al Ries and Jack Trout
• The Brand Gap - Marty Neumeier
• Zag - Marty Neumeier
• Brand Flip - Marty Neumeier
• Category Creation: 4 Reasons to NEVER Do It
• Challenge Category Conventions in 7 Steps (+ Examples)
• Branding 101: 5 Steps to Build a Small Business Brand

***

→ Buy my book: book.stfo.io
→ Watch my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdNXaHHVnVntg5gpveB-5_Q
→ Take my 60-second quiz: stfo.io/q
→ See my pretty face on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisgrenier/
→ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3p4wL4r
→ Leave a review on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7iEF1qovZZiaP1iRtxGARo

🐔

I've just launched a new YouTube channel!! The concept? I take real businesses struggling to stand the f*ck out, provide my positioning/branding/lead gen help, and record it all for YouTube. The first mini-series features three freelance marketers (copywriter Rob, ecommerce designer Laura, and non-fiction book coach Vicky).

I hope you'll set aside half an hour to watch it through. Maybe with your morning coffee? Or lunch break? Or evening onion soup? And then, the usual "Subscribe, Like, Share" would go a long, long way too.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdNXaHHVnVntg5gpveB-5_Q

***

My guest today is not afraid to push boundaries or take risks and is most definitely not boring.

In this episode, Dan Kelsall, founder of Offended Marketing, talks about not playing it safe, thinking laterally, and learning from your mistakes.

He also deconstructs three of his most successful campaigns and explains why spending quality time with your client should be a crucial part of your business.

Topics covered:

• Why people are crippled by the fear of being honest
• The biggest mistake companies make with their content
• Producing one piece of good content that has impact
• Developing a strong team that learn by their mistakes
• How to start offending people so that you’re loved by some and hated by others
• The process for creating great content that makes people actually buy stuff
• What you need from a client to be able to market a product with leverage
• How you know when you’ve struck marketing gold
• The more you speak to people and understand their culture the more you will get out of it

Resources mentioned:

• Offended Marketing
• HubSpot
• A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson

***

→ Buy my book: book.stfo.io
→ Watch my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdNXaHHVnVntg5gpveB-5_Q
→ Take my 60-second quiz: stfo.io/q
→ See my pretty face on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisgrenier/
→ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3p4wL4r
→ Leave a review on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7iEF1qovZZiaP1iRtxGARo

🐔

I've just launched a new YouTube channel!! The concept? I take real businesses struggling to stand the f*ck out, provide my positioning/branding/lead gen help, and record it all for YouTube. The first mini-series features three freelance marketers (copywriter Rob, ecommerce designer Laura, and non-fiction book coach Vicky).

I hope you'll set aside half an hour to watch it through. Maybe with your morning coffee? Or lunch break? Or evening onion soup? And then, the usual "Subscribe, Like, Share" would go a long, long way too.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdNXaHHVnVntg5gpveB-5_Q

***

In this episode, I talk to a real risk-taker, Harry Dry. He's done his research, knows his channels, and he's even grabbed the attention of Kanye West.He also runs Marketing Examples, a company who, surprisingly enough, provides a selection of real-world marketing examples. He has a gift for repurposing content depending on the channel and in today's podcast, he takes you through the process step-by-step.

Topics covered:

• Why most marketing content strategies don’t work
• How to recognise an article that’s been written by someone who doesn’t care
• Using a Twitter thread to promote an article
• Building connections on LinkedIn and marketing yourself on Reddit
• Researching your channels well and and understanding the nuances of each
• Why consistency is the key to building trust
• The reason that direction is more important than speed
• Writing your emails as though they were for your mum and dad

Resources mentioned:

• Marketing Examples
• Copywriting Examples
• Kanye Story
• Top Dawg Entertainment
• Slack
• Privy
• Dave Gerhardt on EHM
• Barametrics Growth Manifesto
• Matthew Kobach’s Twitter
• Sales for Founders
• Exploding Topics
• Dude with Sign
• Quora
• Ogilvy on Advertising - David Ogilvy
• Indie Hackers (C.S. Allen’s comments)
• 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Al Ries
• Growth Design

***

→ Buy my book: book.stfo.io
→ Watch my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdNXaHHVnVntg5gpveB-5_Q
→ Take my 60-second quiz: stfo.io/q
→ See my pretty face on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisgrenier/
→ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3p4wL4r
→ Leave a review on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7iEF1qovZZiaP1iRtxGARo

🐔