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

By Louis Grenier | Marketing & BrandingBusiness Entrepreneurship Marketing

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

April 11, 2018[Republished] Branding 101: How to Build a Strong Brand in the Digital Age
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

***
Some companies seem to have the magic touch.
On the other hand, many startups struggle for years to gain traction in their market.
Why do some companies capture the attention of an audience while others get dismissed?
That’s right — it all comes down to building a phenomenal brand.
But before we get into that, let’s talk about what it actually means to build a brand in the first place.
Branding is a word that gets tossed around a lot in the marketing industry.
The only problem?
Nobody can seem to define what a brand is.
Let’s clear up the misconceptions.
Branding is an emotional feeling about a company that makes them seem like the better choice against their competition.

OK, I know what you’re probably thinking. “That sounds really vague. How can we turn momentary sentiment into something tangible?”
That’s what I set out to learn when I interviewed senior marketing and brand expert Bernie Schroeder.
He’s the author of Brands and Bullshit: Excel at the Former and Avoid the Latter and has a marketing background that includes launching strategies for major companies like Apple, Amazon, Yahoo! and Adobe.
I invited Bernie to speak on the Everyone Hates Marketers podcast to discuss:
Why branding matters in business
The mistakes companies make with branding
What happens when you ignore branding
How to build a brand that attracts customers

Why Is Branding In The Digital Age Important?

Companies who ONLY focus on marketing tactics without a branding strategy become a commodity in the marketplace.
Without a brand-building system in place, you’re unable to differentiate yourself from every other business that offers a similar product or service.
This means any new company can pop up, copy your business model, and do it at a lower price than you.

Do you see where we’re going with this?
If you listen to my podcast, you already know that I like to challenge my guests to break their methodology down so you can walk away from each interview with a practical step-by-step.
What follows is the specific approach Bernie Schroeder uses to build a brand identity — whether you want to leverage the benefits for a brand you already have or you’re starting from the very beginning.

Let’s dive into his step-by-step guide.

5 Steps to Build a Strong Brand

Step 1: Find Out How Your Company is Perceived

The first step in branding according to Bernie Schroeder is to figure out how your company is perceived in the marketplace.

Where should you look in order to learn this?
Go to your customers.
Bernie recommends getting a list of the top 100 customers and reaching out to some of them.
Here’s why: Whether you're working for an agency client or you're an entrepreneur running your own business, you need to take a step back from what you THINK you already know about your customers’ perspective.
We’re too close to our own business to see it the way our customers do.

Talking to your customers is important. While they don't always know what they want, they can tell you what they don’t want.
In addition to that, customers can tell you what problems they’re suffering from and describe how it affects their own personal situation.
This circles back to the #1 rule of good marketing: Treat people like humans.

Business is about solving problems for your customers [problems that are a real pain point].
According to a study ran by CBInsights, 42% of businesses fail because there’s no market need for what they’re selling.

Talk to your customers.
Research the customer journey from their p...
48 min
April 11, 2018 [Republished] Branding 101: How to Build a Strong Brand in the Digital Age
Are brands dead due to the Internet and direct accessibility to companies? Today, I’m talking to Bernie Schroeder about why you (especially millennials) should care about branding. Bernie is a senior marketing and brand expert working at San Diego State University to help students start their own companies. Also, he is the author of Brands and Bullshit.
Topics Discussed in this Episode:
People (mostly millennials) do not understand brands and customers; leading to mindless noise and chatter
Focus on strategy rather than tactical decisions
Transaction Revenue and Law of Diminishing Returns: Someone else in the marketplace copies your transaction and offers it at a better price
Differentiate yourself through strategy and brand building capabilities
Brand: An intrinsic, emotional, or feeling of trust that something is better than an alternative in the marketplace
There’s only room in our mind for 3 brands in any category
How to improve or create a brand
Customers are not always right, but they are never wrong
Be aware of shifting trends
Ask questions that are 5 words or less to determine what customers are trying to do and their pain points
Use observation labs and mystery shopping - watch what consumers do
Talk to customers to ge their perspective
Simplify data and create a marketplace grid around most important factors
Establish trust with customers and build relationships
Avoid being aggressive and establish a long-term view to build an amazing brand
Become a leader in a specific category
Review communications to determine if current efforts position you in the right place
Experience, branding, marketing, communications, and strategy create good marketing
Find a marketing and branding mentor to be successful in your career
Rise to a strategic level and understand the value of branding
Resources:
Why Trust-Based Marketing Is Eating Branding for Breakfast - Everyone Hates Marketers episode 011
Brands and Bullshit by Bernie Schroeder
Bernie Schroeder on LinkedIn
Trend Hunter
Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind book
The Brand Gap book
Spin Selling book
[email protected]
[email protected]
“An entire generation of marketers has missed the classical training that traditional marketing provided.” - Bernie Schroeder
“It’s the strategy and the brand building capabilities that will differentiate you.” - Bernie Schroeder
“A brand...is something that you have an intrinsic, emotional, or trusting feeling that that brand is better, for whatever reason, than an alternative in the marketplace.” - Bernie Schroeder
0 min
April 10, 2018 Brands & Bullsh*t with Bernie Schroeder
Are brands dead due to the Internet and direct accessibility to companies? Today, I’m talking to Bernie Schroeder about why you (especially millennials) should care about branding. Bernie is a senior marketing and brand expert working at San Diego State University to help students start their own companies. Also, he is the author of Brands and Bullshit.
Listen to this Episode:
Brands & Bullsh*t with Bernie Schroeder

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April 03, 2018 Rob Walling: The Stairstep, No-Bull Approach to Bootstrapping
For start-up marketing, how do you get something off the ground without outside funding? What’s required to launch a product? Marketers and developers will learn a lot today! In this episode, I’m talking to Rob Walling, a Web developer, podcaster, entrepreneur, and conference co-host about stairstepping your way up when it comes to bootstrapping.
Listen to this Episode:
Rob Walling: The Stairstep, No-Bull Approach to Bootstrapping

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0 min
April 03, 2018Rob Walling: The Stairstep, No-Bull Approach to Bootstrapping
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

***
For start-up marketing, how do you get something off the ground without outside funding? What’s required to launch a product?
Marketers and developers will learn a lot today!
In this episode, I’m talking to Rob Walling, a Web developer, podcaster, entrepreneur, and conference co-host about stairstepping your way up when it comes to bootstrapping.
Topics covered:
How to launch a new software business without a lot of time or money
Stairstep Approach: Build something small, a one-time sale product; find source of traffic or niche
How to come up with useful product ideas for angles; use tools that show places that generate traffic
Make money online by knowing SEO practices
Optimize for an engine to provide a valuable resource for people searching for a specific term
By using marketing to get to the top or to get in front of people, only to let them down - then you will not have longevity
Utilize communities and marketplaces, online or elsewhere, that already exist and people are using
Gain confidence, experience, and knowledge to improve and make money
Process of building a simple plug-in: Research; come up with an idea; know where to go; teach yourself or outsource work; submit; and determine level of interest
Acquire something rather than building it from scratch; leverage other people’s work
Start something guaranteed to get traction by using an idea done before, several times
Determine if a certain number of people are looking for the same thing
Can you charge for it? Can you add something to charge for? Can you build something people are willing to pay for? Are you interested in building something?
Rob’s Goal: Provide value to people in exchange for money; take that money to quit day job
Identify that there are volumes of searches to sustain your objective
Focus on a landscape with a lot of products that are not good enough; competition validates the market
Go for the goal to rank #1; that’s the challenge
Niche-down results in smaller opportunities but that does not matter initially
Earning your first dollar is a life-changing moment, but it is still good to sell stuff; as the dollars get bigger, the more interesting it is
Rob’s passionate about being ethical and adding value to people’s lives and making money out of it
If you make money from an add-on, then launch more add-ons for diversification; if not, start over
You have an audience, grow it slowly, offer solutions to their problems, and make a living
Practice patience and maintain a long-term mindset; marketers get overwhelmed with the amount of day-to-day information available
Set long-term goals because choices you make today, stick with you
Marketers should learn to think analytically like developers; measure conversions, link dollars to spending on ads to how many people are buying, etc.
Developers can learn from marketers that a product is not everything; customers and marketing are directly related to the success of a product; and talk about the benefits rather than the features
Some marketers go for growth hacks - grow at any cost and just for the sake of it
Marketers have a bad reputation because of overstepping bounds of ethics
Good marketing goes unnoticed; bad marketing is in the news a lot
Have an opinion, stand for something, and be real
Define your enemy because when things get tough, fighting against it is the only thing
Resources mentioned:
Rob Walling on Twitter
Startups for the Rest of Us podcast
Drip
MicroConf
Google AdWords
Ahrefs
Market Samurai
Jungle Scout
DotNetInvoice
Justin Jackson - Marketing for Developers
Shinesty
Rand Fishkin - Step-by-Step Guide to Inbound Marketing
Copy Hackers
Inbound.org
Ultimate Sales Letter
[email protected]

***
→ 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

🐔
56 min
April 03, 2018 Rob Walling: The Stairstep, No-Bull Approach to Bootstrapping
For start-up marketing, how do you get something off the ground without outside funding? What’s required to launch a product? Marketers and developers will learn a lot today! In this episode, I’m talking to Rob Walling, a Web developer, podcaster, entrepreneur, and conference co-host about stairstepping your way up when it comes to bootstrapping. Topics Discussed in this Episode: How to launch a new software business without a lot of time or money Stairstep Approach: Build something small, a one-time sale product; find source of traffic or niche How to come up with useful product ideas for angles; use tools that show places that generate traffic Make money online by knowing SEO practices Optimize for an engine to provide a valuable resource for people searching for a specific term By using marketing to get to the top or to get in front of people, only to let them down - then you will not have longevity Utilize communities and marketplaces, online or elsewhere, that already exist and people are using Gain confidence, experience, and knowledge to improve and make money Process of building a simple plug-in: Research; come up with an idea; know where to go; teach yourself or outsource work; submit; and determine level of interest Acquire something rather than building it from scratch; leverage other people’s work Start something guaranteed to get traction by using an idea done before, several times Determine if a certain number of people are looking for the same thing Can you charge for it? Can you add something to charge for? Can you build something people are willing to pay for? Are you interested in building something? Rob’s Goal: Provide value to people in exchange for money; take that money to quit day job Identify that there are volumes of searches to sustain your objective Focus on a landscape with a lot of products that are not good enough; competition validates the market Go for the goal to rank #1; that’s the challenge Niche-down results in smaller opportunities but that does not matter initially Earning your first dollar is a life-changing moment, but it is still good to sell stuff; as the dollars get bigger, the more interesting it is Rob’s passionate about being ethical and adding value to people’s lives and making money out of it If you make money from an add-on, then launch more add-ons for diversification; if not, start
0 min
March 27, 2018 How to Earn Your Customers’ Love and Attention
Surprisingly, companies still need to be convinced to focus on their customers before making money. Treating customers badly is no longer an option. In this episode, learn how to earn your customers’ love and admiration, as well as grow your business. Today, I’m talking to Jeanne Bliss, president of CustomerBliss. Jeanne describes how companies focus on sales goals, internal KPIs, and and other metrics, and tend to forget about their customers – who actually drive all of those metrics.
Listen to This Episode:
How to Earn Your Customers’ Love and Attention

00:00 /

1X

Download file | Play in new windowSubscribe:
0 min
March 27, 2018How to Earn Your Customers' Love and Attention
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

***
Surprisingly, companies still need to be convinced to focus on their customers before making money.
Treating customers badly is no longer an option. In this episode, learn how to earn your customers’ love and admiration, as well as grow your business.
Today, I’m talking to Jeanne Bliss, president of CustomerBliss. Jeanne describes how companies focus on sales goals, internal KPIs, and and other metrics, and tend to forget about their customers - who actually drive all of those metrics.

Topics covered:
Convince companies to focus on customers - earn your right to grow by keeping more customers than you lose
Customer Map: Identify your new customers
Figure out and understand why customers leave
Identify why a customer turned away - dig into data about orders and renewals
Business tends to be about getting something from customers; grow by delivering value to them vs. getting something from them
Framework for earning customers’ love and attention
Step 1: Build customers’ assets (did you earn the right to grow - ask your customers?)
Step 2: Recreate company’s work (what are a customer’s goals and journey?)
Heart and Habit: What’s in your heart is your values and the habits you are being forced to use at work
Step 3: Pick a couple things to focus on and build from the customer’s life and goal; redesign the customer’s experience to build on that goal
Co-creation: Company and customers meet and work together
Train managers to not contradict customers or defend, deny, or explain away actions
Step 4: Map current experience from customer’s view; start with customers’ emotions and needs
Step 5: Redesign experience and ask customers to provide feedback
Convince customers to spend time with a company; tell them the company’s leaders want to listen to them
Keep up with technology, customer, and other changes; one thing that does not change - are you reliable?
Customers prefer companies that do not fear honest feedback from them
Jeanne watched how well her dad treated customers as a shoe store owner; she was inspired by him
Marketers have a bad reputation; it’s not marketers as people, but marketing as a way to get something from a customer vs. what you want to deliver and earn
One bad practice marketers do that should not be done is selling too soon; let customers absorb information about your product and brand before pushing them to buy something
Marketers need to learn about the blending and engagement of marketing and customer experience so that they become united, not isolated

Resources mentioned:
Pre-Order Jeanne's New Book on Amazon!
CustomerBliss
Jeanne Bliss on Twitter
The Chief Customer Officer Human Duct Tape Show
Chief Customer Officer; Chief Customer Officer 2.0; I Love You More Than My Dog; Would You Do That to Your Mother?
Customer Experience Professionals Association
David Darmanin: Avoid Marketing Best Practices at All Costs
Intercom CEO on Twitter
[email protected]m

***
→ 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

🐔
46 min
March 27, 2018 How to Earn Your Customers' Love and Attention
Surprisingly, companies still need to be convinced to focus on their customers before making money. Treating customers badly is no longer an option. In this episode, learn how to earn your customers’ love and admiration, as well as grow your business. Today, I’m talking to Jeanne Bliss, president of Customer Bliss. Jeanne describes how companies focus on sales goals, internal KPIs, and and other metrics, and tend to forget about their customers - who actually drive all of those metrics. Topics Discussed in this Episode: Convince companies to focus on customers - earn your right to grow by keeping more customers than you lose Customer Map: Identify your new customers Figure out and understand why customers leave Identify why a customer turned away - dig into data about orders and renewals Business tends to be about getting something from customers; grow by delivering value to them vs. getting something from them Framework for earning customers’ love and attention Step 1: Build customers’ assets (did you earn the right to grow - ask your customers?) Step 2: Recreate company’s work (what are a customer’s goals and journey?) Heart and Habit: What’s in your heart is your values and the habits you are being forced to use at work Step 3: Pick a couple things to focus on and build from the customer’s life and goal; redesign the customer’s experience to build on that goal Co-creation: Company and customers meet and work together Train managers to not contradict customers or defend, deny, or explain away actions Step 4: Map current experience from customer’s view; start with customers’ emotions and needs Step 5: Redesign experience and ask customers to provide feedback Convince customers to spend time with a company; tell them the company’s leaders want to listen to them Keep up with technology, customer, and other changes; one thing that does not change - are you reliable? Customers prefer companies that do not fear honest feedback from them Jeanne watched how well her dad treated customers as a shoe store owner; she was inspired by him Marketers have a bad reputation; it’s not marketers as people, but marketing as a way to get something from a customer vs. what you want to deliver and earn One bad practice marketers do that should not be done is selling too soon; let customers absorb information about your product and brand before pushing them to buy something
0 min
March 20, 2018 How to Create (& Launch) Your First Digital PR Campaign
Get more reach, visibility, credibility, trust, and SEO with digital PR – a way to build relationships with content writers and journalists to get them to mention you and your business. Today, I’m talking to Lexi Mills, a digital PR expert and Influence professional.
Listen to this Episode:
How to Create (& Launch) Your First Digital PR Campaign

00:00 /

1X

Download file | Play in new windowSubscribe: i
0 min

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

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The only marketing podcast for people sick of marketing bullsh*t—with zero fluff and 1M+ downloads—voted "#1 marketing podcast worth your time" by Ahrefs. Running strong for seven years and 250+ episodes covering evergreen topics: