Executive Conversations

“I just felt that so many B2B podcasts were putting me to sleep and they were the same old dried-up conversations, and so I said let’s put our own spin on this and let’s infuse some comedy segments, sketches, and TikTok videos. Make it more like ‘The Daily Show’ kind of sketch comedy.”

Well hello everyone! We’re here with another episode of the FCM interview series and joining us this week is Travis Tyler, Digital Content Producer at PandaDoc.  

PandaDoc is an all-in-one document automation software that streamlines the process to create, approve, and e-sign proposals, quotes, and contracts.

This very organization which revolves around the functioning of e-documents also has a fun side to it through its podcasts and video sketches. Now you don’t see that too often from a B2B business! 

Travis is one of the key people running the show at PandaDoc. He shares with us his journey at PandaDoc which started with him as a copywriter and how he went on to become their digital content producer and go-to guy for video-related content.

In this interview, we discuss PandaDoc’s strategy for marketing & conversions and also the company's long-term goal that is in alignment with its core values: L.I.F.E’. 

​An episode filled with learnings, laughter, and logic. You don’t wanna miss this one! 

In this episode we talk about:

• Travis’s journey at PandaDoc
• Blending comedy into a not-so comic environment
• Inspiration behind a comedy business podcast
• SEO efforts at PandaDoc
• Conversions through YouTube videos
• Benefits of podcasts
  
  

Timestamps

00:07 - Introduction to Travis Tyler

01:01 - Shift from copywriter to content producer 

02:20 - About PandaDoc

05:47 - Blending comedy into B2B content creation 

09:20 - Learnings along the way

11:20 - The SEO efforts at PandaDoc 

13:16 - Major conversions through YouTube  

16:49 - Long term goal for the company 

24:27 - Podcasting journey and experience  

You can connect with Travis Tyler on LinkedIn. You can also check out the official website of PandaDoc here.

They also have a podcast called ‘The Customer Engagement Lab’ available on all platforms. Check it out.

While you’re here

Follow Flying Cat Marketing on the following channels to get more tips, tactics, and knowledge on content marketing

Visual – YouTube

Audio – Flying Cat Marketing Podcast (Spotify) (Apple Podcasts) (Stitcher)

Instagram

Facebook

Linkedin

“So many expectations are put on in-house marketers because everything just gets dumped on them. Even jumping from a social to page search to SEO to emails. All those things are so different and take so many skill-sets but yet, a marketer is expected to do all these if they’re in-house.”

Hello hello! Welcome back to yet another exciting episode of the FCM interview series and joining us this week, all the way from Denver, Colorado, is Steve Lamar, Founder & CEO of PromoPrep.  

PromoPrep is software with an intuitive calendar that improves the marketing & promotion planning process for marketing teams of all sizes. 

While working at marketing agencies for over a decade and being part of a fast-paced and unpredictable environment, Steve felt the need to have a better way of handling multiple calendars/spreadsheets. Eventually, he decided to take the matter into his own hands and kickstarted his own company. 

Steve has quite a profile on Twitter as well. I mean, not everyone manages to jump from 150 followers to a whopping 17k followers in a couple of days. We get into the details of that story too!  

In this interview, he also shares a different perspective talking about the plight that marketers go through from time to time and what his company is doing to make the situation slightly better. 

Watch this episode to find out more about Steve, the person as well as Steve, the marketer.  

In this episode we talk about:

• Reasons behind starting PromoPrep
• Running a bootstrapped company
• Steve’s viral Tweet and its aftermath 
• Organic marketing strategies
• A marketer’s point of view towards marketing
• Importance of ‘micro moments’

Timestamps

00:07 - Introduction to Steve Lamar

00:25 - Steve’s journey of starting PromoPrep 

02:50 - To run a bootstrapped company

05:05 - Turning into a Twitter sensation overnight

08:41 - Keeping the momentum going on Twitter 

12:00 - Organic marketing strategies used for PromoPrep

13:28 - Setting ‘micro-moments’ as goals 

16:35 - Most effective content play at PromoPrep

18:00 - A little about the marketing team

You can connect with Steve Lamar on Twitter as well as LinkedIn. You can also check out the official website of PromoPrep here.

While you’re here

Follow Flying Cat Marketing on the following channels to get more tips, tactics, and knowledge on content marketing

Visual – YouTube

Audio – Flying Cat Marketing Podcast (Spotify) (Apple Podcasts) (Stitcher)

Instagram

Facebook

Linkedin

“Without clients, without giving, or without helping others, why are you in business? I know a lot of people that are chasing; chasing money, fame, titles, and whatever it is, I just want to help people. People that are good and hard-working.”

Hello everyone! Welcome back to yet another exciting episode of the FCM interview series and joining us this week is John Vuong, the founder of Local SEO Search.  

Local SEO Search is an SEO company based out of Canada that offers its services to small businesses, especially family-owned traditional businesses that aren’t well-versed in the digital marketing space. 

John talks about his professional journey of working in advertising & sales for about ten years and then shifting towards the digital side of the industry. Later, he went on to work at Yellow Pages and, in those five years, interacted with thousands of local business owners.

This experience made him realize that he really enjoys working with local business owners and wanted to do more for them, which led to the beginning of his own venture with Local SEO Search. 

In this interview, we mainly discuss highlighting the value of people and how the whole purpose behind owning a business is essentially to give back to the ones that matter the most, i.e, the customer.  

We also talk about the lessons he learned along the way in terms of hiring decisions and John adds a fresh perspective to it by suggesting to enjoy the process while hiring someone and things will eventually fall into place. 

You can find out more in this episode as there’s surely a lot to take away from it. 

In this episode we talk about:

• John’s professional journey and experiences 
• Reasons behind starting Local SEO Search’
• Bridging the gap between business owners and their digital presence
• Simplifying digital marketing for traditional businesses
• The ups and downs of hiring decisions
• People-oriented approach

Timestamps 

00:04 - Introduction to John Vuong

00:24 - Story behind starting Local SEO Search

03:46 - Does social media count as an SEO? 

06:11 - Educating clients along the way

07:14 - People over everything else in a business 

09:59 - The management structure at Local SEO Search

16:03 - Nurturing a team of 30 people

18:40 - Customer is always the focal point

You can connect with John Vuong on LinkedIn. You can also check out the official website of Local SEO Search here. 

They also have a podcast called ‘Local SEO Today’ available on all platforms wherein they share valuable insights on things you can do or prevent from doing while running and growing your business. 

Hello hello everyone! We’re back with an all-new episode of the FCM interview series and joining us this week is Thibault Masson, the founder of Rental Scale-Up and also an expert analyst in the vacation rental industry. 

A little bit more about Rental Scale-Up: it’s an online platform that shares best practices to help owners and managers of short-term rental businesses grow their revenues through articles, online conferences, reports, and more.   

In this interview, we get into the details of the recent changes and updates in the vacation-rental market, in particular Vrbo’s rebranding and Airbnb’s approach towards property managers. 

Through this episode, you can find out facts, news, and also key takeaways from industry giants like Vrbo and Airbnb. Find out what’s being implemented at these organizations from somebody who has been on the front lines for some of their rebranding efforts. 

In this episode we talk about:

• Thibault elaborating on Vrbo, a short-term rental platform
• Insights on the Vrbo’s journey and its rebranding 
• Strategies used by companies in the vacation rental business
• Vrbo balancing between existing hosts and potential ones
• Airbnb’s strategies for boosting ambassador programs 

Timestamps 

00:07 - Introduction to Thibault Masson

01:09 - What’s going on with Vrbo?

07:46 - Branding towards the hosts 

11:05 - Vrbo’s ‘Fast-Start program’ 

12:14 - How do hosts at Vrbo earn twice as much as Airbnb? 

13:43 - Lessons for new entrants in the industry

18:47 - Experience + Rebranding = ?

22:40 - Airbnb’s ambassador program 

You can connect with Thibault Masson on LinkedIn. You can also subscribe to the Rental Scale-up’s weekly newsletter here.  

While you’re here

Follow Flying Cat Marketing on the following channels to get more tips, tactics, and knowledge on content marketing

Visual – YouTube

Audio – Flying Cat Marketing Podcast (Spotify) (Apple Podcasts) (Stitcher)

Instagram

Facebook

Linkedin

Well hello everyone! Two things are certain in this world, the sun rising from the east and a new episode of the FCM Interview series every week!

Joining us this week are not one but two guests, who are equally sweet and hard-working at the same time, Joy Ritter and Wes Melton, the creators of Pulse Nokori.

Pulse Nokori is a social media platform for property managers and everybody else in the short-term rental industry. 

In this interview, we chat about the thought process and decisions that went into bringing this idea into execution in the form of a social network. 

Whether it’s choosing to create a separate social network rather than being a part of an existing one, or opting for marketing methods that involve direct communication rather than just increasing customer databases without much of an involvement, they’re making bold choices based upon strong values.

We discuss the marketing that goes behind such a platform for its growth and also Joy & Wes speak in detail about the values they strongly believe in, for creating a user-oriented community that benefits everyone from this particular field. 

You can watch this episode to know more about creating a platform of its own and the learnings to take from it. 

Alsoooo, you don’t wanna miss Buddy the flying cat doing parkour, do ya?  

In this episode we talk about:

• The beginning of Pulse Nokori
• The decision to create an individual platform
• Not following the herd mentality for marketing
• Building and valuing the community 
• Lessons learned along the way

Timestamps 

00:05 - Introduction to Joy Ritter and Wes Melton

00:35 - How it all started  

04:09 - Creating a platform rather than a group / page

05:08 - Bringing tech experience into this industry 

06:52 - The marketing behind Pulse Nokori

10:57 - To grow through what you go through 

12:31 - Building a user community

15:07 - Moderation of users on the platform

22:40 - What’s next for Nokori?   

23:10 - Mutual respect and admiration  

You can connect with Joy Ritter and Wes Melton on their created platform by downloading the Pulse Nokori app. You can also check out the official website of Pulse Nokori. 

While you’re here

Follow Flying Cat Marketing on the following channels to get more tips, tactics, and knowledge on content marketing

Visual – YouTube

Audio – Flying Cat Marketing Podcast (Spotify) (Apple Podcasts) (Stitcher)

Instagram

Facebook

Linkedin

“Don’t fight for things that you’re not going to be able to win in the short-term. Content overall is a long-term play, but if you can’t rank for something within the next 3 or 6 months, then don’t bother doing it.  Go find less competitive, lower volume work you can rank for because you do need to get bigger as a site before you can go back and go after those super competitive queries.”

Hello everyone! Welcome back to another episode of the FCM Interview series. Joining us in this new episode, all the way from Hawaii, is Brad Smith, CEO at Wordable. 

Wordable is a handy tool that saves a lot of time by exporting Google Docs and HTML to WordPress, HubSpot, and other platforms instantly. 

Brad Smith has many feathers in his cap when it comes to his professional career. In addition to his work at Wordable, he is also the co-founder at uSERP and founder & CEO at Codeless Interactive. 

In this episode, Brad talks to us about managing multiple businesses at once and where his current focus is. He also shares his journey of acquiring Wordable and restructuring everything from scratch in order to take the company in an interesting direction. 

We discuss in detail the process that goes behind hiring and nurturing ideal content writers and why it is so important to have the right kind of people. 

Brad also elaborates on various content approaches that work best for a business and how to simplify a content system for achieving outstanding results. 

In this episode we talk about:

• Establishing a content system
• How to find and nurture good writers
• The value of having a process
• Content approaches that work
• Understanding the right team mix
• Considering revenue status before outsourcing

Timestamps 

00:05 - Introduction to Brad Smith

00:48 - Current work update 

02:02 - Brad’s most effective content asset

03:14 - Simple content system that delivers tangible results

06:45 - The need for good writers and how to find one?

12:21 - Creating a win-win system for the company and the writers 

20:08 - Structure of the team at Wordable 

21:51 - Role of the editors 

25:12 - Successful content strategies that B2B companies can build 

27:55 - Understanding revenue and need for agencies

30:16 - Effective content plays by Brad

34:25 - Topic clusters type methods

You can connect with Brad Smith as well as check out the official website here at Wordable.

While you’re here

Follow Flying Cat Marketing on the following channels to get more tips, tactics, and knowledge on content marketing

Visual – YouTube

Audio – Flying Cat Marketing Podcast (Spotify) (Apple Podcasts) (Stitcher)

Instagram

Facebook

Linkedin

We’re back with an all-new episode of the FCM interview series and joining us today is Stephanie Grawehr, Marketing Manager at Alaya.

Alaya helps companies engage their employees to drive participation at work and in the community by conducting activities like volunteering, fundraising and making it easier for employees to have a positive impact in the world through their work. 

In this interview, we mainly discuss purpose-driven employment, which is to engage employees in an organization through initiatives that may not necessarily be related to their work tasks but bring everyone together for a common cause. It could be in the form of volunteering, donations, or even friendly competitions from time to time. 

We talk about everything revolving around the ‘purpose’ subject from a professional viewpoint. 

There’s often some confusion about initiating purpose-oriented activities during work hours and even misconceptions among smaller organizations, who often doubt they have time to promote any activity beyond their day-to-day work. Stephanie sheds light on all these aspects with her charming smile and solid reasonings. 

If you’re an employer or an employee looking forward to initiating a purposeful environment at your workplace, this interview might just give you the exact clarity and motivation you need.

Also, for the ones who are looking to start somewhere and need some assistance, the team at Alaya has prepared a comprehensive guide, known as The ultimate guide to Purpose-driven CSR, which will surely come in handy.

In this episode we talk about:

• Defining a purpose-driven employment 
• ‘Purpose’ becoming trendy/going mainstream
• Using technology to power purpose
• Empowering employees at work during their work hours
• ‘Purpose knows no size’
• Infusing social purpose through friendly activities
• Finding the right motivation 

Timestamps 

0:04 - Introduction to Stephanie Grawehr

1:04 - Stephanie’s volunteering work background 

4:09 - A shift in trend towards ‘purposeful employment’  

9:12 - How do companies choose their purpose?

13:47 - Empowering employees while at work 

15:23 - How to establish a common cause? 

18:38 - ‘Purpose knows no size’

22:16 - Prioritizing different kinds of initiatives 

25:24 - Finding a balance in challenges or initiatives

28:38 - Factors involved other than the basic inherent values

34:04 - ‘The ultimate guide to purpose-driven CSR by Alaya’

You can connect with Stephanie Grawehr on LinkedIn and you can also check out the official website of Alaya.

While you’re here

Follow Flying Cat Marketing on the following channels to get more tips, tactics, and knowledge on content marketing

Visual – YouTube

Audio – Flying Cat Marketing Podcast (Spotify) (Apple Podcasts) (Stitcher)

Instagram

Facebook

Linkedin

“What we find really important is to hire people who want to grow, they want to grow themselves, the thing they’re working on, people that are not afraid to speak up. That’s the best, and we then stimulate that by anytime somebody speaks up, you take it seriously, you do something with it and you don’t just push it away because then people stop doing that, obviously.”  

Hello everyone. Welcome to yet another interesting episode of the FCM Interview series. Today we have Jeroen Corthout, co-founder, Salesflare, joining us and sharing his valuable experiences. 

Salesflare is an intelligent sales CRM automation tool that mainly allows one to focus on customers instead of just data. Jeroen talks about the idea of Salesflare coming into execution and then the process that went on to make it the #1 CRM today. 

After being a guest on more than 160 podcasts and counting, Jeroen also shares his learnings and observations of this particular journey of his professional life. 

In this interview, we also discuss personal brand building through podcasts, managing a remote team & building a work culture within, and lots of other relevant aspects in running a growing startup. 
 

That is just the tip of the iceberg, watch the complete episode to find out more! 

In this episode we talk about:

• The podcasting experience 
• Thoughts on Conferences vs Podcasts
• Beginning of Salesflare
• Role of the team at Salesflare
• Understanding the impact of marketing vs the product
• Forming a culture and managing a remote team  

Timestamps 

0:07 - Introduction to Jeroen Corthout

0:26 - The podcast experience of Jeroen

01:22 - Podcasts: a new way of personal building?  

02:53 - Conferences vs Podcasts  

05:52 - ‘listennotes.com’ - a search engine for podcasts

07:12 - Jeroen’s own podcast journey 

10:19 -  Content distribution strategy at Salesflare

12:47 - The first meeting of co-founders and beginning of Salesflare

15:48 - Impact of marketing vs the product

17:12 - Managing a remote team 

You can connect with Jeroen Corthout on LinkedIn and you can also check out their official website here at Salesflare. 

While you’re here

Follow Flying Cat Marketing on the following channels to get more tips, tactics, and knowledge on content marketing

Visual – YouTube

Audio – Flying Cat Marketing Podcast (Spotify) (Apple Podcasts) (Stitcher)

Instagram

Facebook

Linkedin

“I actually, funnily enough, found a lot of my success as a freelancer helping companies with products that typically wouldn’t be considered “very sexy” and finding ways to get people to care. The single most important thing I say to all of them is, it’s never about what your technology does, it’s about what it enables people to do and that’s where I see storytelling as being the number one thing.”  

Hello hello everyone. We’re now at the 40th episode of the FCM Interview series and let’s just say that we’re only getting started!

Joining us in today’s episode is Jon Thor Sigurleifsson, whose enchanting superpower is storytelling and he certainly manages to weave magic with his words.

Jon is the Content Marketing Lead at Scrive and is also known as a ‘Corporate Punk & Creative Nerd’ on LinkedIn. 

In this interview, we mainly discuss highlighting the value of storytelling, which is usually a buzzword in the field of marketing and is yet considered undervalued by Jon as he further explains his point of view. 

This episode surely has a lot to take from, especially if you’re looking for some clarity in building a brand or finding the right tone of voice for your project or company. 

In this episode we talk about:

• Shifting of scales between two different organizations
• The basics of building a brand 
• The ‘sexiness’ factor in a brand or a company
• Importance of storytelling and establishing a narrative
• Content marketing; a four-pronged strategy

Timestamps 

0:07 - Introduction to Jon Thor Sigurleifsson

0:54 - Starting off at Scrive

4:52 - Impact as a Content Lead

7:46 - Content creation over everything else

13:33 -  Finding the product appeal at Scrive

17:03 - Defining storytelling in the world of marketing 

23:40 - A single story or multiple narratives. What should a brand opt for? 

26:31 - ‘Dante’s Divine Comedy’ - an analogy

27:46 - Scrive’s content marketing approach

30:28 - A tactic used at Jon’s previous organization, ‘Syzygee’

You can connect with Jon Thor Sigurleifsson on LinkedIn and you can also check out the official website of Scrive. 

While you’re here

Follow Flying Cat Marketing on the following channels to get more tips, tactics, and knowledge on content marketing

Visual – YouTube

Audio – Flying Cat Marketing Podcast (Spotify) (Apple Podcasts) (Stitcher)

Instagram

Facebook

Linkedin

“People are obsessed with keywords and I don’t understand why? I think it’s narrow minded to obsess about one keyword and once you get to that top ranking, you move to that keyword, obsess over that keyword, like...where does it end? Well, a topic cluster, it’s kind of ambitious because you want to own that whole topic, you want to own the term, not just one keyword inside that term”.  

Hello hello! In today’s episode, I had the pleasure of talking to the very passionate and very energetic, Chima Mmeje. 

Chima is a Nigeria-based freelance SEO copywriter, content strategist, and Founder of Zenith Copy. 

We discuss in depth the SEO community at large and the need for more inclusivity around the world, especially in developing countries. 

We also talk about topic clusters and how they impact the overall content execution. The passion with which Chima speaks about her work and her future plans is nothing short of inspiring. 

You’ll find some valuable insights and possible mentorship options from this episode, especially if you’re looking for growth in the field of SEO. 

In this episode we talk about:

• Inclusivity in the SEO industry
• A freelancer coalition project in the works 
• Lack of opportunities in the developing African countries
• SEO mentorship programs
• Content strategy over content writing
• Topic clusters; the process and its advantages 
• Addressing the comparison with competitors 

Timestamps: 

0:06 - About Chima Mmeje

0:52 - Inclusion in the SEO & SaaS space

4:36 - Current status of the coalition initiative

5:43 - Details about the mentorship program

7:30 - SEO, a closed-off community?

13:23 - Current working style of Chima Mmeje

15:42 - An overview of ‘topic clusters’ 

20:14 - Chima’s process of building out a topic cluster

26:58 - Dealing with competition

28:17 - Strategy used by Transferwise  

You can connect with Chima Mmeje on LinkedIn as well as through her website Zenith Copy.

While you’re here

Follow Flying Cat Marketing on the following channels to get more tips, tactics, and knowledge on content marketing

Visual – YouTube

Audio – Flying Cat Marketing Podcast (Spotify) (Apple Podcasts) (Stitcher)

Instagram

Facebook

Linkedin