Dear Enthusiasts of the Future,

Welcome back to Next Future Today, with your host, Dan Keldsen.

Next Future Today is the go-to podcast for career insights and forward-thinking ideas.

In today's episode titled "Marketing Above the Noise" I'm talking to Linda Popky, a compelling storyteller who masterfully connects historical context to modern times. She takes us back thousands of years to an agrarian society where people relied on simple marketplaces for their daily necessities, through to the modern day equivalents, and WHY that matters.

We’ll discuss why repetition, entertainment, and humor are essential in marketing while also recognizing the boundaries. Dan and Linda will shed light on the value of writing a book for establishing credibility, and they'll emphasize the power of storytelling in building strong customer relationships.

You'll learn why businesses often miss the mark by relying on gut feelings rather than data and discover how to avoid creating unnecessary noise by focusing on where your customers truly are. Our hosts will also cover the evolving landscape of events and conferences, the move towards virtual platforms, and the hybrid future that lies ahead.

Join us as we unpack actionable advice on creating impactful content, building loyalty, and effectively listening to customer feedback. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights into shaping your future marketing endeavors!

Chapters:
00:00 Marketing expert and author Linda Popky's insights.
03:43 Key to success: right customer, message, product.
07:31 Building loyalty is key for successful sales.
12:08 Stand out by focusing on human interaction.
15:35 Consider all ways for customer input, cautiously.
17:28 Customer-centric selling: understand personal motivation, tell story.
20:20 Virtual platforms enable global, asynchronous conversations. Physical gatherings endure.
24:00 Engagement challenged by 8-second attention span.
26:45 Repetition is good for marketing messages testing.
29:51 Helping authors and organizations get noticed.

The Breakdown:
1. **Successful Strategies and Testing**
   - Testing and enhancing successful strategies
   - Importance of measuring and testing in modern marketing
   - Pitfalls of relying on gut feelings rather than data
   - Avoiding over-analysis paralysis in content testing

2. **Marketing Fundamentals**
   - Historical examples to explain marketing basics
   - Right place, right time, right product, right price
   - Addressing and understanding customer needs
   - Avoiding wrong metrics like likes and followers

3. **Content Creation and Format**
   - Mobile-friendly content necessity
   - Shorter and vertically-oriented videos
   - Quick and impactful content delivery
   - Tailoring content to fit social media platforms and audiences

4. **Entertainment and Humor in Marketing**
   - Using entertainment and humor while being mindful of boundaries

5. **Book Creation for Credibility and Influence**
   - The value of creating and publishing a book
   - Discussion of Linda Popky’s book "Marketing Above the Noise"
   - Encouraging individuals to tell their stories and share knowledge

6. **Customer Feedback and Follow-Up**
   - Importance of obtaining and utilizing customer feedback
   - Listening to and following up on customer input
   - Seeking input from satisfied customers for improvement
   - Understanding market needs through customer, partner, and competitor behavior

7. **Building Product Loyalty**
   - Creating a preference for products
   - Example of Apple customers’ loyalty
   - Focusing