Ponderings from the Perch

Regular or decaf coffee? Aisle or window seat? Fries or tots…or curly fries? For most of us, these are just a few of the hundreds of decisions we make every day without conducting a cost-benefit analysis. We make these choices intuitively, using some magical portion of our brain/consciousness that’s able to just *snap* make decisions immediately. In this episode, Priscilla talks with Will Leach, founder of Trigger Point Design, a leading behavioral research and design consultancy. Trigger Point helps brands understand how to align their designs with the reality of how people actually make decisions - or, “match marketing toward behavior.”

Will is also the author of “Marketing to Mindstates,” a brilliant guide that demystifies these non-conscious filters and illustrates ways to create messages that activate emotional engagement. He and Priscilla discuss the highlights and challenges of authorship, and how the information in the book can be applied to a whole variety of situations.

Brought to you by GreenBook, the IIeX conference season has begun and if you haven’t bought tickets to one of these events - you absolutely need to! Join Priscilla on November 28th and 29th in Bangkok for IIeX Asia Pacific. This event has an amazing speaker line-up including thought leaders like Nestle, AirAsia, BBC and Diego. For registration and event details, visit: iiex-ap.insightinnovation.org. Plus, save 20% on registration with the promo code LITTLEBIRD. Remember, things happen first at IIeX.

Don't forget to find Ponderings from the Perch on iTunes!

The first 5 people that leave us a review and email [email protected] with a screenshot will receive a copy of Will Leach's book. 

"We're in a place of data-explosion. People know that they have access to so much data now and they're embracing that change."

Serial entrepreneur, Sima Vasa, is not an exemption. She's making waves in the market research industry by embracing new technology and encouraging MR execs to be more than just experts in data. In this episode of the Flock Stars WIRe Miniseries, Priscilla interviews Sima Vasa of Infinity Squared Ventures and host of the Data Gurus podcast.

"I've had a pretty varied experience in the market research industry. I was on the client side at IBM and now I'm an entrepreneur."

Sima's specialty is her deep and longstanding experience in building and growing businesses. As CEO and Founder of Infinity Squared Ventures, she focuses on accelerating new and emerging businesses in the market research space.

Keeping up with the market research industry can be exhausting, but Sima explains that WIRe has helped her recharge, refocus and tackle big goals.

"I'm always delighted when I leave the WIRexec Retreat on how recharged I feel."

Want to know more about WIRe? Click here to join for FREE or for more information about the organization.

To celebrate the badass women featured in this miniseries, we're hosting a badass giveaway. Click here to enter!

Don't miss an episode of the Flock Stars WIRe Miniseries. Subscribe to Ponderings from the Perch on iTunes!

P.S. Here's a little more on TRME and the presentation by Marina Kosten that Priscilla mentions in this episode!

Grappling hooks? Check. Ski masks? Affirmative. Lookout van in the parking lot? Yep! Get ready, because in this episode, Priscilla and Matt Koenig, Owner and Chief Developer at MK Web Development, are hacking into the mainframe of web development knowledge. In this heretofore uncompromised maximum security vault of information, questions are everywhere, and answers are like unto shadows. 

Priscilla and Matt get straight to the heart of things, answering tough questions like:

Why the heck is my site so slow?What questions should I ask of a hosting service?What plugins should I be running on my Wordpress site?And more!

Matt offers practical and helpful advice on database optimization, firewalls, backups, and image size, and Priscilla recounts the tale of the mysteriously windy website. 

Resource links:

PingdomGoogle page insightsGT MetricsSmush, Imagefy, Shortpixel - are WP plugins that downsize too big photos 

Like it? Love it? Want some more of it? Let us know by leaving a review on iTunes!

What does it mean to be in the front seat of a female-driven market research company? In this episode of the Flock Stars WIRe Miniseries, Priscilla interviews Katrina Noelle of KNow Research and Scoot Insights.

“We landed on ‘female-driven’ because that is who is behind the wheel of our team. It’s come out of a personal history, for me, of endorsing and supporting women in the research industry because that’s how I’ve ended up where I am.”

Katrina Noelle is a self-proclaimed “time-zone agnostic” and president of KNow Research. For over 15 years, KNow Research has been designing custom qualitative research design for clients by combining methodologies from traditional in-person research with online and mobile approaches. To serve even more qualitative research needs, Katrina co-founded Scoot Insights, an agile qualitative methodology provider.

To describe her companies, Katrina regularly uses the terms “boots on the ground” and “front lines.” Why? Because her team does it all. From meeting with clients to collecting actual data, Katrina has excelled in building a team of people passionate about research and storytelling.

As a WIRexec member, Katrina has attended the WIRexec Summit for two years. “This year I was really able to set some goals of things I want to accomplish in the next year. I used the time to figure out how I’m going to achieve those goals alongside people who are doing the same thing.” For more insights on women in leadership, the future of the market research industry and learning to “be present,” listen to the episode!

Want to know more about WIRe? Click here for more information about becoming a member for FREE.

To celebrate the badass women featured in this miniseries, we’re hosting a badass giveaway. Click here to enter!

Don’t miss an episode of the Flock Stars WIRe Miniseries. Subscribe to Ponderings from the Perch on iTunes!

“To blog or not to blog?” A question you’ve probably asked yourself a time or two as a business owner. So what’s the answer? In this episode of the Little Bird Marketing company podcast, Momma Bird - Priscilla McKinney and Content Marketing Specialist - Ashley Le Blanc explore the benefits and complexity of blogging.

“Blogging - it's been around for a while now and seems like it might just be something that anyone can do, but we're here to say, maybe not everyone should be doing it, and if you are doing it, maybe you should have a strategy.”

Here’s the reality - the internet is exploding with content. There are millions of articles posted daily and you can't beat it by posting more. That's right— there's no point in adding clutter. To see ROI on your blogs, you need to focus on the quality of your content and how well you’re answering the questions of your ideal customer.

“This is a bigger question than just writing words that go on your website. It's about reaching your ideal client. Not just any client, not just any customer, but your ideal customer.”

Tune-in for more blogging insights, including:

Best practices for word count, keyword usage and social promotionCurrent stats, numbers and trendsHow to and why you should work with robotsTargeting your ideal customer

Like what you hear? Let us know! Subscribe, rate and review Ponderings from the Perch on iTunes.

Welcome to Flock Stars! These bite-size episodes feature the movers and shakers in marketing, advertising and surrounding industries. Our first season is all about Women In Research and each minisode will feature an inspiring woman who attended the 2018 WIRexec Leadership Summit. In this first episode, Priscilla McKinney interviews Kristin Luck– Ponderings from the Perch vet, supporter of women and Founder of WIRe.

“There’s so much direction in what we need to change to be successful, versus really stepping into understanding what our strengths are as women and as business leaders.”

Kristin is a serial entrepreneur and a globetrotting, internationally recognized keynote speaker on marketing measurement. She’s a futurist and growth hacking expert, specializing in nontraditional marketing and branding strategies. In 2007, Kristin was inspired to start WIRe after connecting with 50 women in the market research industry over drinks. Since that first cocktail mixer, WIRe has grown to become a global not-for-profit organization with 24 events worldwide in 2018.

WIRe is completely free to join. Kristin explains, “We don’t want a membership fee to be a barrier to folks to having access to our programming and services.” Want to know more about WIRE? Click here for more information about becoming a WIRE member.

To celebrate the badass women featured in this miniseries, we’re hosting a badass giveaway. Click here to enter!

Don’t miss an episode of the Flock Stars - WIRE Miniseries. Subscribe to Ponderings from the Perch on iTunes.

When’s the last time you practiced the art of being selfish? Before you tell on us for using the “s-word,” let us explain. We’re talking about carving out time for self-exploration and inquiry. This week on the Little Bird Marketing company podcast, we brought in an expert on the journey to finding your authentic self.

In this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, Priscilla McKinney is joined by Sarah Marshank - entrepreneur and author. Sarah started Selfistry, a comprehensive integrative educational system for mastering the art of being human. She’s also the author of the “Being Selfish: My Journey for Escort to Monk to Grandmother.” Based in the SF Bay Area, Sarah teaches and speaks internationally, offers online courses, consults with corporate clients and works one-on-one with individuals.

Sarah’s inspiring conversation with Priscilla is filled with questions like, “How do we become the author of our own life?” and important insights like, “There is nothing wrong with continuing to grow ourselves.”

If you’re on a journey to self-discovery or in the process of crafting an authentic marketing strategy, this conversation will give you the motivation and encouragement you need to move forward.

Love our show? Subscribe, rate and review Ponderings from the Perch on iTunes!

P.S. We’re starting a special miniseries next week! Our first Flock Stars minisode premieres Friday, September 28th. Our first season features conversations with the inspiring women who attended the 2018 WIRexec Leadership Summit.

She’s done it– Priscilla McKinney, Momma Bird and CEO of Little Bird Marketing, has turned 100 (in podcast years). To celebrate, she’s teamed up with friend and co-host Dan Leadbetter for a special show!

This episode is packed full of throwbacks, true stories, entrepreneurial insights and guest appearances.

“I still remember all of those milestones. As the company progresses and you bring new people on, it’s important to tell the story– as it was.”

Making it to episode 100 wouldn’t be possible without our amazing guests, staff and, of course, listeners. A giant thank you to all of our the Ponderings from the Perch alumni, including the ones featured in this episode:

Doug Sandler Maribeth Kuzmeski David Reimherr Tim Hughes Rachel O’Meara Deirdre Breakenridge Tony Cheevers Beck McKinneySawyer McKinneySteve McKinneyAlso, don’t miss our announcement about our NEW upcoming mini-series. Flock Stars premieres Friday, September 28th and you won’t want to miss it– so subscribe on iTunes!

Like what you hear? Don’t forget to rate and review Ponderings from the Perch on iTunes.

We all know the saying, “teamwork makes the dream work,” but in this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, Priscilla McKinney and guest Deirdre Breakenridge of the Women Worldwide podcast prove that networking can be one of the most valuable tools for your business.

Sharing in their love of communication, marketing and podcasting, Deirdre and Priscilla share their biggest networking successes and the mediums that facilitated them. Each using their podcast as their vessel, these two marketing badasses have mastered the art of getting the most out connections.

Deirdre shares, “Your [podcast] guests are an opportunity to do something together…That guest in the seat is really important.”

In addition to learning how Deirdre grew her podcast to 5,000 organic listens per episode, you’ll gain these insights on podcasting:

AdvertisingMeasuring ROINailing the fundamentalsGive Deirdre’s podcast, Women Worldwide, a listen (we suggest this interview with Jennifer Wilkov) on iTunes or C-Suite Radio.

Like what you hear? Let us know! Subscribe, rate and review Ponderings from the Perch on iTunes.

Is your content geared to reach your ideal client? When it comes to marketing strategy, one of the biggest mistakes businesses make is failing to identify their ideal client. In this episode of the Little Bird Marketing podcast, Ponderings from the Perch, Priscilla McKinney and Dan Leadbetter explore the topic of buyer personas.

“Buyer personas give you the research you need to create content and messages for the person who is most likely to buy your product.”

Throughout the episode, Priscilla shares her experience and the tips she’s learned creating buyer personas for clients and for her own business. The buyer persona drum is one she beats often - catch more content on this topic on our blog or in our free Ideal Client Personas guide!

Are you ready to get the most out of your marketing budget? Tune-in to this episode and do your buyer persona homework.

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