Ponderings from the Perch

In this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, Priscilla McKinney teams up with her podcast sister– Maribeth Kuzmeski of the Female Insight Zone podcast and Red Zone Marketing. Throughout the episode, the two share insights from their experiences as entrepreneurs, marketers and podcast hosts.

Maybe you're a podcaster looking to take your craft to the next level, or maybe you're just an avid listener who appreciates the nuances of the medium... either way, you're in for a treat as Maribeth shares the strategies she uses for her podcast, the Female Insight Zone. Want a sneak peak?

“If you listen to really good interviewers, people who actually want to get to the heart of something, they’re doing a little research - they’re doing some background - they’re not just hitting start and then just reading the bio. You’ve got to know something about the people you’re interviewing so you can come up with really good questions.”

Give this episode a listen for more podcast tips and advice on altering your marketing message to resonate with your ideal marketing prospect.

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With all of the headlines about Facebook’s privacy policy and algorithm changes, you’ve probably been left scratching your head and asking questions like: How is my Facebook feed going to change? How do I get more interactions on my Facebook business page? Why did Mark Zuckerberg have to testify before Congress? And why doesn’t he ever blink?

In this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, Priscilla McKinney, Momma Bird and CEO of Little Bird Marketing, is back with Dan Leadbetter. Join them as they discuss the ever-changing world of digital media.

Whether you're up-to-date on the newest Facebook algorithm changes or stuck in the days of dial-up Internet, this episode will give you tips on improving your Facebook marketing strategy.

Tune-in as Priscilla and Dan discuss:

Major Facebook changes over the yearsWhy buyer personas are important for your social media marketing strategyHow to get the most out of Facebook advertisingWant more information on how you can use Facebook for your business? Check out the Little Bird Marketing resource page!

And of course, don't forget to subscribe, rate and review Ponderings from the Perch on iTunes!

If The Office taught us anything, it’s that managing people is harder than it looks. From creating an enjoyable work environment to fostering creativity and innovation, being a good boss takes practice, intention and a little bit of skill. While Priscilla is definitely not Michael Scott, in this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, she reveals which fictional boss she identifies with most. Tune-in as Priscilla answers questions about leadership styles, creating stellar office culture and supporting your employees.

Here’s a sneak peek of the questions she answers in this week’s episode:

What’s your first memory of being a leader?What characteristics does it take to be a good leader and boss?What is your biggest management mistake?What’s your biggest management accomplishment?How do you get to know your employees and their work styles?What’s one piece of advice for bosses and one for employees?Like it? Love it? Want some more of it? Let us know by leaving a review on iTunes!

“I guess the attitude that I've tried to create here is that I'm a friend first and a boss second and probably an entertainer third.” —Michael Scott

If you’ve ever needed something in the realm of market research, you’re probably familiar with the name GreenBook. The GreenBook Directory is a vast online resource of marketing research suppliers, facilities, and consultants. In this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing Podcast, Priscilla McKinneyinterviews Dana Stanley– Director of Operations at GreenBook.

Once a literal green book, GreenBook has grown to be the go-to resource for market research. Outside their online directory, they’ve developed a series of worldwide conferences (IIEX), the infamous Insights Marketing Day and heaps of helpful (and downloadable) content.

Tune-in as Priscilla and Dana talk:

Go-to market research conferencesEncouraging innovation in your industrySpeaking and presenting tipsLike what you hear? Subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review on iTunes.

In observation of National Take Your Kid To Work Day, Priscilla and Beck McKinney co-host a special edition of Ponderings from the Perch. In doing so, they learn more about each other, and verily, more about themselves in the process.

Beck has prepared a special pop quiz full of insightful questions for Priscilla about entrepreneurship, motivators, goals, and the importance of the silence during the Masters. Priscilla turns the tables back on Beck to find out why he thinks the office is slightly boring, and which of the Peeps is the most hilarious (spoiler: it’s Kahlief).

Join us for what is guaranteed to be the sweetest podcast you will listen to on any given day (except maybe that one podcast that’s just a bunch of kittens purring).

Love our show? Don't forget to give us a great review on iTunes! 

What happens when you put two thought leaders in the same room? In this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, Priscilla McKinney, Momma Bird and CEO of Little Bird Marketing, and Dan Leadbetter explore the different roles of thought leaders.

After getting asked the same question at numerous speaking engagements, Priscilla honed in on the topic of thought leadership. Whether they acknowledge it or not, Priscilla explains, “Companies are built around thought leadership.” Identifying and amplifying your thought leadership style can give your brand the advantage in your industry.

At this point, you might be asking, “But how do I know what my thought leadership style is?” Don’t fret! Our “What Kind of Thought Leader Are You?” quiz will tell you that very thing. In this episode, Priscilla (the Radical) and Dan (the Visionary) compare their leadership styles after taking the quiz.

In addition to thought leadership, Priscilla and Dan dive into the topic of content marketing. They discuss:

How to develop unique content for your brand3 common “Content Traps”Priscilla’s #1 rule of content marketingSo are you a Visionary, Radical, Inspiration, or Revolutionary? Find out your thought leadership style by taking the quiz!

Don’t forget to head over to iTunes and leave a review with your results.

Join a fun-filled podcast with design wiz Simon Dunn, from Keen As Mustard Marketing, as he and Priscilla discuss holistic marketing strategy methods, data visualization, and the importance of industry networking.

Simon, with Keen as Mustard, has been finding new ways for agencies to understand research and insights for the past ten years, with an indisputable understanding of the complexities of the field.

“You don’t just do a new brand, or launch a new website, sit back and wait for the work to come in. It’s all about actually doing all of those things, joining them up, having a plan - segmentations - targeting. It’s a whole joined-up web of stuff that you’re doing - and you do need to be doing all of them. And for quite a long time!”

In addition to providing marketing research PR and media relations, Keen as Mustard also helped develop Viz-Fest, an annual 4-day webinar full of market research insights.

While the discussion is rife with extremely serious industry discussion, Simon and Priscilla find time to reminisce about Simon’s classiness, laugh about rebranding difficulties, and share a moment of sadness about Priscilla’s missed opportunity for Scotch eggs.

While you’re enjoying the episode, be sure to connect with Simon on LinkedIn, register for Viz-Fest, and give Ponderings from the Perch a swell review on iTunes!

Join Priscilla McKinney, CEO and Momma Bird at Little Bird Marketing as she chats with Kathrin O'Sullivan, organizational development consultant, facilitator, executive coach, and extraordinary public speaker. O'Sullivan is a twelve-year veteran of Google, where she most recently served as Leadership Development Manager, and has studied with some of the most distinguished thought leaders in her field.  

Priscilla and Kathrin discuss the complexities of effecting change through coaching in an organization, and how it can often resemble the efforts of steering a giant boat. O'Sullivan brings a fresh and progressive viewpoint to the topic of how individuals and teams relate to their work. 

"From a company perspective, it’s like, ‘How can we help people become more productive in their work?’ And you do this by helping people - or, at least it’s my personal philosophy - enjoy their work more. The more they enjoy their work, the more they will collaborate, and the better the results will be."

They also discuss:

How to navigate complexityThe importance of cultures that stimulate creativityThe rise of short-term teamsHow to approach coaching for first-timersThis episode is positively bursting with thought-leadership insights, and is an excellent starting point for anyone wanting to escape the waldeinsamkeit of job dissatisfaction. 

Be certain to follow Kathrin on LinkedIn, check out her website and read her blog for even more wisdom. 

Love our show? Don't forget to give us a great review on iTunes! 

In this episode, Priscilla McKinney, CEO and Momma Bird at Little Bird Marketing chats with Fritz Grutzner, founder and President of Brandgarten. As a brand strategy consultant with 30 years of brand-building experience for Fortune 500s and non-profits in the U.S. and abroad, he shares his insights about how emotion drives behavior. His superpower involves identifying emotional insights and drivers of brand choice, helping organizations discover their most compelling, authentic brand story and teaching them to tell it in a consistent way.

While Brandgarten is primarily a strategy firm they do a lot of in-depth marketing research, because their strategies depend on having deep human insights. Fritz pontificates on his perspective about brand building and delivering actionable insights from the research. In the end, their team works with client to: 

In the end, their team works with client to: 

You’ll enjoy some of Fritz’s personal stories including his work with Johnson & Johnson baby products. If you enjoyed this interview, you’ll enjoy Fritz’s recommendation of Nobel Prize winner, Daniel Kahneman’s book entitled Thinking Fast and Slow.

Find Fritz on LinkedIn, and check out their amazing case studies about their work with company greats including Delta, Rogaine, Organic Valley, Band-Aid, Acuvue, and more!

And of course, if you loved this episode and want to hear more don't forget to give our podcast show a great review on iTunes! 

Want to know what makes a blog successful? Join Priscilla McKinney, CEO and Momma Bird at Little Bird Marketing as she chats with Kyle Drenon, Director of Marketing at Murney Associates in Springfield, MO. After attending Mozcon 4 years ago, he details his slightly-Jerry Maguire story about how he came back to his job ready to take his company's marketing a new direction. 

Find out what happened next to bring this man, this myth, this Springfield, MO lifestyle guru to leading a small but mighty team making real estate fun again. “Our strategy on content creation is to sell more than just a house; we’re selling a community, too.” From this concept came a fresh batch of blogs people actually want to read. “We felt like we were uniquely qualified to speak about that because we’re in those communities every day. It was a natural fit to start writing a lifestyle blog about Springfield and the surrounding areas.”

In this podcast they tackle not only strategy and tips for good content, but they also talk about the process needed to keep a team inspired and organized. They also discuss:

Repurposing contentCreative brainstormingSEO vs. PPCTypes of content piecesSocial distribution strategies Killing your babies (how to let a piece go that just isn't working out)Reviewing your statsWhy Kyle loves wearing a robeCheck out this most excellent article they reference: 26 Things Only People who Lived in Springfield in the 90s Will Remember

In parting, we leave you with this: 

“How’d we come up with the robe? Was some guy just like, ‘Hey, I’ve got an idea! Why don’t we make a coat out of a towel? You can have a little belt that goes around. You could dunk the belt in the toilet! Have a toilet belt.’”

-Jim Gaffigan

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