Sidetrekked

In the Season 4 premiere of Sidetrekked, Emilee and Shayne are joined by Account Manager Jess Koltz to discuss annual planning and what it can accomplish (1:24). They break down why you need to include certain channels in your 2027 marketing plan, like social media (5:20) and print marketing (13:17) among others. Finally, on Mics at the Bar (28:30), CCO Mike Wilson is joined by Art Director Chris Brown to analyze a vintage Coca-Cola ad and dive into what makes it effective.

Learn the key differences between AEO and SEO, how to adapt your SEO strategy for AEO, why a marketing strategy sent straight from Claude Cowork isn’t effective, and how to network at large in-person events on this episode of Sidetrekked.

Sidetrekked is a B2B marketing podcast by Trekk, a tech-driven full-service creative agency based in Rockford, Illinois, where CEO Emilee Christianson and COO Shayne break down today’s biggest marketing challenges.

This Season 3 finale AMA answers a few key marketing questions:

AEO is pretty much the same as SEO, right?

AEO targets AI mentions and citations.

AEO prefers structured content with a direct question and immediate answer.

Use the HubSpot AEO tool to see how you’re performing.

If I keep doing the same SEO things that I’m currently doing, will I show up in AI answer engines?

This is dependent on content quality.

Check AI visibility of current content.

Know how you’re appearing so you’re not misrepresented.

https://trekk.com/insights/what-are-ai-answer-engines-saying-about-your-brand-and-how-can-you-influence-them

Can I just give you my marketing strategy from Claude Cowork?

If we just get an output from an LLM, you’re cutting the agency out of the conversation and they cannot see the context.

Comes at a cost of collaboration, new ideas, and critical thinking in content strategy.

Make sure your settings are personalized for ideal outputs.

You’ve talked about in-person events. What’s the best way to meet and talk to people at a big event with thousands of people?

Go with the mentality, “I’m here to make friends.”

Go to free sessions, educational booths, and demos.

Get curious and stop and ask questions at booths.

Find the answer to the final AMA question on Trekk’s LinkedIn.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/trekk/

Keep up with Trekk and marketing news:

https://trekk.com/

https://www.instagram.com/trekkdesign/

https://trekk.com/insights

Nick Grobe, Senior Motion Designer and Sidetrekked Producer, joins the conversation on this common piece of writing advice to explain how it can be applied to marketing as well. Capture your audience’s attention and convince them to tumble down the rabbit hole of your brand story with engaging video (3:45). Learn about the benefits of motion graphics (because you can’t exactly put a camera inside an engine) (9:45). Later on, Nick explains how those “cell-phone” social media videos that you can’t stop watching—think a hydraulic press squishing a candle and an influencer unboxing twelve different kinds of lip gloss—are actually examples of how high-quality videography and editing is the key to success (17:00). In Problem Solved, Nick and Emilee tell Shayne about a particularly rainy video shoot that led to some great brand storytelling. As always, our episode ends with Mics at the Bar.

In this episode of Sidetrekked, Emilee and Shayne vibe check your vibe coding and other AI tools and processes with Trekk Technical Director Sam Basile (1:25). They dig into the vital role people play in web development as AI becomes increasingly more intelligent (9:20) and the red flags to be on the lookout for when working with AI code (18:35). In Problem Solved, Sam reveals the in-house AEO tool he created to help evaluate the effectiveness of websites (33:00). The episode wraps up, as usual, with Mics at the Bar. Mike asks Senior Graphic Designer Alyssa Watkins to describe her job without using the word “designer,” how to balance staying true to a brand while pushing the creative envelope, and one wildcard topic.

In this episode of Sidetrekked, we delve into the channels that are currently breaking through in the marketing landscape. Join me as I explore the unexpected resurgence of print media, showcasing real-life case studies where high-quality print pieces have outperformed digital channels. We'll discuss how the tactile nature of print can create meaningful connections, standing out amidst digital noise. Plus, we’ll touch on the power of in-person interactions at trade shows and events, and why going analog might just be the key to cutting through the clutter. Tune in for insights that could reshape your marketing strategies and elevate your brand's presence.

In this episode of Sidetrekked, Emilee and Shayne dive into their favorite trade show experiences and talk about what makes them work during — and importantly after — the show (1:32). Get all the details you need for pre-event planning (10:48), mid-event execution (22:33), and post-event follow-up (31:26). In Problem Solved, Emilee and Shayne welcome Chief Creative Officer Mike Wilson to talk about a real-life example of how we’ve solved event strategy for a client (37:14). Finally, in Mics at the Bar, Lead Technical Developer Robby Broach sits down for a conversation about development tools, artificial intelligence, and a dream project that he’d love to tackle one day (51:21).

In this episode of Sidetrekked, Emilee and Shayne answer this big question: What’s up with answer engine optimization (AEO)? They discuss what AEO is and what marketers need to know about it in order to ensure customers are getting accurate, relevant, and valuable information (1:45). Emilee and Shayne also discuss what marketers can do to help increase the AEO value of their content — spoiler: some of the SEO principles still apply (12:15) — and how AEO is already impacting overall website traffic and the customer buying cycle (21:10). In Problem Solved, Shayne and Emilee welcome Trekk Content Strategist Nick Ostdick to discuss how we are reengineering content to align with AEO best practices (27:00). Finally, in Mics at the Bar, Trekk HubSpot Enablement Specialist Somer Baier gives us the lowdown on her favorite marketing automation tools in HubSpot…and some of her personal deadline habits (46:00).

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

https://trekk.com/insights/should-i-hire-an-in-house-crm-administrator

https://trekk.com/insights/ai-seo

Website: trekk.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trekk/

Instagram: @TrekkDesign

In this episode of Sidetrekked, Emilee and Shayne unpack a big question: How do I use buyer intent tools in my marketing? They share their thoughts on what buyer intent tools do (2:00) before discussing how marketers can use intent data to reach their target audience (8:22). They also explore how intent tools and customer data enable more personalized buying experiences based on intent signals (12:00). In Problem Solved, Trekk HubSpot Enablement Specialist Somer Baier explains HubSpot’s buyer intent tool and how we used it to help a client better connect their sales and marketing teams through detailed signals and lead scoring (18:00). Finally, in Mics at the Bar, Trekk Account Manager Jess Koltz pulls back the curtain on an account manager’s role in an agency setting — and reveals the smartphone app she couldn’t live without (27:00).

Website: https://www.trekk.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trekk/

Instagram: @TrekkDesign

In this episode of Sidetrekked, Emilee and Shayne are approached by a leader of a small marketing team with a critical question: “How can I maximize my resources?” They discuss how marketing teams typically intersect with the work we do here at Trekk (1:40), what a nimble in-house team looks like (4:47), some things scrappy marketing teams DON’T need to do (12:59), and two things teams commonly miss in their quest for ROI (18:26). They also dive into some of the benefits of having a small marketing team (25:50). In Problem Solved, Emilee and Shayne welcome Senior Account Manager Madison Brudi to talk about a real-life example of an agency acting as a marketing force multiplier (28:58). Finally, in Mics at the Bar, Trekk Art Director Chris Brown reflects on balancing different creative perspectives within the team, and reveals some of his bucket-list client opportunities (36:08).

In this episode of Sidetrekked, Emilee and Shayne address a question submitted by a listener: How should I go to market in times of great uncertainty? They look at examples of how some companies have recently navigated uncertainty (1:51), how marketing messages need to change or pivot to address uncertainty (11:16), and how some clients have turned uncertainty into opportunities for growth (18:11). In Problem Solved, Emilee and Shayne welcome Trekk Performance Marketing Specialist Jake Sellers to discuss how the team helped a client expand very specialized services to reach a whole new target audience (24:00). Finally, in Mics at the Bar, Trekk Content Strategist Nick Ostdick walks us through his philosophy on what makes good marketing content and which tedious chore he’d love to see AI take over (34:00).

Website: trekk.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trekk/

Instagram: @TrekkDesign

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

https://trekk.com/insights/what-these-high-performing-b2b-blogs-get-right