2024 brought a lot of lessons, wins and losses for business owners and marketers... So, in this weeks episode we take a look at the biggest marketing lessons we learned in this year, and how we plan to use them in 2025 to take things to the next level... And of course we want to share them with you so you can do the same! In this episode we  discuss: -Why you need to start getting better with AI (Or lose in business) -How 99% of the time the answer is simply to get better -The reason you should humble yourself, and be adaptable to succeed -What's more at bats split testing can teach you about higher conversions and sales -Why more direct response companies are adopting THIS ecom funnel structure -The #1 way to rapidly improve your marketing skills and become undeniable -How to make more money from "old tired ideas" -The reason marketing legends lost more than they won

Connect with Nick: -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000071772126 -Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickBrowne_ Connect with Alex:

-Newsletter: mcmahon-consulting.ck.page/bfcm -YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB17rznuEjP4HmJOtGbYlVg

-Twitter: https://twitter.com/alex_mcmahon_

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex.mcmahon85/

Different actions create different results which is why we decided to lay out step by step what actions to take to make 2025 your best year marketing and revenue wise.  We designed this episode to be tactical so you can take what we talk about and implement it in your business to scale and get a bigger ROI from your marketing.   In this episode we  discuss: -Why starting with the end in mind is priority #1  -How to reverse engineer the team you need to scale your marketing  -The reason some companies don't have to live and die by acquisition -What precentage of your revenue should come from email marketing  -Why building out a customer journey matters more now than ever -The #1 trait you need to adopt in 2025 (It's not discipline) -How to create SOPs save you time, energy and money -The difference between branded and DR marketing

Connect with Nick: -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000071772126 -Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickBrowne_ Connect with Alex:

-Newsletter: mcmahon-consulting.ck.page/bfcm -YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB17rznuEjP4HmJOtGbYlVg

-Twitter: https://twitter.com/alex_mcmahon_

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex.mcmahon85/

The landscape of copywriting and marketing has changed a lot in the last few years, and one of those changes was the rise of marketing agencies.  A lot of freelance copywriters were sold the agency model as a business opportunity where they could sell services and get someone else to fulfill for them... And it's why so many marketing agencies flooded the market with low quality services they overcharged and underlivered on. But the market has corrected itself... So this week we chat about why a lot of marketing agencies will become obsolete in 2025. In this episode we also discuss: -Why talent is hard to find and retain in marketing agencies -How to spot a bad agency  -The reason agencies are really just recruiters and talent placement for clients -Why marketers aren't a magic bullet for companies  -What brining your marketing "in house" does for a companies growth -The reason most agencies have a 60-90 day lifecycle -How a lack of communication between agencies and companies kills their relationship -The path forward for companies that want to grow without agencies

Connect with Nick: -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000071772126 -Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickBrowne_ Connect with Alex:

-Newsletter: mcmahon-consulting.ck.page/bfcm -YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB17rznuEjP4HmJOtGbYlVg

-Twitter: https://twitter.com/alex_mcmahon_

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex.mcmahon85/

Everyone loves the fancy tactics and strategies, but the reality is 90% of your results with marketing comes down to this one thing... Focusing on the fundamentals.  So in this episode we discuss why marketers are some of the easiest people to sell to, the reason all the legends preach the fundamentals... And we even break down step by step how to learn the fundamentals of marketing and copywriting for free on the internet today (what a time to be alive.) Plus, we talk about the top 5 people to learn from, a lesson Nick learned from a guy who had a 9 figure exit from a company and much more.  In this episode we also discuss: -A story about Dan Kennedy shocking everyone at a conference -Why marketers fall for so many biz op offers  -What you should know about all the "hacks" and "shorcuts" gurus promise -How focusing on one thing now means more cash later on -Why learning the basics is harder than chasing shiny objects all the time -The reason a guy with a 9 figure exit called every customer for years  -Where to learn about crafting better big ideas -Why every marketer needs to know their customer better than they know themselves

Connect with Nick: -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000071772126 -Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickBrowne_ Connect with Alex:

-Newsletter: mcmahon-consulting.ck.page/bfcm -YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB17rznuEjP4HmJOtGbYlVg

-Twitter: https://twitter.com/alex_mcmahon_

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex.mcmahon85/

When a company is doing well with one product 99% of the time they should be doubling down and optimizing that product... Instead, most companies get bored and launch another product without recognizing all the money they're losing by making this error. So, in this episode we discuss a company that was doing $120,000/month from one product and instead of doubling down they got distracted, and now are struggling. Plus, we dive into how another company lost over $250,000 making the exact same mistake and trying to launch a product there was zero demand for... When their hero product was already working and starting to scale. This was more of a themed catch up than a super structured podcast, but here's a few things we chatted: -The value of singular focus for freelancers and biz owners -Why the woman in the red dress is so dangerous to business growth -What made Nick pivot away from his Med Spa marketing business -How our brains are wired for new and novel things (entrepreneur ADD) -Why a lack of focus burns employees out at companies -The unexpected costs of doing business and losing focus -What sticking to optimizing one funnel teaches you -How everyone in Austin is a "coach" or "entrepreneur"

Connect with Nick: -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000071772126 -Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickBrowne_ Connect with Alex:

-Newsletter: mcmahon-consulting.ck.page/bfcm -YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB17rznuEjP4HmJOtGbYlVg

-Twitter: https://twitter.com/alex_mcmahon_

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex.mcmahon85/

Want to know know the deep pain points and desires your prospect has that motivates them to buy? Well, that's what this weeks episode is all about.  You need to know how to do customer research to find the deeply rooted agles, pain points and desires that turn onlookers into customer quickly. So we're breaking down step by step exactly how to do customer research and where to look to find the hidden goldmines for understanding your customer on a deeper level. 

In this episode we discuss: -Why language matters when speaking to different demopgrpahics

-Using Amazon + Chat GPT to do your customer research in 20 minutes 

-The #1 place to find raw and honest stories directly from prospects 

-Why getting on calls with customers is a goldmine for your marketing 

-Step by step how to do your customer research 

-What new tool Alex is using called Gigabrain that collects reddit posts 

-How to make customers feel seen,heard and understood for more sales -What the "doctors know best" saying can teach you about understaninf prospects

Connect with Nick: -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000071772126 -Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickBrowne_ Connect with Alex:

-Newsletter: mcmahon-consulting.ck.page/bfcm -YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB17rznuEjP4HmJOtGbYlVg

-Twitter: https://twitter.com/alex_mcmahon_

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex.mcmahon85/

Black Friday and Cyber Monday is coming up in a few weeks, and the companies that are prepared with a solid strategy will be making record revenue. But how do you cut through the noise and double your BFCM sales in the busiest time of the year? First, you need to make sure your emails end up in your subscribers inbox because spam and deliverability are a bigger issue than ever before... And second, you need a different email strategy that makes people want to open and read your emails instead of ignoring them.   So in this episode Nick gives you the spam and deliverability playbook to make sure your emails land in the inbox, and Alex gives you the strategy to make the most sales.  In this episode we discuss: -Why you shouldn't email your entire list for Black Friday Cyber Monday

-Using the "Raffe Strategy" to boost the AOV during BFCM

-The #1 way to stay out of the spam folder during high volume holidays

-Why using "launch" style emails work better than "promo" emails

-Step by step how to check your email deliverability for maximum email sales

-What companies do wrong that ruins their BFCM sales 

-How Alex squeezed $126,000 of supplement sales out of a tiny list for BFCM -Why companies need to 2-3 weeks of "prep work" before BFCM

Connect with Nick: -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000071772126 -Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickBrowne_ Connect with Alex:

-Newsletter: mcmahon-consulting.ck.page/bfcm -YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB17rznuEjP4HmJOtGbYlVg

-Twitter: https://twitter.com/alex_mcmahon_

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex.mcmahon85/

Regardless of what anyone says your morals and ethics in this game matter... And at the end of the day you need to decide what lines you will or won't cross. However, the topic of morals and ethis is rarely discussed in marketing because it makes a lot of people uncomfrotable... But this epsiode isn't us preaching about morals and ethics. Instead it's an open and honest conversation about our mess ups, lessons and experiences with our own morals and ethics in a industry that can feel shady a lot of the time.   In this episode we discuss: -Religion versus circumstances which dictates our moral in marketing?

-The fast money of black hat marketing and the downsides 

-Why having morals and ethics make the game simpler 

-Using the dark arts of marketing for the good of others 

-Are fulfillment and ethics connected in business?

-The reason big ideas and mechanisms are beating hypey claims these days

-How branding and direct response BOTH manipulate people with different tactics

-What your "gut feeling" can tell you about bending morals 

Connect with Nick: -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000071772126 -Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickBrowne_ Connect with Alex:

-Newsletter: mcmahon-consulting.ck.page/bfcm -YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB17rznuEjP4HmJOtGbYlVg

-Twitter: https://twitter.com/alex_mcmahon_

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex.mcmahon85/

There's a right and wrong way to spy on your competitors marketing... And when you do it the wrong way and try to directly swipe their marketings there's a lot that goes into that successful campaign that you can see.  So, in this episode we the things to avoid doing when when spying on competitors, and different places most people don't look to find a hidden treasure chest of proven angles and structures.  In this episode we discuss: -Why funnel hacking has gotten more difficult 

-How more complex marketing is harder to swipe effectively 

-Understanding why a certain angle or structure works or doesn't 

-What tools you can use to spy on competitors 

-The value in magazines, news outlets and online media websites

-Why creating your own "playbook" from promos is gold mine

-If you're always just copying you'll always be behind 

-What you need to understand about campaigns before swiping them

Connect with Nick: -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000071772126 -Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickBrowne_ Connect with Alex:

-Newsletter: mcmahon-consulting.ck.page/bfcm -YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB17rznuEjP4HmJOtGbYlVg

-Twitter: https://twitter.com/alex_mcmahon_

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex.mcmahon85/

Stress and overhwelm is a part of this game that no one can avoid... Which means how we handle this overwhelm is a huge factor in not just success, but lognevity and reaching big goals too.  So, in this episode we discuss the fact and fiction of self imposed pressure, and how we can use it to learn, grow and become better freelancers and business owners.  As Tim Grover the famous trainer of Jordan, Kobe and Dwayne Wade says "Pressure is a privilege" and this week we discuss how we turn this into our advantage.  In this episode we discuss: -The difference between perceived versus REAL stress in this game

-How to grow your capacity to handle stress with less overwhelm

-Why "the grass is always greener" mindset screws a lot of us up

-What to do about unrealistic deadlines with clients or in a biz

-Is there value in taking it "too far" for a period of time?

-The sneaky role people pleasing plays in stress

-What we each do to combat overwhelm with actionable tips 

-Why setting boundaries with clients and biz partners lowers stress

Connect with Nick: -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000071772126 -Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickBrowne_ Connect with Alex:

-Newsletter: mcmahon-consulting.ck.page/bfcm -YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB17rznuEjP4HmJOtGbYlVg

-Twitter: https://twitter.com/alex_mcmahon_

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex.mcmahon85/