The Practical Marketing Show

In this solo episode of The Practical Marketing Show, host Cary Weston dives into one of the biggest money-wasters in marketing: website redesigns. With 25 years of experience, Cary shares practical, no-nonsense advice on how to approach a website redesign (or build) with purpose—so you don't waste your time, budget, or sanity.

He breaks down the most common reasons websites don't perform and offers simple, actionable steps you can take before spending a dime on a redesign. If your website isn't generating leads, helping your sales process, or reflecting who you are as a business, this episode is your roadmap to fixing it the smart way.

• Don't redesign blindly—start by asking "why?" and define what success looks like beyond just "looking better."

• Your website is a sales tool, not a brochure. Focus on messaging, guidance, and ease of use.

• Most improvements don't require a full rebuild—small changes like clearer calls to action or answering common questions can have a massive impact.

A certified marketing coach and former ad agency owner with over 25 years of experience, Cary works with business leaders and marketing folks who are tired of the confusion, wasted time, and second-guessing. He helps businesses make common-sense marketing decisions, so you get more out of the time, talent, and money you invest in marketing your business.

• Practical Marketing Podcast Website: www.PracticalMarketingShow.com

• ChatGPTExperiment Podcast Website: www.ChatGPTExperiment.com

• Cary's Consulting Website: www.CMWeston.com

• LinkedIn: Cary Weston on LinkedIn

The instrumental music used in this podcast is called "StrivingForSuccess" by TimTaj.

 Hey, this is the trailer for the Practical Marketing Show Podcast. My name is Cary Weston and I'm the host. The reason for this show is to help business leaders and marketing folks make common sense, business and marketing decisions. I really wanna help you get more out of the time, the talent and the money that you are investing in marketing your business.

I know it's important to you and we don't wanna waste any of it, right? We don't wanna waste time, talent, or money, so. A little bit about me. I'm a 25 year veteran of owning an ad agency. I've worked with hundreds of businesses, and what I share here are the stories, the guiding principles, the practices, the best advice that I have, the things that I turn to over and over again that work.

I don't know anything about you, other than you're probably walking a dog at the moment, listening to a podcast rocking on a treadmill, doing the dishes, whatever you're doing. But I can probably guess that you don't like to waste time, talent, or money on your business. So if you're, if you're interested in getting some advice from a guy who's made a ton of mistakes. 

And practices this stuff over and over again. I'm gonna share some stories. I'm gonna share some wisdom. I'm gonna share some guiding principles, and I'm gonna share some nuggets that hopefully help you and your business. So join me Practical Marketing Show, and you can find me online at the Practical Marketing show.com. 

In this solo episode, Cary Weston shares a foundational idea that started as an off-the-cuff comment and turned into a guiding philosophy: persuasive and prepared. Using his "clarity circles" framework, Cary walks through how businesses can make smarter marketing decisions by focusing on the stuff that actually sets them up for success. Whether you're brand new or decades in, this episode will challenge you to stop chasing noise and start building smart.

• Persuasive gets attention. Prepared makes it count. — It's not just about getting in front of people. It's about being ready when they show up.

• Focus on the inner circles first. — Before you spend on ads, make sure your website, systems, and messaging are buttoned up. If people find you anyway, are you ready?

• Invest once, benefit over and over. — The most valuable marketing work is the kind that keeps paying off, without needing to constantly re-spend time, money, or energy.

A certified marketing coach and former ad agency owner with over 25 years of experience, Cary works with business leaders and marketing folks who are tired of the confusion, wasted time, and second-guessing. He helps businesses make common-sense marketing decisions, so you get more out of the time, talent, and money you invest in marketing your business.

• Practical Marketing Podcast Website: www.PracticalMarketingShow.com

• ChatGPTExperiment Podcast Website: www.ChatGPTExperiment.com

• Cary's Consulting Website: www.CMWeston.com

• LinkedIn: Cary Weston on LinkedIn

The instrumental music used in this podcast is called "StrivingForSuccess" by TimTaj.

In this solo episode, host Cary Weston breaks down the five biggest marketing mistakes he sees businesses make again and again. Pulling from real-life stories and decades of experience, Cary explains how these common missteps can waste time, money, and opportunities — and more importantly, what to do instead. Whether you're in marketing, sales, or operations, this one's packed with practical advice that'll get you thinking (hello, idea treadmill!).

• Make the customer the hero: Too much "we" and not enough "you" in your messaging makes it all about your business — and that's a miss. Show customers how you help them.

• Track your leads like gold: Leads slipping through the cracks (post-it notes, ignored emails)? You're not alone. Having a simple system in place makes all the difference.

• Know your goal and how to measure it: Don't just "do marketing" to do it. Be clear on what success looks like and how you'll measure it — beyond just a compliment in the grocery store.

A certified marketing coach and former ad agency owner with over 25 years of experience, Cary works with business leaders and marketing folks who are tired of the confusion, wasted time, and second-guessing. He helps businesses make common-sense marketing decisions, so you get more out of the time, talent, and money you invest in marketing your business.

• Practical Marketing Podcast Website: www.PracticalMarketingShow.com

• ChatGPTExperiment Podcast Website: www.ChatGPTExperiment.com

• Cary's Consulting Website: www.CMWeston.com

• LinkedIn: Cary Weston on LinkedIn

The instrumental music used in this podcast is called "StrivingForSuccess" by TimTaj.

In this solo episode of The Practical Marketing Show, Cary Weston walks through his 10 Simplified Rules of Marketing — a no-fluff, common-sense framework he's refined over the past 15 years. It's all about cutting through the jargon and helping businesses stop overcomplicating their marketing. Cary lays out why clarity, simplicity, and consistency matter more than cleverness, and he even shares a helpful tip for using ChatGPT as a customer lens tool.

• People don't know, don't care — until they need you. So your job is to be clear, consistent, and easy to find when they do need you.
• Simplicity beats cleverness. If your message is hard to understand, people won't remember it — or act on it.
• You already know enough to market well. Reverse engineer your customer interactions and share that value clearly. That is marketing.

A certified marketing coach and former ad agency owner with over 25 years of experience, Cary works with business leaders and marketing folks who are tired of the confusion, wasted time, and second-guessing. He helps businesses make common-sense marketing decisions, so you get more out of the time, talent, and money you invest in marketing your business.

• Practical Marketing Podcast Website: www.PracticalMarketingShow.com
• ChatGPTExperiment Podcast Website: www.ChatGPTExperiment.com
• Cary's Consulting Website: www.CMWeston.com
• LinkedIn: Cary Weston on LinkedIn

The instrumental music used in this podcast is called "StrivingForSuccess" by TimTaj.