Like most subjects, there's an easy way to do SEO and a hard way. Most businesses, especially local businesses, can and should take the easy route. That's because there's so little competition for most local businesses that those who go to the effort of investing the time and energy to get there website listed in the right places (and linked from the right places). Fortunately Jeremy Poland know the simple formula to help local businesses dramatically improve the way they show up in search results. Better yet, he's willing to teach businesses how to do it themselves! Jeremy is a seasoned marketer, with a backstory in church leadership & publishing. Struggling to support a growing family on one non-profit salary, he erected a digital agency from side hustle to family sustainer. With a specialization in SEO for Small Businesses, the proprietary “playbook” and data he developed led to the formation of DIY SEO! Grab your list of 20 Backlinks Every Website Needs

It's never fun starting anything from scratch. And that's especially true when it comes to figuring out an effective method for marketing your business. In this episode, we'll dig into a simple 8-part framework you can use to figure out the fundamentals of the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your marketing efforts. Our guest, Brian Forrester, grew up in advertising, and his family has owned a marketing business for nearly sixty years. Brian is the co-founder of Genie Jar Digital, a Williamsburg, Virginia marketing agency, and also teaches marketing through Old Dominion University's Veterans Business Outreach Center.  Brian has authored two business books: "30 Days of Marketing Mojo" and "I Hate Marketing," along with a young adult fiction novel called, "The Jungle Within." His copywriting has received national awards including the Telly and the Webby. Using stories, Brian's marketing skeletal framework consists of easy-to-remember connected parts. This strategy transforms boring marketing collateral into compelling messages that educate and entertain. Born a Tar Heel (North Carolina) but now a Virginian, Brian has been married for twenty-five years and is the father of five. His family has a thing for Golden Retrievers. And given the right circumstances, Brian can do a smooth moonwalk on a slick kitchen floor. Access the tools mentioned on this episode by visiting geniejarmarketing.com/podcast

Every company has a brand story, whether they realize it or not. It’s the tale of how the company came to be, and what it stands for in the eyes of consumers. Some companies are very intentional about telling their brand story, while others let it evolve organically. But either way, it’s always there, shaping how people see the company and its products. Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools marketers have at their disposal. A good story can connect with people on an emotional level, evoking feelings that can influence buying decisions. And when it comes to positioning a brand, nothing is more effective than a well-told story. Storytelling expert Candy Santana is the Founder & President of C.O.V.E. Media, a one-of-a-kind digital marketing agency for businesses in industries across the board. She's also an actress, producer, and author. Above all, she considers herself a storyteller. Find Candy at cove-media.com

In marketing, we find prospects for whatever we are selling at different stages in the decision-making process. Those who are further along in their consideration of buying something are talked about as being at the bottom of the funnel. Advertising to bottom-of-the-funnel prospects can be a tricky proposition. On the one hand, you want to make sure that you're providing them with enough information and value so that they see the benefit in working with you. On the other hand, you don't want to overwhelm them with too much information or bombard them with sales pitches. In this episode we explorer exactly what's involved in advertising to those at the bottom of the funnel. Our guest, Ameet Khabra, is a veteran PPC advertising specialist who has helped clients achieve as high as a 500% increased ROI from their digital advertising campaigns. Ameet's work has included managing over $4 million in ad spend for a single client and providing meaningful and measurable results for startups and small businesses. Her agency (Hop Skip Media) has carved out a position as a highly-effective PPC campaign management solution provider. We take accounts from zero to hero, working from scratch and taking over from other firms to get results for our clients. Find Ameet Onlin Hop Skip Media On Instagram (adwordsgirl)

Content marketing is nothing new, it has been around since the early 20th century for certain. Possibly even longer than that. What has changed, is the media where content marketing exists. It is now possible to leverage data and technology to target potential customers more efficiently than ever before. This means that businesses can now create and distribute content that is relevant and interesting to their target audience, resulting in a higher ROI for their content marketing campaigns. This episode's guest, Michael Marchese knows this topic well. He is the founder and CEO of Tempesta Media, a leading content, social media, and influencer digital marketing solution. With over 25 years of experience, Michael has held various strategic and operating positions at companies including Leapfrog Online (acquired by Dentsu Group Inc.), WebSideStory (acquired by Adobe), OCC (acquired by Monster.com), and JWT Specialized Communications (a subsidiary of WPP). Find Michael Online Tempesta Media LinkedIn

Many businesses are quick to create a website and forget about it after launch, leaving their brand with an un-engaged audience and minimal ROI. Service-centric businesses often overlook ways to monetize their websites or fail to use proper marketing tactics. We will discuss why this is an unwise strategy, the money that they are losing out on, and how targeting website profitability can help grow your business. To provide further insight into the issue of website profitability, we are joined today by Michael Buzinski – an expert in this field. He will explore why relying solely on word-of-mouth and referrals for marketing is a bad plan, why service-centric businesses often fail to create revenue with their websites, and why ignoring website marketing leaves money on the table for your competitors. Learn how to prioritize profitability with Michael’s expert advice! Michael Buzinski is a life-long entrepreneur, digital marketing thought leader, and best-selling author. Dubbed a “visionary marketer” by the American Marketing Association, Michael’s sole mission is to reduce the prevalence of entrepreneurial poverty in the US. Buzz, as most call him, has simplified digital marketing success with the Rule of 26 to help business owners avoid the time drain and frustration of managing profitable digital marketing campaigns. Visit the links mentioned in this episode: buzzworthy.biz ruleof26.com

LIVE Broadcasting on Social Media is NOT an option if you are serious about using organic social media for your business marketing. Our guest, Susie Bills, coaches her clients to incorporate LIVE broadcasting across all of the platforms with an emphasis on LinkedIn LIVE Broadcasting. As it is currently underutilized and is a great way to create expert positioning in a niche and quickly build the KLT (know, like, & trust) factor with your ideal clients. As a Marketing Agency Owner and Business Strategist, Susie Bills has built several businesses, income streams, and international teams while traveling the globe and working remotely. Her focus of expertise is digital marketing for online business. Best practices for building and scaling online business using social media & email marketing via organic and paid advertising methods. susiebills.com Susie's Facebook Group

For businesses, social media organic success is key to a successful marketing strategy. It's no secret that the algorithms of social media platforms are constantly changing, making it more difficult for businesses to organically reach their target audiences. However, through building authentic relationships with followers and potential customers, businesses can still achieve social media success. In this episode, we'll explore the how and why behind building authentic relationships with followers and influencers in order to achieve social media organic success. Nicole Porter is a chocolatier turned digital marketer, and mom of 3 boys. She helps small businesses navigate the large and overwhelming world of social media by focusing on what is really important. Nicole helps small businesses create awareness for their brands, connection, and real conversation with their customers and most importantly, she helps drive traffic to websites and brick and mortar locations which ultimately equals more sales. After getting a degree in marketing from Assumption College, Nicole spent 10 years owning and marketing her own small chocolate and ice cream shops on Cape Cod.  Once she had her sons, Nicole decided to switch direction, get back to her roots and focus on marketing. Having been a small business owner for so many years she’s got a passion for helping smaller businesses get their products, services, and their message, out into the world. Monomoy Social Media Instagram Facebook

Email newsletters can be an extremely effective way to reach out to your customers and followers. However, it's important to have a well-thought-out strategy in place before you start sending them out. In this podcast note, we'll discuss some of the key things to consider when creating an email newsletter strategy. Jennie Wright has been helping business owners grow their email lists & generate leads for nearly 10-years. As the creator of The List Injection Method™, she helps her clients and audience generate leads through inbound attraction and permission marketing. Having built over 375+ list builds, Jennie understands the essential steps to creating an event that attracts ready buyers AND builds trust & engagement with your audience. Her mission is to help business owners create intelligent and authentic marketing, lead generation and business growth strategies that drive bottom-line results. Jennie Wright's Website Jennie on Instagram Jennie on Facebook Jennie on LinkedIn

In a world full of noise and distraction, how can you make sure your business stands out? One way is to use storytelling elements to create a unique and authentic message. Storytelling is a powerful tool for marketing because it helps people connect with your brand on an emotional level. When you tell your story in a way that is genuine and authentic, it resonates with your audience and creates a connection that can’t be faked. Aleya Harris, CPCE is a powerhouse Storybrand Certified Guide, BioEnergetic Business Coach, empire-building owner of Flourish Marketing, sought-after marketer, award-winning speaker, mic-drop copywriter, and woo enthusiast. She’s committed to helping entrepreneurs differentiate themselves through radically authentic messaging strategy and copywriting. Flourish Marketing Aleya on Instagram

Have you ever been driving and gotten a notification on your phone about a sale going on at a store near you? That's thanks to geofencing, a technology that uses GPS or RFID to create a virtual fence around a specific area. Once you enter that area, you can start receiving notifications about deals, events, or anything else that's happening in that area. Geofencing is a powerful marketing tool because it allows businesses to target their customers with pinpoint accuracy. By using geofencing, businesses can send messages to people who are currently in their store, or who are within a certain radius of their store. This makes it the perfect tool for local businesses who want to drive traffic to their store. For example, let's say you're a restaurant owner and you want to offer a special deal to people who are currently in your restaurant. You can use geofencing to send them a notification about the deal right on their phones. Or let's say you're a retailer and you want to offer free shipping to people who are within 10 miles of your store. You can use geofencing to do that too! The possibilities are endless, and geofencing is quickly becoming one of the most popular tools in marketing. Justin Croxton is the CEO of propellant media, a digital advertising and tech company, based out of Atlanta and Charlotte, specializing in geofencing. Visit Propellant Media

On this episode, we'll be exploring the role of design and the way businesses represent themselves visually. We'll also dig into why it's often wise to leave the design work to the professionals. Yanique DaCosta was born in Kingston, Jamaica. DaCosta graduated from Florida Atlantic University and Full Sail University with a BA in Fine Arts and an MFA in Media Design. She is the founder and owner of YKMD. With 12+ years of design experience, the United States Department of Labor recognized her as an expert in Brand Development and Graphic Design by engaging her as a consultant for the federal 0*Net program. Yanique currently sits on the Executive Board of the Graphic Artists Guild, where she was elected National Treasurer by the organization’s membership. She is also the International Council of Design delegate, representing the Guild and teaching graphic artists at varying international conferences and meetups. She is an acknowledged contributor in the 15th and 16th editions of the Graphic Artists Guild’s Handbook: Pricing and Ethical Guidelines, a national reference book for professional graphic artists and agencies. Book a time to talk with Yanique at https://theykmd.com/15min-disco

Business today is being dramatically reinvented by digital transformation and our customer's ability to shop from anywhere. As a result, there is greater pressure to be easily discoverable online. But it's not just being discovered that matters. People also need to trust you and your business. This means helping them before you start selling to them, and being transparent and honest with them at all times. Only by establishing trust can you hope to create lasting relationships with your customers and achieve long-term success in your business. Jesse Ringer is the founder of Method and Metric, which he launched in 2017. For over 10 years, Jesse has helped business owners, entrepreneurs, and marketing teams build winning SEO strategies for their organizations. Jesse's passion for progression, creativity backed by data, and the democratization of tech have led me to build an agency focused on connecting data and people in an ethical and forward-thinking way. He is a creative problem solver, marketer, and entrepreneur, known for building high-performing teams and delivering results. Find Jesse at... Method And Metric Twitter LinkedIn

Live streaming can be a great way to connect with your audience, but it can be difficult to keep everyone engaged. But what if you had a way to increase engagement and interactions with your audience - allowing them to actively participate in the event? That's the question serial entrepreneur Lux Narayan was struggling with when he co-founded StreamAlive. Lux is a fascinating guy. Founder of several companies, TedTalk speaker, author, and now the CEO and a co-founder at StreamAlive, a category-defining, fun and engaging web application that helps livestreams and live events on Zoom, YouTube Live, and everything in between literally come alive. With the ability to track, increase, and convert engagement simply through the live chat, StreamAlive's goal is to help presenters and creators take their audiences from bored-away to blown-away. Try Stream Alive

Did you know that great marketing happens as the result of systems and processes? It's true. That's because a solid marketing system helps to ensure consistency, efficiency, and ultimately, success. Jack Turk, the World's Fastest Copywriter, is the hidden “man behind the curtain” for NO BS Inner Circle (founded by Dan Kennedy) and many other prominent marketing experts in Dentistry, Finance, and Small Business. He has written copy that has generated millions of dollars in sales for corporations like Microsoft and Kodak, as well as small businesses including Dentists, Attorneys, Physicians, even Magicians… webinars, TV commercials, sales letters, email, product launches, websites, info-products, and much more. writekillercopyfast.com/3steps

You know that saying about people doing business with people they know, like, and trust? Well, in this episode we explore how that idea plays out through marketing in a connected (and at the same time disconnected) digital world. Called the “Zen Master to Digital Marketers” by Forbes, Bryan Kramer is a renowned business strategist, global keynote speaker, executive trainer and coach, investor, two-time bestselling author including a TOP 150 USA best-selling book, and Forbes contributor. Bryan also created a global movement and is known for his keynotes, book, and talks on “There Is No BtoB or B2C: It’s Human-to-Human, H2H. Brian is the CEO of H2H Companies, an executive coaching company, and co-owner of PureMatter, a Silicon Valley marketing agency founded in 2001, which earned a spot as one of the “Fastest Growing Companies” three years in a row by the Silicon Valley Business Journal. Learn more about Brian at bryankramer.com

"Hard work is only a tiny portion of what actually generates happiness and success in our lives." Those are the words of our guest, Mickey Anderson, a marketing and sales strategist and conversion copywriter. In this episode, Mickey and David explore the idea that "less is more" in marketing. And how it's possible to streamline your efforts and still build a powerful and profitable business. Mickey has done work for global enterprises, large, medium and small businesses, nonprofits and trade events. As a military wife, mother and agency owner, she found herself burnt out...extra crispy after maternity leave, working twice as hard to keep whatever measure of success she achieved. Mickey then took everything she learned about helping others work less and make more and transformed her business and life the way she had for countless clients. She now educates, coaches, and speaks across the country, helping small business owners and entrepreneurs hustle less and profit more. For free resources, tools and tips to hustle less and profit more, visit Mickey's website at heymickeyanderson.com

When you want to get the love and attention of the search engines, one of the smartest investments you can make is to develop meaningful content on your website. But content marketing isn't just about getting traffic. Nope, it can (and should) also be used for converting readers into customers. In this episode, we chat with AbdulGaniy Shehu who studied Mathematics in school and spent time as an active journalist during his undergraduate years. That;'s when he was introduced to the world of freelancing, and eventually to content marketing. AbdulGaniy's quest to contribute to the content marketing industry led him to write for top publications such as Entrepreneur, Huffington Post, Thrive Global, and ReadWrite, among others. His writing has also been featured on brands like Moz, Coschedule, G2, Databox, and Smart Insights. In January 2021, he founded Your Content Mart (YCM) with a vision to become the go-to content marketing agency for B2B SaaS startups, with a goal to help his clients acquire more users and grow MRR using ROI-driven content marketing. Discover all the great content from AbdulGaniy and his team at yourcontentmart.co

A lot of emails are going into a void. Their destination may be the trash... or the spam folder. Or, in some situations, they may not be getting delivered at all! This, in part, has to do with the fact that many businesses don't take good care of their email lists. In this episode, we hope to help your business fix that. Troy Ericson is the owner of Copywriting.org, EmailDeliverability.com, & EmailListManagement.com. His company is called Email Paramedic, the leading Email List Management Agency that has generated over $50,000,000 for their clients since 2019 by improving email copy & deliverability. Troy has worked with Traffic & Funnels, The Sales Mentor, Rich Schefren, REPP Sports, V-Shred, Joel Erway, Zipify, SmartMarketer, Perry Belcher, 10X Advisor Network, David Meltzer, Sam Ovens, Jason Capital, Joel Marion, Alex Cattoni, and hundreds more. He was also ranked as the #20 Copywriter in the world by Peter Tzemis from Traffic & Funnels. Troy is also a musician, former college baseball player, and lives in Tampa, Florida. Thank you! To receive Troy's email cheat sheet, please visit faqemail.com

The hub and spoke model is a great way to attract leads and make sales through your content. By creating a central hub of content (a podcast, for example), and then spokes of content that lead back to the hub (social media posts, e-newsletters, etc.), you can create a powerful marketing funnel that will bring people back to your site again and again. Host of the Apple iTunes Top 50 Marketing and Entrepreneurship Podcast, The Lucky Titan, Josh has worked with over 1500 of the world’s top entrepreneurs discovering their most coveted business success secrets and sharing them with the world. His company, Podcast Multipliers, has helped over 750 entrepreneurs (and counting) to launch, monetize, and scale their own industry leading podcasts. Leveraging the Pantheon Method (Josh's proprietary method for scaling industry leading podcasts) he founded multiple 7 figure businesses and has spoken in from of nearly 500,000 entrepreneurs worldwide. Discover more at Pantheon.fm

Sales automation has become commonplace in large businesses. But for smaller organizations it can be intimidating and seem complicated. It doesn't have to be that way. The co-host of the top-100 Apple Podcast, Growth Mode, and CEO of Time On Target, Kevin Snow is a sales expert and a serious technology geek who knows how to help his clients take their automation game to the next level and is changing the game of business development. With a 20-year career working with brands like Frontier Communications, Nextel, Salesforce, and BNI, his knowledge, skills and understanding of communication and technology are getting real results for the businesses he works with. Kevin knows how to integrate digital technology with your sales process in an authentic, professional way. He’ll show you what you’ve been missing in terms of ensuring an effective system of outreach, and trust-building. Part entrepreneur, part salesperson, part networker, part technology master and part Star Wars fan…how can you afford not to have Kevin on your team this year? Learn more about Kevin at time-on-target.com  Plus... text the words "SELL SMARTER" to 612 429 4298 to receive his guide to mapping out your client buying process plus a few other goodies.

What if you had the ability to take control of the narrative about you and your business? What if you could be the one dictating how people saw you and your work? Personal branding is all about that. It's about creating a deliberate and consistent message about who you are and what you do, so that when people encounter you or your work, they know exactly what to expect. In this episode, we welcome Dr. Angela Mulrooney, a global speaker, best-selling author, and personal branding expert. She works with thought leaders around the world to clarify their message through their brand archetype while using various media platforms (LinkedIn, podcasts, and the stage) to drive sales so these experts can change the world with what they know. Join the Unleashing Influence Community

Marketing and sales are often treated as if they're at odds with each other. For example, in larger companies where different departments are responsible for each function, there can be a disconnect between what marketing is trying to achieve and what sales needs in order to close deals. This can lead to tension and frustration on both sides. There are a few key ways to bridge the gap between marketing and sales, which is what we cover in this episode featuring Walter Crosby. As Managing Partner for Helix Sales Development, Walter only engages with growth-minded CEOs and Sales Leaders who have the desire and commitment to build a performance-based sales culture. His clients say the journey can be challenging; however, the results are transformative – repeatable revenue growth with margin integrity. Walter holds an advanced degree from the school of hard-won wisdom, as well as the University of Michigan. Frustrated by the lack of training every time he was promoted to management roles, he started his own firm to coach, train, and support successful sales teams. Learn more & connect with Walter Crosby: Helix Sales Development Find Walter on Linkedin

If marketing was easy, everyone would be great at it, right? Well, it's probably easier than most businesses think, but they've not taken the time to step back and figure out what they are trying to achieve with their marketing. As a result, they haphazardly throw money, time, and resources at marketing channels that may or may not be a fit for their business. In this episode of More Perfect Marketing, we're going to talk about how to build marketing systems that fit your business's goals with Michelle Nedelec. As an expert in Entrepreneurialism and the founder of Awareness Strategies, Michelle has run her own series of companies for over 22 years and for over 15 years has been helping Sales reps, Entrepreneurs, and Executives to continually double their profits and revenues. She not only has what it takes to help her clients build a million-dollar business, but she does it time and time again. Michelle particularly loves to talk about Marketing Automation, Systems Integration, and support both on and off of the stage. She teaches the key components of scaling a business: Strategy, Systems, Support, and State of Mind so you know how to continually elevate all four components to build a healthy thriving business. For the past 6 years, she’s been focusing on helping entrepreneurs bring their businesses online from conceptualization to Done For You IT automation. Find Michelle at these links: www.awarenessstrategies.com On Facebook On LinkedIn

Juggling the demands of one business is a lot for many small business owners. But can you imagine having to deal with more than one business? That can be downright chaotic! And then there are those unique individuals who thrive on the challenge of not just managing multiple businesses, but also challenging themselves mentally and physically in extreme conditions. Such is the case with today's guest, who is not only the owner of multiple businesses, but is also a self professed biohacker, and active marathon runner and Ironman competitor, as well as a contestant on Dragon’s Den. Join David Baer and guest Charles Cormier for their discussion on managing and balancing multiple business and life pursuits. Find Charles on LinkedIn charlescormier.com topleads.agency

Many businesses think they need to carry the burden of marketing entirely on their own shoulders. But that's not always the best strategy. In fact, partnering with other businesses can be a great way to reach new customers and grow your business. Of course there are many ways to partner - some more appropriate, practical, or easier to implement than others. One of the simplest ways to partner up with another business is by creating content together in the form of a podcast. Dustin Riechmann is a strategic marketing coach who helps mission-driven entrepreneurs rapidly increase profits and massively grow their network using a Partnership Marketing System - with podcasts at the center of their work together. Learn more about Dustin's program at simplesuccesscoaching.com

Your emails may not be going where you want them to go. In fact, thanks to the ever-changing world of email deliverability, they may not even be reaching your subscribers' inboxes. We're no longer in the days when you could just hit "send" and know that your message would arrive in someone's inbox. With the rise of spam filters and other email deliverability issues, getting your message seen by your subscribers is becoming more and more difficult. But there are solutions. Our guest, Welly Mulia, knows this topic well. In fact, he ran an extensive test on his own email account to identify and resolve deliverability problems - which he explains in this episode. Welly is the co-founder of BirdSend, an email marketing tool specifically built for course creators, coaches, consultants, speakers, and bloggers. Learn more and access Welly's case study at EmailWindfall.com

Surprisingly, there are many businesses that still are not truly online. In particular, many companies which sell a catalogue of products to other businesses continue to operate much like they have for decades. And when it's time to transform an old-school business model into a digital one, the process can be daunting. That's where today's guest comes in. For the past 25 years, Mike Mayer has led digital transformations for billion-dollar B2B companies including Thermo Fisher Scientific, Crescent Electric, and U.S. Electrical Services. In 2020, he had an ‘aha’ moment. There were no agencies specializing in digital marketing for distributors and manufacturers, so he built one! Main Event Digital was launched with a very simple business model: Provide strategic leadership and the best talent along with a no-commitment, transparent pricing model. The agency supports customers across the globe with a team of about 3 dozen experts in E-Commerce Strategy, Lead Gen, Marketing Automation, SEO, Amazon Business, LinkedIn Automation, Branding & Design, Digital Advertising, Social and more. maineventdigital.com

There's a reputation that big Madison Avenue creative advertising agencies care more about winning awards than they care about growing their clients' revenue. This isn't always true, of course. As you'll discover in this episode, creative agencies can offer a powerful and impactful way of connecting with prospective customers and starting a relationship between them and a brand. This often starts by humanizing the brand. Chris Ritter is the Creative Director and Co-Founder of C-90, a creative design agency moving at the speed of culture and refusing the status quo. Learn more at c-90.com

When you've been in business for more than a quarter of a century, hopes are you've learned a thing or two. Things like where opportunities exist, how and why to enter into new market, and how to attract new customers. Stephen Halasnik has learned these things and more. A serial entrepreneur he has built 7 companies in the $5 million-$25 million revenue per year mark. One of his companies was on the Inc 500 fast growing and another was #1,031 on the Inc 5000 fast-growing list. Stephen is also a co-author of a best-selling business book called Crash and Learn.  He is currently the Managing Partner/Co-founder at Financing Solutions, Elite Funeral Funding, and Al Di La, LLC.  Stephen is also the host of two very popular podcasts – The Entrepreneur MBA and The Nonprofit MBA Podcasts. He is highly followed by 1,000’s of people and is a dynamic speaker about being a?business owner, building companies & wealth, and life as an entrepreneur. Learn more about Stephen's company at financingsolutionsnow.com

You never know when you might need to teach yourself a new skill. For example, how to become found by a target audience of parents looking for great educational content... or to get your band in front of potential audiences and booking agents. Jason Barnard (akaThe Brand SERP Guy) did both of these things and more. With over 2 decades of experience in digital marketing, he got started started in the year Google was incorporated with a website for kids based on the characters Boowa & Kwala that he built up to become one of the 10,000 most visited sites in the world. Before that, he was a professional musician with the Punk-Folk group The Barking Dogs. And before that he studied Economics and Statistical Analysis at Liverpool John Moores University. Visit jasonbarnard.com or... ...run a search for "liverpool john moores university notable alumni" on Google to see if Jason's photo is still in good company

Search Engine Optimization is a mystery to most small businesses. The goal, of course, is that your business becomes easy to find by prospective customers when they run a search online for the thing you sell (or something related to it). The problem, however, is there are many different approaches to ensuring your business is the one they discover among the few top results. Some approaches are less ethical than others. And yet there are service providers willing and able to perform the necessary tasks to get your business to show up - regardless of those ethical concerns. In today's episode, we talk with an SEO marketer who takes a highly-ethical relationship-based approached to how he serves his clients/ Shaurya Jain is the founder of Samurai Marketers, a Digital PR and link building agency specializing in B2B brands. Shaurya's website: samuraimarketers.com Shaurya's blog: attentionalways.com

Marketing can often occur in a vacuum, separated from all the other activities and functions of a business. However, when marketing is deeply embedded in the day-to-day operations of a business, true magic can happen. Magic like an increase in customer retention, larger amounts of money being spent per transaction, and predictable referrals. Sara Nay knows this territory well. She is the COO at Duct Tape Marketing, Founder of Spark Lab Consulting, Scalable Business Advisor and host of the Agency Spark Podcast. With 12+ years working in the small business space, it is her passion to install marketing and operating systems for small business owners so they can get more clarity and freedom in their lives. Outside of work, Sara tries to spend as much time as possible outdoors with her daughters and husband - from skiing to hiking to biking to camping. Links mentioned in this episode: ducttapemarketing.com sparklabconsulting.com linkedin.com/in/saranay

Innovative leaders can be found in the most unlikely of places. Such is the case for Jeff Giagnocavo, co-owner of Gardner’s Mattress & More, one of the nation's premier better sleep store. For 13 years in a row they have been named a Reader’s Choice Winner - favorite place to buy a mattress. Jeff is fanatical about the 5-star experience and has gathered thousands of online and in store 5-star reviews. His book Sleep Better has helped thousands of people wake up happy too. As a driven entrepreneur he has licensed both his own custom software and educational marketing materials to others in his industry and in other industries. On any given day his marketing ideas, tools and software are in use across more than 500 retail door fronts. Jeff’s marketing skills and knowledge have been featured regular in Forbes, Target Marketing, Dan Kennedy’s NO BS series of books & newsletters, Furniture Today, Sleep Savvy Magazine, Marketing Miracles, Predictable Profits Playbook, Lead the Field, Fox Business News, WGAL and Success Magazine. The site discussed on this episode: lesssnoremorecuddle.com Find Jeff (and all of his activities) at thejeffg.com

When does a business need to invest in growing revenues the most? The answer may sound counterintuitive... but it's when times are good. That's because when times are bad, they'll be starting off in a better position. Of course, when there's an economic downturn, marketing shouldn't stop either. But it could benefit from being pointed in a different direction. In this episode, Veena Gandhi shares her insights into how businesses can market in tough times. Veena is the founder/CEO of Melbourne based digital marketing agency, Digital Street. She has over 15 years of advertising experience and has led million dollar campaigns for companies like Leo Burnett, McCann and FCB. A data-driven marketer, she helps eCommerce brands in the fashion, beauty, lifestyle & fitness niches to scale and grow to 7+figures. As a digital consultant and performance media specialist, she works closely with businesses, advertising agencies providing digital strategy, CRO solutions, full funnel builds and digital advertising solutions. Find Veena at digitalstreetau.com and on LinkedIn

If, as the saying goes, "marketing is everything..." and as today's guest will demonstrate, "great marketing is based on great relationships," it stands to reason that we should believe "relationships are everything. Rena Chiovelli doesn't market like the old boys - nor should you! As a seasoned writer, certified content marketer, and founder of Mindful Marketing Co., Rena has grown an agency dedicated to helping entrepreneurs cultivate a deeper connection to their audience to create more leads and sales using a mindful approach to their content. She is passionate about uncovering the soul of a business, creating its unique brand voice, and helping entrepreneurs and businesses change the world with their words. Find Rena and her team at mindfulmarketing.ca

When it comes to marketing, it's crucial that your message matches the expectations of your audience. If they're expecting a one-sided sales pitch, and you give them information instead, you'll likely lose their attention. On the other hand, if you give them the information they need without pushing them to buy anything, you may win their business in the long run. So how can you ensure that your message is matched with your audience's expectations? One way is to study your audience and learn what they want. You can also use marketing research to find out what people are looking for online. Once you have a good idea of what your audience wants, you can craft your marketing messages to meet those desires. That's just one aspect of the principle known as "message market match." And the starting point for our conversation with Alyson Lex in today's episode. Alyson Lex has been writing high-converting direct response sales copy since 2007. From her start as the Director of Marketing at Glazer-Kennedy Insider's Circle (working and writing for Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer) to her private business helping hundreds of coaches, authors and speakers, to her podcast helping you market your business AND put good into the world - she lives and breathes effective marketing that works withOUT selling your soul. Learn more about Alyson at alysonlex.com Google Alyson here

Content marketing is a tricky concept for most businesses. Creating content is one thing - but doing so strategically, intentionally, and systematically is another. In this episode we talk with Angela Pointon, president of the content marketing agency, 11outof11. Angela worked for numerous startup companies and marketing agencies her whole career. Then she decided she could do it better on her own and set up the 11outof11 shop. The 11outof11 marketing agency is a HubSpot agency partner and they utilize that tool for both marketing and sales for clients. She and the team work with B2B clients that are focused on growth. The 11outof11 team works on content strategy and content creation for websites, blog articles, email campaigns, e-books, whitepapers and more. 11outof11's team consists of over thirty experienced inbound and content marketing experts, copywriters, graphic designers, website developers, email marketers, and marketing coordinators. To learn more or for help with content marketing or HubSpot-related needs, visit 11outof11com.

There's a commonly understood concept in marketing. It goes something like: "it's not about you... it's about them." The "them" in question, of course, is a business's prospects. And yet, so many businesses ignore this core concept when they create their marketing material, their website, or even when they product content. In this episode, we discuss how to better incorporate more personalized messaging into your marketing with Scott Murray. Scott has 20+ years experience in content and strategy experience, starting in print/audio and evolving his expertise to to blog, social, web video, podcasting and beyond. After two decades of working in the agency and consulting world with major brands as well as non-profit clients, Scott launched his own consultancy in 2022 to help companies/marketers evolve to modern people-focused strategy and communication. Learn more about Scott at scottmurrayonline.com Connect with Scott on LinkedIn

Marketing is packed with attention getting gimmicks. Most of them have limited shelf life - as in they only work for a few seconds before the viewer's attention is pulled elsewhere. And yet, marketers are constantly looking for ways to both capture and keep the attention and interest of prospective customers. In today's episode we dive into one such solution. CJ Oltman is the Co-Founder & CEO of BannerWave, an ad agency that helps brands supercharge the performance and engagement of their ad campaigns with custom interactive ads. For the past 13 years, CJ has been partnering with brands to deliver best-in-class ad campaigns and brand experiences, working with some of the most loved brands in the world including Adobe, Amazon, Beam Suntory, Cadillac, Discover, Feeding America, HP, NBA, and The New York Times, among many others. Check out some of the example ads discussed in this episode at bannerwave.com

Without a plan, your marketing efforts are likely to fall short. A lot of small businesses don't have a plan, and that's a big mistake. Without a plan, it's difficult to track your progress and determine what's working and what isn't. In this episode, we'll discuss the simple components for putting a plan together. We'll also talk about some of the benefits of having a marketing plan, such as increased visibility, improved customer loyalty, and increased sales. Joining David for this discussion is Tim Fitzpatrick, an entrepreneur/business owner with marketing and growth expertise. Tim has 20+ years of entrepreneurial experience with a passion for developing and growing businesses. That passion served him well in operating and managing a wholesale distribution company he co-owned for nine years before being acquired in 2005. Since then, he’s had failures and successes. He started Rialto Marketing in 2013 and has been helping B2B professional service firms that want to accelerate revenue growth and attract more ideal clients. He believes marketing shouldn't be difficult. But, you must remove your revenue roadblocks if you want to grow consistently and predictably. Time's website: rialtomarketing.com 90-Day Marketing Planner: growthmarketingplan.com Listen to Tim's Podcast

If you've every heard the phrase "truth in advertising," there's a reason it exists. Back in the late 19th century, advertising was unregulated and companies would make all sorts of outrageous claims about their products.  Even with more regulation in place, there's still a lot of inaccuracies and misrepresentation in marketing. In this episode we discuss how things can be done more honestly and authentically. Now, you may be thinking: "Isn't marketing about exaggerating the truth a little bit in order to make a product or service sound more appealing?" And, while that may be partially true, there's a fine line between spinning a story and downright lying. So today we're going to be discussing what constitutes inaccuracies and misrepresentation in marketing, what some of the consequences can be, and how to go about marketing your product or service in a more honest and authentic way. Our guest is Ashleigh Chanel, a world traveling lover of charcuterie boards (just like show host, David Baer) and CEO of Make Your Mark Digital Marketing Agency. Ashleigh and her team have consistently added monthly 5 and 6 figure revenue to their clients' top-line — product, service, and local businesses alike, through organic and paid advertising. Their specialty is positioning their clients as authorities in their industries, gaining the trust of their ideal audiences, and building highly profitable business. Visit Ashleigh's website at makeyourmarkconsulting.com Find Ashleigh on Instagram at @ashleighchanel

In today's business world, events are a powerful way to connect with customers and promote your business, product, or make a special offer. There are many different types of events, and each can be used in a different way to achieve your goals. In this episode of the podcast, we'll discuss a few of the many types of events (there are at least 17 according to our guest) and how to use them in your business. Shay Wheat is a Certified Event Producer™ & Creator of popular programs such as “The Powerful Event Process,” “The Ultimate Event Planner Certification Program,” and CEO of Grace & Ease Productions, which supports clients in creating Powerful and Profitable events. Producing In-Person and Live-Virtual events from 50 to 4,000+ attendees. Shay and her team have collaborated with many well-known celebrities such as Dr. Oz, Lisa Nichols, Dr. Claire Zammit, Bill Baren, Alison J. Prince, Josh Turner, and many others. Grab your copy of "The Five Phases of Events to Scale Your Business & Leverage Your Time Guide" at fivephases.info/david

"We need a new website" is a constant refrain among small business owners. But why? What is it that's really wrong with their current website? Is it not representing the current business? Does it look out of date? Is it unable to conduct transactions? Or is it just not generating enough leads? At the end of the day, it doesn't matter why a business owner wants a new website. What matters is that they have realized their website is no longer working for them and they are ready to make a change. In this episode we explore the different reasons businesses want new websites and the common mistakes they make when redesigning their online presence. Our guest, Kathryn Smith, is an eCommerce consultant based outside of Atlanta, GA. She helps small businesses and entrepreneurs launch websites and grows their online businesses. She is the founder of Walton Birch and the co-founder of Black Lady Business School. Find Kathryn at waltonbirch.com or @krs_consulting on Instagram

Today's marketing landscape is packed with service providers who are hard to tell apart from one another.... apart from the prices they charge. The industry is over-commoditized, and businesses looking for strategic growth guidance are often left confused and overwhelmed by the options they find. Tom Shapiro wants to change that. As CEO of Stratabeat, a B2B marketing agency, Tom has worked to differentiate his services around the impact creativity can have on marketing and lead generation. In fact, Tom believes that creativity is the only aspect of your business that cannot be commoditized. Through his career, Tom’s clients have included market leaders such as Intel, GE, AT&T, Hewlett-Packard, UnitedHealthcare, and P&G. Previously, Tom was the Director of Digital Strategy at iProspect. During his five years at the agency, the number of employees grew from 85 to 700+. Tom is the author of several books, including “Rethink Lead Generation: Advanced Strategies to Generate More Leads for Your Business”, available on Amazon. To learn more about Tom's agency, visit stratabeat.com And for helpful marketing tips on how to "Rethink" you marketing, visit tomshapiro.com

Most marketers don't think of themselves as problem solvers. Instead they probably would say they are opportunity creators. But when you step back and look at what marketing is really all about, it's connecting a "solution" that a business offers to people with "problems" needing to be fixed. Gary Geiman is a serial entrepreneur and business owner who specializes in problem solving at the core of everything he does. His 30-year career has spanned owning multiple businesses and developing sales and marketing plans to assist other business owners in growing their businesses. Gary looks to help business owners focus growing revenue with multiple lead sources. Today, Gary owns and operates DMN8 Partners, a digital marketing and consulting company that helps business owners dominate their competition DOMINATE and market. Learn more about Gary and his agency at salvonow.com

What's a seven-letter word for the most important aspect of email marketing that you're probably overlooking? The answer is "metrics." Email marketing metrics can be a little confusing to understand, but they're important to track if you want to make sure your email campaigns are effective. In this episode, we'll walk you through the most important email marketing metrics and how to track them. To help us better understand metrics, we welcome back to the show Liz Wilcox (aka the Fresh Princess of Email Marketing). Liz is an Email Strategist and Keynote Speaker showing small businesses how to build online relationships, package up their “magic” and turn it into emails that people want to read and (more importantly) purchase from. In the span of 5 years, Liz grew and sold a successful blog, got bought out of her second company, and built the third into a multiple six-figure party that just won’t quit! In other words, she now teaches online entrepreneurs to simplify the whole “email marketing thing” and finally master their sales in a way that leverages their personality, vision, and values. She’s best known for her 1000+ users membership, 20 Minute Newsletter technique, and her Email Staircase framework she’s taught to tens of thousands of creatives, freelancers, ecommerce shop owners, and small businesses across the globe. Offline, Liz lives in Florida, loves to run, and is a walking 90s pop culture encyclopedia. Check out lizwilcox.com

Claiming the title "author" can help your business in more ways than you may think. By becoming an author, you can position yourself as an expert in your field, which can help attract new customers and grow your business. Writing a book can also be a great marketing tool, helping you promote your business and reach a wider audience. And finally, being an author can give you a boost of confidence and help you build a stronger personal brand. But writing a book can be laborious and time-consuming. Thankfully, you don't need a hefty tome to enjoy those benefits listed above. In fact, your book can come in at well under 100 pages (including plenty of images and large type). Mike Capuzzi is a publisher, author and book publishing coach and has been helping clients create exceptional marketing results since 1998. In 2019, he launched Bite Sized Books, a new publishing concept formula for creating short, helpful books (known as shooks™). Shooks are ideal for business owners, entrepreneurs and corporate leaders who are looking to increase their level of authority, while also providing helpful information in bite sized books. Mike is the author of 15 books, including two Amazon #1 Best Sellers, The 100-Page Book and The Magic of Short Books. If you’ve ever wanted to write a non-fiction book but weren’t sure how to do it, you’re going to love what Mike has to share today. Visit mikecapuzzi.com/gifts for your free copies of the books mentioned on this episode.