E013 – Greg Elfrink – Marketing Avatars

Welcome to episode 13 of Everybody Hates Marketers. Today, I am interviewing Greg Elfrink, Content Marketing Manager for Empire Flippers a marketplace to buy or sell websites. Today, we discuss creating customer avatars. Avatars enable us to better understand and serve our customers. Greg has an interesting background. He used to work on oil rigs in Alaska while freelancing on the side. Sometimes he would end up working 100 hours in one week. With the long hours, he was getting burned out. Greg is much happier now that he is part of the Empire Flippers team. We also discuss content length and the value of reading fiction to improve marketing.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

  • How living in East Asia and working for Empire Flippers is better for Greg than working on oil rigs in Alaska.
  • A little history of inbound marketing and Michelin the tire company and restaurant guide.
  • Low quality content and fake news are the scourge of the Internet.
  • Top of the funnel content for getting leads and building awareness. Outreach and guests posts combined with a middle of the funnel lead magnet.
  • It’s a marketers job to solve the customers pain points and get them to the solution through the funnel process.
  • Know who you are speaking to so that you can tailor specific content to the customer.
  • Bottom of the funnel content like case studies, testimonials, and research can be effective.
  • Finding an angle that excites your audience.

Resources:

Empire Flippers

Greg Elfrink on LinkedIn

Greg Elfrink on Facebook

@gregelfrink on Twitter

Wait But Why

Brian Dean

The Brain Audit by Sean D’Souza

The Believing Brain by Michael Shermer

Web Copy That Sells by Maria Veloso

Freakonomics Podcast

Greg@EmpireFlippers.com

E012 – Rand Fishkin – Bad Marketing Sticks

In this episode, I have one of the most honest and transparent conversations I have ever had in a podcast. I’m talking with Rand Fishkin, Co-Founder and ExCEO of Moz, the SEO software website. Rand Fishkin is one of the best and most transparent marketers. During this hour we talk about the type of marketer that Donald Trump is and what Rand would do if he only had $100 and 6 months to generate $1000 in income. Rand also tells a personal MOZ story that applies to managing people. Along with reasons why bad marketing stands out, and how to win your customer’s trust.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

  • How Rand would spend that $100 on ad platforms to learn how to improve the ROI.
  • Rand was a shy introverted kid, but he cared about people and what made them tick.
  • Correlation and causation are important distinctions for marketers and understanding data.
  • How a bad hire caused issues with Moz’s gender equality policy.
  • How the bad marketing is what sticks and gives marketers a bad reputation.
  • False best practices in marketing.
  • How to identify and get in front of your audience.
  • Having empathy and building trust with our customers and retention marketing.

Resources:

Moz

Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain

Basecamp

Haiku Deck

Buffer

Full Contact

Radian6

Crimson Hexagon

Sprinklr

Sprout Social

Followerwonk

Hootsuite

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard H. Thaler

Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely

MozCon

Search Engine Land and Marketing Land Events

Social Media World

Hootsuite Blog

E011 – Jonathan Salem Baskin – Brands Are Dead

My guest on this episode is Jonathan Salem Baskin, Founder of Arcadia Lab, which helps businesses to communicate about innovation. He has 30 years of marketing experience in major global brands and is a currently a Forbes contributor. Jonathan firmly believes that brands are dead – and he offers a better alternative. Listen in as he challenges the conventional truths in marketing and provides a new perspective for the future of business.  

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

  • What drew Jonathan into a career in marketing and founding his current company
  • The nature of true innovation
  • Defining the terms: advertising, marketing and branding
  • Why brands are dead
  • Actionable ways to be a more genuine marketer
  • Evaluating your trustworthiness as a business

Resources:

Arcadia Lab

Tell The Truth by Sue Unerman and Jonathan Salem Baskin

JonathanSalemBaskin.com

InnovationCommunicator.com

Jonathan’s Twitter – @jonathansalem

Jonathan’s LinkedIn

feedback@everyonehatesmarketers.com

E010 – Dave Nevogt – Building Your Castle

This episode I’m talking to Dave Nevogt, Founder and CEO of Hubstaff, a remote team management software system. He started his first business on the side in 2004, eventually leaving his corporate job and going on to found Hubstaff in 2012. He shares how he got Hubstaff started, including missteps along the way, and transparency in how the business is running today. Join us for a great conversation about acquiring and understanding your customers in order to grow sales and succeed in your business.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

  • Launching Hubstaff and getting the first customers
  • Dave’s transparency in business and customer trust
  • Why bad products and bad marketing die on their own
  • How to get a good understanding of your customers
  • Avoiding expensive marketing mistakes
  • Strategy advice and resources for digital marketers

Resources:

Tom Hunt - Sneez.io

E009 – Tom Hunt – Newsletters Should Die

On today’s podcast episode, I’m talking to Tom Hunt, entrepreneur and founder of Sneez, a social selling software tool. Tom shares his experiences leaving his well-paid corporate job, entering the digital marketing world, and building his businesses. Listen in for his great advice to new marketers on improving your craft and making more sales.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

  • Tom’s journey into entrepreneurship and digital marketing
  • Transparency as a marketing strategy
  • Why newsletters should die
  • Thoughts on pop-ups and user experience
  • Marketing tactics with limited resources
  • Recommended resources and advice for new marketers

Resources: