115: Understanding The Creative Curve with Allen Gannett

What's Up, Creative Hustlers! Steven & Melissa here. Today, from sunny San Diego, we're talking with Allen Gannett, CEO and Founder of TrackMaven, a marketing analytics service  helping marketers prove ROI and improve results. He has also been on the "30 Under 30" lists for both Inc. and Forbes. He is a contributor for FastCompany.com and has an upcoming book The Creative Curve, on the disciplined pursuit of creativity. [00:00] The Creative Hustler podcast is brought to you by your interim CMOs, Latin & Code. [00:16] What's up Creative Hustlers! [00:45] This interview is sponsored by SEMRush. Check it out, and get your 14 day free trial now! [01:02] Today we're talking with Allen Gannett, CEO and Founder of TrackMaven, a marketing analytics service  helping marketers prove ROI and improve results! [01:28] 60 seconds to find out more about Allen Gannett and why he's a creative hustler. [02:17] Where did the quest to find about about creativity, and how people use it? [04:00] We sometimes mix together the technical skills with the actual talent of creativity which is ideas. [04:33] The story of Mozart is the best example of technical skills, not the idea of creativity. [06:00] Allen's book. The Creative Curve, will be available June 12th, everywhere books are sold! [06:45] What is TrackMaven, and what is the value proposition for it? [07:22] The whole idea for TrackMaven is to stop making your Social Media Manager be a data scientist. [07:40] A Marketer's outsourced Right Brain, taking 25 different channels to get your data. [08:04] It's primarily social, but also content marketing, paid social, earned media, and web analytics. [08:33] TrackMaven gives the data to prove it works, but also gives recommendations to improve. [09:22] Allen uses this tool for his own marketing, and how it's worked for him, and his business. [10:00] You can get amazing engagement on LinkedIn, and Allen found that trend earlier than competitors. [10:30] The cool kids are moving to LinkedIn. [11:00] Why Allen and TrackMaven is different from the competitors. [12:00] Allen's intended clients for TrackMaven. [12:54] TrackMaven's customer acquisition strategy, and they do all of the above to attract clients. [13:44] One marketing strategy that Allen is staying away from because it's difficult. [15:03] What Twitter needs to do to improve from a marketing standpoint. [16:30] Bring the C-level executive to the forefront to promote transparency. [17:50] Allen is so excited for his book to release because he's been working on it for the last few years. [19:25] What Allen does on the days where everything sucks and he doesn't want to do it anymore. [20:00] Creatives surround themselves with other creatives. They look to the future, instead of the past. [22:55] Creativity is ageless, and you don't have to start when you're young. [23:40] We mistake initial difficulty as a lack of creativity or inability to be creative. [24:10] The most talented people are often the ones who practice the most. [25:05] Allen would grab a gin & tonic with Andy Warhol. [26:30] That's a Wrap Creative Hustlers, find out where Allen lives on the internet. [26:45] Check us out at TheCreativeHustler.com and LatinandCode.com, and please leave us a review! [27:06] Melissa's Moment of Hustle   Contact Allen Gannett: Allen.xyz Buy his book