Human-First Marketing for Trades w/ Stuart Amidon | Cutting Edge Install Podcast Ep. 8

Welcome to the Cutting Edge Install Podcast, brought to you by Omni Cubed—where innovation meets installation and everything in between.   In this episode, host Merv Campbell, General Manager of Omni Cubed, sits down with Stuart Amidon, founder & CEO of Page50, for a no-fluff conversation on building brands, earning trust, and growing profit the patient, human way.   Stuart shares his journey from bivocational pastor and wedding shooter to running a boutique marketing agency serving clients worldwide—and why none of it was part of a “five-year plan.”   Throughout the conversation, Stuart digs into: Human over Hype: Why good marketing sounds like a person and serves actual people (and how “social media is social”). Brand ≠ Logo: Brand is your reputation—product quality + customer service—long before colors and typefaces. First Impressions that Matter: Invest in aesthetics as you can, but never compromise the human first impression. Avoiding “Design by Committee”: How to keep projects from turning into camels—and get decisive, effective creative. Mentoring the Next Gen: Hire hungry young talent, pay them to learn, and build a culture of teaching. Always Be Innovating: In the AI era, stagnation kills. Create weekly bandwidth for R&D and improvement. E-E-A-T in Practice: Publish real expertise to win search—experience, authority, and trust beat generic AI fluff. Owned Media is Back: Why email lists, podcasts, and repeatable content engines outperform fickle brand pages. Quick Win Example: Turning on Google Merchant Center (even for digital goods) to unlock discoverability at scale. Your Story, Ready to Go: Craft an elevator (15 sec) and stump (2–3 min) speech so every team member can sell the why. Serve & Leave a Legacy: “Business is serving others at scale”—build something that outlasts you.   Whether you run a fab shop, lead installs, or own a growing trade business, this episode is packed with field-tested moves you can implement today—without losing the human touch. Learn more about Omni Cubed: https://omnicubed.com Learn more about Page50: https://page50.com Chapters (00:00:02) - Cutting Edge Install Podcast(00:01:14) - Start Your Own Business(00:05:17) - Startup: Shooting Events for Corporate Companies(00:08:08) - What's the Difference Between Good Marketing and Bad Marketing?(00:10:25) - The Human Side of Business(00:11:54) - Brand Management 101(00:14:21) - First Impressions(00:20:20) - How to Grow Your Business Quickly(00:22:31) - Mentoring and Career Development(00:23:43) - Never Stop Learning(00:27:35) - Don't Ask for More Money(00:28:52) - E-commerce Marketing: The Future Is Now(00:32:26) - Owned Media is Back(00:35:01) - Elevator Speech(00:37:26) - Business Owners: The Content Creator Way(00:42:50) - "Don't Panic!" AI Is Taking Your Jobs(00:43:51) - Design by Committee(00:45:52) - What's Fun in Your World?(00:48:07) - What Would I Want Them to Walk Away With After Working With Us(00:50:02) - Cutting Edge Inst