The Busy Marketer Podcast with BJ Smith

I recently took a Meyers-Briggs test and discovered I'm an ENFP. That pretty much means I crave creativity and freedom more than just about anything. Many marketers are like this--we prefer to put our nose down and be creative which means we sometimes don't give as much attention to other aspects of business. This is especially true for the financial side of business. Darryl Lyons is a small business owner and financial expert. We talk what marketers and business owners need to pay attention to when it comes to financial and business decisions. And the big question ... Are you done yet? Visit the Show Notes page for more details from this interview and links to everything we discuss. https://BJSmith.co/26 Leave a questions for future episodes at https://BJSmith.co/ask. Remember to focus on the important tasks and have a productive week! P.S.: Please remember to leave a Rating and Review so other busy marketers, like you, can find the show!

This is a preview of my new show called the TechMedia Podcast inside Internet Summit. Rand Fishkin of Moz talks about Google's two algorithm system, The Princess Bride, and why Content is NOT King! He'll be at Internet Summit for the Wednesday (11/18/2015) afternoon keynote.

Michael Roderick shares how to grow your network by becoming a connector. This powerful skill set can be your catalyst to massive business and personal success. https://BJSmith.co/24   We discuss the difference between a "Networker" and a "Connector" and how to avoid common mistakes.   Visit the Show Notes page for more details from this interview and links to everything we discuss. https://BJSmith.co/24   Leave a questions for future episodes at https://BJSmith.co/ask.   Remember to focus on the important tasks and have a productive week!   P.S.: Please remember to leave a Rating and Review so other busy marketers, like you, can find the show!

Brian Honigman from Honigman Media joins the group to give some hard truths and amazing tips about Content Marketing. https://BJSmith.co/23   His company is a consultancy that provides strategy on content creation and content distribution. You can find his articles over at The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, World Economic Forum and others. Brian is also a speaker on the topic--helping his audience create actionable strategies for more effective content marketing and social media. And--for those of us who are Twitter chat fans--you can hang out with Brian each month on his #InsiderChat.   Visit the Show Notes page for more details from this interview and links to everything we discuss. https://BJSmith.co/23   Leave a questions for future episodes at https://BJSmith.co/ask.   Remember to focus on the important tasks and have a productive week!   P.S.: Please remember to leave a Rating and Review so other busy marketers, like you, can find the show!

What does digging in the dirt have to do with understanding your personal brand?   Danielle Watson is an expert at demonstrating how to unite conflicting circumstances to create something uniquely your own. Her Purse Process is an evolutionary process that helps the smart highly-capable woman ditch the emotional baggage that has her spinning her wheels and deftly skirt the mental obstacles that have kept her boxed in so she can create fulfilling work, relationships, and a lifestyle way outside the ordinary.   Visit the Show Notes page for more details from this interview and links to everything we discuss. https://bjsmith.co/22   Remember to focus on the important tasks and have a productive week!   P.S.: Please remember to leave a Rating and Review so other busy marketers, like you, can find the show!

Stan Genadek is no stranger to focus. He tells us about rebranding his excavating and landscaping company--moving from a multi-million dollar we'll-do-everything business to a more efficient specialty company. It's all about focus!    Visit the Show Notes page for more details from this interview and links to everything we discuss. http://TheBusyMarketer.com/26   Leave a questions for future episodes at http://TheBusyMarketer.com/ask.   Remember to focus on the important tasks and have a productive week!   P.S.: Please remember to leave a Rating and Review so other busy marketers, like you, can find the show!

For Jeremy Miller, branding is deeply personal. When he joined his family IT staffing business, he found the company in distress. The industry was changing all around them and he and his team had to make changes or close the doors. After trial and error, Jeremy realized that it wasn’t the sales team or processes that were no longer working, it was their brand. Jeremy has interviewed thousands of CEOs and business owners and profiled hundreds of companies across dozens of sectors to find out what it takes to create a sticky brand. Listen to Jeremy’s story and his amazing advice in this episode. Jeremy's book, Sticky Branding: 12.5 Principles to Stand Out, Attract Customers & Grow an Incredible Brand, was written as a branding playbook to allow companies to go through the steps of building a brand.   Visit the Show Notes page for more details from this interview and links to everything we discuss. http://TheBusyMarketer.com/25 Leave a questions for future episodes at http://TheBusyMarketer.com/ask. Remember to focus on the important tasks and have a productive week! P.S.: Please remember to leave a Rating and Review so other busy marketers, like you, can find the show!

Two years ago they were everywhere. Social media “gurus”. The people that were experts in it all. Jay Baer recently said that if anyone claims anything is “dead”, you should run from them as fast as possible. I’m not saying that the Social Media Guru is dead, but it may have one foot in the grave. According to guest Ahna Hendrix, social media is becoming very deep. When she started only a few years ago, you could be an expert in all areas. Today it’s not authentic to say you’re a social media professional and not focus on one core network. We discuss the importance of working with experts that focus on certain areas of social media marketing and how she built ARCH Digital Agency with this in mind. “The Avengers” of digital marketing. We also talk about the joys and trials of being an entrepreneur. Visit the Show Notes page for more details from this interview and links to everything we discuss. http://TheBusyMarketer.com/24 Leave a questions for future episodes at http://TheBusyMarketer.com/ask. Remember to focus on the important tasks and have a productive week! P.S.: Please remember to leave a Rating and Review so other busy marketers, like you, can find the show!

One of the most frustrating things is try to complete a project with people that have different communication styles and personalities. This is a common problem in the digital marketing world when marketers try to communicate with developers.   David Workman of Delta Apparel shares with us how he bridges the communication gap and gives great advice to marketers looking for a solid working relationship with their development team.

Why Do Most Start-ups Fail? The top reason? They make products no one wants. This comes from a recent Fortune article titled, “Why startups fail, according to their founders,” and it illustrates why research is important. It is easy to get wrapped up in doing what “I” want to do and fail to give a lot of thought to who I need to serve in order to ensure my business is successful.   Susan is the only person you know who specializes in quantitative attitudinal audience segmentation. Traditional segmentation focuses on how a person looks on paper. Age, gender, income level, etc. Susan focuses more on what matters to those people – Attitudinal segmentation.   Visit the Show Notes page for more details from this interview and links to everything we discuss. http://TheBusyMarketer.com/22   Leave a questions for BJ or Susan at http://TheBusyMarketer.com/ask.   Remember to focus on the important tasks and have a productive week!   P.S.: Please remember to leave a Rating and Review so other busy marketers, like you, can find the show!

Today is the very first National Podcast Day, so to celebrate, I'm sharing information about podcasts and why you should listen to them. I also talk about how one podcast inspired me to start my business and my own podcast. Finally, you'll hear about some of my favorite podcasts. Show Notes: http://TheBusyMarketer.com/21 NationalPodcastDay.com Some of My Favorite Podcasts Trail Runner Nation Social Media Marketing Podcast with Michael Stelzner UnPodcast with Scott Stratten and Allison Kramer Parenting Adventures Podcast Ask Pat Smart Passive Income The Podcasters' Studio with Ray Ortega The Audacity to Podcast with Daniel J. Lewis Podcasters' Roundtable Online Marketing Made Easy with Amy Porterfield Inside Social Media with Rick Mulready Social Media Pubcast with Jon Loomer Jay Today with Jay Baer Ask Gary Vee with Gary Vaynerchuk Entrepreneur on Fire with John Lee Dumas The Solopreneur Hour with Michael O'Neill Internet Business Mastery with Jason Van Orden and Jeremy Frandsen Conversion Cast with Tim Paige The Owner's Mind with Chris Brogan The New Business Podcast with Chris Ducker Podcast Answerman with Cliff Ravenscraft This is Your Life with Michael Hyatt 48 Days with Dan Miller SEO 101 Social Triggers Insider with Derek Halpern Aaron's World Digital Marketing News Ad Customizers for Google AdWords Facebook Media Twitter Tailored Audiences: Audience Upload and Look-alike-only Targeting If you have a question about digital marketing for me or a future guest, let us know at http://TheBusyMarketer.com/ask. Remember to focus on the important tasks and have a productive week! P.S.: Please remember to leave a Rating and Review so other busy marketers, like you, can find the show!  

Greg Taylor, Founder of Marketing Press, is an experienced digital marketer who knows his stuff when it comes to website optimization and content marketing. He comes highly recommended by Jay Baer, one of America’s top marketing consultants, which is why I invited him on The Busy Marketer Podcast to share some of his knowledge.   Mentors Greg relied on mentors to help him grow as an entrepreneur. Mentors can provide guidance for all levels of business.   Digital Marketing Data When talking about Greg’s Digital Marketing Mantra, “review, refine, repeat”, he shares the importance of data. We’re fortunate to have access to so many more metrics than other forms of marketing, but they don’t do any good if we don’t use them.   Why WordPress? Marketing Press ONLY uses the WordPress platform when developing websites. I asked Greg why and it came down to it being “easy” and  “intuitive”. Very much the same reasons why I built this website on the platform.    Website Optimization One of the basic things that websites need is an easy way for people to connect with you. Greg also recommends having a good “About” page that shows your brand’s personality.   Content Marketing Don’t get hung up on the written word because “content” is more than that. Content can be podcasts, photos or video. Find a form of content that you are comfortable with and can do on a consistent basis. Consistency is very important.   Show Notes: http://TheBusyMarketer.com/20   Digital Marketing News #TBMnews Facebook Video Updates: View Count & Related Videos Facebook Wants to Know Why Users Hide Ads Sweigh, Inc. Unveils New Design and HTML5 Format   If you have a question about digital marketing for me or a future guest, let us know at http://TheBusyMarketer.com/ask. Remember to focus on the important tasks and have a productive week! P.S.: Please remember to leave a Rating and Review so other busy marketers, like you, can find the show!

How do you use social media to market a nonprofit organization? K.P. Kelly found out almost by accident. He was just trying to lend a hand and it turned into his own nonprofit.   Hear K.P.'s story and recommendations for using social media to promote nonprofits and small organizations.   He also tells us about his upcoming 255 mile run across Ohio to raise money and awareness for charity.   Get more information in the show notes at http://TheBusyMarketer.com/19.   #TBMnews : Digital Marketing News Facebook Encourages Link Sharing & Penalizes Click-baiting Twitter’s New Training Program for Digital Marketers, Flight School Google Authorship Removed from Search Results   If you have a question about digital marketing for me or a future guest, let us know at http://TheBusyMarketer.com/ask.   Remember to focus on the important tasks and have a productive week!   P.S.: Please remember to leave a Rating and Review so other busy marketers, like you, can find the show!

Great employees make great companies. If you’re doing it right, your greatest asset is inside your doors already. They are your internal customers aka, your employees. I recently had a talk with Brian Fanzo (@iSocialFanz) of Broadsuite about how your employees can be a vital part of your social media marketing strategy.   Employee Advocacy Engage your employees and let them be active participants in spreading your message. Use internal stories to relate with your community.   Upcycling Content   Take a great piece of content and utilize it across multiple social networks and in multiple formulas. For example, you could take a video or podcast and turn it into a blog post and then make an infographic and then make a slideshare. Of course you can share all of this across your social media platforms. You will reach a broader audience this way without the need to come up with tons and tons of new content.   Getting Started with Social Media Marketing Set Goals Listen Use Social Listening and Productivity tools to make it easier   Visit the Show Notes page for a list of productivity tools and more details about this episode. http://TheBusyMarketer.com/18   Digital Marketing News Google announces Website Call Conversions New Vine app allows users to upload and edit video for more flexibility   If you have a question about digital marketing for me or a future guest, let us know at http://TheBusyMarketer.com/ask.   Remember to focus on the important tasks and have a productive week!   P.S.: Please remember to leave a Rating and Review so other busy marketers, like you, can find the show!

When you think about branding your business or organization, what comes to mind? Your logo? Your tagline? Sari Gabbay is the owner of U2R1 Media and she's here to tell you the truth about branding. Can you handle it?   What is Branding? Branding is your story. If you can't tell your story very quickly, then it's too complicated. Your brand is how people will emotionally communicate with you and feel you as a company.   Your Brand is NOT your logo! Your logo is only part of your brand which includes how you communicate with your audience, you voice, your message and the consistent visuals that support it.   Why is Branding Important? It helps you lead the public into a conversation so that they are talking about you in the way that you want. When you have a strong brand you control public perception and make it so that you're not vulnerable to people saying things that aren't true or are inaccurate about your company. Branding is having such a strong identity that people love what you do, they emotionally connect with you and they talk about you to other people in a way that you would talk about yourself.    Visit the Show Notes page for questions that Sari uses to help her clients develop their Branding Strategy. http://TheBusyMarketer.com/17   Digital Marketing News: Measuring Conversions on Facebook, Across Devices and in Mobile Apps Twitter Introduces Promoted Videos Read more about these stories in my article titled, Measuring Conversions on Facebook, Across Devices and in Mobile Apps. http://thebusymarketer.com/facebook-ad-conversions-across-devices-twitter-promoted-video/   Bonus: I show you how I use Twitter's new Remarketing tools in conjunction with Google Tag Manager to re-engage my website visitors on Twitter.   If you have a question about digital marketing for me or a future guest, let us know at http://TheBusyMarketer.com/ask.   Remember to focus on the important tasks and have a productive week.   P.S.: Please remember to leave a Rating and Review so other busy marketers, like you, can find the show!   Show Notes: http://TheBusyMarketer.com/17

Darren Baldwin is an eCommerce marketer that knows how to build a successful business with very little. When he joined Dungarees.net, they were still managing products and inventory with Excel spreadsheets. Today, they are an Internet Retailer Top 1000 company.   Darren and I talk about some of his presentations on Email Marketing at Bronto Summit.  This includes Abandoned Cart / Abandoned Checkout Emails and Email List Health.   In the Digital Marketing News segment, I talk about Twitter’s new Objective-based ad campaigns.    Also in the news, how Google is rewarding sites for being secure with HTTPS.   Join the conversation by leaving a comment in the Show Notes, http://TheBusyMarketer.com/16.   If you have a question about digital marketing for me or a future guest, let us know at http://TheBusyMarketer.com/ask.   Remember to focus on the important tasks and have a productive week!   P.S.: Please remember to leave a Rating and Review so other busy marketers, like you, can find the show.

When I was in business school back in the late ‘90s, everyone had to have a mission statement. It didn’t matter whether it was a company, a department or an individual -- everyone had a mission statement.    When it comes to digital marketing I believe you need something like a mission statement to guide you. A mantra.   I ask my guests what is their mantra when it comes to digital marketing and I found three themes:   1. Avoid Distractions 2. Pay attention to your data 3. Know the Personality of your Brand and your Customer   You’ll hear great advice from several of these successful busy marketers.   Get more information in the show notes at http://TheBusyMarketer.com/15.   Digital Marketing News of the Week  • Tinder to start monetizing; Expecting $75 million in earnings this year  • Google’s Pigeon update changes local results displayed on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)  • Facebook announces Internet.org App to bring Free Internet access to developing nations  • Facebook launches all new marketing tools for their videos   Have a question that you’d like answered on the show? Visit http://TheBusyMarketer.com/Ask.   P.S. While you’re here, please leave a rating and review! This helps other busy marketers, like you, find the podcast.

Christopher Brereton has a passion for nonprofit organizations and helping them do a better job at marketing through technology.  We talk about the evolution from the original PictureHealing service to the current mobile app development company, PwrdBy.   I ask the big question -- Who really needs an app? The answer may surprise you.    This episode is the launch of a new format for The Busy Marketer podcast. The interviews are a little more in depth, I've introduced a news segment (dominated by Facebook this week) and revised the quick questions for even more takeaways. Be sure to let me know what you think about the new format by leaving a comment at http://TheBusyMarketer.com/14.   If you have a question about digital marketing for me or a future guest, let us know at http://TheBusyMarketer.com/ask.   Remember to focus on the important tasks and have a productive week!

Chris Monteleone is one of the co-founders of the new social media platform Sweigh. It's a fun app that gives you 140 characters to pose a question and give the Sweigh community two options for answers. Users swipe left or right to vote on their favorite answer. But ... There's much more than meets the eye. The backend stores all of this "survey" data that can be accessed by marketers. With the help of IBM Watson, this could prove to be some of the most valuable data that marketers have ever seen. We also talk about Chris' other experience in marketing with companies like, Sony Television, Comcast Networks (NBCU), Cablevision, AMC Networks, Madison Square Garden and Clear Channel Media & Entertainment. You'll hear the story of his personal involvement with "12-12-12" The Concert for Sandy Relief.   Leave your comments on the show notes page, http://TheBusyMarketer.com/13.   Listeners' Questions We're revisiting an earlier discussion about email marketing. This time our friend is suffering from high bounce rates. I help out with next steps and give my opinion of why they should consider Bronto over Constant Contact as their email service provider. Have a question you would like answered on the show? http://TheBusyMarketer.com/ask.   Please remember to leave a Rating and Review so other busy marketers, like you, can find the show.

Erik knows to grow a business quickly like a growth hacker, you have to be on point with all of your digital marketing channels -- email marketing, social media marketing, PPC, SEO, etc. It's hard for many companies to employ all of the talent needed to get those jobs done. That's why he created Hawke Media, to fill the gaps and take your marketing to a whole new level.  It's working for his clients like Verizon, Evite and PlanetBlue! Forbes even wrote an article on him. He also talks about his 5 pillars to help get you started with digital marketing  - Facebook ads  - Search ads  - Email marketing  - Influencer outreach  - Content marketing Listeners' Questions I answer Elijah's question about how to fit a workout into a busy schedule and how that can increase your productivity! Watch the video at http://TheBusyMarketer.com/exercise. Please leave a comment on the show notes page, http://TheBusyMarketer.com/12.

Emily Pfeiffer, Director of E-Commerce Marketing at Berkshire Blanket, asks, "WWYBD - What Would Your Brand Do?" As you can guess, Emily is all about building a strong and engaging brand. She helps us to understand that it is not only important to know who our customers are, but who our brand is. How do you speak to your customers with Social Media? It’s easy once you know your brand. One of my favorite parts of the interview comes in what I now refer to as “The Group Therapy Session,” where she shares a success story about a little boy and his favorite stuffed animal. It shows you how powerful social media platforms like Facebook can be when they are used for conversation. I honestly get chills every time hear it! Are you in eCommerce Marketing? If so, you’ll want to hear about a resource that could help you find your next job. Listeners’ Questions “Ben” wants to know if the university where he is employed is doing the right thing with their Email Marketing. In short, no. I’ll tell you why and give tips for doing email the right way. Show notes and resources for this episode: http://TheBusyMarketer.com/11 Be sure to follow me on Twitter, https://twitter.com/bjsmithstrategy. Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave me a rating and review! Tweet out a link to the show by going to http://TheBusyMarketer.com/love. Happy Independence Day!

Welcome Priscilla Vento, the founder of the PR firm 30 Miles North. We talk about what Public Relations means to small business and organizations today and how it relates to marketing. There’s a good dose of Social Media talk plus she reveals tips for getting your message in front of reporters and bloggers. Are Press Releases still useful? BONUS: Priscilla offers to answer YOUR questions about PR.   In our Listeners’ Questions segment, Dante wants to know if he should use those “annoying” pop-ups to grow the e-mail list for his accounting business. I share a quick case study where I used a split test during the Holiday season on an e-commerce site to improve conversions and sales. You can leave your question at http://TheBusyMarketer.com/ask.   Visit the Show Notes page for more information and links to everything we discuss in this episode. http://TheBusyMarketer.com/10 

In this episode of The Busy Marketer Podcast, BJ shares stories with Cynthia Johnson, The Social Media Girl, from RankLab Interactive. Cynthia has worked with a variety of businesses in areas including medical, political, entertainment, small local businesses and personal reputation management -- helping them achieve their social media and brand building goals. Every Monday at 1pm Pacific, Cynthia hosts a popular chat #TheSMGirl on Twitter. She is there to answer questions and spur on conversation about what else? Social media! Listeners' Questions: Elise asks about training courses to help her with Facebook Ads.

In this episode of The Busy Marketer Podcast, BJ interviews church marketer Chris Lineberger. Chris is the 31 year old Worship and Creative Arts Pastor at Ignite Church, a church that he started with his brother Jason and a few other passionate believers back in 2010. In the short time of Ignite’s existence, it has grown to become one of the largest churches in Greenville, North Carolina with roughly 1,500 attendees walking through the doors each week … an amazing feat in and of itself, especially considering they are still a mobile church with plans to build their first building in the near future. Their social media strategy with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube has been a big contributor to their rapid growth.

Mark McKnight shares with us how he helped Rock/Creek get listed as an Internet Retailer Top 500 company in Social Media with massive successes on Twitter and Pinterest. He also talks about his start-up company Roots Rated and how it's providing great content to outdoor enthusiasts.

In this episode, BJ interviews Social Media Marketing rock star Blake Jamieson from PoolSupplyWorld. Blake tells us how being efficient makes for successful content marketing. He also talks about his Tinder experiment and how it earned him an article in AdWeek.

In this episode of The Busy Marketer Podcast we're having a chat with Emily Pfeiffer of Berkshire Blanket. Emily has been a part of the eCommerce community since its inception. As the Director of E-Commerce Marketing at Berkshire Blanket, she faces the challenges of the digital world with a healthy balance of creativity, calculated risks, and on-a-dime agility. Emily loves to share her knowledge and experience in thought leadership pieces she writes for ECommerceConsulting.com and through speaking engagements including a recent presentation on digital branding at MarketLive’s annual summit.  

In this episode of The Busy Marketer Podcast we're having a chat with Roy Steves of PoolSupplyWorld. Roy takes a technological approach to eCommerce Marketing by focusing on attribution, optimization and automation. Learn how you can use technology to become a more efficient marketer in your organization.

eCommerce Marketing Strategist Chris Reighley joins The Busy Marketer Podcast to talk about his experience in online marketing with brands like Totes-Isotoner and Univar. In this interview, Chris stresses the importance of keeping it simple when it comes to marketing. He shares some of his favorite time-saving resources and books in the Five Questions segment.

Part 1 of a 2 part series of The Busy Marketer Podcast: BJ discusses choosing the right social media to reach your customer. He focuses on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. You will also hear about a few free, time-saving tools to help manage your social media accounts.

In this episode of The Busy Marketer Podcast, BJ Smith helps you get to know your ideal customer by defining a customer avatar, showing you how to use the customer ecosystem, and build a relationship with them by hanging out at their watering holes.  This important information should be determined before starting online marketing campaigns in social media or email marketing.  Show notes with useful links can be found at http://thebusymarketer.com/1.

In this blogcast (audio blog) episode of The Busy Marketer, BJ shares his 10-step guide to repeatable campaign success.  The next time you have an Online Marketing campaign or any sort of project, use this guide ... you'll be glad you did!

In this blogcast (audio blog) episode of The Busy Marketer, BJ shares 5 Steps to take before launching using Social Media and building your Email List. You can see the original article by going to http://thebusymarketer.com/b3.

In this blogcast (audio blog) episode of The Busy Marketer, BJ digs into the topic of authority and tells local companies how they can use blogging and social media to avoid the "Race to the Bottom."

In this audio blog episode of The Busy Marketer, BJ shares a recent conversation on the topic of speaking to your audience through social media and blogging. Sometimes the people in your audience are not your customer.