Marketing Trench Warfare

What's this? A new episode from the trench?! That's right, your eye's aren't deceiving you. Ardee and Tony are back and share their thoughts on Facebook's stock plunge as well as announce some big changes in their careers. They also talk about the future of the podcast. You don't want to miss this one!

What happens when the metrics go...bad? Tony's here to tell you that and a protip for Hubspot email customization. Also, learn what responsive fundraising is and whether it represents the organizations you support. This and more in the trench!

Facebook announces yet another change to its ads and Ardee and Tony break down what it means for you. They also talk about Artificial Intelligence and something Ardee wishes it would do for his marketing. This and more in the trench!

Giving Tuesday 2021...it came...but did it conquer? Ardee shares the WORST subject line for Giving Tuesday in his inbox and Tony talks about what makes a great mission statement. This and more in the trench!

For this special Thanksgiving episode, Ardee and Tony look back at the events and people that helped shape who they are as marketers today. They also talk about how developing a culture of "thanksgiving" can impact your productivity and content.

Are you embarrassed with your buyer personas? USC is. Discover the pitfalls of buyer personas and the better way to learn about your customers and donors. Also, why you may not want to become a chief marketing officer after all. Surprising data in from Harvard Business Review. This and more in the trench!

What does donor centered fundraising look like? How do you design an award winning fundraising email? Do people LIKE emojis in their emails or should you leave them out? These are just some of the great questions Ardee and Tony tackle in this week's episode. Come on in...there will be donuts.

Ardee and Tony talk about how the New York Times has capitalized on Facebook's recent advertising misfortunes and what this could mean for the future of online advertising. They also discuss why your Facebook ad metrics may be lying to you and what you can do about it. Finally, learn a cool trick from David Bridal's recent marketing campaign. This and more in the trench!

Ardee and Tony break down the marketing insights they gained from Dune and why Facebook is having a not so great quarter (hint: fear is the budget killer). They also talk about why personalization can be a double-edged sword in your emails. This and more in the trench!

What happens when your "next big thing" undoes much of your "last big thing?" Ardee and Tony talk about the importance of keeping your customers happy and what we can learn from Apple's recent product launch. They also discuss the big mistake most companies make when buying marketing technology and how you can avoid it. This and more in the trench!

Do you text your donors? SHOULD you? What about Instagram. Are you marketing there? If so, does it work for your KPIs? Ardee and Tony talk about Instagram marketing, cultivating recurring donors via text messaging and why a hamster's stock portfolio is probably better than yours. This and more in the trench!

Ardee and Tony were in Austin Texas to bring you their thoughts on the 2021 NIO Summit. Hear about their favorite speakers and catch some interviews with fellow attendees about marketing tests and optimization. This and more in the trench! Interviews include Jon Delange from Summit Ministries, Matt Dunlap from HSLDA, Laura Scala from the Scala Agency, and Eddie Laing from Next After.

Are you a marketing villain or "white knight?" Ardee and Tony talk about the bad rap marketers get and why every good product needs a good marketer. They also discuss easy things you can do to improve your SEO. Things like hiring a knight in full plate armor. This and more in the trench!

Just do it! Or should you? Ardee and Tony talk about why you may want to go ahead and do that project you have been putting off now, rather than waiting until later. They also talk about why good SEO isn't free and the reasons your ideal donors don't donate on your donation page.

When is it too early to talk about Calendar Year-End Fundraising? How much is a dinosaur chicken nugget worth? And, is Content still the king of marketing, or has the crown been overthrown? This and more in the trench!

It's official, ios 14 is making Facebook ads cost more and convert less. How can you fix your campaign? Ardee and Tony break it down for you. They also discuss why fewer people may be donating to religious organizations and why Ethan Allen is making a BIG change. This and more in the trench!

Today, Ardee and Tony discuss five ways to "hack" your marketing strategy and embrace innovation. They also discuss how a technique used to save Allied bombers during WW2 could also save your next appeal. This and more in the trench!

What makes an email great? Ardee and Tony break down their favorite tips for making your emails better than ever. Also, what can Koosh teach you about marketing? More than you think! Discover this and more in the trench.

Ardee and Tony are back in the trench for a discussion of multi-channel marketing. Discover how you can break out of departmental silos and pursue outcomes instead of outputs. They also share what NOT to do if you get a lowball salary offer. This and more in the trench!

Are you the hero of your own marketing? If so, you probably aren't doing it right. Today, Ardee and Tony revisit one of their favorite episodes from the archives where they talked about why you should make your donor or customer the hero.

Today, Ardee and Tony revisit their 6th episode and ask two important questions: Who gets the value from your marketing? And, is there a Platonic Form of an online form? Stay tuned to find out!

Who knew that we'd still be talking about Privacy Fundamentalism 87 weeks after this episode first aired. Catch this conversation from the archive to learn what Privacy Fundamentalism is and why it matters to your marketing. Also, do your buyer personas look like you? If so...beware! This and more in the trench!

Should Marketing Trench Warfare have a subscription box? What about a Patreon? Today, Ardee and Tony ask if there are too many subscription box services and discuss how Patreon is taking on Apple, Facebook, and walled gardens. This and more in the trench!

Today in the trench, Apple takes aim at the heart of email marketing and delivers what some are saying could be a "fatal blow" to business as usual. Discover what Apple's new privacy standards may mean for your marketing as well as why customer service is one of the most overlooked, but still important aspects of your marketing budget. This and more in the trench!

Today Ardee and Tony talk about brand reputation and how you can best manage it online. They also look at the bleak "cookieless" future facing online marketers and what it means for how we reach customers or donors. This and more in the trench!

What reason do you give donors to invest in your organization on a monthly basis? Ardee and Tony break down monthly giving and why it matters to your organization. They also talk about why there's something you need to be concerned with BEFORE you even start talking about the value proposition of monthly giving. This and more in today's episode.

Every marketer loves compelling content, but what about REPELLING content? Learn why you should add this to your website. Also, what is hypebeast marketing? Learn what it is and what it could mean for your next fundraising campaign. This and more in the trench!

Why are marketers quitting there jobs? What does Y2K have to do with your job as a marketer? And, do deceptive ad campaigns actually work? Join us for this episode from the archive to find out!

What happens when you optimize your website for beautiful form? Does it result in more conversions? Ardee and Tony break down why the best websites may not be the prettiest. They also talk about the number one reason you may be losing monthly donors and whether you should build a customer journey map.

Workflows. How do they work? Are they worth the hype? Tony brings us episode 56 and shares why this prior episode is worth a second listen. You will also get some great management advice from the Nonprofit Times as well as tips for your next membership campaign.

Do you know what a good conversion rate is? Listen to today's episode to find out! You will also discover why lookalike audiences are the best reason to start advertising on Facebook and how you can create yours today. This and more in the trenches!

Should you do an April Fools ad campaign? Ardee and Tony discuss marketing stunts big and small and what you should consider before doing one yourself. They also talk about a new feature in Hubspot workflows that you should try out and how to manage a difficult employee. This and more in the trench!

Is your brand ready for Clubhouse? Should you even try this new social platform? Ardee and Tony discuss a common mistake marketers make when embracing new platforms. They also talk about why privacy fundamentalism has struck again and what brand loyalty looks like in a post-COVID world.

Ardee and Tony share some of their best articles from the MTW blog. You'll learn how to email effectively, why your donation page doesn't work, and the number one reason to advertise on Facebook. You will also get some great book recommendations for your reading list. This and more in the trench!

Ardee and Tony break down the single most important element of your website: your value proposition. Learn the four essential elements to a compelling value proposition for your customers or donors. Also, is donor fatigue really a problem? Find out the truth about this common fear.

How many people are actually clicking on a Google search result on mobile? The answer will surprise you! Also, how should you resend an email to your list? Tips and tricks for reheating your favorite email. This and more in the trench!

Facebook Ads are back from the dead! What does this mean for your marketing? Ardee and Tony explain why now may be the BEST time to market on Facebook. They also talk about NFTs and a concerning new bill in Oklahoma that will make marketing harder than ever. This and more in the trenches!

Ardee and Tony talk about what makes great marketing. Here's a hint, it ISN'T your marketing, but something far more important. They also discuss Google Analytics and the reasons why you probably can't get its reports to line up with your other systems (and why this doesn't matter). Finally, get some important tips to transform your SEO presence. This and more in the trenches!

Today Ardee and Tony tackle marketing campaigns. Are they stifling your creativity and limiting digital performance? Masterworks said they do. Find out whether you should ditch the campaign approach in your digital program. Also, Next After and Salesforce just released data on how well other nation's nonprofits fundraise online. You don't want to miss the stats.

Have you ever gotten an email so bad you wanted to set it on fire? Well, Basecamp has a way for you to do just that. Also, should you use Facebook's built-in fundraising tool? Ardee and Tony explain why they wouldn't. This and more in the trenches!

Today, Ardee and Tony discuss what the R/WallStreetBets and GameStop controversy reveals about the future of marketing. They also discuss Facebook's continuing battle with Apple over proposed changes to IOS14 and what this means for advertisers. You won't want to miss it! This and more in the trenches.

What was the impact of digital marketing on small business success during the Pandemic? Ardee and Tony break down the research. They also talk about what happens when brand promises don't line up with customer experience and how to build a better brand. This and more in the trenches!

How do you handle a stressful conversation with your boss? No one likes a difficult conversation, but they are part of being a good leader. Ardee and Tony talk about research into the way your brain works during stress and how it can help you excel in any difficult conversation. They also discuss why your back links may not be as important for your SEO as you think. This and more in the trenches!

What are 301 Redirects? Discover why this simple URL trick can be a powerful tool in your marketing campaign. Ardee and Tony also talk about how long SEO takes to return winning results and why 2+2 may not = 4 after all! This and more in the trenches.

Ardee and Tony talk about why you should go and organize your workflows so that you don't have ghosts emailing your database. They also discuss what new taxation on social media ads could mean for your next marketing campaign. This and more in the trenches!

Today, Ardee and Tony go back to basics. What is marketing? Sometimes we get so caught up in our work we forget the foundational principles of our trade. They also discuss how you should market to different segments of your email file and why creating more blog posts may not result in greater traffic. This and more in the trenches!

How do you generate magnetic content for your site? Ardee and Tony talk about their methods for creating content to attract donors and customers. They also discuss how social media algorithms make it hard to create a website to serve different audiences. Finally, learn which segments you should be building in your email list. This and more in the trenches!

Apple announced that they are changing the way 3rd party data is shared with online advertisers. Does this mean the end of Facebook Ads as we know it? Ardee and Tony break down what this means for privacy, the free market, and advertisers. They also talk about what Harvard Business Review says will make you a more persuasive person in 2021. Join us for the last episode of 2020!

For this special Christmas Eve episode, Ardee and Tony talk about how readability impacts your site's SEO and authority on Google. They also bring back one of their favorite episodes about Landing Pages and how you can use them to drive your online revenue. Merry Christmas!

What do you do when your marketing goes wrong? Sometimes emails go to the wrong people, have broken links, or worse, your donation page isn't ready to accept donations. Ardee and Tony discuss how to be ready for when your marketing hits the fan. They also talk about Salesforce's acquisition of slack and what it means for the future of inter-office communication.

Recorded on Giving Tuesday 2020, Ardee and Tony talk about some of the emails they saw in their inboxes and how online fundraisers missed opportunities during this day of giving. They also talk about how to create great subject lines for your emails and get them opened on big dates like Black Friday. This and more in the trenches@