Podcasts about small marketing teams

In today's episode, we dive into the world of small team marketing with the extraordinary Sarah Block. With 16 years of experience under her belt, Sarah has not only worked with industry giants like Apartments.com and Prudential, but she's also found her passion in aiding small teams to achieve monumental results. Creator of the Strategic Spark Workshop, The Strategic Story, and Tiny Marketing Framework, Sarah's expertise lies in transforming the limited resources of tiny teams into significant outcomes. Join us as we explore the unique challenges and opportunities for small marketing teams and unravel Sarah's innovative strategies for maximizing their impact. https://www.theagentsofchange.com/521 Learn more about our Digital Marketing Summit: https://www.theagentsofchange.com/summit Pre-Register now: https://www.theagentsofchange.com/summit/register Apply to speak: https://www.theagentsofchange.com/cfs Learn more about sponsorships: https://www.theagentsofchange.com/summit/sponsors

With tradeshows, digital campaigns, website launches, social media and more, how can small marketing teams keep up with increasing responsibilities while supporting their sales teams and helping companies stay competitive? Since we know many of our listeners are feeling this pressure, we brought in the ASG (a Cleveland-based manufacturing company) team of two to discuss how they divide and conquer to lead their company to success. Hear more from Senior Marketing Manager Kelly Samardak and Digital Marketing Specialist Katherine Simmons in this episode.

Imagine a world where your sales and marketing efforts aren't at odds, but instead, they're in perfect harmony, working together to significantly boost your revenue. That's the world Nathan Yeung, founder of Find Your Audience, lives in every day! In our enlightening chat, Nathan pulls back the curtain on this integrated approach, sharing strategies for blending sales and marketing into a conversion rate optimization (CRO) role and illuminating the potential challenges in achieving this harmony. Our conversation gets really interesting as we delve into the concept of scrubbing, a cunning technique well-known in the affiliate marketing realm. As a lifelong marketing enthusiast and a fractional CMO, Nathan's perspective on the customer's role in shaping an effective strategy is quite compelling. His belief in the power of user-generated content in marketing, and his insights on how marketing can act as a robust support to sales are sure to give you food for thought.But the nuggets of wisdom don't stop there. We also discuss the importance of sales enablement tools and how they can increase the success rate of your sales calls. Plus, we get into the nitty-gritty of crafting a work-back schedule and sequencing retargeting to create a captivating narrative. As we wrap up, we underscore the power of a well-crafted call to action and engagement opportunities. If increasing revenue through seamless integration of sales and marketing is on your agenda, this chat with Nathan Young is what your playlist needs!

In this episode of The SaaS Sprints Podcast, Casey Hill, Sr. Growth Manager at Active Campaign, joins us to discuss how content is consumed today, and how we content marketers can stay relevant to our audience.  

What is the best way to make your small marketing team look big and credible… like you're out there doing all the things? Repurposing, of course! When people think your team is bigger than it is, it's a huge compliment and means your repurposing is working. In this first episode of the second season of B2B Content Strategist, host Amy Woods speaks to LASSO's Head of Content Jess Cook about her new role, her strategy to cement LASSO as main thought leader in the events industry and how repurposing is an integral part of that. They also cover the recurring processes she is streamlining and optimizing within her team right now. Amy Woods is the CEO and founder of Content 10x, the world's first and longest-running specialist content repurposing agency that partners exclusively with B2B tech and professional services businesses. Find out about: Jess' strategy to grow a niche SAAS brand into an industry leader How to streamline processes to reach the right audience Incorporating AI while still injecting humanity into your content Important Links & Mentions LASSO.io https://www.lasso.io/ That's Marketing Baby https://www.thatsmarketingbaby.com/ Jess on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesscook-contentmarketing/ Content 10x : https ://www.content10x.com/

Chris Stephenson's small but mighty marketing team at Broadspire regularly produces quality content, stays in touch with what's happening on the sales frontlines, and leverages performance marketing tactics to find gains in their everyday efforts. It's a lot to ask of a little crew, but in this episode, Chris unpacks how they get it all done with smiles on their faces.

Chris Stephenson's small but mighty marketing team at Broadspire regularly produces quality content, stays in touch with what's happening on the sales frontlines, and leverages performance marketing tactics to find gains in their everyday efforts. It's a lot to ask of a little crew, but in this episode, Chris unpacks how they get it all done with smiles on their faces.

#BuiltBy Ep. 31 ft. Vicki Kiger, Director of Marketing @ Exterior Source

Emilie Totten is Head of Marketing at Synthesis Technologies, a leading provider of data and content automation software and services to the financial sector. Join us as we discuss what it's like to come into a "14-year-old start-up" as their first in-house marketer and develop a strategy to grow the company as the only marketer operating on a shoestring budget. Emilie once dreamed of working in a big agency writing Super Bowl ads but is glad that she took a different route where her influence on the success of the business is critical.She has used a relentless focus on strategy as well as creative approaches to developing strong and insightful client relationships help Synthesis reach a historical milestone for the company in 2020. Contact Emilie at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilietotten.Learn more about Synthesis Technology at https://www.synthesistechnology.com. ******************************************************************************************If you'd like to talk to Terry McDougall about coaching or being a guest on Marketing Mambo, here's how you can reach her:https://www.terrybmcdougall.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/terrybmcdougallTerry@Terrybmcdougall.comHer book Winning the Game of Work: Career Happiness and Success on Your Own Terms is available at Amazon. 

Marketing is hard enough if you are a big company with what seems like endless resources, but when you are a small team tasked with performing and don't have an uncapped budget doing more with less is always a demand. Does your small marketing team know how to effectively select partners and tell the difference between a pretender and a contender?In this episode of SUMMIT Podcast we tackle the challenges small industrial marketing teams face when trying to become digital in an analog world. Small business digital marketing savant with 20 years helping companies modernize their online presence, Jill Manty of Manty Web shares her insights of what it takes to be successful. This episode it chalk full of secrets for the small marketing team and how to select the perfect support system without breaking the bank.About Jill MantyJill learned to find solutions and manage complications while getting using her Theater degree. Ever ended up on stage in a scene where you were supposed to die by being shot, only to discover the gun has gone missing? She has. Ever stage-managed a production where actors skipped 10 pages of dialogue then looped back to pick up the missing 10 pages? She has. As a mother of 6, she's uniquely qualified to build relationships and manage human and operational resources. Have you ever packed 8 people for a 20 hour trip in a minivan? Jill has. And successfully negotiated who was sitting where and who was touching who with no permanent injuries and with no one walking home. She brings that same brand of level-headed problem solving to each project. Find out how Manty Web can make your life easier.About Kyle HamerA sales and marketing veteran with a deep understanding of strategy, digital marketing execution, and using technology to enhance brand impact. A hands-on leader with a passion for solving business challenges with process, operations, and technology. When Kyle's not tinkering on businesses, you'll find him spending time with those he loves, learning about incredible people, and making connections.About Hamer Marketing GroupMarket growth for a new product or service is often limited by market distractions, unreliable data, or systems not built to scale. Hamer Marketing Group helps companies build data-driven strategies focused on client acquisition and sales development supported by the technology and operations necessary to create profitable growth.

The following experiment shows how using HubSpot’s sales tools correctly can help sales reps redirect 30 hours a month back to selling and building relationships. These days, the line between jargon and effective business communication is razor thin. When you are running a fast-paced business, the language you use can bring clarity. However, words can also add confusion. If you have ever tried explaining your job to a friend or relative who is not in your industry, it quickly becomes apparent that we cram too much meaning into business terminology. For instance, take the following terms: “Sales enablement” “Lead generation” “CRM” “Marketing automation” “Sales tools” “Lead management” “Sales efficiency” If I asked 10 executives in my network to define each term, I would get 10 different answers for each. In addition to business terms meaning different things to different people, marketers have dulled the meaning of business terms so that one term can cover a broad range of business functions. When you read the terms above, it’s easy to assume their meaning without ever needing to understand the nuances of each strategy and how to implement them successfully in your organization. “Of course, I want more lead generation.” “Of course, my team needs a CRM.” “Of course, marketing automation is important.” “Of course, my sales reps would benefit from the right sales tools.” “Of course, my company needs a lead management process.” We are all in agreement that busy people demand concise language. However, this attempt to sum up a business function in a couple of short words leaves the conversation at a surface level without ever getting to the heart of how to use these tools and tactics to grow your business. Moving The "Sales Tools Conversation" From Theory to Real-Life I am in the business of making a big impact on companies and their employees. General use of business terms, such as  “We will work on sales enablement,” or “Let’s use our CRM to grow faster,” is not enough. When most people first hear about the HubSpot Sales Tools, they think, “Those sound cool.” This initial reaction is often a major factor in selecting the HubSpot CRM and sales platform. However, implementing the HubSpot Sales Tools and getting your sales team to use them is a different story. I talk to HubSpot customers every week that have access to the HubSpot sales accelerator tools, but are not using them. They are either unaware of how using these tools could benefit their company, or are simply choosing not to use them. I could share my Hubspot story with these clients until I am blue in the face, but it still would not enact change at some organizations. So, I took a different approach. I collected real data. We Ran A HubSpot Sales Tools Experiment To get this data, my team and I at Small Marketing Teams did an experiment!   We wanted to know how meaningful the time savings was from just TWO of HubSpot Sales Tools: task queues and email templates. We Started With A Common Sales Rep Scenario Sales reps have to handle a lot of different types of communication - from prospecting and re-engagement to proposals and follow-ups. When a new marketing or lead nurturing offer is created, the marketing team will send the content to most of your company’s list. However, for the leads and opportunities that are engaged with a sales rep, you don’t want marketing interfering with the relationship and messaging that the sales rep is establishing. For leads they are working, sales reps often distribute new content offers themselves. Having sales reps distribute new white papers, invitations to webinars, and other relevant resources is also a common practice in account-based marketing, where there is a small number of target accounts. To normalize this scenario for our experiment, we sent five contacts that we are engaged with a personal invitation to an upcoming webinar training we are hosting. Testing Two Approaches to Sales Productivity The experiment was simple. We compared the amount of time it took to send five emails to contacts using two different productivity approaches. First, I created and sent an email to each of the five contacts inviting them to the webinar. I manually sent them using the HubSpot CRM, but I could have typed these emails in any CRM or email client. I located each contact in the CRM. [CLICK] I opened a new outgoing email. [CLICK] I typed a subject line. [TYPE] I wrote the email. [TYPE] I inserted the link to the webinar. [CLICK] I proofread the email. [READ] I clicked send. [CLICK] I used this approach for each email to all five contacts.. Next, we sent five invitations to the aforementioned webinar using the task queue and email template tool built into HubSpot’s sales platform. The five contacts were already in a task queue and the email copy was in a HubSpot sales email template. All I did was click start on the task queue before I: Opened a new outgoing email. [CLICK] Selected the template I want to send. [CLICK] Personalized the first sentence of the email. [TYPE] Proofread the email. [READ] Clicked send. [CLICK] After I clicked “send” on the email, I merely clicked “next” in the task queue and HubSpot took me to the next contact in the queue. The Results Of This Sales Efficiency Experiment Before you read the results of this HubSpot sales automation experiment below, take a minute to make your best guess as to the time it took to: Send 5 emails to contacts by writing and sending each email individually (Sales Productivity Approach #1). Send 5 emails using HubSpot’s email template and task queue feature (Sales Productivity Approach #2). Now on the findings of our test… If you look carefully at the series of steps for each approach outlined above, you’ll see that in addition to more overall steps, the manual approach (#1) included more thinking and typing than the approach that utilized the tools in HubSpot’s sales platform (#2). More Clicks With Less Thinking and Typing This experiment highlights the speed in which sales reps can interact with leads, and therefore, bring significantly more leads through the sales process. Sales Productivity Approach #1 Total time to send 5 emails: 13 minutes, 29 seconds Sales Productivity Approach #2 Total time to send 5 emails: 3 minutes, 49 seconds By using only two tools inside the HubSpot Sales platform, I saved roughly 10 minutes when reaching out to five contacts via email.   The Major Implications for Sales Teams This “5 email” task was chosen because the activity of emailing leads is very common among salespeople. From these results, you can easily see how choosing the more efficient approach can impact a sales rep's day, week, month, or quarter. If you are an SDR or a BDR… This means you are prospecting for new opportunities or qualifying new inbound leads. Assume you are working 200 leads at one time. Also, assume that you reach out to these 200 contacts once per week. Leveraging “Sales Productivity Approach #2” would save you 6 hours and 40 minutes hours a week. That gives each sales rep back: 30 hours each month. 120 hours each quarter. 480 hours in a year. If you are an account executive being fed opportunities by your SDR or BDR... This means opportunities are turned over to you once they have been qualified. Assume you are working 20 opportunities at once with an average of 3 contacts each. Also, assume that you reach out to these 60 contacts once per week. Following “Sales Productivity Approach #2” would give you 2 hours back a week. That comes out to: 9 hours each month. 27 hours each quarter. 108 hours in a year. If you don’t have an SDR or BDR layer in your sales organization… This means you cover the sales process from initial connection to close. Assume that you are working 60 leads at once. Also, assume that you reach out to these 60 contacts twice per week. Utilizing “Sales Productivity Approach #2” would give you 4 extra hours a week that you can redirect back to selling. That is: 18 hours each month. 54 hours each quarter. 216 hours in a year. If your situation is slightly different, this model gives you the data and framework to build assumptions specific to your organization. The Takeaway for Executives, Marketers, and Sales Leaders Your sales team is performing at its current level using their current process, habits, and tools. According to widely-published sales efficiency research, most sales reps only spend 2-3 hours per day on selling activities. The rest of the time is spent on CRM, data entry, and admin activities. How would your company’s sales performance change if you could give your sales team an extra hour or two of selling time each day? If your sales managers can translate those “found” hours into productive selling time and not watercooler hours, it can have a significant impact on your company’s growth. Ultimately, this time saving translates to 30-50% more sales conversations, demos, proposal calls, or negotiations. How To Take Steps Toward Improving Sales Efficiency If you use HubSpot, make sure your team is using the tools inside the sales platform. Also, make sure your lead management process and sales tools are set up correctly. If you want guidance on how to train your sales team or set up your sales process in HubSpot, ask me about a free consultation today. . If you don’t currently use HubSpot’s CRM and sales platform, find similar sales productivity tools that work with your CRM. The integration and data won’t be as tight, but you’ll be able to gain some efficiency. The bottom line is that when you fully adopt processes and tools to create more “selling hours” in the day, you have a competitive advantage. However, neglecting to arm your sales reps with time-saving tools to help them touch more prospective customers without losing any personalization puts your company at a disadvantage (from which it can take years to recover). Your Turn… Do you have any quantifiable data around how HubSpot’s sales tools have made your sales team more productive?

Is your sales team is struggling to get leads on the phone? This might be one of those situations where technology and easy access to digital data are getting in the way of good old fashioned common sense. Check this out... When a new lead gets assigned to one of your sales reps, there are things that sales reps do before trying to connect with the lead? They decide when they are going to reach out (hopefully asap) They prepare their “connect call” script or outline. They open up a new note in their CRM. Most importantly, they do research on the lead. It is important that sales reps try to understand the lead’s situation or the context of their initial conversion so they can make their first touch a relevant interaction. How Small Marketing Teams Leapfrog Larger Competitors Since this cursory research only takes a few minutes, it is a major leverage point for small marketing and sales team. By doing things smarter,  your sales reps can close a lot more sales using the same amount of time and effort. In this episode of the Small Marketing Teams podcast, I discuss how using your lead intelligence differently can result in an increase in revenue. The first thing you need to know is that not all sales reps use lead intelligence (the data you have about a lead and their interests) the same way. An AVERAGE sales rep looks at which offer or landing page the lead converted on before calling or emailing them. A GOOD sales rep analyzes additional digital behavior, including: How many web pages they viewed When they were last on your website. The most recently opened emails Data submitted in the landing page form Social profiles Both of these approaches represent the use of quantitative data in building your assumptions about a lead’s problems, priorities, and motivations. The BEST sales reps take it a step further. They build on quantitative data by adding qualitative elements. These top performers build a narrative around the journey that the lead look - from the first ad or search engine query to their landing page conversions. Where do they get this information? They put themselves in the prospective buyer’s shoes by immersing themselves in the experience that the buyer takes. They take into account the ad that got the lead’s attention and the language that led them to click on the call to action. They analyze the copy on the landing page to identify the hook that caused the lead to first opt-in. If the lead converted on a second or third offer further down the funnel after their first conversion, what was the communication and copy that drove them to take the next step? Together this information in your CRM enables savvy sales reps to create a fairly accurate narrative that will inform how they connect with, qualify, and build relationships with leads. Next, let’s explore why this is important. Continuity Is The Key To Productive Sales Calls It used to be that prospective buyers did very little digging online before contacting a company. Today, leads do 50-70% of the research on their problem online before reaching out to a sales rep. That means that they have an understanding of their problem and potential solutions before they ever get connected with your sales team. Think about the way that you make a purchase. You research online first. By the time that you speak with a salesperson, you are an educated buyer. Have you ever had an initial conversation with a sales rep where they brought up points and addressed issues that were not relevant to your situation? Now, think about sales calls you have had where the discussion felt like a continuation of the research and direction you were already heading? The rapport and momentum of these two calls are completely different. The conversation that is built on a continuation of the experience you have already had closes a lot faster. Instead of going into sales conversations cold, empower your sales team to look beyond basic sales analytics and be the next step in the messaging and call to action that they lead has already shown appeal to them. Small Marketing Teams Takeaway Analytics is great, but knowing each buyer’s journey will give you a competitive advantage. Just because you have the data in your marketing and sales platforms, does not mean that your sales reps know it is there, know how you use it, and are using it in their sales process. This takes a clear process, simple actions, and ongoing monitoring of sales tool usage.

How many concerts did you attend last year? 1 concert? 2 concerts? Every other weekend? For most performers, a concert is a one-time event. They move from city to city scooping up revenue from each performance’s ticket and merchandise sales. I want to share a story about how one savvy superstar rejected that model so she could spend more time on other priorities. This story comes with a very important lesson for marketers. My wife and daughter recently watched Beyoncé’s new concert film, Homecoming. It is her live headline performances at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival last year and the story behind it. The visually-impressive film caught my attention as I made dinner and afterwards, I sat down the join then. By that time, I was hooked since I had been watching from a distance. Apparently, the release of this film on Netflix coincided with her new live album featuring these performances. Beyoncé had not released a new album in several years. Since her last album, she had a very difficult pregnancy and gave birth to twins. Beyoncé’s big comeback was this Coachella performance in 2018. Beyoncé’s Powerful Lesson For Small Marketing Team Leading up to the music festival, Beyoncé and her team had a choice. Option #1) They could work really hard to put together this performance for Coachella. OR Option #2) They could work slightly harder and accomplish: The headlining Coachella performance. A new live album that will sell hundreds of thousands of copies. An impactful concert film documentary that is packaged as a cultural moment and will keep Beyoncé on top of the relevancy ladder for the next year. They chose to work harder and so they could get more from the effort they were putting into preparing for the Coachella event. In marketing and sales, I call this approach to prioritizing inputs and outputs a “Mileage Mindset” and it is a key to growing your business with a small marketing team. To understand if you have a “mileage mindset,” let me ask you a question. How many times have you done the hard thinking and writing around creating a whitepaper or webinar then left it in that singular format when the campaign was over? Have you ever prepared for a presentation at a conference or industry event and then never re-purposed that into a webinar, ebook, or video series? Beyoncé prepared 4-5 months for Coachella. She put in the brutal effort of preparing for a mega-concert once, but leveraged that work in other assets that would continue to pay off. You may be thinking to yourself, “I’m really stretched thin. I don’t have time to plan out or repurpose my content to make the most of my investment.” Beyoncé had a similar problem. She has twin infants. She had a 6-year-old daughter. She had an extremely busy megastar husband. She was getting pulled in all directions at once. How did view the hill she needed to climb? Beyoncé knew this was not going to be easy, but she chose to push hard and put in the extra time upfront, so that her investment would pay dividends for the next 1-2 years without her needing to be in the spotlight all the time. You see? Content repurposing is not a time suck. It is a marketing strategy for getting hours back in your day. I think Beyoncé is great, but I’m not an avid fan. However, watching this concert film made me realize the brilliant marketing move that Beyoncé employs to do more using less of her time. Just like you, Beyoncé’s time and attention are needed elsewhere. Her lesson for content marketers, especially those with small marketing teams, is one that every growth-oriented company needs to take seriously. This is a lesson in leveraging your time. When it comes to marketing, all of the hours you put into your work are not equal. Beyoncé shows us that one hour of work does not need to produce one unit of your desired outcome. How To Copy Beyoncé's Content Repurposing Playbook If she had thought of Coachella as a one-time concert, she would have generated 7-21 days of buzz and revenue from that one performance. Instead, Beyoncé has a “mileage mindset.” How about you? If you work for a week to create a new content marketing campaign, it could generate leads for a week or two when you launch the campaign. Here is how “Marketing Professor Beyoncé” would look at this. She’ll say, “I’ll work hard for a week and a half, so I can generate leads for a year.” When you create a marketing asset, you have done the hard thinking. You have researched and developed your ideas. You have organized them into production-ready content - whether it is a lead magnet (like a report, ebooks, white paper), a blog post, a video, a webinar, a presentation, a podcast, or many other content formats. You may not know it, but you have done the hard and the most time-consuming part. Beyoncé’s lesson is about putting in a little extra work to get the most from that investment. The beauty of this model is that you are now working with leveraged hours. To create a video series from that ebook, you don’t need to put in the same amount or type of hours that you did to plan and create the ebook. The thinking is done. The content is done. Now, channel your inner Beyoncé to take that thought leadership and turn in into multiple potent content assets. First, you need to understand that Beyoncé did not mix the live album or edit the Homecoming concert film or even upload the finished product to Netflix. She just did the part that only Beyoncé could do upfront. So, I recommend outsourcing (or offloading to someone on your team) a large portion of the content repurposing. This part of the “mileage mindset” allows you to work on other strategic initiatives or get started on the next content campaign. Let’s take this further so you can start putting this into action today. Here are your steps to develop a “mileage mindset” to turn your content marketing strategy into an engine that will generate traffic, leads, and sales for years to come. Step #1) Evaluate Your Current Marketing And Sales Assets. Some of them might be out of date or less relevant to your target audience. However, if it is still accurate and important to your audience, put it in the pile of assets to turn into additional formats. Step #2) Bring A “Mileage Mindset” Into Your Next Marketing Campaign. Go into your next content campaign with a plan to turn the upfront thinking, planning, and content creation into as many formats as you can over the next few months (along with the corresponding mini-campaign launches). Step #3) Pick The Right Formats. Identify the content formats that make sense for your content and market. If you created an executive report for the buyers in your market, know that turning that content into blog posts or an infographic will serve a different purpose and drive different outcomes than using that information in a webinar, in-person lunch and learn, or presentation at an industry conference. Step #4) Prepare Your Content Distribution Strategy. Content creation is only half your growth equation. Just like you did with the original content asset, you will need to get each new asset that you create in front of buyers. Common content distribution channels include emailing your list, digital ads, and partner communication. Step #5) Analyze And Adjust. This may feel like a lot of work, but as a leader in your business, you need to set the expectations that content is not fully published until it has been repurposed into 4-5 additional formats. Small Marketing Team Takeaway Everything from doing more with less to getting hours back to work on other priorities while leads are automatically generated starts with your “mileage mindset”. Then, be clear about the content repurposing process and each person's role in the system. Soon, just like Beyoncé, you’ll be able to squeeze every drop of marketing power from everything you do.

For almost three years I've been making Data Driven Daily Tips, useful pieces of information for Small Business Owners and Small Marketing Teams to learn Web Design and Development, Digital Marketing, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Blogging, Content Creation, Instagram Growth Strategies and more. There are almost 300 "DDD Tips" now, and they've taken many forms. Originally shot on Instagram Stories and saved down and uploaded to YouTube, and reposted in blog form on the website with written transcriptions, the "tip" has now evolved into a simulcast YouTube Video and Podcast with audio ripped down and published via Anchor.fm. The YouTube video now is post edited into IGTV format requirements to ensure omnipresence on all socials, including LinkedIn, Facebook and Medium.com This latest version of the "tip" is a first. It's our first with a guest. And this guest is an important one, so we took about 45 minutes together via Zoom Conference. Myself from my office in Valencia, Spain, and Dave Isbitski, Chief Evangelist for Alexa at Amazon and Alexa Marketing Employee #1, I assume from his office in Seattle. Here are the main highlights of our conversation: On helping brands figure out "what does this all mean?" - "Alexa is not a smart speaker revolution, it's about connecting with your customers." Talking about what it's like to help build a community of Alexa Developers via the Alexa Developers Console and the Alexa Skills Kit. Also, the Alexa Voice Service. - Alexa Voice Service is where you put Alexa into things. This can be done with Windows machines, Sonos speakers, Cars, Headphones, Homes, etc. So Alexa Voice Service basically extends the amount of Alexa-enabled devices that exist. Right now, I think of Echos and Echo Dots as Alexa-enabled devices. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/paulhickey/support

Google My Business is a little known platform. Even the most savvy marketers overlook it constantly. It probably gets a bad wrap, as it used to be Google Places and Google Plus, but Google has given it a ton of credence in terms of SEO value for businesses that have verified listings. In fact, businesses that post consistently on Google My Business get a HUGE SEO BOOST - the proof is in the data. But this Data Driven Daily Tip is extremely utilitarian. If you're a Small Business Owner or a member of a Small Marketing Team, you should be collaborating on Google My Business, allowing teammates to post for you, add photos to your page, update your information and look at the data. Here is how to add users to your Google My Business Account. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/paulhickey/support

I've blogged so much about Alexa For Business, Alexa Skills and Alexa Flash Briefing Skills lately - including How to Build Your Own Alexa Flash Briefing, that I sometimes forget the simple, simple basics, like helping Small Business Owners and Small Marketing Teams actually set up their Alexa Enabled Amazon Devices in the first place. I want you to be able to use Alexa and the Echo Dot device in your office to make you a more productive worker, and the first step is setting up your device. This video helps show you how. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/paulhickey/support

In business, we are trained to constantly learn. We are told that we are at a disadvantage if we are not always seeking ideas, advice, and tips. Well, I’m here to tell you that you can actually grow your business faster if you turn that wisdom on its head…especially if you are part of a small marketing team. In this episode of the Small Marketing Team podcast, I’m going to share a powerful productivity secret used by the world’s top marketers. It might make you uncomfortable. It might feel scary at first, but I’ll walk you through the three hacks for switching your mindset to getting better sales and marketing results by learning less. Tune in to learn how consuming less information and focusing on certain types of learning will catapult your business like nothing else.

I have two questions for you… What if you could provide specific answers to those questions without making prospects and customers dig for info on your website? How would your business be impacted if you could use those opportunities to bring people down your funnel faster? I recently lead a session for the HubSpot User Group in my hometown of Phoenix on How to Create A Chatbot In HubSpot That Turns Website Visitors Into Sales Conversations In Your Sleep. During the two-hour seminar, I facilitated a discussion about both how conversational marketing is different than other types of inbound marketing and how to develop an on-site lead generation strategy using chatbots. In this episode of the Small Marketing Teams podcast, I walk you through these same tips that I gave the HubSpot User Group. You’ll learn how to build a chatbot that helps you impact every phase of the marketing and sales process.

Getting buy-in. Getting approval. Getting greenlit. Getting sign-off. This step is woven into the fabric of how companies move forward with new marketing strategies, projects, and tools. This gate can also be where good ideas go to die. Has the following situation ever happened to you? You have the right plan and the ability to execute for your company, but the executive team, CEO, or your direct supervisor gives you the thumbs down. It could be your social media strategy, a new marketing platform, changes to your sales process, or any number of new ideas. Even when you are 100% confident this approach will have a big impact on your business’s growth, you still can’t get people to sign off on moving forward. Then, since you believe in your ideas, you reexamine their objections, change your business case, and they still put the brakes on your plan. Thousands of small marketing teams are frustrated by this every day. You start wondering… Does my CEO really hate social media? Does my boss not think I can deliver? Does my executive team think marketing is a waste of money? The truth is that they don’t dislike or disagree with your ideas at all. So, what is going on here? In growing a company with a small marketing team and working every day to help small marketing and sales teams over the past 2 years, I have become a student of what holds companies back and the systems and mindsets you need to overcome those hurdles. In this episode of the Small Marketing Teams podcast, I explain why the psychology of trust and risk are the real culprits and how you can overcome these challenges to get buy-in for your marketing strategies.

The conversation around how to get people to open, click, and convert on marketing and sales emails has been intense for almost two decades. Some people swear by short emails. Others see success from emailing lengthy stories that build trust and relationships. You can also find studies that tout both approaches. So, what are small marketing teams supposed to do? Let's start by acknowledging two things... The answer is not simple. Most "experts" who are pushing a one-size-fits-all email length are either wrong, misleading you, or using outdated proof points. The truth is that it depends on many factors, such as: Who you are emailing What they know about you What have emailed in the past In the latest episode of the Small Marketing Teams podcast, I break down two long emails of similar length to prove that this discussion should not just be able wordcount.  I give your small marketing team a lens in which to view your email marketing strategy that highlights when to use short emails, medium-length emails, and long-form email copy.

There is an organization near Phoenix called Feed My Starving Children. They package up meals and send them to starving and malnourished children in places all over the world. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to participate in a Feed My Starving Children event at a local church. There were 40 tables. There were 10 to 20 people at each table. Together, we packed 34,000 meals for these kids in 90 minutes. That’s enough to feed 93 kids for an entire year. That was one of three sessions planned for Friday night and Saturday morning. The goal was to pack over 100,000 meals between the three sessions. What can small marketing teams, who are always trying to do more with less, learn from this type of system? This experience with Feed My Starving Children gave me insight into how small marketing teams, like you, can get more done with limited resources and take on and beat companies four, five, six times your size. In this episode of the Small Marketing Team podcast, I walk through 5 micro-system that you can begin implementing this week to help you move from slow linear processes to a well-oiled machine.  

It has been way too long since I published a podcast episode for you. That ends today! I'm back and excited to bring you fresh tips for growing your business - even if you are not a well-funded start-up or household name brand. Over the past year, I dug deep into how marketing is changing. If you are experimenting with these shifts, then you will be well ahead of most companies - big and small - that ignore them. In this episode, I give you six areas to focus on in 2019 that will help you make the most of these trends in how people find and buy from companies like yours.

Our guest, Josh Paul, went from a dark time with a double bankruptcy - both business and personal - as the result of buying a children's bookstore. The bookstore - a dream of Josh and his wife just didn't make it through the recession. Then going through several jobs - he found his groove by helping others. Josh works with others now with his company Small Marketing Teams. This company, now serves others by educating small business owners in the latest and most effective marketing strategies available. You don't want to miss Josh's story of overcoming his business failure to becoming truly helpful to others.   [gallery link="none" size="large" ids="2101,2102,2098"] Josh's Links & ResourcesWebsite: Small Marketing Teams http://smallmarketingteams.com/ (http://smallmarketingteams.com/) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SmallMarketingTeams/ (https://www.facebook.com/SmallMarketingTeams/)  

Let's face it. Most companies are terrible at lead nurturing. They send boring, impersonal emails every few weeks over several months. These companies think that they are staying top of mind with you, but they are really getting lost in a sea of similar emails that are not getting opened. Want proof? Check your inbox! In this episode of the Small Marketing Teams podcast, I’ll walk you through my counterintuitive approach to lead nurturing that has yielded much higher engagement rates than traditional lead nurturing campaigns.

When a buyer wants to buy from you, your salespeople love life. When an inbound lead comes in at the top of the funnel, they are usually not ready to buy. They are often not even ready to have a conversation with sales. That creates a lot of frustration inside your organization, especially if your sales team is used to sales-ready leads. That creates a lot of frustration inside your organization, especially if your sales team is used to sales-ready leads. Put yourself in your sales team's shoes. Now you have to follow up with someone who has not expressed an interest in talking to you. In this episode of the Small Marketing Teams show, I’ll give you the one mindset shift that will help your sales team methodically close a significant portion of your inbound, top of the funnel leads.

Jon Bishop is the Director of Growth at Heap Analytics, a self-serve analytics SaaS product that has changed the ability for non-technical professionals to access deep insights driven by data without the assistance of an engineer. Previously, Jon worked at Periscope Data, another data analytics growth company, in which he multiplied revenue by 48x. At both Heap and Periscope, Jon was the first marketing hire. He has also worked as a growth consultant for venture backed startups. The topics discussed in this episode include exponentially increasing value for your customers, attracting an educated user base, and the power of small marketing teams.

God bless the internet! It has changed so many of the ways we get things done. You can have a masseuse ordered to your house. You have insight into your prospective customers' interests before you pick up the phone for the first time. You can change your dinner reservation at the last minute without facing the wrath of an angry maitre d'.  You can even write an authoritative business book that raises your brand's profile without having to dedicate early mornings, late nights, and weekends for the next 12 months to the process. In this episode of the Small Marketing Teams podcast, I have a conversation with Nick Raithel, creator of The 7 Hour Book. He highlights how a book differentiates you from others in your market and how modern options for producing a book have changed the game for smart companies. I kick off the session with a pitch to spend more time away from your computer to think clearly about how to grow your business. In this episode, I'll also share how I increased webinar registrations without reinventing the wheel each month. Sign up for special tips for small marketing teams and alerts when new podcast episodes are published at SmallMarketingTeams.com.

Many executives and business owners are surprised that content marketing is a long game. You are consistently helping and educating your market in order to get found by buyers and turn those website visitors into leads.  After hearing about success stories all over the internet and at marketing conferences, many people see content marketing as the solution to their lead generation problems. Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet when it comes to inbound marketing. While generating a significant flow of leads takes time, there are things that you can do to generate leads at a faster clip.  In this episode of the Small Marketing Teams podcast, I'll show you the three approaches that I use to get results faster from my marketing plan. I kick off the session discussing an important really that many small marketing teams face in this era of shiny objects and marketing peer pressure. In this episode, I'll also tackle whether you should stop blogging since everyone and their brother is pumping out blog content. Sign up for special tips for small marketing teams and alerts when new podcast episodes are published at SmallMarketingTeams.com.

In this episode we talk to Josh Paul, Founder and Podcast Host of Small Marketing Teams.

When I speak at marketing events and conferences, one of the top questions I get from the audience is how do I determine what I blog about. Today, I'll reveal my three favorite methods. Learn how your small marketing team can generate hundreds of ideas for your blog, videos, and other digital content formats. This painless process will not only help you improve your search engine This painless process will not only improve your search engine rankings but also help you produce content to nurture leads and build stronger relationships with prospective customers during the sales process. In this episode of the Small Marketing Teams show, you'll also find out how to make sure your remote marketing employees are successful.

When it comes to getting found and generating more leads, marketing videos have gone from a nice-to-have to a must-have. However, the thought of consistently planning and producing educational or middle of the funnel product videos can be intimidating, especially when you are a small marketing team. In this episode of the Small Marketing Teams podcast, I'll show you an easy-to-follow process for creating 20-30 product and feature videos in a matter of days - without spending a dime. I kick off the session discussing a little-discussed product management process that marketers can use to build a stronger connection with their target audience. In this episode, I'll also go into detail about where small marketing teams should start when planning their middle of the funnel offers.

Have you had enough of the "2017 marketing trends" articles? Great! Me too. Let's get down to business with five specific areas that small marketing teams should focus on this year. You won’t find these marketing tactics in any mainstream business podcast or "marketing trend" listicles. But, they will make a big difference in how many people find your business and how effective you are at generating leads. Listen to this episode for the full rundown. I can't wait to get your feedback on these "under the radar" approaches to grow your business in 2017.  In this episode of the Small Marketing Teams podcast, you'll also learn where you should post your videos online to maximize their impact on your business.

Once you are getting found by prospective customers and converting website visitors into leads, what should you do next to turn those leads into paying customers? This is one of the top hurdles for small and mid-sized companies and a wall I hit head-on early in my career running small marketing teams. Through a lot of testing and training of my sales team, I figured out a repeatable process for growing sales from these inbound ideas. I'll share that mindset and process with you during this episode of the Small Marketing Teams podcast. You'll also learn ways to say "thank, but no thanks" to people in your office who want to help you create content and copy, but end up creating more work for your marketing team.

If you put in the effort to consistently drive people to your website, are you confident that it is set up to turn those website visitors into leads? That's great that your business is getting found! Your website traffic metrics continue to climb, but you are leaving money on the table if you are not converting those visitors into qualified leads.  In this episode of the Small Marketing Teams podcast, I'll tell you how to set up the foundation of your lead generation system - your website - to collect leads in your sleep. You’ll also find out how to rock day one in your new job running a small marketing team (even if the team if only you). At the beginning of the episode, you'll how to avoid basic pitfalls when seeking a marketing job or internship.

Getting found by buyers in your target market is the first step in growing your business. The good news is that it is easier than you might think. Attracting buyers is the first part of the process I use to generate qualified leads and get more customers. You can’t show off your superpowers in qualifying leads, tying your solution to prospects’ problems, and closing the deal if people don’t find you first. In this episode of the Small Marketing Teams podcast, I’ll walk you exactly how I get my business found and how you can follow the same path to grow your business. You’ll also learn where you should get started when improving your marketing results. To kick it off, I’ll also explain why there is a big difference between being busy with marketing and spending time in the right places.

When it comes to marketing your business and bringing in new customers, you can't improve everything at once. Unfortunately, that is a reality. So, what are you going to do? Focus on branding, getting people to come to your website, generating leads, or turning leads into customers? You can’t do it all at once. You can guess where to spend your time and budget, but you’ll end up wasting a lot of both. Or you can follow my process for determining where to focus your efforts. Honestly, it is the #1 framework I tell the marketing executives and practitioners I advise to install to grow their businesses. And guess what? This tool doesn’t contain a single line of code. I’ll show you how to determine where to spend your time and dollars to get more customers and where you’re wasting time today. In this episode of Small Marketing Teams, you’ll learn: Why people don’t open your marketing emails (and how to fix it). How to prioritizes your marketing activities. Who should and shouldn’t listen to the Small Marketing Teams podcast. One more thing about the tool I’m going to give you….it won’t cost you one dime!

Do you have a plan to grow your small or midsized business without a spending a lot on advertising and hiring a big marketing team? If you follow the thousands of marketing tips online, it is easy to get overwhelmed and waste both time and money. However, the path is clear and it's very doable. Learn why this is the golden age of small marketing teams and how you can capitalize on the opportunity. In this inaugural episode, you’ll find out: Why small marketing teams need specialized advice rather than tips on how big brands do marketing and sales. Why now is a great time to be part of a small marketing team. Why I launched the Small Marketing Team podcast.