Yes, and Marketing: Recent Episodes
Steve Pockross
Tune in for conversations with eclectic and enlivening marketers. Imagine your weird shower thoughts and disparate liberal arts references took a road trip. This podcast is the soundtrack. Great marketing ideas can come from anywhere. So let’s talk about some.
In this episode of Practical Pivots, serial entrepreneur Niel Robertson shares his deep insights into the transformative power of AI in business, drawing from his experience of co-founding seven venture-backed startups. Robertson explores the nuanced landscape of artificial intelligence, discussing everything from the Shopify CEO's AI manifesto to the critical importance of distribution in the modern tech economy. Through his current venture, Winslow, he demonstrates how AI can revolutionize HR workflows, and offers candid perspectives on workforce productivity, the evolving role of technology, and the necessity for businesses to overcome their AI adoption paralysis. With a mix of technical expertise and strategic vision, Robertson provides a roadmap for entrepreneurs and leaders navigating the complex intersection of AI, innovation, and organizational change.
About Niel Robertson
Niel Robertson is a serial entrepreneur and executive, currently CEO of Winslow, an AI HR software company. He previously founded and led startups including influence.co, Trada, and Service Metrics. Robertson is recognized for his expertise in building and scaling technology companies across the HR, advertising, and creator economy sectors.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielrobertson/
https://usewinslow.com/
In this episode of Practical Pivots, Mick Freeman, CEO of BEN Colorado, unveils the hidden challenges and untapped potential of startup ecosystems. Drawing from his diverse entrepreneurial background, Freeman candidly discusses the critical importance of bootstrapping until achieving true product market fit - which he defines simply as "somebody bought it twice" - and warns against premature fundraising that can dilute founders' equity. He reveals surprising insights about Colorado's unique collaborative startup culture, where entrepreneurs view the business landscape as an expandable pie rather than a zero-sum game. Freeman passionately advocates for entrepreneurs to break down their ego barriers and actively seek help, highlighting the mental health challenges in startup life and the transformative power of vulnerability. With provocative observations about leadership, financing strategies, and the psychological hurdles of scaling businesses, Freeman offers a raw, unfiltered look into the entrepreneurial journey that will resonate with founders navigating the treacherous waters of startup growth.
About Mick Freeman, CEO & Executive Director, BEN Colorado
Mick Freeman is a seasoned business leader, social entrepreneur, and strategic advisor with over six years of experience as a BEN volunteer across multiple programs. His experience spans the nonprofit, private, and public sectors, including startup, scale-up, turnaround, Fortune 500, nonprofits, and for-profit social enterprises.
https://www.bencolorado.org/mick-freeman
In this episode of Practical Pivots, host Steve Pockross sits down with Harry Kraemer, Kellogg Professor at Northwestern University and former Baxter International CEO, to explore the critical importance of values-based leadership; especially in turbulent times like these. Kraemer shares his transformative approach to leadership, emphasizing four key principles: self-reflection, balanced perspective, true self-confidence, and genuine humility. Through personal anecdotes and practical insights, he guides listeners on how to navigate complex business environments by staying true to core values, making difficult decisions with integrity, and understanding that leadership is less about technical skills and more about emotional intelligence, team building, and personal growth. This episode offers a compelling roadmap for leaders at any stage who want to lead with purpose and authenticity in today's challenging marketplace.
About Harry Kraemer
Harry Kraemer is a Professor of Leadership at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He’s been named Professor of the Year multiple times, is the author of four best-selling leadership books, and is one of the most sought-after leaders in his field. He is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Baxter International Inc., a $12 billion global healthcare company.
From Values to Action: The Four Principles of Values-Based Leadership
https://harrykraemer.org
In this episode, we talk with Mark Organ, who created not one, but two software categories: marketing automation at Eloqua and advocate marketing at Influitive. These days, he coaches founders through the highs and lows of category creation at Categorynauts — and he specializes in deeply insightful and contrarian takes.
Mark explores the evolving landscape of AI and its potential impact on business and technology. Organ projects how AI will further transform software development, scientific research, and industry strategies. He offers a nuanced perspective on technological innovation, highlighting the importance of human insight alongside machine capabilities. With a focus on practical applications and future trends, Organ provides listeners with a strategic view of how AI could reshape product development, market creation, and professional skills. His key quote, "I'm excited about the next wave of software that really could not exist without AI," encapsulates the episode's forward-looking approach to technological innovation.
About Mark
Mark Organ
CEO Coach at Categorynauts, Founding CEO of Influitive and Eloqua. Author of WSJ and Amazon best-seller The Messenger is the Message, and Co-Host of The Best Half Show
https://www.categorynauts.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/markorgan
Bob Wold, a first-time founder in his 40s, demystifies quantum computing and shares his unexpected journey from corporate retirement to tech innovation. Diving deep into the world of quantum technology, Bob explains how his company, Quantum Rings, is developing tools to make complex computing more accessible, while revealing the potential to revolutionize industries from healthcare to cybersecurity. Beyond the technical insights, Bob candidly discusses the challenges of startup life, the importance of personal fortitude, and how meditation helped him navigate the unpredictable entrepreneurial landscape. Join us for an inspiring conversation that proves it's never too late to reinvent yourself and pursue groundbreaking technological frontiers.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/therealbobwold
https://www.quantumrings.com
In this episode of "Yes in Marketing," Steve sits down with Brook Critchfield from Plymouth Growth to explore the nuanced world of growth equity investing. Brooke reveals how his firm uniquely serves founder-led B2B software companies stuck between venture capital and private equity, offering a refreshing alternative to traditional funding models. With engaging sports metaphors and insights from her Midwestern roots, she shares her approach to identifying promising companies, supporting founders through growth challenges, and creating sustainable business strategies. Listeners will gain valuable perspectives on startup scaling, the importance of mentorship, and how innovative investment firms are reimagining support for emerging tech companies.
Brook Critchfield
plymouthgp.com
Joe Eandi, a partner at the Cyber Mentor Fund, shares invaluable insights with Steve on building successful startups. He emphasizes the often under-the-radar traits for building he sees as keys to success, like the importance of "market permission" and niche expertise, as well as strategies for cultivating high-performing founding teams. Eandi's seasoned perspective as a venture capitalist, former CEO and tech executive, and attorney combine with his uniquely thoughtful perspective to create a roadmap for entrepreneurs looking to navigate the dynamic and profitable startup landscape.
In this episode, Kyle Shannon, a leading expert on AI and creativity, discusses the transformative impact of AI on storytelling and the creative process. He shares his "holy crapification" moments with AI and explains why embracing these tools can actually enhance creativity rather than replace it.
Kyle Shannon
Founder & CEO: Storyvine
Co-Founder & President: AI Salon
Creator & Host: AI Learning Lab (TikTok)
Author: Collective Intelligence in the Age of AI & AI Futures: An Anthology
Quantum Cipher
Sydney, An Artificial Love Story Podcast
Sydney Soundtrack Preview
In the first episode of the rebooted podcast, business coach Eric Marcoullier shares his expertise on innovation and startup growth. He discusses navigating funding cycles, the significance of curiosity, and his coaching methods for CEOs facing economic challenges.
www.marcoullier.com
www.linkedin.com/in/obviousstartupadvice
Devin Bramhall and Margaret Kelsey, the co-hosts of Don't Say Content, bring their frank perspectives to bear on everything from how we should be measuring brand marketing, to the uncanny valleys of AI, to why marketers need to stop blaming their orgs.
Suneet is an industry veteran who has led marketing teams, successfully earned B Corp certifications, and dabbled in venture capital. This conversation is a masterclass on what positive, effective leadership looks like in the current age.
4x agency owner and current Chief Marketing Officer at Rembrand, Cory Treffiletti joined Yes, and Marketing for a deep dive into the ways AI is influencing his data-driven storytelling approach. (Plus, some tough love for execs, a look at his must-try AI tools, and a few life lessons we can all learn from.)
As CEO of Volume 9, a Denver-based marketing agency, Natalie Henley stays on the ball when it comes to marketing trends to follow (and which ones are just passing fads.) Tune in to hear how her agency approaches the AI revolution and prioritizes winning organic traffic for their clients in an ever-evolving landscape by keeping it old-school.
Ty Magnin, CEO of Animalz, isn't interested in pretending to be Nostradamus. The marketing world is constantly evolving, so rather than try to predict the future, he's changing with it. Hear how he and the Animalz team are adjusting their strategies for success, finding inventive ways to incorporate AI into their workflows, and exploring distribution channels beyond SEO to cultivate results for their clients.
Co-founder of the Content Marketing Institute, current Chief Troublemaker at The Content Advisory, and author of Content Marketing Strategy: Harness the Power of Your Brand’s Voice, Robert Rose is a marketing powerhouse. This bona fide industry legend digs into how we should be using AI to create profitable workflows, the impact of AI on search and SEO, and how brand influences our content strategies.
CEO of Agency Management Institute Drew McLellan brings over thirty years of expertise to dive deep into how agencies are finding success in the current economic climate by deploying AI in inventive ways.
Leading AI ethicist Olivia Gambelin shares insights on the adoption of generative AI, how synthetic data preserves the privacy of the public, and the strategic development and implementation of AI as it impacts marketers.
Greg Head, who has spent the past 30 years leading, growing, and advising software companies, shares why VC funding is misunderstood and over-prescribed, how AI will change the future of marketing, and explains the world of practical founders.
Caitlin Bartley, CEO of female-only marketing agency cred, shares her approach to digging deep with clients, the importance of staying flexible, and how to find creative solutions in the wild world of PR and event marketing.
Ken "Magma" Marshall, Chief Growth Officer at RevenueZen, explains the secret sauce of B2B growth, how he transitioned from entrepreneur to agency owner to agency seller, and how to achieve legitimate fame on LinkedIn.
Gordon Boyes, CEO of Concept3D, shares learnings from his "three and several halves" CEO gigs, including how to choose career opportunities that play to your strengths and how to manage long sales cycles.
As host of the Marketing Book Podcast, Doug shares his picks for the best marketing books of 2022, including the best books to read during a recession and some classics we can all read again.
Lily explains how brands of different sizes should be thinking about EAT, what SEOs have deciphered from Google patents, and the new search technologies she's most excited about.
Pearl discusses the current state and future of content marketing, the challenges of building YMYL content at scale, how CEOs can prioritize tasks to better achieve growth, and offers advice for aspiring leaders.
Rachel discusses leading tech startups, investing strategies, writing her memoir, the importance of process, and how lessons from all these activities have made her a better marketer.
Ashley shares what it took to turn Cuties into a lunchbox phenomenon, plus other strategies for marketing commodities from her experience heading marketing at brands like The Wonderful Company and SunFed Ranch.
The president of Applied Brand Science shares what every brand's buyer distribution looks like and most common mistakes we make with consumer research.
Hope shares what marketing teams are getting wrong with video marketing today, how to prepare for the future of video marketing, and the best part of having a co-founder at video marketing firm Lemonlight.
Andrea explains the seven values of agile marketing and the philosophy behind AgileSherpas. She also shares how Eminem helped her become an entrepreneur.
Paddy shares the biggest trends in link-building today, what agencies need to be doing differently, and what he's learned as the co-founder of superstar agency Aira.
David Cancel of Drift, Peep Laja of Wynter, Chris Savage of Wistia, Niel Robertson of Influence.co, Stephen Lease of Goodr, Gary Swart, formerly of Upwork, Shafqat Islam of NewsCred, Sean Griffey of Industry Dive, Vaibhav Jain of Hublio, Rand Fishkin of Sparktoro, Jimmy Daly of Superpath, and Eric Remer of EverCommerce share wisdom of all sorts based on their experiences as founders and CEOs.
As a DEI+ expert, Ashley shares what she's seeing companies get right (and wrong) with equity and inclusion initiatives. She also explains why perfectionism is a product of white supremacy culture.
The co-founder of Impact Museums explains how Ticketmaster's best-selling event of 2021 came to be and forecasts future trends in immersive entertainment.
The founder of EverCommerce shares his lessons from various stages of startup growth, how he knew it was time to start acquiring other businesses, and what it takes to market to SMBs.
As the founder of CMO Huddles and award-winning agency Renegade, Drew shares the four characteristics of successful CMOs, the conversation to have with your CFO, and how to make a rebrand stick.
Amanda explains how to create newsworthy content and breaks down the role of earned media and PR, based on her experience as a journalist and as head of marketing at Stacker.
Author and professor Nancy Lee shares what social marketing is, how most government agencies could be doing it better, and some of the toughest campaigns she's worked on to influence public behavior.
Hawke Media founder Erik talks TikTok over Facebook, explains the key to marketing to Gen Z, and gives advice for wannabe agency owners.
Evelyn explains what brand adolescence is, how to identify the symptoms, and how to navigate it successfully.
Andy Crestodina, Tim Riesterer, Ashley Faus, Dave Kellogg, Cassidy Shield, Rand Fishkin, Ritesh Patel, Sean Griffey, Denise and Jim Franklin, Doug Kessler, Kait Creamer, and Melanie Deziel take down some of marketing's most accepted wisdom.
The Franklins explain what they look for when investing in a startup. They also share the structure for their own marriage OS and why marriage offsites should be a thing.
Dan talks growth strategies, innovation, and why most brands aren't as special as they think. He also shares the most important job a marketer has.
Lee explains why prospecting isn't dead and shares the one opportunity 99.99% of salespeople miss, with insights from his bestselling book, Sell Different!
Doug explains why the stakeholder problem isn't real and why vanity metrics are good. He also talks ecosystem marketing, agency accountability, and the rise of sessionized content.
Author Christina del Villar explains how to have a more effective and influential marketing career through her G.R.I.T. methodology.
Joe shares the most successful piece of content he created at Contently, how he's approaching a new space in his role at A.Team, and the number one ingredient for effective content.
Dan shares examples of customer experience done right, how to approach CX, and how it's tied to employee experience with insights from his bestselling book, The Experience Maker.
Vaibhav explains the story behind Hubilo's event management platform, what the future of virtual events looks like, and how event marketing is shifting from branding to demand gen.
Atul breaks down the most common lie marketers tell and explains the role of both emotions and reason in marketing, with insights from his book "Lies, Damned Lies, and Marketing."
Industry Dive co-founder and CEO Sean breaks down marketing lessons from a media company, the problem with precision marketing, and the blessing (and curse) of bootstrapping.
Former oDesk (now Upwork) CEO Gary Swart explains the formula for a successful marketplace, predicts the future of workplaces, and shares his approach to investing.
Rachael Shayne, Chris Savage, Steve Pockross, Liz Giorgi, Jamie Bennett, Justine Jordan, Devin Bramhall, and Stephen Lease share insights on how to turn your people and culture into your greatest asset.
Breef founders George and Emily explain how the traditional agency-client relationship is changing, what agencies wish in-house marketers knew, and how brands are using their platform to ship faster.
As host of the Marketing Book Podcast, Doug shares his picks for the best marketing books of 2021, including one you can anonymously send to your CEO.
Nick explains the creative process behind his extreme sports films and adventure cinematography for Red Bull. He also talks about the importance of streamlining your process and the ultimate metric for successful content.
Alex shares lessons from a marketing career in the music industry, including what we can learn from icons like Gene Simmons, the value of old-school channels like trade shows and trade journals, and what it was like meeting Chaka Khan.
Superpath founder Jimmy Daly talks Slack communities, explains strategies for aligning sales and marketing, and shares lessons from the various stages of his career in content.
Lifecycle marketer Kait Creamer tells what has her hooked on email, the importance of emotional intelligence in marketing, and where she finds creative inspiration. (Hint: it's everywhere.)
Stephen shares the story of how Goodr took the eyewear world by storm, explains the meaning behind his title of "Chief Executive Octopus," and talks mentors, activism, and fun.
Profitwell CEO Patrick Campbell explains the two pieces of retention, the biggest reason you're losing customers, and how to communicate price changes.
Wildbit's Head of Marketing Justine Jordan explains why hiring is a marketing problem, what she learned in her latest hiring experiment, and how the company functions with four day workweeks.
Rory Sutherland, Tim Riesterer, Dave Kellogg, David Cancel, Tamsen Webster, Tim Calkins, Philip Kotler, Suneet Bhatt, and Bob Kulhan share psychology-related insights from past episodes.
It’s not every day you get to hear from a living legend.
This episode features the Godfather of modern marketing, Professor Philip Kotler. Professor Kotler has written 80 books, spent 50 years unpacking how and why marketing works, and evangelized core concepts like the 4 Ps.
In addition to a masterclass in classic segmentation, targeting and positioning, in this interview Professor Kotler discusses:
- Why your company should have a higher purpose
- The goal of his magnum opus, “Marketing Management”
- A personal primer to the 4 Ps
- Why companies should care about social problems
- What good brand evangelism looks like
- Two examples of great leadership
- The inside scoop on “H2H” marketing
What does it really mean to be data-driven?
Cassidy Shield has applied his training as an engineer, a general manager, and an operator to the world of marketing and sales, transforming a revenue team into a truly data-driven machine. In this interview, he shares how marketers can get the most out of their data as well as:
- What not to measure
- What marketing’s North Star metric should be
- How you know if your organization is really data-driven
- How to understand the story the data is telling you
- When goals are more important than data
Jamie explains the new rules of HR around remote work, diversity and belonging, and time off. She also tells the hardest conversation she's had with a CEO.
Tony shares his journey from poor high school athlete to global workout icon, how the P90X brand came to be, and the home fitness project he's working on now.
Professor Jacobsen shares her research in feminist economics, the economic principles that marketers should know, and her view of the future of liberal arts as president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Advisor and angel investor Dave explains why marketers need to impose simplicity and breaks down the 2 types of messaging. He also shares career advice, lessons from geophysics, and the importance of the kiss.
Ashley gives a better metaphor for content and explains the problem with the funnel marketing framework. She also talks theater, fitness, and why (by her own definition) she doesn't qualify as a thought leader.
Steve explains what a people-first strategy really means and what it looks like in practice at Verblio. He also shares lessons from the national Ultimate Frisbee championships and his band's first gig.
Crispin explains what product marketers do and how to hire one. He also breaks down the difference between hot and cold markets and advises on multi-product portfolios.
Aprille explains the problem with hustle culture and what we're really doing when we're scrolling online. She also addresses the gender pay gap.
Devin shares what it was like becoming CEO of Animalz during a pandemic and the content challenge she's thinking about now. Also, hear what progress and insanity have in common.
Carol explains why you need to know your personal brand, how to establish executive presence, and how to get more from meetings in a virtual or hybrid world.
Stacey breaks down the 6 factors contributing to the sea of sameness and the 5 competencies marketers need to do better, as well as the major difference between B2B and B2C marketing.
David shares PR lessons from the Grateful Dead, how the new rules of marketing are continuing to change, and the story behind his latest book Fanocracy.
Melanie shares how a journalism background shaped her marketing, how to create an endless supply of content ideas, and why how-to content is so big right now.
Hear from Ross Simmonds, Kyle Shannon, Andy Raskin, Dave Gerhardt, David Cancel, Nick Dujnic, Kelli Kelley, and Walter Knapp on the role of storytelling in marketing and society.
Peep defines CRO and gives 3 ways to stand out in a crowded market. He also shares the story behind his latest venture: message testing platform Wynter.
Anne explains how she saw the initial wave of the subscription economy approaching and why marketing goals need to shift toward retention versus lead gen. She also shares the strategies that helped her become an award-winning author.
Tim shares his research team's findings on the psychology of B2B buyers. He also explains why selling to existing customers is the opposite of selling to new ones and debunks a few business myths.
Gene explains what remarkable transparency looks like and how to create ownership within a company. He also breaks down the difference between a founder and a CEO mindset.
Matthew covers what he's learned as VP of Marketing at Hubspot and what it took to 10x the company's organic traffic. He also shares the story behind Traffic Think Tank and his best piece of career advice for marketers.
Bob explains how 'yes and' works to improve communication, collaboration, and brainstorming across companies. He also shares the value of curiosity and how to perform at the top of your intelligence.
Tim shares the lessons he learned managing brands at Kraft and how he thinks about teaching marketing at Kellogg today. He also explains how branding has changed over the last 20 years and where it's headed next.
Doug tells how he started the Marketing Book Podcast and shares the most important lessons he's learned from reading 300+ industry books. He also explains why marketers have an image problem and what to do about it.
Dave recounts building both a category and a legendary brand at Drift, and shares the lessons he brought to his role as CMO at Privy. He also explains why having strong personal brands in your business is a good thing.
Learn how having a "yes, and" mindset can help you in improv, business, and life. Paul also shares his number one piece of advice from 30 years in the industry.
We celebrate one year of The Verblio Show with a look at some of the lessons our guests brought to marketing and leadership from unexpected places, including Newtonian theory, psychology, mythology, improv, and more.
Learn why your company needs a consistent message internally before you can reach the wider world. Rachael also explains the difference between big and small brands and gives advice for the next generation of marketers.
Hear how Sovrn is helping publishers remain independent and learn what's next in the world of content and e-commerce. Walter also explains the ingredients that make a city ripe for startups.
Learn the limits of logic and the implications for marketing. Rory also explains how to hire alchemists and shares some surprising examples of how humans aren't always as rational as we think we are.
Tamsen shares the marketing lessons she learned as a Weight Watchers leader, explains what your Red Thread is - and how to find it - and gives the best definition of messaging that Steve has ever heard.
Learn how to get more from your email list and why the channel is more important than ever. Nick also shares hows a theater degree set him up for marketing success and reveals the numbers behind his t-shirt obsession.
Lola explains why inclusive marketing needs to benefit not just society, but also your bottom line. She also shares examples of brands who got it right and lets Steve know that the only real risk in taking a stand is to his ego.
Hear why purple oceans are better than blue and why being a CEO is part psychology, part politics. David also talks about the need to reinvent himself, the value of a commoditized market, and the strategy behind Drift.
Ryan shares why marketers need to get over themselves—and their fear of rejection. He also talks virtual events, how often to email, and gives a masterclass on marketing in the new world of digital art.
Suneet gives an inspiring talk to kick off the new year, including the formula that keeps us from being happy and what we can do to lessen burnout. He also dives into Newtonian theory and why it's a bad model for OKR setting.
Juan Carlos explains the marketing differences between LatAm and the U.S. and how his agency recovered from a 39% drop at the start of the pandemic. He and Steve also swap tour guide stories and Spanish slang.
NewsCred CEO Shaf walks us through the origins of content marketing and spills the story behind his company's recent transition to Welcome. He also shares his random fandom for the Tennessee Titans.
Jason returns to the show to talk about what he got right—and wrong—with his early pandemic predictions and covers the importance of preparedness, podcasting, and processes.
Learn how the Wistia brand happened by accident and why leading a startup is easier when you have no experience. Also, hear about the scandals took down the former mob boss mayor of Providence, RI.
Hear why Mark prefers creating new playgrounds to building better mousetraps and learn about the three steps of successful category creation: discover, develop, and dominate.
Learn how to use video as a tool, not just a product, and hear how partnerships have helped Gabriel's agency punch above its weight. He also teaches us about the Scandinavian practice of hygge and shares why he is not a Florida man.
When it comes to brand building, we have to be patient. When it comes to inclusion and diversity in business, we need change now. Hear Kelli speak to both and learn how her agency navigates the ever-changing world of digital for her clients.
Society is in a storytelling renaissance. Learn why and hear how Kyle is democratizing one particular medium. He also talks entrepreneurship, warns against a major marketing mistake, and serenades us all with his guitar.
Hear from a recent Jeopardy! champ on the most efficient way to buzz in, life lessons learned from improv, and exactly how much content a leading digital agency is creating for its clients.
Learn why Ritesh is so optimistic about the future of healthcare and hear what most people get wrong about digital. He and Steve also discuss what they want to be when they grow up.
032: Steve and Rand talk startup myths, problematic duopolies, and Rebel Alliances. Rand also shares the people and brands he’s most excited about right now, and rants about the atrocity of putting cream in carbonara.
031: Hear the story behind your favorite “As Seen on TV” products and learn marketing lessons that apply to infomercials and digital alike. Matt also shares his journey from Netscape engineer to COO at one of the biggest direct-to-consumer names in the world.
030: Clodagh and Steve talk about global trends in marketing and Clodagh’s latest upskill. They also get meta with the dos and don’ts of successful podcasting: Don’t underestimate the power of consistency, and do interview your father.
029: Ross Simmonds shares how writing about dirt can be exciting and why marketers struggle with content promotion. He and Steve also talk portfolio theory, dodgeball, and obscure history—and Ross tells how Madden got him into marketing.
028: Steve and Drew cover why agencies are responsible for soap operas, how to establish authority as an agency, and what a cornerstone content strategy looks like. Drew also lets us know it's time to stop saying "unprecedented."
027: Learn how a 19th century management consultant was way ahead of his time and hear what's next for the gig economy. Niel and Steve also discuss the fundamental shift happening in marketing right now and the single smartest question you can ask someone.
026: Mike and Steve discuss agency life, why Mike writes himself letters from his future self, our racist reality, and what we can do about it. Also, a technical rapper shares a few technical SEO tricks.
025: A company without a story is a company without a strategy. Learn how to create a narrative that will reshape your buyers' journey, and hear Steve and Andy's thoughts on why LinkedIn, Andy's mom, and Ultimate Frisbee are all awesome.
024: Steve and Brent talk pivoting, niching, and the second wave of marketing trends. Also, it’s okay to say “I don’t know" sometimes—and it’s okay to build a BMX ramp in your front yard always.
023: This week’s episode of The Verblio Show features Chris Rudolph, digital agency coach and founder of Freedom Business Family. A true lifelong coach, Chris began his career with the Chicago Bulls. Since trading ballplayers for business owners, however, his focus has been on helping clients find success in both their business and their work-life balance.
In our conversation, we chat about his approach as a coach and the lessons he’s learned as a business owner himself, with a host of broad-ranging insights to dig into along the way:
- One bold step to get yourself out of the weeds as an agency owner (Hint: It will require you to actually have an OOO message)
- How agencies can lead with a strong ROI and quick win to set themselves apart
- The importance of both goals and systems, and why you need two types of people on your team
- Why “how” isn’t always the right question – and what to ask instead
Chris also has a special offer for our Verblio listeners: Check out their video at https://www.verblio.com/show for a link to schedule a free 1-on-1 Agency Growth coaching session with the man himself.
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear the full interview with Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross and talk with more marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders anywhere you get your podcasts!
022: John Harris is leading something radically different and hugely ambitious: a "reverse holding company" for digital agencies. In this episode he shares how his Worldwide Partner‘s network creates super-powered teams through 70 agencies in 40 countries, why big brands seek out the advantages created by a network, and how his thinking can help your agency stand out among the 100,000+ agencies that exist in the U.S. alone.
Note: Want your pitch to sound less like “we’re a digital agency, based on technology, with great people, who focuses on results”? Or hear more about what mistakes agencies make when pitching bigger clients, and how to avoid those mistakes?
John’s seen it all, from big agencies to startup and enterprise brands and this is a particularly useful conversation to tune into.
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear the full interview with Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross and talk with more marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders anywhere you get your podcasts!
021: "Advertising is ____, content marketing is ____." If you can’t fill in those two blanks (and make it catchy), you should definitely listen to this week’s episode of The Verblio Show with Andy Crestodina.
Andy is co-founder of Orbit Media, a 19-year-old web design agency. He quite literally wrote the book on content marketing, which Jay Baer has called “The most practical book ever written about digital marketing."
In our interview, Andy shares a literal wealth of knowledge about content marketing, productivity, learning, and much, much more: The one tweak you can make to turn content marketing from a years-long slog into a ‘results before you hit publish’ investment - The exact formula for thought leadership and the data to back it up - The opinions / observations / data hierarchy - What you should and should not do with best practices - Escapades in China, exercise in 2 minutes/day, wake time & productivity correlation
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear the full interview with Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross and talk with more marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders anywhere you get your podcasts!
020: This episode features leading agency coach Karl Sakas, who spoke with Steve early in the COVID crisis to share his insight into how he’s guiding his agency clients. Some quick nuggets for those who tune in: What to expect for agency revenue forecasts in 2020: Take your worst scenario and now make that your stretch scenario. Assume a 10-30% drop in revenue. · How you should respond: Over-communicate with every stakeholder. Not just your clients, but your employees and freelancers too. · What Karl is doing with his new isolated free time: Finally watching his first reality tv series.
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear the full interview with Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross and talk with more marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders anywhere you get your podcasts!
019: In Episode 19 of The Verblio Show, Chris Dreyer, president & founder of legal SEO agency juggernaut Rankings.io, discusses his colorful—and wildly successful—journey that started by googling "how to make money online" while stuck in after-school detention (as the teacher), included inspiration from Oprah on one of his early, important #1 Google rankings, and ended up with him competing and winning in one of the most competitive digital marketing arenas on the internet: personal injury law.
In this conversation, Steve and Chris dive deep into the machine that is Rankings.io and the strategies Chris and team use to win for their clients and run a hugely successful agency including 1) a masterclass in why and how to niche down your agency, 2) how penguins (ok just one) caused Chris to have to get a real job for a while, 3) why Chris works with agency coach Karl Sakas AND is part of Jason Swenk's mastermind, 4) the reasons Rankings outsources much of its implementation work, and how they're able to seamlessly integrate vendors, and 5) Disney's biggest mistake with the Star Wars franchise and why things are more fun on the dark side of the force.
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear the full interview with Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross and talk with more marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders anywhere you get your podcasts!
018: If you run or work at a digital agency and don’t know who Bob Ruffolo is, you need to watch this episode of The Verblio Show. Bob is the founder and CEO of IMPACT. Among his many accomplishments: he was the HubSpot agency of the year 2016, merged with They Ask You Answer author Marcus Sheridan, transitioned the agency from a traditional agency to a company that focuses on educating companies and agencies about inbound methodologies (to name just a few).
In his conversation with Steve, Bob shares some outstanding insights into broad-ranging agency and management areas:
- How IMPACT is thriving through the COVID pandemic
- Why his organization works with multiple coaches and consultants
- The deep flaw with being a superstar agency founder
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear the full interview with Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross and talk with more marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders anywhere you get your podcasts!
017: This episode features renowned digital marketing guru Ryan Stewart. What’s a clear sign that you’re interviewing a truly accomplished and impressive marketer: you have to start the interview by asking him how he even describes what he does.
Founder of acclaimed search marketing agency WEBRIS and multiple other companies, Ryan is likely even more well known for his speaking appearances and his content on how to cut through the noise of the crowded digital marketing multiverse. And he provides that content frequently, in an extremely pragmatic and process-driven manner, and seemingly without the need for breathing between sentences.
Ryan and Steve discuss the enormous and fleeting opportunity for marketing on LinkedIn, what truly moves the needle for content marketing results, and a litany of best practices of digital marketers.
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear the full interview with Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross and talk with more marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders anywhere you get your podcasts!
016: During times of crisis, it's tempting for us as leaders to put all focus externally—how can we bring on more clients? How can we serve the ones we already have to keep them around? But, ignoring the critical components of organizational health and communication can be disastrous for your company. This is why we're so thrilled to talk with Jodi Grossman in this episode. Jodi has been Steve's executive coach at two different companies and at Verblio she coaches the entire leadership team too.
In this conversation, we cover:
- The concept of backbone & heart, and why it's even more critical right now,
- How much information leaders should share with their teams right now
- The principle Jodi learned when studying biology that's equally applicable to companies
...and much, much more.
If you're in a leadership position, watching and reflecting on the concepts Jodi brings forward might be the most important thing you can do this week.
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear the full interview with Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross and talk with more marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders anywhere you get your podcasts!
015: Managing social media for clients can be a GIANT pain for digital marketing agencies. So much so that a lot of agencies we talk to won’t go anywhere near it—too much hassle of managing assets, managing approvals, and proving ROI. So, it was fascinating to talk with Ross Gray on Episode 15 of The Verblio Show to hear about what he’s learned by founding Cloud Campaign, which has helped hundreds of digital agencies streamline their social media logistics.
Ross and Steve chat about:
- The biggest mistake agencies make when it comes to managing social media for clients
- The two unexpected reasons why organic social media continues to be important even in a time when platforms are ratcheting down organic reach
- What all companies should be doing on social media right now
- The controversial social media tactic that will drive engagement over and over again
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear the full interview with Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross and talk with more marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders anywhere you get your podcasts!
014: So much of the advice on the COVID crisis and business is about ... business. But, there's another hugely important thing for business leaders to think about—themselves. Specifically, how addressing the self as a foundational layer can lead to better decisions and business outcomes. We're so grateful to leading agency transformation coach Kelly Campbell for adding a new and powerful perspective to our conversation on managing and marketing through the crisis.
Some key highlights from our discussion:
- Why this crisis is so different is that there’s a triple impact of work, health, and emotion—and all need to be taken into account to respond
- It's transforming our entire action-orientation culture to one where empathy, vulnerability, compassion, and connection are the core values
- The barrier of separate personas at work and home are also breaking down, which allows, and even requires, all of us to show up as our authentic selves all of the time
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear the full interview with Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross and talk with more marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders anywhere you get your podcasts!
013: This episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Suneet Bhatt. Suneet is on the short list of people Steve personally turns to for advice on business leadership, marketing, and strategy. In this conversation you’re going to learn why.
While Suneet has held marketing & growth leadership roles at big name companies like HelpScout, Crazy Egg, LiveIntent, and Chartbeat, and is currently president of a hot social impact outsourcing company, it might be the other things on his LinkedIn profile that are the truly impressive part. These include authoring children’s books to a role he’s held from January 2014 — present titled “co-founder/dad”.
In this broad-ranging conversation Suneet and I cover a whole lot, including:
- What LeBron James can remind all marketing leaders
- The worst question to ask when asking for feedback
- What do growth-obsessed companies get right
- Why growth teams need designers, engineers, and data scientists
- Where to start your marketing when you have so many options to choose from
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear the full interview with Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross and talk with more marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders anywhere you get your podcasts!
012: Next episode is with the great Jeffrey Pease, MBA of Message Mechanics, who Steve worked with back in the Great Recession. “We’re not going to run an economy on Netflix and Purell”, but now is now is the time to help, not sell. So consider this the off-season where you get ready to win again when games resume.
One of the most brilliant messaging experts we know, we had a hard time limiting the discussion with Jeffrey.
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear the full interview with Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross and talk with more marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders anywhere you get your podcasts!
011: We're deeply humbled to share this next episode of The Verblio Show. In it, we speak with Dr. Tolonda Tolbert, an expert on diversity and inclusion in the workplace. “Dr T” has a belly-laugh that fills the room, and a storied career that includes 17 years with the ADL and was an adjunct professor at NYU. Two years ago, Dr. Tolbert co-founded a truly innovative startup called Eskalera, which goes far beyond the one-off annual management trainings of the past, and uses the power of technology to integrate D&I throughout the workplace and company culture.
When Steve asked her what inspired her to start Eskalera, Dr. Tolbert said, “I was talking with groups of 10, 20, 500, 1,000 people and I was like, okay, we’ve got to move faster than this."
Important lessons for all business leaders in both the why and the how to bring diversity, equity, and inclusiveness to the workplace.
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross talk with marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders.
010: Today we're joined by Nick Christou, renaissance king of the math nerds and also rock drummer. Nick is CEO of agency Helios Company LLC, which works as an "outsourced chief data scientist" for its clients, which means not only does Nick have the data of what's happening right now in real-time (across his whole client base), but he knows how to use it.
We explore:
- What psychological reasons drove the first-wave of cost cutting?
- Why we're now entering a second phase with a new type of fear, and what to do about it
- The unintended benefit of COVID on marketing messaging, and how to use micro-testing to get results
- The basic math equation which is changing online advertising right now and that can lead to results for your business and customers
- How businesses can avoid the analysis paralysis that is washing over us all right now
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross talk with marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders.
009: Elizabeth Giorgi is a true force. She won an Emmy at 25. She’s founded two companies. She’s unapologetic about using her voice and platform to tackle big, important issues like race and gender equity in business, and her current endeavor as the CEO of soona is reshaping what is possible for small businesses to do with video.
Our conversation covered video marketing trends, like how to massively upgrade your own videos while on a budget, and more importantly, things like social justice and equity in the business realm because, as Liz says, “the business falls in line with our values, not the other way around.”
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross talk with marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders.
008: Ready for a unique insider view of how a major brand is navigating turbulent waters in a nimble and thoughtful way? Allison Lowrie, CMO of HomeAdvisor / Angie's List, and her team needed to figure out how to quickly adjust marketing in the complex and hard-hit home services space.
We discuss:
- Focusing on the product first: quick changes enabled her to quickly jump back into the market
- How HomeAdvisor/Angie's changed up their advertising in the time of COVID-19
- Tik Tok marketing: should you hire 13 year-olds?
- Merging brands: how one merges two former competitors into one coherent brand
- Two-sided marketplace business: how exactly do you match 75 million households and 250,000 service providers?
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross talk with marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders.
007: Joey Gilkey is hyper-focused on one thing: helping digital agencies scale their sales operations.
Join us on this week’s episode of The Verblio Show to hear Joey share insights into:
- Why agency founders and CEOs consistently think they're the best salesperson, how they can be both right and wrong about this
- What agency CEOs should be doing to support sales that's not selling
- The 3 D's of creating scalable sales
Joey's talking about agencies specifically, but a ton of what we talk about applies to startups in general, too.
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross talk with marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders.
006: Studying under the tutelage of visionary tech leader Jim Franklin kept us on our toes! The former CEO of SendGrid, multiple other venture-backed companies, investor and mentor hits maximum velocity of guidance per minute from his ample experience guiding companies through all market conditions.
Some highlight guidance:
· Keen marketers should compete on convenience!
· Creating new growth markets is really hard work. Look to draft off of the growth already happening from new markets.
· Rethink every aspect of your business – not just the obvious ones. Does your product even make sense anymore? Can you align your comp plan more closely to your company goals or your cost structure to your client’s financial needs?
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross talk with marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders.
004: Natalie Henley is CEO of leading digital agency Volume Nine and on a mission to save as many small businesses right now through the COVID-19 crisis as possible. She also holds a VERY contrarian view about what digital agencies should be focused on—and it's helping drive results for her clients.
In Steve's interview with Natalie, she unpacks why she's so passionate about the need to be a broad marketer, how her agency achieves this challenging goal, and just why her approach on digital agencies have boosted Volume Nine in its efforts to respond to the current crisis.
If you're an agency leader, you're passionate about small business America, or you're a CEO, you need to listen to this interview. As Natalie put it, we all were playing cards with a good hand and then the world shuffled the whole deck. We're learning how to play the hand we have today, and wondering when the world is going to reshuffle the deck again.
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross talk with marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders.
005: Mark Organ, founder & CEO of category-creating companies Eloqua & Influitive as well as a CEO coach, shares invaluable insights from steering his marketing technology companies through the last two great recessions. We learned a ridiculous amount in a short discussion.
Some highlights:
· Removing risk is one of the highest value messages to clients that most marketers miss
· The more of the CEO’s job you can take on, the more budget will open up
· Content marketing is like an annuity that keeps paying off, and he increased his spend in the Great Recession
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross talk with marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders.
003: Our guest today is John Winsor. To say John has had a storied career is a serious understatement. He's currently the founder/CEO of Open Assembly and a visiting executive at Harvard Business School. He also founded the open talent creative agency startup Victors & Spoils—which sold to global agency Havas, where he then served as Chief Innovation Officer. He has served in more cool jobs than we have time for.
Want to guess what % of an FTE's salary is spent on training vs. what freelancers invest in training themselves?
Did you guess only .3% for FTE training vs. 15% for a freelancer?! We sure didn't. John Winsor reels off these metrics, plus a fascinating barrage of anecdotes and trends to emphasize why the adoption of Open Talent platforms should be a critical part of every company's ecosystem in the near future. And why the COVID-19 crisis just put that adoption trend on steroids.
If you are interested in the future of work and/or the future of marketing, or just great storytelling in general, tune into to this discussion with John.
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross talk with marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders.
002: To kick off our series, Verblio CEO host Steve Pockross talks with renowned digital agency coach Jason Swenk. In this episode, Jason offers the guidance he’s sharing with his agencies in the current COVID-19 crisis based on his experience leading his own agency through the dot com bust, 9/11 and the Great Recession.
In the coming weeks, we're sitting down with agency owners and thought leaders in the digital marketing space to ask a series of rapid-fire questions about how digital agencies can survive and thrive during this time, and beyond. The questions are focused on digital agencies, but we believe they’re relevant in many ways to all marketers navigating this crisis.
https://www.verblio.com/
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross talk with marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of thought leaders.
001: The Verblio Show kicks off with host Steve Pockross, Verblio's CEO, taking to the mic solo to talk about what to look forward to on this new podcast.
The Verblio Show is your weekly cocktail of content marketing fun and fruitful conversation. Hear Verblio’s CEO Steve Pockross talk with marketers, digital agencies, and an assortment of other thought leaders.
How do we know what we're talking about? Because we have a unique vantage point to see what’s going on in the world of content marketing, thanks to our 400+ digital marketing agency partners and over 1,000+ clients. Verblio produces 70,000 pieces of original content every year, so we get to observe how our clients are using content marketing in real-time. We see what they’re actually doing, boots-on-the-ground, and learn best practices and new innovative ideas. And then, we share it with you!
https://www.verblio.com/
What is rucking? What's in store for the future of marketing and the future of work? You’ll have to tune in to find out. It’s a little show with big ideas, and guest appearances from the Verblio team. Say hello to our new content baby.