Bad Marketing Advice: Recent Episodes
Seth Resler
Host Seth Resler invites marketing professionals to share the worst marketing advice they've ever heard.
"ABC: Always Be Closing," says the famous line from Glengarry Glenn Ross. And you can't close a sale if you don't ask for one, so a marketer's job is to include a call to action in everything thing do, right? Maybe not, argues Christina Hepner, the Digital Marketing Manager at Leader Dogs for the Blind. There's a time and place to ask for money. Hear her explain when that isn't the proper thing for a marketer to do.
With so many social media networks out there, it's easy to dismiss some as more work than they're worth. When Iris Petersen, Marketing Manager for The Storage Business Owner's Alliance (SBOA) heard her marketing professor tell her to avoid LinkedIn, she took it as a challenge. Hear how she learned to leverage the popular platform
If you don't build it, they won't come...right? Andrew Bontz used to believe that building a website was the first step when launching a new business. Not anymore. Now he focuses on landing clients first, and building the marketing assets as he goes. Andrew is on a mission to cut the male suicide rate in half by 2032 by connecting men to the amazing guests through his podcast. His company, ResistingBeta, serves companies in the men's health space.
Marketing a product is something that many people think they can do, even if they have no training or experience in the field. Sheryl Koenigsberg, the VP of Global Product Marketing at Mendix, joins Seth to talk about why this is a fallacy and why the value of marketing expertise shouldn't be underestimated.
As marketing technology has become more and more sophisticated, it's more and more tempting for marketers to rely on it for all the answers. But the technology is only as good as the people using it. Gee Ranasinha, the CEO of the marketing agency KEXINO, explains why relying on the technology without having an experienced hand to drive it can be dangerous.
Sure, you can buy social media followers from overseas click farms to inflate your numbers. While this might make your company look more impressive in the short run, is it a good idea? Jordanna Cheifetz, the Founder and CEO of the social media firm JAC Digital, warns against this tactic. She says it's better to have a small but engaged community.
From TikTok to Pinterest and Snapchat to Twitter, there are a ton of social media platforms out there -- and the number just keeps growing. Does every company need to be on every platform to succeed? Ken Whitinger, the owner of digital agency Mid Michigan Interactive, says no. Hear why he thinks when it comes to social media, less can be more.
Brands often worry about selling their products on Amazon, fearing that it may cannibalize their product sales in more profitable channels. Annalisa DeMarta, the co-founder of Ridgeline Insights, an 8-figure Amazon marketing agency that works with leading outdoor and lifestyle brands, argues that this is the wrong way to think about Amazon as a marketplace. Hear her tips for business that are considering selling their wares on Amazon.
Often, company executives measure the success of their marketing efforts by looking at the number of impressions they receive. But this number only tells part of the story. Wes Matthews, the Co-Founder of High Level Marketing, explains why it's important for companies to track their marketing efforts all the way through the entire lead generation process.
It's happened to all of us: We visit a webpage to learn about a product, and then ads for that product follow us around the internet for days or weeks afterwards. Does this actually encourage consumers to purchase the product? Or does it just creep them out? Brandon Rea, the VP of Sales at Vibrant Media, suggests that this there's a better way for businesses to target customers that doesn't involve invading their privacy.
Every day, it seems like another social media platform pops up. From Facebook to Twitter to Instagram to Snapchat to TikTok, the pressure to have a business presence on them all can get overwhelming. Marla Sanford, the Chief Marketing Officer at Spring Arbor University, argues that it's better to pick and choose your social networks judiciously than to spread yourself too thin trying to be on all of them.
Plus: How to reach people under the age of 18 when there are laws that forbid you from targeting them.
Some industries -- like sports, social media, or entertainment -- exude cool while others -- like accounting, insurance, and IT -- do not. But if your industry isn't sexy, does that mean that your marketing campaigns can't be either? Danielle Kilberg, Director of Marketing at Scott Griffin Financial, pushes back against this notion. She explains how she leverages a company's people to overcome a boring image.
All too often, when a new person takes charge of an organization's marketing efforts, they feel the need to put their stamp on the place. Where do they start? With the company's logo. Mark Wallenwine, the Director of Sales and Marketing for Lighthouse Therapy, explains why marketers should think twice before ditching a logo that that has benefited from years of investment.
Plus: How do you market therapy services to schools?
Companies are sometimes tempted to misrepresent their product or services -- however slightly -- in an effort to attract more customers. Is this a good idea? Ariel Wan, the Director of Media, Marketing and Attraction at McKinley Companies, argues that honesty is always the best policy.
Plus: The difference between Florida senses of humor and Michigan senses of humor.
Ever since the advent of social media, companies have chased the elusive "viral sensation" in the hopes of boosting sales. Keith Boswell, the VP of Marketing at ADHD Online, joins Seth on the podcast to talk about the challenges in purposefully setting out to create something that will go viral on social media, and why this shouldn't be the primary goal of marketers. Hear how thinks companies should approach content for social media instead.
They also talk about the challenges involved in marketing mental health services, which people may be reluctant to seek out.
People don't really read ads, right? They just look at the pictures! Not so, says Jess Cook, the Director of Content Marketing for Marpipe. And she should know -- her company is in the business of testing marketing campaigns.
Don Draper of Mad Men and Dre from Black-ish may make marketing look easy, but that doesn't mean anybody can do it. Joey Alva, the Chief Executive Officer at Rockit Digital Marketing joins Seth on the podcast to dispel that myth. He explains why a marketer needs to be able to not just play to their strengths, but also recognize the value of marketing channels that may be out of their comfort zone.
They also talk about the secret to successfully marketing treatments for head lice.
While many successful companies start with an original idea, an idea alone is not enough to guarantee success. It's important to make sure that the idea meets the needs that real customers have.
Kirsten Leppert Kowalyk is the Director of B2B marketing at Landed, a startup that helps essential workers afford homes. She joins Seth Resler on the podcast to talk about the folly of pouring time and resources into a product without first checking to see if there is a need for it first.
University programs are fantastic way to get ahead, but they aren't the only option. Dan Moyle, a HubSpot Advisor for Impulse Creative, joins Seth Resler on the Bad Marketing Advice podcast to talk about why aspiring marketers shouldn't fall into the trap of believing that an BMA degree is the only way to launch a marketing career.
In fact, an MBA is just one option. You may have the skills you need already and not even realize it. The reality is that it's possible to succeed in marketing with hard work and dedication, no matter what your educational background may be.
Host Seth Resler invites marketing professionals to share the worst marketing advice they’ve ever heard. And they've got some doozies! If you think your marketing game has gotten too good, this podcast will provide the cure.