We know, we know — it’s been a long time since we released a podcast. Jeff insists there’s a convoluted explanation involving three hernias and a root canal. Sure, Jeff.

Possibly fictitious excuses aside, we’re back and totally on top of our game. You can tell because we have a guest who says things like “Oh, I’ve written a few books and taught at a few universities” like it’s no big deal.

His name is Neal Schaffer, and he’s a digital social media marketing author, consultant speaker and humble genius. He’s also the mastermind behind a podcast that releases way more frequently than ours. (We have Jeff’s “root canal” to thank for that.)

Neal says his digital marketing empire — our words, not his — began with a LinkedIn invite back in 2004. As one of the first million LinkedIn users, he was quick to utilize the platform’s now-retired blog feature. From there, he went on to explore the quickly developing digital world like the social media version of Indiana Jones, blazing trails with his dedication to an omnichannel approach.

What did he discover during his travels through YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and even uncharted territory like TikTok? How did he turn a single LinkedIn invite into a long list of marketing and networking accolades?

You’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out.

(Hint: It’s got a lot to do with the importance of data in digital marketing!)

Synopsis:

[02:04] Neal’s professional background

[03:03] First steps into podcasting

[06:43] Benefits of podcasting

[08:28] First experience with social media

[12:14] Jumping into other social media networks

[14:12] Evolution of social media marketing knowledge

[17:18] Working with a data-driven approach

[20:18] Utilizing data to neutralize emotions in decision making

[22:44] Reasons email marketing still works

[26:04] Adjusting to trends in social media

[30:23] What’s next on social media

[36:26] Wrapping up

Takeaways:

· You have to consume the content you want to promote on your own.

· If you love to speak and there are a lot of interesting guests that you can pull in, I think podcasting can help you tick a lot of boxes on your marketing strategies.

· Podcasting is sexy because it gives you away a network of people.

· In order to understand the true potential and the right strategies, you really need to take a step back.

· Don’t worry about the future. It’s the here and now that counts.

• Listen on Spotify.
• Listen on Anchor.
• Listen on Apple Podcasts.
• Listen on Google Podcasts.

Additional Resources:

• Your Digital Marketing Coach with Neal Schaffer. Neal’s podcast, bursting with his top-notch digital marketing advice.
• The Neal Schaffer blog. One more way to get your daily dose of Neal.

The post ‘Above the Fold’ Episode Recap: One Man, One LinkedIn Invite, One Digital Marketing Empire appeared first on Brafton.

She’ll also tell you that it can be agonizing work. Case in point, she spent 2 whole months just picking brand colors — not to mention, a year and a half learning how to start a business, and another 6 months conducting competitor research. Let’s not also forget all the canceled photoshoots, courtesy of COVID-19, and all the back and forth with her manufacturer on the topic of butt coverage.

So why would someone with an otherwise successful career in marketing and podcasting put themselves through the wringer like this? What’s it all for?

In this episode of Above the Fold, Francis and Jeff get some insight into the entrepreneurial mindset from Yvonne, founder and owner of Now in Rio Swim, an ethical swimwear company based in Lisbon.

It’s an honest look at the trials and tribulations — but also the bootstrapping brilliance — of a highly relatable entrepreneur.

• Listen on Spotify.
• Listen on Anchor.
• Listen on Apple Podcasts.

Additional Resources

• The Branding Lab, Yvonne’s podcast.
• The episode of the Branding Lab where Yvonne talks all about making mistakes.
• Now In Rio Swim, her ethical swimwear company.
• Now In Rio Swim (the Insta).

Context-Free Quote of the Week

“Crying doesn’t have to be a negative thing.”

The post ‘Above the Fold’ Episode Recap: For the 20th Time, It Needs More Butt Coverage! appeared first on Brafton.

His friends were so eager to hear how they would die, that they started paying him for his work. Jarod used these earnings to buy Slim Jims on his way home from school.

They say hindsight is 20/20, and in hindsight Jarod was destined to be one of two things: A psycho killer, or a natural-born creative entrepreneur.

Spoiler alert: We do not bring psycho killers onto our show.

However, we did bring on a dude who got his first marketing job at the age 14, graduated high school by the time he was 16, and successfully started an SEO business before hitting the age of 25.

On this episode of Above the Fold, we interviewed a bona fide wunderkind. When he’s famous in 10 years, just remember that you heard about him here first.

So go ahead and earn your (and our) future bragging rights

• Listen on Spotify.
• Listen on Anchor.
• Listen on Apple Podcasts.

On this episode you’ll learn:

• What it means to run a truly data-informed PPC campaign.
• Some good ‘80s and ‘90s cult classics to watch.
• How to finish high school in ~2 years (get your time machines ready).
• Some unexpected benefits of choosing clients selectively.
• So much more.

Additional Resources

• Jarod’s agency, Comet Fuel.
• A bit more about Jarod, “former child.”
• Hackers trailer (one of the films Jarod references)

(Not So) Context-Free Quote of the Week

“I love that you killed your friends off for Slim Jims.”

The post ‘Above the Fold’ Episode Recap: Jeff and Francis Interview Jarod, A Real-Life Wunderkind appeared first on Brafton.

In those days, he worked as a freelance disco instructor by night and a CIA-contracted gun by day. He had just finished his memoir, “I don’t talk like Paul Rudd, Paul Rudd talks like me,” a brooding tell-all about the time he and the ”Role Models” star spent in clown school together.

These days, Shane Barker is busy saving small businesses, trying ayahuasca and being a highly successful digital marketing consultant (not necessarily in that order). He’s the founder and owner of Clout Marketing, LLC., which helps small businesses triumph over the fallout of COVID-19, and he recently launched a course that helps aspiring influencers succeed.

As usual, Shane had plenty of input on some really interesting topics ranging from:

• Business consulting.
• How to navigate delicate situations with struggling clients during COVID times.
• How to be a traveling digital entrepreneur.
• Much more.

Buckle in, because this one is a wild (but very fun) ride:

• Listen on Spotify.
• Listen on Anchor.
• Listen on Apple Podcasts.

Correction: Some of the above information pertaining to Shane Barker may be untrue. Namely, there’s no evidence that he is, in fact, highly successful.

Additional Resources

• Clout Consulting LLC: A resource for small businesses that need help contending with COVID’s impact on their operations.
• The Marketing Growth Podcast: Shane’s podcast (worth queuing up).
• ShaneBarker.com: Shane’s company, and most of what you need to know about his illustrious career thus far.
• How to be an influencer: A combination of free resources and course material for anyone trying to break into the influencer game.

Context-Free Quote of the Week

“If you’re a brain surgeon and you don’t get back to your clients and then they die, that really sucks.”

The post Above the Fold Episode Recap: Shane ‘Big Boy’ Barker Coming in Hot appeared first on Brafton.

For starters, Greg Digneo of Content Guppy is just a fantastic guest. He’s a great storyteller with a wonderfully simple way of wording things, and he’s a down-to-Earth guy who’s taken some hard knocks on his journey as an SEO entrepreneur. He has an interesting approach to keyword research (discussed at 25 minutes) that you’ll certainly appreciate, and a refreshingly honest view of what SEO accomplishes.

Moreover, you’ll actually learn a lot on this episode just through casual listening, and Jeff and Francis deserve some of the credit there for facilitating a great conversation. Seriously. I know you would expect me to say these are good episodes. But if you’ve read one of these recaps before, we’re not in the game of pulling our self-directed punches.

I guess I’ll stop there and just let you listen:

• Listen on Spotify.
• Listen on Anchor.
• Listen on Apple Podcasts.

On this episode you’ll learn:

• A good amount about the mindset needed to oversee a content marketing business.
• Some actionable advice about how to oversee said business.
• Super useful keyword research tips and strategies.
• Backlinking wisdom (and some examples of what NOT to do).

Additional Resources

• Greg’s agency, Content Guppy.
• Treehouse Masters (A show about carpenters who build $500,000 tree houses).
• The ATF episode where we talk to Bernard Huang of Clearscope.

Context-Free Quote of the Week

“I got the spicy shot on Sunday.”

The post ‘Above the Fold’ Episode Recap: Finally, An Episode All About Content Marketing appeared first on Brafton.

But amidst the chaos, there’s something cool happening here: Two people talking about a slew of interesting and—mostly—relatable things. I really wanted to interject, for instance, to ask Francis if he’s ever played Resident Evil 4 (still the best Resident Evil). And to tell Jeff that the Will Smith movie he was thinking about is called “I, Robot.”

If nothing else, you’ll walk away from this episode feeling more excited about “Top Gun 2” and virtual reality, and with a healthy appreciation for the risks of creating marketing studies like this one.

• Listen on Spotify.
• Listen on Anchor.
• Listen on Apple Podcasts.

Additional Resources:

• GoPro Lion Video: Jeff references this at 8:50. If you haven’t seen this, you must.
• The Oculus Quest 2: A cool device; if you get nothing else from this, check out that really cool cursor they have.
• 8 minutes of “Top Gun 2” teasers: To get you excited (maybe).
• Some context on Clubhouse: An interesting new social media app.

Context-Free Quote of the Week:

“I’m at 90% of what I want to be.”

The post ‘Above the Fold’ Episode Recap: Jeff & Francis Invite You into Their Minds appeared first on Brafton.

Diana is the Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at Retail Voodoo. She co-founded the company in 2011 and has since worked with countless food, beverage, wellness and fitness brands. She’s helped companies like REI, KIND, Essentia, Brooks Running, the Puget Sound Consumer Co-op (PCC) and even Walmart overcome growth hurdles.

She also hosts her own podcast, Gooder. To boot, she’s highly knowledgeable on the issues of food equity, conscious capitalism and sustainability.

And you can bet we talked about all of that, and more, on this episode of the Above the Fold podcast:

• Listen on Spotify.
• Listen on Anchor.
• Listen on Apple Podcasts.

Other key issues we cover:

• Racial and ethnic representation at grocery stores.
• Operationalizing your “brand values.”
• The role leadership plays in branding.

Some cool resources:

• The Gooder Podcast: A fantastic podcast featuring powerful women talking about the important issues they help solve in the world.
• Retail Voodoo: Diana’s brainchild.
• Ron Finley Project: A really cool initiative out of Los Angeles that Diana referenced in this episode.
• The “Sister, Sister” Theme Song: Because Retail Voodoo actually helped Tia Mowry (AKA Tia of “Sister, Sister”) develop a brand that creates health supplements specifically for women of color. (Jeff and Francis were not nearly as excited about this as they should have been.)

Context free quote of the week:

“What do we want, as human beings, for other human beings on the planet?”

The post ‘Above the Fold’ Episode Recap: How to be a ‘Gooder’ Brand appeared first on Brafton.

His magnum opus, though, is an asynchronous video app called Volley. It lets you easily record a video and send it to a co-worker—like if Slack and Zoom had a baby.

It’s a cool concept that lent itself to one very compelling conversation about the status-quo of digital work culture and, in particular, “meeting fatigue.”

Hot tip: If you’re just here for the pickles, skip ahead to 40:50.

• Listen on Spotify.
• Listen on Anchor.
• Listen on Apple Podcasts.

Additional resources:

• More about Volley.
• More about Josh’s pickles.
• Correction: Top Gun 2’s tentative release date in Canada is November 19, 2021, same as in the U.S., (not July 2, as Francis and Jeff wrongly asserted in this episode).

Context-free quote of the week:

“My family did not have money, but they had really good pickle recipes.”

The post ‘Above the Fold’ Episode Recap: Going ‘Meetless’ in the Year 2021 appeared first on Brafton.

But “great marketing” and “customer experience” take on new meanings in health care.

“Letting someone cut you open either physically to repair something or emotionally to work through underlying trauma … that requires exponential amounts of trust,” Colin Jeffries, Director of Marketing & Communications at BrightView, said.

It’s even more complicated when you’re working with Medicaid patients who may be experiencing financial, familial and legal hardship.

On this episode of the Above the Fold podcast, two experts talk about what goes on at the intersection of health care and marketing. It’s a fascinating and essential conversation, and a wakeup call for anyone still sleeping on the importance of empathy in marketing.

• Listen on Spotify.
• Listen on Anchor.
• Listen on Apple Podcasts.

Additional resources:

• The Rethink Marketing Podcast (Colin’s marketing podcast).
• More information about BrightView

Context-free quote of the week:

“He can’t talk. I have control right now. Jeff is just there sitting and he’s got to listen.”

The post ‘Above the Fold’ Episode Recap: Where Marketing and Health Care Converge appeared first on Brafton.

It’s an “is this it?” (“it” being your life) moment that most of us manage to power through with some self-reflection and another pot of coffee.

But if you ask Lisa Jacobs (lawyer turned van lifer/digital-nomad coach/blogger/influencer), there are some “is this it?” moments that you can’t get past without doing something radically different. If you’re at an inflection point in your life or thinking of venturing outside your comfort zone, Lisa’s is the voice you need to hear right now.

(And even if you’re perfectly content with every element of your life, this episode of Above the Fold is still a REALLY fun way to spend 37 minutes).

• Listen on Spotify.
• Listen on Anchor.
• Listen on Apple Podcasts.

Additional resources:

• Vacay vans: Lisa’s blog/business.
• Lisa’s Instagram: Best place to follow her travels.
• “Is this it?” by The Strokes: It’s a good song.
• Lisa with her van: It’s name is “Freebird”

 

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A post shared by Lisa Jacobs (@lisamjacobs)

Context-free quote of the week:

“I hate traffic and children.”

The post ‘Above the Fold’ Episode Recap: A Van, No Man, No Plan appeared first on Brafton.