Focus Is Your Friend: How To Double Down On Marketing That Matters

Dear FIFY Listeners This is our final episode of Focus Is Your Friend. Thank you for listening for the past 67 episodes! I’ve really enjoyed bringing the podcast to you and talking with so many smart marketers about how to make traction in this crazy world. I appreciate all your feedback and emails – hopefully they helped us produce an increasingly better show. We’ve decided that we’re going to put our time into a more entertaining, storytelling format. So we’re ending Focus Is Your Friend so that we can bring you something even better soon. (There’s only so much time in a day, and, hello, focus is my friend!) Please subscribe to the newsletter here and we’ll let you know when our new awesome listening experience is ready for prime time. Here’s to doing fewer great things over more mediocre things! Lee  

Erin Dwyer is a marketing guru with a passion and enthusiasm for the digital world. Erin is currently the SVP of Ecommerce, Social and Digital Marketing for a cosmetics company in Orange County, CA. Erin started her career in the advertising side of the business and has worked at prestigious agencies throughout her career including J Walter Thompson, DDB, Wong Doody and TBWA/Chiat/ Day. She's worked in gaming, software technology and entertainment categories. With digital’s impact on all industries, Erin’s aim is to help companies and brands understand how to use the space and navigate it to bring them desired results and prepare for what’s next. “The most important thing for anyone in any category is to realize that the concept of marketing as we once knew it is basically over” – Erin Dwyer What you’ll learn about in this episode: What today’s marketing mix looks like and how to stay relevant How to find value in your marketing approach and tactics while looking outside the box How to realize that marketi

Glenn Mattson is the president of Mattson Enterprises, a consulting and training firm which specializes in helping you put those plans you’ve spent so much time creating into action. Learn what it takes to connect the dots and ensure success. “I think that's the number one challenge that business owners have is they assume that they know their audience when in reality they know very little about them.”  – Chris Dayley What you’ll learn about in this episode: How to implement the plans you’ve spent so much time creating  How to reach your goals without wasting your time What separates an okay sales department from a fantastic one Why is leadership so important when executing plans Ways to contact Glenn: Website: www.Mattson.Sandler.com LinkedIn: GlennMattson

Drew Neisser, is the founder and CEO of Renegade, an award-winning agency that helps CMOs find innovative ways to break through. He is a true renegade thinker, and he has helped dozens and dozens of CMOs create marketing programs worth writing about, and he has told the story of over 200 of his CMO friends via his Ad Age column and his first book, The CMO’s Periodic Table: A Renegade’s Guide to Marketing   “I think that's the number one challenge that business owners have is they assume that they know their audience when in reality they know very little about them.”  – Chris Dayley What you’ll learn about in this episode: How to survive by focusing What are the basic elements CMOS need to manage expectations How to continue innovating everyday Why CMOS fail and how t avoid the failure trap How to execute at scale Why courage always precedes vision How to set clear marketing expectations Why a CMO needs board-level support and how to secure it Other resources: A/B Testing Starter Guide Visual Website Opti

Drew Neisser, is the founder and CEO of Renegade, an award-winning agency that helps CMOs find innovative ways to break through. He is a true renegade thinker, and he has helped dozens and dozens of CMOs create marketing programs worth writing about, and he has told the story of over 200 of his CMO friends via his Ad Age column and his first book, The CMO’s Periodic Table: A Renegade’s Guide to Marketing   “Awareness erodes at about a 50 percent a month rate, so if you can’ t create something that is sustainable over time, don’t bother spending the money.”  – Drew Neisser What you’ll learn about in this episode: How to survive by focusing What are the basic elements CMOS need to manage expectations How to continue innovating everyday Why CMOS fail and how t avoid the failure trap How to execute at scale Why courage always precedes vision How to set clear marketing expectations Why a CMO needs board-level support and how to secure it Other resources: The CMO’s Periodic Table: A Renegade’s Guide to Market

Brandon Laws is the Director of Marketing at Xenium HR. He has helped companies go from twenty people to ninety people with just himself, a coordinator and a very small budget. Learn how to target an audience effectively with small money and big ideas that translate.   “One of our taglines [at Xenium] is ‘developing great employers’ and I think how you do that is you educate them and you continue to provide best practice advice and provide value always.” - Brandon Laws What you’ll learn about in this episode: How to target an audience effectively with small money and big ideas The key to getting people to pay attention to your marketing efforts Why sustainability is sexy How to optimize your content Why marketing efforts require a hypothesis Why networking is so important to connect with C-level executives Why marketing doesn’t have to have a huge price tag to be effective Other resources: Youtility by Jay Baer Ways to contact AJ: Twitter: @BrandonLaws Website: www.xeniumhr.com 

AJ Wilcox is a digital marketing fanatic who found early success with LinkedIn Ads. He started B2Linked, a niche agency, and LinkedIn Certified Partner. He's a ginger & triathlete. He & his wife live in Utah with their 4 kids, and his company car is a go-kart.   “The most beautiful part about LinkedIn is the targeting. It’s scalable access to professionals at a really granular level.” - AJ Wilcox What you’ll learn about in this episode: The right-sized approach to using LinkedIn and Facebook for B2B marketing Why you need to have a flexible strategy for many budgets A data-driven strategy for engagement to find the right people and keep them The best way to develop your relationship with an audience How to create content for smart audience development What it means to pay more to get more with LinkedIn How to find that middle-ground of content and contact to maximize ROI The easiest way to create content for white collar recruitment campaigns Why LinkedIn offers the best targeting - market directly

Building and growing businesses, from category creation to global expansion, is a passion of Mike Porcaro’s and it's a through-line in his career. He believes that there are few things more satisfying than the sense of accomplishment a team feels when they've achieved what may have seemed impossible just a few months prior.   “A great idea wasn’t great only one time.” - Mike Porcaro What you’ll learn about in this episode: Boomi: the world’s leading integration platform (the software that connects all your disparate systems) How Mike took Boomi from credibility to credibility & awareness Why he quickly hired experts in different fields to help Boomi grow Ensuring ROI from your agency and why you must expect partner level work Speaking to all consumers as humans How to expand internationally by keeping your message hyperlocal with an appropriate amount of centralized consistency Measuring how many people are talking about a business and making sure they’re talking about what you want them to talk about

Entrepreneur, speaker, and writer Pia Silva is a partner and brand strategist at Worstofall Design where they build "Badass Brands without the BS" for 1-3 person service businesses in 1-3 day intensives. She is a Forbes contributor and has spoken at a host of entrepreneurial organizations including Goldman Sach's 10,000 Small Businesses, Million Dollar Women’s Summit, Squarespace, and We Work. Her company was named top "10 Design Firms Lead By Young People That Are Changing the Way We Look at the World" by Complex. Her book “Badass Your Brand: Impatient Entrepreneur’s Guide to Turning Expertise into Profit” launched March 16th, 2017.   “The one mistake everyone is making is they're not sticking forcefully to their focus and their message.” - Pia Silva What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Worstofall Design helps their clients build badass brands in three days or less Leveraging profitability by getting very few clients at a high price point Brandshrink (strategy session) and Brandup (execution): how

Joe Stradinger began his career as a CPA with Arthur Andersen. His first assignment was in Budapest, Hungary, where he performed business valuations to support the privatization effort of former Iron Curtain countries. Joe eventually transferred to Arthur Andersen Business Consulting where he supported major telecommunications clients such as GTE and MCIWorldCom. In October of 1998, he co-founded Musicforce.com, the Internet's largest retailer focused exclusively on one of the fastest growing genres of music - contemporary Christian music. At Musicforce.com, he oversaw finance and operations as CFO and COO as well as a member of the board of directors. In July 1999, Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE GET) purchased a controlling interest in Musicforce.com at a valuation of $30 Million. The site and its management team formed the cornerstone of Gaylord Entertainment's new internet division, Gaylord Digital. As Gaylord Digitals VP of Strategic Development, Joe was responsible for all business opportunity development f

Ken helps B2B growth company executives in sales, marketing, and the C-Suite to breakthrough, achieve, and grow market leadership in new and existing markets. His clients not only lead, they improve key sales and marketing metrics like leads to revenue and opportunities to close. Ken has spent 20+ years in B2B marketing roles, launching the Intel Inside broadcast co-op program in 1991 and the Internet’s first affiliate marketing program, Netscape Now, at Netscape from 1995-99; has been CMO at several start-ups; and has run network security marketing at McAfee. In the 7 years of his consulting practice, Ken’s clients – including FireEye, Nimsoft, and others – have generated over $6B of shareholder value through IPOs and acquisitions, while several others have reached private equity valuations of $1B+.   “What really I do is encourage my clients to do is use a framework I call AIM. And AIM stands for Approach, Innovation, and Mindset.” - Ken Rutsky What you’ll learn about in this episode: Ken’s book "Launchi

John Brubaker is a nationally renowned business performance consultant, speaker, and award-winning author. John teaches audiences how to obtain better results in business with straightforward tools that turbo charge performance. Using a multidisciplinary approach, “Coach Bru” helps organizations and individuals develop their competitive edge. John is the author of two award-winning books: “The Coach Approach: Success Strategies From The Locker Room To The Board Room,” and “Seeds of Success: A Leader, His Legacy, and The Lessons Learned.” He also co-authored “Leadership: Helping Others To Succeed.” His latest book "Stadium Status: Taking Your Business to the Big Time" is available for pre-order. Brubaker was recently named to Forbes Magazine’s “Top 10 Consultants Who Avoid The B.S”. John and his books have been featured in Forbes, CBS Radio, ESPN Radio, Talent Magazine, Sold Magazine, Fox Sports, Bloomberg News, NBC Sports Radio, Huffington Post and The Street.com. His clients range from financial services to

Robert (Bob) Glazer is the founder and Managing Director of Acceleration Partners, and the founder and Chairman of BrandCycle. He is a serial entrepreneur with an exceptional track record and passion for growing revenue and profits for B2C-based companies. In demand by top brands and investment firms, he has extensive experience in the consumer, e-commerce, retail, online marketing, and ad-tech industries partnering with brands such as Adidas, ModCloth, Reebok, Target, Tiny Prints, Gymboree, and Warby Parker. Bob is a regular contributor to numerous outlets, writing about performance marketing, strategy, and culture. He is the recipient of the Boston Business Journal 40 under 40 award, the SmartCEO Boston Future 50 award, and a finalist for the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year in New England, among other accolades. A sought-after speaker, Robert presents to global audiences and serves as an advisor to high-growth businesses. Bob strongly believe in giving back; he served on the Board of Directors for the Perf

Liz O’Donnell is Double Forte’s Chief Content Officer, responsible for the firm’s and its clients' digital marketing and social media strategies. She blogs regularly for the agency on the dynamic world of social media, digital communication and being heard in a very loud world. Active in her community, Liz is a member of her town’s warrant and finance committee and co-founded Women in Democracy, a non-partisan organization that encourages women to run for local office.   When you lead with the creative, you're more likely not to align with your business goals.” - Liz O'Donnell What you’ll learn about in this episode: Asking “what are we trying to achieve for the company?” when brainstorming a piece of content Figuring out which of your business goals you can achieve through your content strategy (it can’t be all of them) and which of those goals have energy behind them Picking a purpose per platform and aligning them with the business goal that makes sense for that platform Why you should lead with data --

Liz O’Donnell is Double Forte’s Chief Content Officer, responsible for the firm’s and its client’s digital marketing and social media strategies. She blogs regularly for the agency on the dynamic world of social media, digital communication and being heard in a very loud world. Active in her community, Liz is a member of her town’s warrant and finance committee and co-founded Women in Democracy, a non-partisan organization that encourages women to run for local office.   “Make sure your content is easy to consume.” - Liz O'Donnell What you’ll learn about in this episode: What actionable content is Why all content needs an action Mixing content to reach customers at different times for different lengths of time based on where they are in the customer journey How many channels your business needs to be on How content gives customers context Building what action you want into your content map Be realistic: why you shouldn’t expect people to leave comments Being explicit on the actions you want your audience t

Liz O’Donnell is Double Forte’s Chief Content Officer, responsible for the firm’s and its client’s digital marketing and social media strategies. She blogs regularly for the agency on the dynamic world of social media, digital communication and being heard in a very loud world. Liz is the author of Mogul, Mom & Maid: The Balancing Act of the Modern Woman, a book that picks up where other business books leave off – understanding the impact women’s personal lives have on their careers and the ways business can support working women. Her website WorkingDaughter.com supports women who are balancing caring for an aging parent and their career. She is a frequent speaker and consultant to women who want to thrive and the organizations that want to reach and mobilize women. Active in her community, Liz is a member of her town’s warrant and finance committee and co-founded Women in Democracy, a non-partisan organization that encourages women to run for local office.   “Success and traction happen after you stop h

Nav Athwal is the Founder and CEO of RealtyShares, a curated online marketplace for real estate investing. His platform connects individual and institutional investors to private U.S. real estate investments, raising $200 million across more than 400 deals in 31 states. Prior to founding RealtyShares, Nav was a real estate and land use attorney in San Francisco, representing developers, fund managers, nonprofits and public and private REIT's on some of the largest US real estate and renewable energy projects. Nav holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from UC Davis and a J.D. from UC Berkeley Law School where he was Class Valedictorian. Nav is also is a regulator contributor to Forbes and TechCrunch.   “You can make the mistake of using data to make premature decisions that aren’t good for you.” - Nav Athwal What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why RealtyShares invested heavily in PR in their early days Why you need to find what makes you different from everyone else in your marketplace How Nav uses wr

Tara-Nicholle Nelson is the Founder and CEO of Transformational Consumer Insights, Inc., a data, insight, and strategy firm. TCI helps brands understand, reach, and engage Transformational Consumers: a hyper-growth segment of consumers that view all of life as a series of campaigns to change their behavior in order to live healthier, wealthier, wiser lives. Formerly, Tara was the first and only VP, Marketing for MyFitnessPal, now part of Under Armour Connected Fitness. Over 160 million people worldwide use Under Armour Connected Fitness apps to get an around-the-clock view of their food and fitness activities. In Tara’s first year on the job, MyFitnessPal grew from 45 million to 100 million users, drove a 22 percent increase in user engagement, and went from raising an $18 million Series A to the acquisition by Under Armour for $475 million. Tara created the Transformational Consumer Insights framework in 2012, and has continued to develop it throughout a career of working with the biggest brands in consumer

Digital marketing and online customer service are broken, and Jay Baer brings the repair kit. Jay has created five multi-million dollar companies and was recently inducted into the Word of Mouth Marketing Hall of Fame. He is the President of Convince & Convert, a consulting firm that helps the world’s most iconic brands like The United Nations, Nike, 3M, and Oracle use technology to gain an unfair competitive advantage. A New York Times best-selling author of five books, Jay is also the host of the acclaimed Social Pros podcast. His latest book Hug Your Haters is on Lee’s must read list for all marketers, communicators, and CEOs. He’s also an avid tequila collector and a certified barbecue judge.   “What has changed everything is that now customer service is a spectator sport. People can see if you’re good at customer service or not.” - Jay Baer What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why understanding your numbers doesn’t mean understanding your customers Jay’s incredible book “Hug Your Haters” Why a

Renee Wilson is the president of the PR Council, the professional trade association for agencies practicing public relations, within the world of marketing and communications. The PR Council has 110+ members representing more than 11,000 employees in the US. PR Council advocates for and advances the business of communications firms by building the market and the value of firms as strategic business partners. Previously, Renee spent 11 years at MSLGROUP most recently as a member of the global board of directors; and the firm’s Chief Client Officer, responsible for liaison with senior clients and the agency’s international client engagement program, which she created. She is also the former President of MSLGROUP in North America. Renee was president of the 2014 PR jury for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and served on one other Cannes Jury in 2011. Renee spent four years living and working in London for another international PR consultancy. During this time she managed the EMEA communicati