Marketing Speak

Most CEOs and entrepreneurs are neglecting their most important asset: their personal brand. Kara Goldin (founder of Hint Water) asked me a great question on her show: "How does SEO vary for a brand versus an individual?" My answer surprised her—and it might surprise you too. In this special crossover episode on Marketing Speak, I explain why most business leaders focus exclusively on their company's brand while ignoring their own. The problem? Your personal brand is the only one you take with you throughout your career. Companies come and go, but your name is forever. What we covered: → Why content publishers often outrank established industry brands (and what to learn from them) → How to identify indirect competitors with superior SEO knowledge → The SparkToro tool that reveals exactly which hashtags your audience is using → Why your personal website matters more than just having an "About the Founder" page Based on my work with major brands over three decades, I share proven strategies to ensure everything on page one—for both your personal name AND your company—either supports your narrative or gets pushed off entirely. This isn't about gaming the system. It's about strategic positioning that builds lasting digital authority. Tune in! The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/526.

Most businesses expect AI to cut content costs in half and triple output. That fantasy rarely survives contact with reality. In this episode of Marketing Speak, I sat down with Eric Enge—founder of Pilot Holding, my co-author on all four editions of The Art of SEO, and author of Using Generative AI for SEO—to discuss what actually works with AI in marketing. Eric has built and sold four companies, including the award-winning Stone Temple Consulting. His latest insights cut through the AI hype to reveal sustainable strategies: ✅ Why 25-30% efficiency gains (not 4x productivity) is the realistic target ✅ What large language models do exceptionally well vs. where they consistently fall short ✅ Why link building isn't dead and multi-channel presence matters more than ever ✅ How covering low search volume topics demonstrates true expertise ✅ The real truth about Google's "just create great content" advice If you're tired of empty AI promises and want strategies that deliver real results, this conversation will recalibrate your approach. The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/525.

📉 Losing profit to unclear processes or ghosting clients? In this Marketing Speak episode, Melissa Morris reveals why most agencies leak profit—and how to fix it with better onboarding, clearer deliverables, and data-backed pricing. Whether you're drowning in Slack messages or tired of clients ghosting your team, this episode gives you the tools to fix it—fast. The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/523.

🚨Podcasters: If you're ignoring YouTube, you're flushing growth down the algorithmic toilet. In this episode of Marketing Speak, I break down why YouTube is non-negotiable—even if your download numbers are laughably low. 🎯 Inside the episode: • The lazy podcaster’s guide to turning transcripts into SEO machines • How to clone your content with the “Evil Twin” strategy • Why your client interviews should be stealth case studies • The 3 SEO pillars every podcaster must master (yes, even you) 700 downloads? 70,000? Doesn’t matter. If you’re podcasting without a strategy, you’re podcasting blind. ▶️ Listen now. Your podcast deserves better than page 9 of Google. The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/522.

While everyone’s panicking about AI killing website traffic, one client scaled from 2M to 13M monthly visits. In the latest episode of Marketing Speak, design expert Greg Merrilees reveals how WhatIsMyIPAddress.com achieved explosive growth by building authority—not just pretty websites. Learn the exact architecture that beats AI Overviews and Google’s traffic death spiral. This episode is a blueprint for future-proofing your brand. The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/521.

The marketing game has fundamentally changed. While most businesses still chase website clicks, AI is forming opinions about your brand before anyone visits your site. In my latest Marketing Speak episode, Dixon Jones (CEO of InLinks and former Global Brand Ambassador for Majestic) reveals why traditional SEO metrics are becoming obsolete. Dixon, who's earned the Queen's Award for Enterprise and UK Search Personality of the Year, shares how large language models make purchasing recommendations based on entity knowledge, not keyword rankings. Here's the reality: When someone asks ChatGPT or Claude for business recommendations, the decision happens in the AI response - not after clicking your website. Dixon's new tool audits what AI actually knows about your business versus competitors, revealing critical gaps that could cost you customers. Tune in! The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/520.

What if putting yourself first actually grew your business instead of hurting it? Sagi Shrieber, first designer at Fiverr and SimilarWeb, scaled his design agency to seven figures while working LESS hours. His secret? The "Nine to Twelve Rule" - blocking 9 AM to 12 PM daily for personal time before any client meetings. The counterintuitive result: Higher productivity, better client relationships, and sustainable growth without burnout. In our latest Marketing Speak episode, Sagi reveals why most entrepreneurs have it backwards and shares his exact framework for setting boundaries that actually increase revenue. 🎧 Listen now! The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/519.

Most entrepreneurs are using AI completely wrong and missing massive growth opportunities. Danny Iny, founder of Mirasee and Harvard Business Review contributor, reveals why the difference between AI as a "junior assistant" vs. "senior strategist" isn't about the technology—it's about the context you provide. In our latest Marketing Speak conversation, Danny shares his contrarian framework for turning AI into a strategic thinking partner that amplifies your unique perspective rather than creating generic outputs everyone else can produce. Stop trying to save time and start expanding what's possible within the time you have. Listen to discover how to position yourself advantageously in an AI-driven economy! The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/518.

AI is reshaping how content gets discovered, and many publishers are watching their traffic disappear. But here's what most don't realize: Google Discover now accounts for 65% of publisher traffic with CTRs 4x higher than traditional search. John Shehata, founder of NewzDash and former global audience growth leader at Condé Nast (60+ brands), reveals the survival strategies publishers need right now. From query fan-out optimization to AI summarization buttons that actually increase engagement, John breaks down what's working in this new landscape. Sites blaming AI for traffic decline often had deeper content and branding issues long before AI arrived. Smart publishers are pivoting to owned audience channels and passage-based optimization. Listen to episode 517 of Marketing Speak to discover the frameworks that help content creators thrive as AI reshapes discovery and consumption. The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/517.

🚀 Most authors waste thousands chasing vanity metrics like Amazon “Best Seller” tags. In this Marketing Speak episode, Alex Strathdee takes a different approach—helping authors get their books into the right hands to generate leads, build authority, and drive real business growth. With 1,000+ nonfiction books marketed, Alex shares why giving away free copies can sometimes be your smartest move—and how to use Amazon & Meta ads strategically to scale. 🎧 Listen now to learn how to turn your book into a lead-gen engine! The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/516.

💡 "Don't try to be like Apple unless you have Apple's brand authority" - Greg Merrilees This insight from Episode 515 explains why so many premium service websites fail to convert. Greg Merrilees, founder of Studio1 Design, just walked us through a case study that every business owner needs to hear. We transformed Quintessa (a high-end cosmetic surgery center) from a sparse, "clean" website into a conversion powerhouse. Key breakthrough: When you have a high-ticket service, your brand MUST match that price point. Clean minimalism often reads as cheap or untrustworthy. The strategic redesign included: ✅ Real team photos (not stock imagery) ✅ Social proof above the fold ✅ Strategic content organization ✅ Conversion-optimized user journeys Result: Traffic doubled, keyword rankings soared, and lead quality improved dramatically. Ready to stop leaving money on the table with an under-performing website? 🎧 Listen to the full teardown on Marketing Speak! The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/515.

While everyone's worried about AI replacing them, Dustin Riechmann built a $1M business by doubling down on what AI can't replicate: human connection and shared values. Dustin's journey from traffic engineer → marriage ministry → meat stick entrepreneur → seven-figure business coach proves that relationships trump tactics every time. His unconventional strategies: 🎯 Using podcast guesting for "relationship arbitrage" 🎯 Training AI on private client calls (not public content) 🎯 Non-dominant hand writing for breakthrough insights 🎯 Prayer before every AI session for better results The game-changer: One podcast appearance led to a Walmart deal AND his first coaching client. That's the exponential power of human-to-human marketing. Want to build your own relationship-driven business? Marketing Speak episode 514 breaks down his complete system. Tune in! The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/514.

💡 The marketing game isn't just changing—it's being completely rewritten. Lauren Pawell returns to Marketing Speak with a reality check: if you're not experimenting with AI in your marketing, someone else will take your clients. From professional ballet to medical device sales to generating quarter-million dollar campaigns, Lauren's unconventional path led to breakthrough AI strategies that are transforming how fractional CMOs deliver results. She reveals why traditional social media is dead (hello, "interest media"), how to turn 45-minute interviews into viral 90-second reels, and why your first AI output should never be your final output. The bottom line: Lean teams with AI can now outmaneuver massive marketing budgets. Ready to future-proof your marketing? Listen now! The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/513.

🎯 Your website is never finished. It's your silent sales machine working 24/7. Greg Merrilees just shared the blueprint that took Firefly Legal from outdated to industry-leading in our latest Marketing Speak deep dive. Here's what most service businesses get wrong: They treat their website like a digital brochure instead of a conversion-focused sales tool. Greg's systematic approach fixes this with strategic questioning, authentic branding, and conversion funnels that actually work. The proof? Organic traffic skyrocketing, keyword rankings climbing, and lead generation hitting all-time highs. This Marketing Speak episode is packed with actionable insights for any service business ready to level up! The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/512.

🎯 What if the ONE thing blocking your business growth isn't what you think it is? Israel Duran went from a child who couldn't speak without stuttering to empowering thousands of entrepreneurs worldwide. In our latest Marketing Speak episode, he reveals his "Beach of Abundance" model that identifies the critical business leaks preventing exponential growth. His insight? Most entrepreneurs keep trying new containers (strategies) without fixing the holes. They chase shiny objects instead of identifying their linchpin leak - whether it's branding, marketing, sales, operations, or mindset. Key takeaways from our conversation: ✅ The 4 C's of content creation that separate you from the noise ✅ Why building your own platform trumps social media dependency ✅ How to leverage existing viral content for rapid growth ✅ The spiritual partnership that transformed his entire approach to business Ready to identify your business leak? Listen to Episode 511 now. The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/511.

🚀 How a law firm increased conversions by 12x and signed 60 new cases in just 3 months... I just released a powerful case study episode with Greg Merrilees from Studio1 Design, breaking down the complete transformation of Yosha Law - from generic to sophisticated, conversion-optimized powerhouse. Most websites look identical with cookie-cutter templates and autoplay videos that KILL conversions. In this deep-dive case study, Greg and I reveal exactly how we flipped the script from "all about us" to "what's in it for them" using the StoryBrand framework. The result? Brandon Yosha went from signing 12 cases per YEAR to 23 cases in a single MONTH. If your website isn't converting visitors into clients, this case study reveals the exact strategies that work. 🎧 Listen to our complete breakdown on Marketing Speak Episode 510. The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/510.

💡 "Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat" - Sun Tzu This quote perfectly captures what Greg Merrilees and I discovered when analyzing failed website redesigns. Too many businesses jump into design changes without understanding the psychology behind what actually converts visitors. Greg, founder of Studio1 Design, just shared the exact methodology his team used to transform Primal Trust's website from a cluttered, slow-loading mess into a conversion machine that now ranks #4 for competitive wellness keywords. The breakthrough insight? When your audience is dealing with trauma and chronic illness, cognitive load is your enemy. Every moving element, every competing call-to-action, every unnecessary animation adds stress to already overwhelmed visitors. Their solution: Create calm, build trust, then guide visitors through a logical journey that feels supportive rather than sales-y. The result? A website that doesn't just look professional - it actually helps people while driving business growth. Full case study details are in our latest Marketing Speak episode. Tune in! The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/509.

After 25 years in business, Meny Hoffman discovered the secret to scaling culture in remote teams isn't technology—it's intentionality. As CEO of Ptex Group, Meny transformed his Brooklyn-based agency from 100% in-office to a thriving hybrid model by appointing "culture ambassadors" who "burn calories every week," strengthening team connection. His approach? Core values that trigger daily conversations, not collect dust on walls. Key insight: "Every company has a culture—even if default is also a culture. The question is: will you be intentional about what you build?" His framework helped a 600-employee client unify its culture across four locations in just four months. Listen to Marketing Speak Episode 508 to discover Meny's actionable strategies for building an intentional culture that drives results, not just engagement surveys. The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/508.

🚀 How a children's book company increased sales from 4 million to 6 million copies with a strategic website redesign Just dropped an incredible case study with Greg Merrilees, breaking down the complete transformation of Tuttle Twins' website. Here's what moved the needle: ✅ Leveraged "common enemy" strategy (CNN criticism actually DROVE sales) ✅ Implemented side cart upsells for instant AOV boost ✅ Removed ALL distractions from checkout pages ✅ Built a community around brand vs. generic discounts Greg's conversion-focused approach proves that pretty websites don't pay the bills - converting sites do. Listen to Episode 507 of Marketing Speak to get the behind-the-scenes breakdown of every design decision that contributed to this 50% sales increase. What's your biggest website conversion challenge? 👇 The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/507.