A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing

Does it ever feel like something's wrong with the American model of capitalism? If obsession with growth at all costs and maximizing shareholder wealth is disappointing to you, you’re not alone. Many are working to improve this mindset, including Paul Knowlton and Better Capitalism. Paul literally wrote the book on how to improve our system to work better for everyone, not just the wealthy. Listen in to learn how you can become a part of this movement, especially as a marketer or small business owner. Links Better Capitalism websiteBetter Capitalism book on AmazonBetter Capitalism blogPaul on LinkedInBetter Capitalism on LinkedInDonate to support Better Capitalism

Michael Caldwell is the co-founder of technology agency Black Airplane, and the current mayor of Woodstock, Ga. He's also a futurist who thinks a lot about how technology impacts our lives, especially artificial intelligence. At the 2025 Brighter Web Conference, Michael shared how he foresees AI impacting our lives and work, in both positive and negative ways. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y38GCBFQNshttps://blackairplane.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/caldwellmichael/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Caldwellhttps://www.mayorcaldwell.com/

Moira Vetter shares her experience founding and running an award-winning marketing agency, Modo Modo, in this talk at the 2025 Brighter Web Conference. Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3YxRa1sdHAhttps://modomodoagency.com/https://adventurethebook.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/moiravetter/https://www.podbean.com/media/share/dir-i3562-24e37caa

Co-founder of the Atlanta-based branding agency, Matchstic, Blake Howard shared how his team develops radical relevance for known brands. This talk was given at the 2025 Brighter Web Conference in Atlanta, Ga. Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceRz3XgtuKQhttps://learn.matchstic.com/radically-relevant-bookhttps://matchstic.com/abouthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/howardblakehttps://www.achangeofbrand.com/about

KWSM agency founder, Katie Wagner, spoke at the 2025 Brighter Web Conference about a new approach to marketing that goes beyond just traditional inbound and outbound—it's called Nearbound Marketing. Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpCx_TWUnBU&t=364shttps://kwsmdigital.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiewagnerkwsm/https://www.amazon.com/Nearbound-Rise-Economy-Jared-Fuller/dp/B0CW3DKVQD

At the 2025 Brighter Web Conference, Atlanta tech entrepreneur Jeff Hilimire discusses how dreaming small might be the key to finding meaning in both work and life. He shares from his personal perspective on how starting small has benefited his career and organizations. Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNBag5WWheQhttps://jeffhilimire.com/amazon.com/Dream-Small-Finding-Turnaround-Leadership/dp/B0DXM9VLJLhttps://ripples.media/https://dragonarmy.com/https://purposegroup.us/https://48in48.org/

Struggling to keep up with the rapid changes in AI technology and its impact on marketing? Discover how small business leaders and marketers can harness AI tools to stay ahead of the curve and enhance their strategies. This episode dives into the benefits and challenges of AI, emphasizing the need for adaptability in a fast-paced digital world. Links ClaudeChatGPTRobert’s AI experiment article

Remote work is more common than ever and a highly desired flexible benefit in many jobs. However, it doesn’t come without its own set of challenges and downsides. Coworking spaces like Fireworks in Marietta, Georgia, offer a good balance between flexibility and community. Courtney Schwartz from Fireworks shares the benefits and community aspects of co-working spaces. Chapters Quotes from Courtney Schwartz Links Fireworks Coworkingwork@fireworksfly.comFireworks on Instagram

Logan Lewis is the creative mind behind Hammerhead Creations and the Your Morning Drive podcast. Logan shares his journey of building a brand that encompasses his diverse creative pursuits, from podcasting to marketing services for small businesses. Discover how Logan balances his full-time job with his passion projects and the importance of community and personal relationships in his work. Chapters: Key Quotes Links Hammerhead CreationsInstagramLinkedInApple PodcastsSpotifyYouTubeFireworks Co-working Space

Digital marketing isn’t just about posting and hoping people see your content. You also need to do the more difficult work of creating an online community and forming mutually beneficial relationships. What does it actually look like to create an online community? That’s what we’re learning together in our brand-new Brighter Web marketing community. Join us and let’s learn together.

Data is both helpful and overwhelming for marketers. Let’s have an honest conversation about how to manage your flood of online data and make wiser decisions in your business. We’ll cover some common misconceptions, useful tools, and how to focus on what really matters. Highlights Time Stamps Links Fathom AnalyticsAnalytics WPDataboxMicrosoft Clarity

Conferences can be fun and helpful, or they can be a massive waste of time and money. Overall, we love going to marketing conferences—enough that we wanted to plan one of our own. If you’re in Atlanta on October 9, 2025, we’d love to have you at the first-ever Brighter Web Conference. Even if you can’t make it, here are some insights on what we love about these events and what we’ve learned from planning one. You can get $50 off your conference ticket with the promo code MEETUP. See you there!

In this episode, our guest Sanjay Parekh discusses the importance of privacy and security in our digital lives. We discuss the balance between convenience and security, the necessity of using strong passwords and unique email addresses, and the tools available to enhance online safety, including password managers and two-factor authentication. Sanjay emphasizes the need for individuals and small business owners to take proactive steps to protect their information and offers practical advice for implementing better security practices. Takeaways Chapters Links https://www.sanjayparekh.com/https://bsky.app/profile/sanjayparekh.comhttps://www.togetherletters.com/https://www.techtalkyall.com/https://edgewise.media/ Tech Recs https://bitwarden.com/https://www.yubico.com/https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/https://www.usa.gov/credit-freeze

What are the most impactful web technologies of all time? We were inspired by another podcast to create our very own unscientific list. What tech made the cut? Show Notes Original Hard Fork podcast episode Our Top 30 Technologies List Honorable Mentions

It’s 2025! At the end of 2024, we recorded our reactions to an article predicting some of the biggest trends and ideas for the new year. Which of these will come true and which will flop? Only time will tell. Original article from LinkedIn: 25 Big Ideas that will change our world in 2025 Here are the items from the list that we discussed in depth: Which of these predictions do you agree with? What do you think is missing from the list? Email us with feedback at podcast@greenmellenmedia.com.

In this episode of the Brighter Web Podcast, we talk to Laura Beth Daws about the critical role of communication in team building. They explore the challenges of hybrid work environments, the importance of self-awareness, and the need for psychological safety within teams. Laura emphasizes that effective communication is not just about conveying messages but about fostering connections and understanding individual roles within a team. She also highlights the significance of listening as a leadership skill and the value of external perspectives in improving team dynamics. Links LBD CommunicationsLBD Communications on LinkedInLaura Beth Daws on LinkedIn Takeaways Chapters Quotes Keywords team building, communication, workplace dynamics, hybrid work, self-awareness, psychological safety, listening skills, leadership, consulting, corporate training

Diversity is an often discussed but just as frequently misunderstood topic—including in marketing. What does being inclusive in digital marketing mean, and why is it important? We invited a marketer with experience dealing with these questions to join us on the podcast. Let’s learn from Daniela Cintron how we can all be more diverse in our representation to reach wider audiences and connect with them more deeply and authentically.

YouTube is the second-largest search engine online and the largest video platform. Video is becoming an increasingly powerful way to reach people online; however, producing and sharing meaningful video content is a challenge. In this episode, we talk to video production professional Kendrich Disch about the basics of growing your following on YouTube. Links verticalriver.cotubeworks.cogrowthlab.tubeworks.cohttps://rode.com/en-us/microphones/wireless/wireless-me

Every small business owner understands that social media is meant to be part of your online presence. But which platforms should you be active on? How often should you post? What’s the goal with social media? Do you need to pay for ads? Liz Bachmann manages organic social media and more for small businesses and joins us on the podcast to answer these questions and more. Show Notes Wildflower Social Media websiteWildflower Social on InstagramWildflower Social on YouTubeLiz Bachmann on LinkedInMetriCool Social Media tool

Over 40% of websites are built using WordPress—the popular open-sourced content management system. But do you need to be a web developer to build an effective website using WordPress. To break this down, we invited our friend and WordPress web creator, April Wier, to the podcast. Links WordPress CMSApril Wier’s websiteApril on FacebookSugar Five DesignWoodstock WordPress Meetup