There are plenty of frameworks for successful content creation, but can ANYBODY breakthrough with a successful blog, podcast, or video series these days ... or does it take some "special sauce?" Mark Schaefer and Jay Acunzo debate the issue and don't always agree in this fascinating episode.   Mark and Jay cover what it takes to create a defensible content property, the importance of being pissed off, why marketers create the worst content, and the importance of "awe" in the content world.   Mark Schaefer is a strategy consultant, college educator, keynote speaker, and the author of 10 books including "KNOWN," “Belonging to the Brand,” and "Marketing Rebellion." His annual marketing retreat is The Uprising. For more of Mark’s insights every week, subcribe to his award-winning blog. Mark also offers classes in personal branding and professional speaking. Jay Acunzo is an author, speaker, and host of the podcast Unthinkable -- the show about marketers who trusted their intuition, not the best practices, and all the unconventional, refreshing things they did to build their brands and leave their legacies. Learn more and find a Starter Pack of episodes at https://jayacunzo.com/unthinkable-podcast

There are plenty of frameworks for successful content creation, but can ANYBODY breakthrough with a successful blog, podcast, or video series these days ... or does it take some "special sauce?" Mark Schaefer and Jay Acunzo debate the issue and don't always agree in this fascinating episode.   Mark and Jay cover what it takes to create a defensible content property, the importance of being pissed off, why marketers create the worst content, and the importance of "awe" in the content world. <a href="https://businessesgrow.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Mark Schaefer </a>is a strategy consultant, college educator, keynote speaker, and the author of 10 books including "KNOWN," “Belonging to the Brand,” and "Marketing Rebellion." His annual marketing retreat is <a href="https://businessesgrow.com/uprising/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Uprising</a>. For more of Mark’s insights every week, subcribe to his <a href="https://businessesgrow.com/blog/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">award-winning blog</a>. Mark also offers <a href="https://businessesgrow.com/social-media-speaker/marketing-class/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">classes in personal branding and professional speaking</a>. Jay Acunzo is an author, speaker, and host of the podcast Unthinkable -- the show about marketers who trusted their intuition, not the best practices, and all the unconventional, refreshing things they did to build their brands and leave their legacies. Learn more and find a Starter Pack of episodes at <a href="https://jayacunzo.com/unthinkable-podcast" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">https://jayacunzo.com/unthinkable-podcast</a>

The unified theory of content success

AI is moving quickly into every crevice of the marketing world but the impact on content has been immediate and profound. Where does AI matter, and where will humans persist and thrive? Mark Schaefer and Amanda Russell discuss a hierarchy of content in the AI world and the impact on the personal brand.   Mark Schaefer is a strategy consultant, college educator, keynote speaker and the author of 10 books including "KNOWN," “Belonging to the Brand,” and "Marketing Rebellion." His annual marketing retreat is The Uprising.  Amanda Russell is the founder of the Global Center for Influence (C4In), launching (2023) at the University of Texas at Austin with a mission to help brands &amp; people learn how to position themselves and their companies for success, bridging the gap between academia and practice. Amanda's mission is to enhance how we do higher education. 

AI is moving quickly into every crevice of the marketing world but the impact on content has been immediate and profound. Where does AI matter, and where will humans persist and thrive? Mark Schaefer and Amanda Russell discuss a hierarchy of content in the AI world and the impact on the personal brand. <a href="https://businessesgrow.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Mark Schaefer </a>is a strategy consultant, college educator, keynote speaker and the author of 10 books including "KNOWN," “Belonging to the Brand,” and "Marketing Rebellion." His annual marketing retreat is <a href="https://businessesgrow.com/uprising/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Uprising</a>. <a href="https://amandarussell.co/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Amanda Russell</a> is the founder of the Global Center for Influence (C4In), launching (2023) at the University of Texas at Austin with a mission to help brands &amp; people learn how to position themselves and their companies for success, bridging the gap between academia and practice. Amanda's mission is to enhance how we do higher education.

The AI hierarchy of content

Mark Schaefer and Ketih Jennings reveal the difference between story and narrative as it relates to business strategy. In this wide-ranging discussion, they unpack the role of narrative in branding and corporate influence, Eastern versus Western storytelling style, and more. This episode has special bonus content going deeper on this subject from RISE community members.

Master the Art of Business Narrative

Dennis Yu and Mark Schaefer explore why public speaking is becoming a more important in the marketing mix. Speaking builds authority and trust and can cut through the disinformation of our world. Mark and Dennis also reveal some of their public speaking highs and lows and reveal their secrets to battle onstage nerves. This episode is a fascinating and fun collection of tips and stories!   Mark Schaefer is a strategy consultant, college educator, keynote speaker and the author of 10 books including "KNOWN," “Belonging to the Brand,” and "Marketing Rebellion." His annual marketing retreat is The Uprising. Dennis Yu is on a mission to create a million jobs by training up international workers to serve American companies. Former search engine engineer who has spent a billion dollars on ads. Best-selling author and speaker.

Dennis Yu and Mark Schaefer explore why public speaking is becoming a more important in the marketing mix. Speaking builds authority and trust and can cut through the disinformation of our world. Mark and Dennis also reveal some of their public speaking highs and lows and reveal their secrets to battle onstage nerves. This episode is a fascinating and fun collection of tips and stories! <a href="https://businessesgrow.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Mark Schaefer </a>is a strategy consultant, college educator, keynote speaker and the author of 10 books including "KNOWN," “Belonging to the Brand,” and "Marketing Rebellion." His annual marketing retreat is <a href="https://businessesgrow.com/uprising/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Uprising</a>. Dennis Yu is on a mission to create a million jobs by training up international workers to serve American companies. Former search engine engineer who has spent a billion dollars on ads. Best-selling author and speaker.

Public speaking in the marketing mix

This episode provides a behind-the-scenes look at the production of a singularly unique content marketing project. Mark Schaefer pulled together 35 subject matter experts from ten countries to create one of the most unique content experiments in history. Jump into this show to discover Mark Schaefer's biggest personal business risk. There was no going back when these experts decided to move forward with a project that would change their lives. Featuring Daniel Nestle, Frank Prendergast and Anna Bravington.

The greatest content marketing experiment in history

"Open Loyalty" is an exciting new idea that transforms traditional notions of loyalty with cutting edge technology. Some of the biggest brands are experimenting with the idea. Let's learn about the future of loyalty with Mathew Sweezey and Mark Schaefer.   Mark Schaefer is a strategy consultant, college educator, keynote speaker and the author of 10 books including "KNOWN," “Belonging to the Brand,” and "Marketing Rebellion." His annual marketing retreat is The Uprising. Mathew Sweezey is the Co-Founder of Salesforces Web3 Studio where he helped Salesforce and their top customers transition into Web3. Mathew an independent consultant, a best selling author, and avid adventurer.

"Open Loyalty" is an exciting new idea that transforms traditional notions of loyalty with cutting edge technology. Some of the biggest brands are experimenting with the idea. Let's learn about the future of loyalty with Mathew Sweezey and Mark Schaefer. <a href="https://businessesgrow.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Mark Schaefer </a>is a strategy consultant, college educator, keynote speaker and the author of 10 books including "KNOWN," “Belonging to the Brand,” and "Marketing Rebellion." His annual marketing retreat is <a href="https://businessesgrow.com/uprising/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Uprising</a>. <a href="http://www.mathewsweezey.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Mathew Sweezey</a> is the Co-Founder of Salesforces Web3 Studio where he helped Salesforce and their top customers transition into Web3. Mathew an independent consultant, a best selling author, and avid adventurer.

The future of loyalty

In this era where AI is nipping at the heels of our marketing careers, there is no more important idea than defining how you fit into this new eco-system, or, ad Jay Acunzo puts it, "What is the gist of you?" Jay and Mark Schaefer take a deep dive into the meaning of brand and personal relevance in a world exploding with new creative output.    Mark Schaefer is a strategy consultant, college educator, keynote speaker and the author of 10 books including "KNOWN," “Belonging to the Brand,” and "Marketing Rebellion." His annual marketing retreat is The Uprising. Jay Acunzo is an author, speaker, and host of the podcast Unthinkable -- the show about marketers who trusted their intuition, not the best practices, and all the unconventional, refreshing things they did to build their brands and leave their legacies. Learn more and find a Starter Pack of episodes at   https://jayacunzo.com/unthinkable-podcast

In this era where AI is nipping at the heels of our marketing careers, there is no more important idea than defining how you fit into this new eco-system, or, ad Jay Acunzo puts it, "What is the gist of you?" Jay and Mark Schaefer take a deep dive into the meaning of brand and personal relevance in a world exploding with new creative output.  <a href="https://businessesgrow.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Mark Schaefer</a> is a strategy consultant, college educator, keynote speaker and the author of 10 books including "KNOWN," “Belonging to the Brand,” and "Marketing Rebellion." His annual marketing retreat is <a href="https://businessesgrow.com/uprising/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Uprising</a>. Jay Acunzo is an author, speaker, and host of the podcast Unthinkable -- the show about marketers who trusted their intuition, not the best practices, and all the unconventional, refreshing things they did to build their brands and leave their legacies. Learn more and find a Starter Pack of episodes at  <a href="https://jayacunzo.com/unthinkable-podcast" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> https://jayacunzo.com/unthinkable-podcast</a>

What is the gist of YOU? Relevance in the AI world

In this unique episode. Amanda Russell and Mark Schaefer offer an exclusive look at the extraordinary marketing challenges in the field of marketing. In a world where taste, scarcity, and exclusivity rule, the foundations of mass marketing are meaningless. How do luxury brands connect in a personal way that builds community? There are important lessons here for any marketer!   Mark Schaefer is a strategy consultant, college educator, keynote speaker and the author of 10 books including "KNOWN" and "Marketing Rebellion." His annual marketing retreat is The Uprising.  Amanda Russell is the founder of the Global Center for Influence (C4In), launching (2023) at the University of Texas at Austin with a mission to help brands &amp; people learn how to position themselves and their companies for success, bridging the gap between academia and practice. Amanda's mission is to enhance how we do 'higher education. Former Olympic-level athlete, Founder-to-sale Entrepreneur and Marketing Consultant who still loves the brain gymnastics of helping people and companies become more influential among their desired audience. Professor, Author "The Influencer Code", Speaker, Board Member and Director of C4In

In this unique episode. Amanda Russell and Mark Schaefer offer an exclusive look at the extraordinary marketing challenges in the field of marketing. In a world where taste, scarcity, and exclusivity rule, the foundations of mass marketing are meaningless. How do luxury brands connect in a personal way that builds community? There are important lessons here for any marketer! <a href="https://businessesgrow.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Mark Schaefer </a>is a strategy consultant, college educator, keynote speaker and the author of 10 books including "KNOWN" and "Marketing Rebellion." His annual marketing retreat is <a href="https://businessesgrow.com/uprising/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Uprising</a>. <a href="https://amandarussell.co/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Amanda Russell</a> is the founder of the Global Center for Influence (C4In), launching (2023) at the University of Texas at Austin with a mission to help brands &amp; people learn how to position themselves and their companies for success, bridging the gap between academia and practice. Amanda's mission is to enhance how we do 'higher education. Former Olympic-level athlete, Founder-to-sale Entrepreneur and Marketing Consultant who still loves the brain gymnastics of helping people and companies become more influential among their desired audience. Professor, Author "The Influencer Code", Speaker, Board Member and Director of C4In

The luxury brand enigma

Should we bring our "whole self" to the marketing profession? A powerful sociological trend is changing norms and expectations of our customers and employees. What are the advantages and disadvantages of vulnerability and self-disclosure? Mark Schaefer and Keith Jennings weigh in!   Mark Schaefer is a strategy consultant, college educator, keynote speaker and the author of 10 books including "Belonging to the Brand" and "Marketing Rebellion." His annual marketing retreat is The Uprising. Keith Jennings is an executive and writer who equips professionals to serve with values, generosity, and social impact.He serves as vice president of community impact with Jackson Healthcare. Connect with him at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithjennings/. 

Should we bring our "whole self" to the marketing profession? A powerful sociological trend is changing norms and expectations of our customers and employees. What are the advantages and disadvantages of vulnerability and self-disclosure? Mark Schaefer and Keith Jennings weigh in! <a href="https://businessesgrow.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Mark Schaefer </a>is a strategy consultant, college educator, keynote speaker and the author of 10 books including "Belonging to the Brand" and "Marketing Rebellion." His annual marketing retreat is <a href="https://businessesgrow.com/uprising/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Uprising</a>. Keith Jennings is an executive and writer who equips professionals to serve with values, generosity, and social impact.He serves as vice president of community impact with Jackson Healthcare. Connect with him at <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithjennings/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithjennings/</a>.

What the “Whole Self” Movement Means to Marketers

Mark Schaefer and social media marketing expert Denis Yu dive into the most important trends including the true value of the blue check mark, the most powerful platforms right now, the future of TikTok, and the truth behind Facebook's foray into the metaverse. You'll also hear some hair-raising stories about information and privacy!    Mark Schaefer is a strategy consultant, college educator, keynote speaker and the author of 10 books including "Marketing Rebellion" and "Belonging to the Brand." His annual marketing retreat is The Uprising. Dennis Yu is on a mission to create a million jobs by training up international workers to serve American companies. Former search engine engineer who has spent a billion dollars on ads. Best-selling author and speaker.

Mark Schaefer and social media marketing expert Denis Yu dive into the most important trends including the true value of the blue check mark, the most powerful platforms right now, the future of TikTok, and the truth behind Facebook's foray into the metaverse. You'll also hear some hair-raising stories about information and privacy!  <a href="https://businessesgrow.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Mark Schaefer </a>is a strategy consultant, college educator, keynote speaker and the author of 10 books including "Marketing Rebellion" and "Belonging to the Brand." His annual marketing retreat is <a href="https://businessesgrow.com/uprising/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Uprising</a>. Dennis Yu is on a mission to create a million jobs by training up international workers to serve American companies. Former search engine engineer who has spent a billion dollars on ads. Best-selling author and speaker.

The new and now of social media marketing

The world’s most entertaining marketing podcast! Mark Schaefer and a rotation of brilliant guest hosts provide new marketing insights and timely advice that help you navigate the future of digital business, The Marketing Companion is always fun, always interesting, and always on-target with ideas that will turn up your marketing intellect to an “11.”

This podcast is so well worth your time investment! It’s a must if you want to find out how to reach your customers and know the latest on not just marketing trends, but where marketing is going. This podcast is always fresh, new and innovative! I’ve learned new strategies to keep connecting with my current customers and reach my potential customers in ways I never thought of. This is awesome and always informative!

So Informative and insightful!!

Thank you guys for a really awesome show!

Thanks for great content!

The Marketing Companion

Jeff Bezos

LEAD

Newspapers are dying. Local TV stations are struggling. Many radio stations have been in decline for more than a decade. And then, Jeff happened.   This has been a fascinating couple of weeks if you're interested in newspapers and digital media. John Henry (owner of the Boston Red Sox) bought the Boston Globe and Jeff Bezos (Founder of Amazon) bought The Washington Post within the same week. When I first heard about the Bezos move, I thought "huh?" But the more I considered it, the more excited I became.   The Post and many other traditional media outlets have been dying, primarily because they fell behind the digital revolution and have been unable to monetize fast enough. But a few years from now, we may look back and see that all that finally changed in this seminal "Jeff Moment." Jeff Bezos is a master of media distribution and has boldly led Amazon into the publishing business. If anybody can lead The Washington Post into the digital age (and beyond), wouldn't it be him? In fact, couldn't the world benefit from more digital innovators making a move into "traditional business?" Wouldn't it be great to see an executive from Amazon, eBay or Apple take over the US Postal Service, The Department of Motor Vehicles, or a major state university? This is the topic that fuels our latest Marketing Companion Podcast.  Please listen in as the scintillating Tom Webster and I explore ... Can the Amazonification of journalism save newspapers? Will The Washington Post be the next great social media start-up? Does Bezos represent a new breed of Wouldn't it be great to see an executive from Amazon, eBay or Apple take over the US Postal Service, The Department of Motor Vehicles, or a major state university? This is the topic that fuels our latest Marketing Companion Podcast. Please listen in as the scintillating Tom Webster and I explore ... Can the Amazonification of journalism save newspapers? Will The Washington Post be the next great social media start-up? Does Bezos represent a new breed of Please listen in as the scintillating Tom Webster and I explore ... Can the Amazonification of journalism save newspapers? Will The Washington Post be the next great social media start-up? Does Bezos represent a new breed of benefactor? Will more digital leaders move into traditional business spaces? What are the possible implications of this move for advertising and marketing? If you had $250 mm to spend, would you invest it in the content business? What are the implications for personalized content delivery? Is this purchase really an offline play? ... and much, much more. Please enjoy the podcast and let us know what you think! Can't wait? I know! This is good stuff! Listen now:

Newspapers are dying. Local TV stations are struggling. Many radio stations have been in decline for more than a decade. And then, Jeff happened. <a href="https://www.businessesgrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/jeff-bezos.gif" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a> This has been a fascinating couple of weeks if you're interested in newspapers and digital media. John Henry (owner of the Boston Red Sox) bought the Boston Globe and Jeff Bezos (Founder of Amazon) bought The Washington Post within the same week. When I first heard about the Bezos move, I thought "huh?" But the more I considered it, the more excited I became.   The Post and many other traditional media outlets have been dying, primarily because they fell behind the digital revolution and have been unable to monetize fast enough. But a few years from now, we may look back and see that all that finally changed in this seminal "Jeff Moment." Jeff Bezos is a master of media distribution and has boldly led Amazon into the publishing business. If anybody can lead The Washington Post into the digital age (and beyond), wouldn't it be him? In fact, couldn't the world benefit from more digital innovators making a move into "traditional business?" Wouldn't it be great to see an executive from Amazon, eBay or Apple take over the US Postal Service, The Department of Motor Vehicles, or a major state university? This is the topic that fuels our latest Marketing Companion Podcast.  Please listen in as the scintillating Tom Webster and I explore ... Can the Amazonification of journalism save newspapers? Will The Washington Post be the next great social media start-up? Does Bezos represent a new breed of Wouldn't it be great to see an executive from Amazon, eBay or Apple take over the US Postal Service, The Department of Motor Vehicles, or a major state university? This is the topic that fuels our latest Marketing Companion Podcast. Please listen in as the scintillating Tom Webster and I explore ... Can the Amazonification of journalism save newspapers? Will The Washington Post be the next great social media start-up? Does Bezos represent a new breed of Please listen in as the scintillating Tom Webster and I explore ... Can the Amazonification of journalism save newspapers? Will The Washington Post be the next great social media start-up? Does Bezos represent a new breed of benefactor? Will more digital leaders move into traditional business spaces? What are the possible implications of this move for advertising and marketing? If you had $250 mm to spend, would you invest it in the content business? What are the implications for personalized content delivery? Is this purchase really an offline play? ... and much, much more. Please enjoy the podcast and let us know what you think! Can't wait? I know! This is good stuff! Listen now:

Will Jeff Bezos lead the next media revolution?

Back in 2010, I wrote one of the most fun and fascinating blog posts of my life. A new trend was coming into view, led by a company called Klout. By analyzing millions of bits of social media data and the reactions the posts caused, the company proclaimed it could estimate your social media influence. At the time, it was a revolutionary idea. My post, which projected some of the implications of such an application, seemed to rock the social media world. It was shared more than 2,000 times and attracted hundred of comments, many of them harshly critical of this company and their bold claims. People lamented that they didn't want to be ranked and rated and that their social media presence was not something that could be assessed and dissected. But there was something there ... But I disagreed. I was intrigued by the idea. Using big data and algorithms to judge social media effectiveness made sense. Klout was a blunt instrument ... but it was also a start-up that I thought I was on to something. And, believe it or not, I was about the only blogger out there who did! I saw a huge potential in what I called at that time "social scoring." The term did not catch on, but Klout did, a forerunner to the many sophisticated social media influence measurement systems in the marketplace today. A few months after I wrote the post, I had a chance to meet the company's founder, Joe Fernandez, at SXSW. Joe was taking a tremendous amount of heat from the social media analysts and bloggers ... but I also learned that he receiving a lot of traction with some of the biggest brands in the world. Despite the fury in the world of bloggers, his idea was catching on. with corporate marketers. This was a new way to actually discover the passionate product advocates in the world, those who were gaining massive audiences through their independent content creation. The cusp of a revolution The world of power and influence was being flipped on its head. The traditional media editors and executives in the corner offices weren't calling the shots like they used to.  We were on the cusp of a marketing revolution, led by anyone willing to step up and let their voice become heard through blogs, videos, and podcasts. Most exciting to me, companies were actually enacting the first influencer marketing programs -- and seeing amazing results. While the social media world was pounding Klout, the critics were missing the bigger picture, the entire new influence trend! A frenzy was building to connect with these new media stars. Eventually my early interest in influence marketing helped me land a book contract to write Return On Influence, the first book on the subject of social influence marketing. The book came out in 2012 and at the end of the book I predicted that within two years this would become a mainstream marketing channel. And, it has. The rise of influencer marketing Five years later, I jumped at the chance to help Traackr, a frontrunner in the influence measurement space, to create a new piece of research aimed at determining the state of the art of the field from a B2B perspective. I interviewed leaders from Dell, Microsoft, Intel, Samsung and many other companies and discovered that the channel was maturing, and becoming quite sophisticated compared to those early days. In fact, today influencer relations is on par with how companies interact with the press or industry analysts. This marketing revolution became a fascinating podcast discussion with Tom Webster and I'm sure you'll love this episode. Please support our extraordinary sponsors. Our content is free because of their generosity. Many thanks to our friend Scott Monty for the awesome show intro. Be sure to check out his amazing newsletter The Full Monty and his new podcast available here: fullmontyshow.com. The results don’t lie: Typeform has a 57% completion rate on surveys, against the industry average of 20% (according to Survey Gizmo). The difference? Typeform’s one-question-at-a-time interface creates a memorable user experience. Use images, animated GIFs, and even video to express yourself more fully. And Typform integrates with your favorite tools including Google Sheets, MailChimp, Airtable, and hundreds more. Remember: What you ask matters. How you ask is everything. Go to Typeform.com/companion to receive a special 30 percent off discount for our podcast fans! CoSchedule is the world’s number one marketing calendar utility, used by more than 8,000 companies. The application allows users to build out their entire marketing strategy from one master calendar, collaborate with their teams, and streamline their entire execution process in one place. CoSchedule is the web’s most popular marketing calendar and the fastest growing startup in North Dakota. Ranked as the best business tool built by a startup on Entrepreneur.com. Get your Marketing Companion 30-day free trial by heading to www.coschedule.com/marketing-companion. BuzzSumo is the world’s best way to discover, analyze and amplify your content. Run over to BuzzSumo today for a 14 day free trial. Beyond data, BuzzSumo offers priceless insights into content discovery, monitoring, influencers, and outreach, content research and planning, and competitor research. It is an indispensable application for content research, analysis and SEO. Find out why so many Marketing Companion fans are now hooked on Buzzsumo. Check out BuzzSumo’s powerful technology to look at the hottest content trends down to the hour!

Back in 2010, I wrote one of the most <a href="https://www.businessesgrow.com/2010/11/22/get-ready-social-scoring-will-change-your-life/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">fun and fascinating blog posts</a> of my life. A new trend was coming into view, led by a company called <a href="https://klout.com/home" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Klout</a>. By analyzing millions of bits of social media data and the reactions the posts caused, the company proclaimed it could estimate your social media influence. At the time, it was a revolutionary idea. My post, which projected some of the implications of such an application, seemed to rock the social media world. It was shared more than 2,000 times and attracted hundred of comments, many of them harshly critical of this company and their bold claims. People lamented that they didn't want to be ranked and rated and that their social media presence was not something that could be assessed and dissected. But there was something there ... But I disagreed. I was intrigued by the idea. Using big data and algorithms to judge social media effectiveness made sense. Klout was a blunt instrument ... but it was also a start-up that I thought I was on to something. And, believe it or not, I was about the only blogger out there who did! I saw a huge potential in what I called at that time "social scoring." The term did not catch on, but Klout did, a forerunner to the many sophisticated social media influence measurement systems in the marketplace today. A few months after I wrote the post, I had a chance to meet the company's founder, <a href="https://www.inc.com/bill-harris/how-klout-got-started.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Joe Fernandez</a>, at SXSW. Joe was taking a tremendous amount of heat from the social media analysts and bloggers ... but I also learned that he receiving a lot of traction with some of the biggest brands in the world. Despite the fury in the world of bloggers, his idea was catching on. with corporate marketers. This was a new way to actually discover the passionate product advocates in the world, those who were gaining massive audiences through their independent content creation. The cusp of a revolution The world of power and influence was being flipped on its head. The traditional media editors and executives in the corner offices weren't calling the shots like they used to.  We were on the cusp of a marketing revolution, led by anyone willing to step up and let their voice become heard through blogs, videos, and podcasts. Most exciting to me, companies were actually enacting the first influencer marketing programs -- and seeing amazing results. While the social media world was pounding Klout, the critics were missing the bigger picture, the entire new influence trend! A frenzy was building to connect with these new media stars. Eventually my early interest in influence marketing helped me land a book contract to write <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071791094/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0071791094&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=schaemarkes09-20&amp;linkId=bb8ea737586a0bbbcb512959d2489290" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Return On Influence</a>, the first book on the subject of social influence marketing. The book came out in 2012 and at the end of the book I predicted that within two years this would become a mainstream marketing channel. And, it has. The rise of influencer marketing Five years later, I jumped at the chance to help <a href="http://www.traackr.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Traackr</a>, a frontrunner in the influence measurement space, to create a new piece of research aimed at determining the state of the art of the field from a B2B perspective. I interviewed leaders from Dell, Microsoft, Intel, Samsung and many other companies and discovered that the channel was maturing, and becoming quite sophisticated compared to those early days. In fact, today influencer relations is on par with how companies interact with the press or industry analysts. This marketing revolution became a fascinating podcast discussion with Tom Webster and I'm sure you'll love this episode. Please support our extraordinary sponsors. Our content is free because of their generosity. Many thanks to our friend <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Scott Monty</a> for the awesome show intro. Be sure to check out his amazing newsletter <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/p/newsletter.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">The Full Monty</a> and his new podcast available here: <a href="http://fullmontyshow.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">fullmontyshow.com</a>. The results don’t lie: <a href="https://www.typeform.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Typeform</a> has a 57% completion rate on surveys, against the industry average of 20% (according to <a href="https://www.surveygizmo.com/survey-blog/survey-response-rates/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Survey Gizmo</a>). The difference? Typeform’s one-question-at-a-time interface creates a memorable user experience. Use images, animated GIFs, and even video to express yourself more fully. And Typform integrates with your favorite tools including Google Sheets, MailChimp, Airtable, and hundreds more. Remember: What you ask matters. How you ask is everything. Go to <a href="https://companion.typeform.com/to/WOL5W5" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Typeform.com/companion</a> to receive a special 30 percent off discount for our podcast fans! <a href="https://coschedule.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">CoSchedule</a> is the world’s number one marketing calendar utility, used by more than 8,000 companies. The application allows users to build out their entire marketing strategy from one master calendar, collaborate with their teams, and streamline their entire execution process in one place. CoSchedule is the web’s most popular marketing calendar and the fastest growing startup in North Dakota. Ranked as the best business tool built by a startup on <a href="http://Entrepreneur.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Entrepreneur.com</a>. Get your Marketing Companion 30-day free trial by heading to <a href="http://www.coschedule.com/marketing-companion" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">www.coschedule.com/marketing-companion</a>. <a href="http://buzzsumo.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">BuzzSumo</a> is the world’s best way to discover, analyze and amplify your content. Run over to BuzzSumo today for a 14 day free trial. Beyond data, BuzzSumo offers priceless insights into content discovery, monitoring, influencers, and outreach, content research and planning, and competitor research. It is an indispensable application for content research, analysis and SEO. Find out why so many Marketing Companion fans are now hooked on Buzzsumo. Check out BuzzSumo’s powerful technology to look at the hottest content trends down to the hour!

Influencer Marketing Grows Up

Is your head spinning over the prospect of digital transformation and marketing? Certainly the change ahead might seem dizzying. Social media and social selling, Big Data and analytics, new listening platforms, and artificial intelligence are just a few of the ideas gaining momentum. How does a marketing leader manage through this level of change? In this new episode of The Marketing Companion, Tom Webster and I interview Bryan E. Jones, VP North America Commercial Marketing for Dell Technologies. I have known Bryan for four years and I always learn something from him. In all my travels, I've never met another executive who is more tuned-in when it comes to the integration of technology and sales and marketing. Our latest episode of The Marketing Companion is an extraordinary conversation, revealing:  The importance of cultural support and leadership in a digital transformation. Why you can't "metric" a digital culture. How Dell is using training as a core component of employee involvement and social selling. What is the difference between IT transformation and digital transformation? How do we make technology work for us in marketing? How Bryan challenges his commercial team to take risks, experiment, and push the boundaries of social media through innovation contests. How do you keep focused on the technologies that will have really have an impact? The shift toward video.  And of course Tom and I have a little fun along the way, revealing the secret behind the Marketing Companion Headquarters and why Meerkat is the ideal sponsor: Ready for this? Please support our extraordinary sponsors. Our content is free because of their generosity. Many thanks to our friend Scott Monty for the awesome show intro. Be sure to check out his amazing newsletter The Full Monty and his new podcast available here: fullmontyshow.com. BuzzSumo is the world’s best way to discover, analyze and amplify your content. Run over to BuzzSumo today for a 14 day free trial. Beyond data, BuzzSumo offers priceless insights into content discovery, monitoring, influencers and outreach, content research and planning, and competitor research. Find out why so many Marketing Companion fans are now hooked on Buzzsumo. Check out BuzzSumo’s powerful technology to look at the hottest content trends down to the hour!.

Is your head spinning over the prospect of digital transformation and marketing? Certainly the change ahead might seem dizzying. Social media and social selling, Big Data and analytics, new listening platforms, and artificial intelligence are just a few of the ideas gaining momentum. How does a marketing leader manage through this level of change? In this new episode of The Marketing Companion, Tom Webster and I interview <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/belliottjones" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Bryan E. Jones</a>, VP North America Commercial Marketing for Dell Technologies. I have known Bryan for four years and I always learn something from him. In all my travels, I've never met another executive who is more tuned-in when it comes to the integration of technology and sales and marketing. Our latest episode of The Marketing Companion is an extraordinary conversation, revealing: <ul> <li>The importance of cultural support and leadership in a digital transformation.</li> <li>Why you can't "metric" a digital culture.</li> <li>How Dell is using training as a core component of employee involvement and social selling.</li> <li>What is the difference between IT transformation and digital transformation?</li> <li>How do we make technology work for us in marketing?</li> <li>How Bryan challenges his commercial team to take risks, experiment, and push the boundaries of social media through innovation contests.</li> <li>How do you keep focused on the technologies that will have really have an impact?</li> <li>The shift toward video.</li> </ul> And of course Tom and I have a little fun along the way, revealing the secret behind the Marketing Companion Headquarters and why Meerkat is the ideal sponsor: Ready for this? Please support our extraordinary sponsors. Our content is free because of their generosity. Many thanks to our friend <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Scott Monty</a> for the awesome show intro. Be sure to check out his amazing newsletter <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/p/newsletter.html" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Full Monty</a> and his new podcast available here: <a href="http://fullmontyshow.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">fullmontyshow.com</a>. <a href="http://buzzsumo.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">BuzzSumo</a> is the world’s best way to discover, analyze and amplify your content. Run over to BuzzSumo today for a 14 day free trial. Beyond data, BuzzSumo offers priceless insights into content discovery, monitoring, influencers and outreach, content research and planning, and competitor research. Find out why so many Marketing Companion fans are now hooked on Buzzsumo. Check out BuzzSumo’s powerful technology to look at the hottest content trends down to the hour!.

What does digital transformation mean to marketing?

This headline is a bit misleading. In fact, you will probably receive far more than 20 incredible insights from our Marketing Companion conversation with BuzzSumo founder Steve Rayson. The episode posted a few days ago and we have already received more comments on this conversation than any other episode. Arguably, Steve Rayson analyzes more content than any other person in the world -- billions of pieces in all. Tom Webster and I tap into his years of experience and I think you'll find some of his insights both remarkable ... and perhaps even a little controversial. Here's a sample: Content doesn't go viral Don’t bank on your content going viral. Content NEVER goes viral in the true sense of two people share and two of their friends share, then two of their friends share etc. It just doesn’t happen. Studies show that over 90 percent of content people read from social comes from just one point of separation from the original source. To get content to "move," you need multiple influential broadcasters at the same time. Links are more important than shares. Links give your content longevity. Most people share without reading A big influencer recently shared a post on Twitter but forgot to include the link. It was still shared more than 50 times. None of them added the link and I assume few, if any, of them read the post. We see many examples where a post gets more shares than views. People link and share for different reasons (can discuss the different reasons) Both shares and links matter but links give your content longevity. Personally I much prefer links to shares. Content marketing is hard work, not rocket science. You need to produce regular content that is helpful to your audience. However, to produce unique and valuable content you need to be an expert or very knowledgeable. Otherwise it is difficult for you to add value. The data show the value of original research content as it gains both shares and links. Try to help people and expect nothing in return. Share your knowledge, your network and your compassion. In time this will be returned and more. Steve hates pop up forms and landing pages As Mark Schaefer says in his speeches, "love is the killer app." Give away your content for free, don’t barter for an email address. "I hate landing pages," Steve said. "I never use them on our site. If people like our content they can sign up. I particularly hate the forms that say sign up or click agree I am an idiot who doesn’t want more sales. However, the data suggests that pop up firms work, so we are likely to see more of them." Content shock hasn’t even started yet. Content Shock is real and here but we are just starting to see the impact. The number of internet users is growing, tools to create content are easier to use, and BuzzSumo is seeing significant growth in auto-generated content. Still early days. but content writing algorithms and tools are getting better every day. They will also get cheaper. More content means you can cater to a wider range of audience interests, the long tail. It's easier to cater for multiple niche audiences if you write ten articles a week rather than one. Steve's research suggests that as sites increase frequency of content publishing they actually get more traffic and more shares, not less, though often less per article on average. Once people realize "more is more" we will see very significant growth in content.  There are limitations like minimum quality, max frequency, etc. but lots of scope for growth. Starting to get the picture? This episode is jam-packed with interesting insights you won't want to miss. let's get started ... Please support our extraordinary sponsors. Our content is free because of their generosity. Many thanks to our friend Scott Monty for the awesome show intro. Be sure to check out his amazing newsletter The Full Monty and his new podcast available here: fullmontyshow.com. SaneBox is like a super-smart assistant who’s been with you for years and knows what’s important to you. It moves unimportant emails from the inbox into a new folder and summarizes them in a digest, where you can quickly bulk-process them. An average SaneBox customer saves 12+ hours/month. It works with any email provider, client or device. And we have a special offer for you. Simply go to sanebox.com/marketing to receive a risk-free 14-day trial and $25 off your initial subscription! With glowing reviews from TechCrunch, Forbes, The New York Times and emailers everywhere, you will fall in love with email again. BuzzSumo is the world’s best way to discover, analyze and amplify your content. Run over to BuzzSumo today for a 14 day free trial. Beyond data, BuzzSumo offers priceless insights into content discovery, monitoring, influencers, and outreach, content research and planning, and competitor research. It is an indispensable application for content research, analysis and SEO. Find out why so many Marketing Companion fans are now hooked on Buzzsumo. Check out BuzzSumo’s powerful technology to look at the hottest content trends down to the hour!

This headline is a bit misleading. In fact, you will probably receive far more than 20 incredible insights from our Marketing Companion conversation with <a href="http://buzzsumo.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">BuzzSumo</a> founder <a href="http://buzzsumo.com/blog/author/steverayson/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Steve Rayson</a>. The episode posted a few days ago and we have already received more comments on this conversation than any other episode. Arguably, Steve Rayson analyzes more content than any other person in the world -- billions of pieces in all. Tom Webster and I tap into his years of experience and I think you'll find some of his insights both remarkable ... and perhaps even a little controversial. Here's a sample: Content doesn't go viral Don’t bank on your content going viral. Content NEVER goes viral in the true sense of two people share and two of their friends share, then two of their friends share etc. It just doesn’t happen. Studies show that over 90 percent of content people read from social comes from just one point of separation from the original source. To get content to "move," you need multiple influential broadcasters at the same time. Links are more important than shares. Links give your content longevity. Most people share without reading A big influencer recently shared a post on Twitter but forgot to include the link. It was still shared more than 50 times. None of them added the link and I assume few, if any, of them read the post. We see many examples where a post gets more shares than views. People link and share for different reasons (can discuss the different reasons) Both shares and links matter but links give your content longevity. Personally I much prefer links to shares. Content marketing is hard work, not rocket science. You need to produce regular content that is helpful to your audience. However, to produce unique and valuable content you need to be an expert or very knowledgeable. Otherwise it is difficult for you to add value. The data show the value of original research content as it gains both shares and links. Try to help people and expect nothing in return. Share your knowledge, your network and your compassion. In time this will be returned and more. Steve hates pop up forms and landing pages As Mark Schaefer says in his speeches, "love is the killer app." Give away your content for free, don’t barter for an email address. "I hate landing pages," Steve said. "I never use them on our site. If people like our content they can sign up. I particularly hate the forms that say sign up or click agree I am an idiot who doesn’t want more sales. However, the data suggests that pop up firms work, so we are likely to see more of them." Content shock hasn’t even started yet. <a href="https://www.businessesgrow.com/2014/01/06/content-shock/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Content Shock</a> is real and here but we are just starting to see the impact. The number of internet users is growing, tools to create content are easier to use, and BuzzSumo is seeing significant growth in auto-generated content. Still early days. but content writing algorithms and tools are getting better every day. They will also get cheaper. More content means you can cater to a wider range of audience interests, the long tail. It's easier to cater for multiple niche audiences if you write ten articles a week rather than one. Steve's research suggests that as sites increase frequency of content publishing they actually get more traffic and more shares, not less, though often less per article on average. Once people realize "more is more" we will see very significant growth in content.  There are limitations like minimum quality, max frequency, etc. but lots of scope for growth. Starting to get the picture? This episode is jam-packed with interesting insights you won't want to miss. let's get started ... Please support our extraordinary sponsors. Our content is free because of their generosity. Many thanks to our friend <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Scott Monty</a> for the awesome show intro. Be sure to check out his amazing newsletter <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/p/newsletter.html" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Full Monty</a> and his new podcast available here: <a href="http://fullmontyshow.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">fullmontyshow.com</a>. <a href="https://www.sanebox.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">SaneBox</a> is like a super-smart assistant who’s been with you for years and knows what’s important to you. It moves unimportant emails from the inbox into a new folder and summarizes them in a digest, where you can quickly bulk-process them. An average SaneBox customer saves 12+ hours/month. It works with any email provider, client or device. And we have a special offer for you. Simply go to <a href="https://www.sanebox.com/Marketing" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">sanebox.com/marketing</a> to receive a risk-free 14-day trial and $25 off your initial subscription! With glowing reviews from TechCrunch, Forbes, The New York Times and emailers everywhere, you will fall in love with email again. <a href="http://buzzsumo.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">BuzzSumo</a> is the world’s best way to discover, analyze and amplify your content. Run over to BuzzSumo today for a 14 day free trial. Beyond data, BuzzSumo offers priceless insights into content discovery, monitoring, influencers, and outreach, content research and planning, and competitor research. It is an indispensable application for content research, analysis and SEO. Find out why so many Marketing Companion fans are now hooked on Buzzsumo. Check out BuzzSumo’s powerful technology to look at the hottest content trends down to the hour!

The real data behind content marketing secrets

A few years ago, Mark Schaefer predicted that "Facebook would be the next Facebook," explaining that the company had the engineering, technical, and financial resources to build or buy their way into the next phase of social networking. Is that still the case? Brooke and Mark also examine developments at Amazon and an "office-less" office.

A few years ago, Mark Schaefer predicted that "Facebook would be the next Facebook," explaining that the company had the engineering, technical, and financial resources to build or buy their way into the next phase of social networking. Is that still the case? Brooke and Mark also examine developments at Amazon and an "office-less" office.

What will replace Facebook?

If you've been following popular culture at all, you've probably learned by now of the downfall (at least temporarily) of YouTube's greatest star, PewDie Pie. PewDiePie, a Swedish gamer and humorist, is the first person alive to hit 10 billion views on YouTube. He pulls in more money each year than most Hollywood movie stars and he's the epicenter of YouTube culture. And then it all went south. The Wall Street Journal documented at least nine of his videos that had anti-Semitic messages. Two in particular went viral, one were two people in Africa held up a provocative sign and another where an actor dressed as Jesus explained that Hitler had done nothing wrong. The outfall was swift. An affiliate of Disney terminated his contract with a thud. His career was over, right? Not so fast. Here's the rest of the story.  In his initial apology video, PewDiePie seemed stunned. He said, "What I really don't understand is how you people did not get the joke." In a second video he railed at The Wall Street Journal for not understanding new media and accused the organization of targeting him. Millions of online fans around the world defended him, and after the article, his subscriber base increased at its fastest rate ever. Several journalists also came to his defense, including a prominent Jewish writer. Nonplussed, PewDiePie created a video where he goes back in time and kills Hitler to clear his name. It received over 6.5 million views.  On the surface this makes no sense. How can people rally behind a person who sponsored those kind of messages? The truth is deeper, more subtle, and there is a profound message here for every company employing Millennials or selling to them. Something has changed. This is the topic of a fascinating new episode of The Marketing Companion. Any show that begins with rich Corinthian leather and ends with Hitler has to be interesting (you have to hear it to believe it). I think this is one of better shows and it pulls in some help from Chris Brogan. If you've never listened to the Marketing Companion before, give it a try. If you don't laugh in the first 90 seconds I'll give you your money back. Here we go ... Please support our extraordinary sponsors. Our content is free because of their generosity. Many thanks to our friend Scott Monty for the awesome show intro. Be sure to check out his amazing newsletter The Full Monty and his new podcast available here: fullmontyshow.com.  BuzzSumo is the world’s best way to discover, analyze and amplify your content. Run over to BuzzSumo today for a 14 day free trial. Beyond data, BuzzSumo offers priceless insights into content discovery, monitoring, influencers and outreach, content research and planning, and competitor research. Find out why so many Marketing Companion fans are now hooked on Buzzsumo. Check out BuzzSumo’s powerful technology to look at the hottest content trends down to the hour!

If you've been following popular culture at all, you've probably learned by now of the downfall (at least temporarily) of YouTube's greatest star, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/PewDiePie" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">PewDie Pie</a>. PewDiePie, a Swedish gamer and humorist, is the first person alive to hit 10 billion views on YouTube. He pulls in more money each year than most Hollywood movie stars and he's the epicenter of YouTube culture. And then it all went south. The Wall Street Journal documented at least nine of his videos that had anti-Semitic messages. Two in particular went viral, one were two people in Africa held up a provocative sign and another where an actor dressed as Jesus explained that Hitler had done nothing wrong. The outfall was swift. An affiliate of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/business/pewdiepie-youtube-disney.html?_r=1" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Disney terminated his contract</a> with a thud. His career was over, right? Not so fast. Here's the rest of the story. <ul> <li>In his initial apology video, PewDiePie seemed stunned. He said, "What I really don't understand is how you people did not get the joke." In a second video he <a href="http://deadline.com/2017/02/pewdiepie-apologizes-anti-semitic-videos-disney-maker-studios-youtube-1201913846/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">railed at The Wall Street Journal</a> for not understanding new media and accused the organization of targeting him.</li> <li>Millions of online fans around the world defended him, and after the article, his subscriber base increased at its fastest rate ever.</li> <li>Several journalists also came to his defense, including a <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/columnist-defends-anti-semitism-youtube-star-pewdiepie-article-1.2972155" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">prominent Jewish writer</a>.</li> <li>Nonplussed, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9SFQTrfUwc" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">PewDiePie created a video</a> where he goes back in time and kills Hitler to clear his name. It received over 6.5 million views.</li> </ul> On the surface this makes no sense. How can people rally behind a person who sponsored those kind of messages? The truth is deeper, more subtle, and there is a profound message here for every company employing Millennials or selling to them. Something has changed. This is the topic of a fascinating new episode of The Marketing Companion. Any show that begins with rich Corinthian leather and ends with Hitler has to be interesting (you have to hear it to believe it). I think this is one of better shows and it pulls in some help from <a href="http://chrisbrogan.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Chris Brogan</a>. If you've never listened to the Marketing Companion before, give it a try. If you don't laugh in the first 90 seconds I'll give you your money back. Here we go ... Please support our extraordinary sponsors. Our content is free because of their generosity. Many thanks to our friend <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Scott Monty</a> for the awesome show intro. Be sure to check out his amazing newsletter <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/p/newsletter.html" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Full Monty</a> and his new podcast available here: <a href="http://fullmontyshow.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">fullmontyshow.com</a>. <a href="http://buzzsumo.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">BuzzSumo</a> is the world’s best way to discover, analyze and amplify your content. Run over to BuzzSumo today for a 14 day free trial. Beyond data, BuzzSumo offers priceless insights into content discovery, monitoring, influencers and outreach, content research and planning, and competitor research. Find out why so many Marketing Companion fans are now hooked on Buzzsumo. Check out BuzzSumo’s powerful technology to look at the hottest content trends down to the hour!

New media influencers are changing marketing forever

New statistics show that blogging activity has slumped after a decade of continuous growth. Mark and Brooke examine the true story behind blogging in the content ecosystem and also discuss an integrated marketing trend, the marketing ideas consumers love most.

New statistics show that blogging activity has slumped after a decade of continuous growth. Mark and Brooke examine the true story behind blogging in the content ecosystem and also discuss an integrated marketing trend, the marketing ideas consumers love most.

Is there still a place for blogging?

Mark Schaefer and Tom Webster discuss the growing challenge of establishing emotional connection in a world of declining loyalty and point to an amazing success at Spotify, the rise of anger on Facebook, and a revolution at LinkedIn. They also vanquish Mercury Retrograde.

Mark Schaefer and Tom Webster discuss the growing challenge of establishing emotional connection in a world of declining loyalty and point to an amazing success at Spotify, the rise of anger on Facebook, and a revolution at LinkedIn. They also vanquish Mercury Retrograde.

Emotional connection and the modern brand

The inevitability of a business world dominated by artificial intelligence seems to be the headline of the day, and yet the notion for many marketers may seem distant and unreal. On our Marketing Companion podcast, Tom Webster and I have been toying with this subject for years and decided it was time to devote a full-blown episode to the topic. Artificial intelligence and marketing -- what's real, what's now, what's ahead? Our latest episode is a far-ranging discussion that gets into:  Customer service -- brighter days ahead The incremental change that is happening now AI as a source of innovation The revolution in marketing technology ... it's more than automation The impact on our jobs (Tom and I disagree on this point)  You won't want to miss this timely and important discussion. Please support our extraordinary sponsors. Our content is free because of their generosity. Many thanks to our friend Scott Monty for the awesome show intro. Be sure to check out his amazing newsletter The Full Monty and his new podcast available here: fullmontyshow.com.   SaneBox is like a super-smart assistant who’s been with you for years and knows what’s important to you. It moves unimportant emails from the inbox into a new folder and summarizes them in a digest, where you can quickly bulk-process them. An average SaneBox customer saves 12+ hours/month. It works with any email provider, client or device. And we have a special offer for you. Simply go to sanebox.com/marketing to receive a risk-free 14-day trial and $25 off your initial subscription! With glowing reviews from TechCrunch, Forbes, The New York Times and emailers everywhere, you will fall in love with email again. BuzzSumo is the world’s best way to discover, analyze and amplify your content. Run over to BuzzSumo today for a 14 day free trial. Beyond data, BuzzSumo offers priceless insights into content discovery, monitoring, influencers, and outreach, content research and planning, and competitor research. It is an indispensable application for content research, analysis and SEO. Find out why so many Marketing Companion fans are now hooked on Buzzsumo. Check out BuzzSumo’s powerful technology to look at the hottest content trends down to the hour!

The inevitability of a business world dominated by artificial intelligence seems to be the headline of the day, and yet the notion for many marketers may seem distant and unreal. On our Marketing Companion podcast, Tom Webster and I have been toying with this subject for years and decided it was time to devote a full-blown episode to the topic. Artificial intelligence and marketing -- what's real, what's now, what's ahead? Our latest episode is a far-ranging discussion that gets into: <ul> <li>Customer service -- brighter days ahead</li> <li>The incremental change that is happening now</li> <li>AI as a source of innovation</li> <li>The revolution in marketing technology ... it's more than automation</li> <li>The impact on our jobs (Tom and I disagree on this point)</li> </ul> You won't want to miss this timely and important discussion. Please support our extraordinary sponsors. Our content is free because of their generosity. Many thanks to our friend <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Scott Monty</a> for the awesome show intro. Be sure to check out his amazing newsletter <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/p/newsletter.html" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Full Monty</a> and his new podcast available here: <a href="http://fullmontyshow.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">fullmontyshow.com</a>. <a href="https://www.sanebox.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">SaneBox</a> is like a super-smart assistant who’s been with you for years and knows what’s important to you. It moves unimportant emails from the inbox into a new folder and summarizes them in a digest, where you can quickly bulk-process them. An average SaneBox customer saves 12+ hours/month. It works with any email provider, client or device. And we have a special offer for you. Simply go to <a href="https://www.sanebox.com/Marketing" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">sanebox.com/marketing</a> to receive a risk-free 14-day trial and $25 off your initial subscription! With glowing reviews from TechCrunch, Forbes, The New York Times and emailers everywhere, you will fall in love with email again. <a href="http://buzzsumo.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">BuzzSumo</a> is the world’s best way to discover, analyze and amplify your content. Run over to BuzzSumo today for a 14 day free trial. Beyond data, BuzzSumo offers priceless insights into content discovery, monitoring, influencers, and outreach, content research and planning, and competitor research. It is an indispensable application for content research, analysis and SEO. Find out why so many Marketing Companion fans are now hooked on Buzzsumo. Check out BuzzSumo’s powerful technology to look at the hottest content trends down to the hour!

Artificial intelligence, real marketing

Mark and Brooke explore "parasocial" relationships that seem to be forming in the podcast space and how this might be useful to brands. They also look at an experiential marketing case study and marketing lessons from the streaming video wars. Meanwhile, Brooke debates a potential move to another closet.

Mark and Brooke explore "parasocial" relationships that seem to be forming in the podcast space and how this might be useful to brands. They also look at an experiential marketing case study and marketing lessons from the streaming video wars. Meanwhile, Brooke debates a potential move to another closet.

Podcasts and one-way friendships

Hosts Mark Schaefer and Tom Webster dissect several big new ideas, including the role of customer engagement in digital transformation, Facebook's big new opportunity for community leaders, and a content marketing fail from GE (or, is it?). Plus, Tom riffs on cows.

Hosts Mark Schaefer and Tom Webster dissect several big new ideas, including the role of customer engagement in digital transformation, Facebook's big new opportunity for community leaders, and a content marketing fail from GE (or, is it?). Plus, Tom riffs on cows.

Why customers really don't want to engage with your brand

Machine learning is entering the world of everyday marketing helping us streamline tasks and free up time for our employees and customers. The tech is getting simpler and less expensive. Mark and Brooke look at how this can be applied to our everyday marketing lives. They also cover an unexpected new retail trend and discuss tech optimism versus tech pessimism.

Machine learning is entering the world of everyday marketing helping us streamline tasks and free up time for our employees and customers. The tech is getting simpler and less expensive. Mark and Brooke look at how this can be applied to our everyday marketing lives. They also cover an unexpected new retail trend and discuss tech optimism versus tech pessimism.

Machine learning for real-world marketers

Social media marketing has been the hottest marketing concept for the last 10 years. Is it losing steam, or just taking off? In this episode, hosts Mark Schaefer and Tom Webster look at the data and reveal new perspectives on where social media fits in the marketing mix. The fellas also reveal a new premium service to sell fake followers so you can become an influencer in record time!

Social media marketing has been the hottest marketing concept for the last 10 years. Is it losing steam, or just taking off? In this episode, hosts Mark Schaefer and Tom Webster look at the data and reveal new perspectives on where social media fits in the marketing mix. The fellas also reveal a new premium service to sell fake followers so you can become an influencer in record time!

Is social media marketing still a thing?

Mark and Brooke reveal one of the worst marketing tactics in history, now being used by At&amp;T and others to drive customers to their breaking point. Also, TikTok comes of age and a new book to help you embrace the chaos!

Mark and Brooke reveal one of the worst marketing tactics in history, now being used by At&amp;T and others to drive customers to their breaking point. Also, TikTok comes of age and a new book to help you embrace the chaos!

The worst marketing move ever

In this episode, Mark and Brooke discuss the vital topic of staying relevant in a fast-changing world. There are some surprising insights here as they tackle strategies on trends, skills, technology and even the impact of your personal appearance.

In this episode, Mark and Brooke discuss the vital topic of staying relevant in a fast-changing world. There are some surprising insights here as they tackle strategies on trends, skills, technology and even the impact of your personal appearance.

How do you stay relevant?

Mark and Tom look at surprising new data on hard-to-find marketing skills, the idea of creating a career as a social media influencer, and the myth of employee advocacy.

Mark and Tom look at surprising new data on hard-to-find marketing skills, the idea of creating a career as a social media influencer, and the myth of employee advocacy.

The most valuable marketing skills

In this episode, Mark and Brooke discuss some surprising trends impacting marketing in the years to come, including a surprising take on a "culture in, brand out" movement that is percolating in the business world. And, the world is introduced to the "Nimbie"

In this episode, Mark and Brooke discuss some surprising trends impacting marketing in the years to come, including a surprising take on a "culture in, brand out" movement that is percolating in the business world. And, the world is introduced to the "Nimbie"

The big huge megatrend show

In this episode, hosts Mark Schaefer and Tom Webster review some of their favorite recent marketing books, including new releases from Bernadette Jiwa and Neen James.

In this episode, hosts Mark Schaefer and Tom Webster review some of their favorite recent marketing books, including new releases from Bernadette Jiwa and Neen James.

Our favorite marketing books

Hosts Mark Schaefer and Brooke Sellas look at the mega-trends forming the future of social media. The future is hazy for marketers ready to place their bet. The show also looks at the economics of live events and the hottest (secret!) chat app for teens

Hosts Mark Schaefer and Brooke Sellas look at the mega-trends forming the future of social media. The future is hazy for marketers ready to place their bet. The show also looks at the economics of live events and the hottest (secret!) chat app for teens

what is the future of social media?

I think the role of "content" in the marketing mix is one of the most fasciating discussion topics around. How much is enough? How do you break through? Can you win on the back of quantity alone by overwhelming competitors? So I was delighted to have the opportunity to thrash this discussion around with the brilliant Tom Webster on our latest Marketing Companion podcast. In this latest edition, we talk about:  The dirty little secret of content marketing How quantity works against quality The Hubspot Problem and the content mill Quantity and the discoverability advantage Guest posts -- Strategic advantage or content snacks when you need a meal? How is SEO adapting to new content realities and search? The most important content-related metric How content marketing is like a retail price war Why content marketing encourages plagiarism  Yes, that is a lot of ground to cover in a 30 minute podcast but I think we get the job done and have some fun along the way too. Hope you enjoy the show and I would love to see your comments in the comment section below. To listen now: Hope you enjoy the show and I would love to see your comments in the comment section below. Program note: Christopher Penn weighed in with another perspective on this topic of content and SEO. Worth a read!

I think the role of "content" in the marketing mix is one of the most fasciating discussion topics around. How much is enough? How do you break through? Can you win on the back of quantity alone by overwhelming competitors? So I was delighted to have the opportunity to thrash this discussion around with the brilliant Tom Webster on our latest Marketing Companion podcast. In this latest edition, we talk about: <ul> <li>The dirty little secret of content marketing</li> <li>How quantity works against quality</li> <li>The Hubspot Problem and the content mill</li> <li>Quantity and the discoverability advantage</li> <li>Guest posts -- Strategic advantage or content snacks when you need a meal?</li> <li>How is SEO adapting to new content realities and search?</li> <li>The most important content-related metric</li> <li>How content marketing is like a retail price war</li> <li>Why content marketing encourages plagiarism</li> </ul> Yes, that is a lot of ground to cover in a 30 minute podcast but I think we get the job done and have some fun along the way too. Hope you enjoy the show and I would love to see your comments in the comment section below. To listen now: Hope you enjoy the show and I would love to see your comments in the comment section below. Program note: Christopher Penn weighed in with another perspective on this topic of <a href="http://www.christopherspenn.com/2013/07/the-short-and-long-games-of-seo/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">content and SEO</a>. Worth a read!

The Content Mill: Is Quantity Killing Quality on the Web?

The best podcast episodes of the most interesting stories and things. From skyping someone while they're in space, to tracking down and meeting a telephone scammer in person, to the story of a Galapagos. These episodes will keep you and all your friends entertained and captivated for hours. Learn something new in every episode! Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best Episodes: Interesting Stories & Things

The best podcast episodes on parenting. Interviewing experts and talking through common issues surrounding parenting. This topic is filled with important lessons and insights for anyone listening. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!