Adapting To Changing User Expectations Online | Mike Ciffone From Ciffone Digital | 20 Minute Marketing #77

We're joined by Gemma Paterson from Legal & General for Liam's final episode as host of the show. Gemma brings a ton of experience to the show and also grew up down the street from Liam, so it's a fitting end to his time. Gemma is currently Head of People, Development, Experiences, and Innovation at Legal & General and previously spent around eight years in marketing working before moving into an internal role. Over those years, she's worked for top brands like BP, Monsoon, First Direct, and HSBC. During the episode, we talk about innovation and why it's more than just tech. Gemma tells us why she made the switch from direct marketing to an internal role that focuses on innovation and change. We then talk about both product innovation and people innovation and why businesses need to invest in both. Gemma also shares an example of a Vegas hotel that invests in its people and the positive effect that has on the customer experience. We then talk about how small businesses with low resources can innovate and why it's not just something that large companies can invest in. Finally, we discuss innovation in marketing, and Gemma shares another great example. 

We had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Dave Harland on this week's episode of 20 Minute Marketing. Dave is one of the best freelance copywriters that you'll find. He's renowned for telling wonderful and whacky stories via his LinkedIn profile and other social platforms. Dave is also known as The Word Man and helps both businesses and agencies to make an impact with words. If there's one thing you do today, subscribe to his weekly email newsletter.  During the episode, we chat about Dave's journey into copywriting and what inspired him to get started. We then talk about how his writing style has changed over time and the difference between copywriting and creative writing. The conversation then moves on to call-to-actions and how to make an impact by avoiding standard terms like "buy now" and "read more". Dave then talks us through the benefits of creating a WTF moment and shares three things to consider when writing stories. Finally, we talk about Dave's email newsletter growth and he shares a resource, Copywriting Is, that has impacted his writing. 

This week's episode of 20 Minute Marketing is one of the most fun episodes we've ever recorded. We're joined by Ed Stapleton from Shandy Shack. Ed launched Shandy Shack in 2018 with two friends after they realised they could no longer hack a hangover. After trialing new drinks, they discovered that mixing craft beer and high-quality sodas provided a great alternative. So, Shandy Shack was born. During the episode, Ed shares insights on how Shandy Shack transformed from an initial idea into a national brand that is stocked at Sainsbury's. We talk about marketing strategy and how Ed and his co-founders used local targeting for organic growth. Liam then asks Ed how the rise of the hard seltzer industry, which has popular brands like Whiteclaw and Truly, has impacted Shandy Shack. To close out, Ed shares insights on how Shandy Shack was pitched to Sainsbury's and a recent funding round which will allow the business to grow to the next level.

Our guest on the show this week is Mike Ciffone, who joins us from Chicago. Mike started his career agency-side before moving to a tech startup and more recently, he founded Ciffone Digital, which specialises in SEO, pay-per-click, content marketing, and web development. The episode focuses on how user expectations are changing online and how businesses can adapt to meet these changing demands.  We start the episode by asking Mike to share his thoughts on how the digital landscape is changing. Mike talks us through the increased demand for unique experiences and why it's important to trial new things before waiting for Google updates. We then talk about site structure and how to optimise the customer journey by using JSON and dynamic content, with a great coral reef analogy from Mike. Our focus then turns to content and how to use audio, video, and text to engage with site users. Finally, we ask Mike some questions on running tests and experiments and he shares some tips for getting started.

We're joined by Pamela Hopkinson from Social Media Solutions on episode 76 of the show. Launched by Pamela in 2021, Social Media Solutions provides social media training, consultancy, and management services. So, it makes sense that the episode focuses on social media strategy optimisation. During the episode, talk about the current social media landscape and how it has changed over the past twelve months. We cover the big platforms but also discuss sites like Pinterest, Reddit, and Quora, and the value they offer to businesses. Pamela also shares her thoughts on whether businesses should be active on every social channel or specifically focus on a few. She then shares some social strategy tips before we move on to content scheduling. Finally, Pamela shares some of the brands that she's enjoyed watching over the past 12 months. 

This week we chat with Wiehan Britz on episode 75 of the podcast. Wiehan is a digital marketing consultant that has been in the industry for over ten years. He originally started out as an SEO specialist but has worked across the marketing realm such as CRO, A/B testing, paid social, and more. So, we could call him a veteran marketer. The episode focuses on measuring efficiency, business growth, and identifying opportunities. Wiehan talks us through two different frameworks and how they can support businesses. The first framework is the Efficiency GAP Analysis Scorecard, which Wiehan created himself. This framework allows businesses to analyse 12 pillars that include factors like learning and development, employee happiness, strategy, onboarding, and more. Secondly, Wiehan talks about the AARRR Pirate Metrics Framework. This framework allows businesses to work backward to identify where in the funnel prospective customers are dropping off. Wiehan shares a real-life example from a SaaS company that shows where prospects are dropping off (free trial, sign up page, canceled accounts, and more). We also talk about budget management and ensuring that your team is aligned. AARRR Pirate Metrics Framework - https://www.productplan.com/glossary/aarrr-framework/ Efficiency GAP Analysis Scorecard - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1z3FhIJiT_mkxMzCBk1nvgk8B00G7-YR7NivPTxFpgTw/edit#gid=767327586

This week we chat with Matthew Soakell from Algebra, which is a PPC agency that plans, builds, and manages innovative campaigns that get results. Matthew is a PPC Specialist and has spent over five years working in the industry. We invited him to join us on the show to chat about PPC management and whether brands should go in-house or use an agency. During the episode, Matthew talks us through the pros and cons of in-house PPC management compared with outsourcing to an agency. Matthew talks about the different reasons why businesses might want to move in-house, such as account spend and size. We also talk about how Algebra helps businesses to transition in-house when appropriate and what that onboarding process looks like. Finally, Matthew shares some quick-tips for in-house PPC managers to close out the main section of the episode. Two resources that he mentions are Occam's Razor by Avinash Kaushik and Start With Why by Simon Sinek.

This week we're joined by Lloyd Williams from Socially Powerful, a global attention marketing agency. Lloyd is the Head of Strategy and he specialises in social media best practices and onboarding new business. During his career, he's worked with global brands like Kit Kat, Aero, Budweiser, Desperados, and more. The episode focuses on social media and how brands can grab the attention of followers. Lloyd tells us what attention marketing means and why he loves working in the social media industry. We then talk about influencer marketing and some of the misconceptions around the industry. Lloyd then talks about the Rules of Engagement that are used at Socially Powerful. Finally, we talk about Lloyd's podcast, Brand Wars, and he shares one of his favourite brand stories from the show.

We're joined by Gary Gumbleton on episode 72 of the show. Gary joins us from Capital Content, a creative and dynamic digital agency that balances what looks good with what works. He is also one of the best video storytellers on the planet. During the episode, we chat about telling stories through video. Gary and Liam discuss some of the things that have prevented Liam from creating video content in the past and how those issues can be overcome. Gary shares two different types of video content that can be created - rational and emotional videos. We also talk about the value of batch creation and how to improve production quality when recording videos. To close out, we compare the benefits of in-house video production with outsourcing to a content agency and Gary shares his free training course with us - Content 101.

We chat with Lisa Eaton on the podcast this week who is a leading marketer in the North East and has over 20 years of marketing experience. Lisa is the Founder and Managing Director at Unwritten Group, a fully integrated strategic communications agency. Last year, Lisa launched Fabric which is an academy that helps marketers to develop an integrated marketing and communications strategy from scratch. So, she's the go-to if you want to create and implement a top-level marketing strategy for your business. During the episode, we talk about being a generalist marketer. As the Managing Director of a full-scale agency, Lisa ensures that she has an understanding of all of the marketing channels out there. We talk about the challenges of spreading yourself across multiple channels and how to invest your time properly. Lisa then talks us through her professional development strategy and why she dedicates one day per week to learning. Finally, we talk about the value of understanding your top-level strategy when working on day-to-day tasks and the launch of Fabric.