Brainy Business Podcast, Part 1

Today I am very excited to introduce you to Priscilla McKinney, CEO of Little Bird Marketing and host of the Ponderings from the Perch podcast. As you will hear in our conversation today, I love how thoughtful Priscilla and her team are about those brain associations and little play on word moments, like calling the podcast "Ponderings From the Perch" when the company is "Little Bird" Marketing, which is, of course, an extension of the benefits of word of mouth and the saying that "a little birdie" told you something. (Did you see how I extended that in the art for this episode…?)

This builds upon Dan Gingiss' insights on creating remarkable experiences that people can't wait to share and his WISER framework. It is witty and engaging to have little easter eggs like this. It helps people feel like they know you and want to connect more. Priscilla and I talk about this, her background in anthropology, how that helps her bring the “human factor” back into brands, and so much more during our conversation today. You don’t want to miss it!

• [00:41] Today I am very excited to introduce you to Priscilla McKinney, CEO of Little Bird Marketing and host of Ponderings from the Perch podcast. 
• [03:35] Priscilla shares about herself and her background. She studied cultural anthropology and is now a CEO of a digital marketing agency.
• [04:27] Every company should have a clear and effective marketing plan. Forget what everyone else is doing and think about what you need to do to drive revenue. 
• [06:51] Priscilla found herself in marketing after naturally doing it on the side. 
• [09:50] Quit marketing to everybody and think of who the most ideal person is.
• [10:51] Observe people in their natural habitat and understand what is convenient, natural, and helpful for them. What delights and engages them?  Once you understand this, start building a plan to attract those people.  
• [13:43] When your best and brightest clients start talking, listen and figure out what is frustrating to them. 
• [15:58] Too many people are not social on social media. 
• [18:46] That amplification of your thought leadership is where you can’t help but see things a little differently. 
• [19:40] 92% of people who are engaged online want to deal with the person who is acknowledged or perceived as the thought leader in their industry. 
• [22:58] You have to be willing to be a little bit different than everybody else. 
• [25:43] Priscilla shares the background behind her business name and brand: Little Bird Marketing. 
• [26:52] Fidelity to your brand is something that really takes effort. 
• [28:27] Melina shares her favorite ad campaign of all time. 
• [30:25] Priscilla shares her favorite ad campaign of all time.
• [31:55] Fun is such an important part of engaging with other people. 
• [32:47] Priscilla shares examples of how she used personas in the past. 
• [35:26] Speaking to the real heart of the problem is the one thing in persona work that can overcome any other obstacle. (And what most brands get wrong.)
• [37:51] Pricing is not about the price. Oftentimes we haven’t done a good enough job making them feel like they need this and you. 
• [39:40] Creating personas isn’t enough–you need to use them. Keep them central to everything you do.
• [41:52] People are going to get to your 404 page but you don’t want it to be a bad experience. (Check ours out for inspiration.)
• [43:45] Priscilla is going to be MCing Greenbook’s IIEX North America in Austin this year. 
• [45:28] Melina is going to be speaking at IIEX North America in Austin and IIEX Europe in Amsterdam. Come join us!
• [48:31] Priscilla has lots of great resources to polish your marketing. 
• [49:45] Melina shares her closing thoughts. 
• [52:00] If you enjoy the experience I’ve provided here for you, will you share about it? That could mean leaving a rating/review or sharing the episode with a friend (or 10!)

Thanks for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show. 

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More from The Brainy Business:

• 🎉🎉🎉 Buy Melina’s award-winning book, What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia 🎉🎉🎉

Get the Books Mentioned on (or related to) this Episode:

• The Experience Maker, by Dan Gingiss
• Choice Hacking, by Jennifer Clinehens
• The Life Saving Skill of Story, by Michelle Auerbach
• The Hype Handbook, by Michael F. Schein
• Marketing Mess to Brand Success, by Scott Miller

Connect with Priscilla: 

• Little Bird Marketing Website
• Priscilla on LinkedIn
• Priscilla on Twitter

Top Recommended Next Episode: How to Create Remarkable Experiences with Dan Gingiss (episode 185)

Already Heard That One? Try These: 

• The Most Important Step in Applying Behavioral Economics: Understanding the Problem  (episode 126)
• Surprise & Delight (episode 60)
• The Power of Story, an Interview with Dr. Michelle Auerbach (episode 145)
• Reciprocity (episode 23)
• Peak-End Rule (episode 97)
• The Power of Metaphors for Brands with Olson Zaltman’s Malcolm and Hannibal Brooks (episode 181)
• How to Successfully Pitch Your Business Using Behavioral Economics (episode 177)
• Where CX and Behavioral Science Meet, interview with Jennifer Clinehens, author of Choice Hacking (episode 141)
• Scarcity (episode 14)
• When Machine Learning Meets Neuroscience, with Ingrid Nieuwenhuis of Alpha.One (episode 170)
• Herding (episode 19)
• A Guide for You to Create a Brainy Brand (episode 43)
• Sludge (episode 179)
• Priming  (episode 18)
• The Truth About Pricing (episode 5)

Other Important Links: 

• Brainy Bites - Melina’s LinkedIn Newsletter 
• Resources from Little Bird Marketing
• Greenbook’s IIEX North America
• A Non-Boring Behavioral Economic Lesson with Melina Palmer (Melina’s Episode on Ponderings from the Perch

Check out What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia