Ahrefs Podcast

Amos Bar-Joseph, founder of Swan AI, shares insights into how autonomous business solutions can help companies scale without increasing headcount. He discusses the shift from automation to augmentation, emphasizing AI's role in enhancing customer support and onboarding. Amos reveals how AI can transform lead management through proactive engagement and real-time responses. He also tackles the challenges AI faces in web design and the vital importance of brand and user experience in today's competitive landscape.

Joe Glover, creator of The Marketing Meetup, shares his journey in building a 50,000+ member community with a focus on human connections. He emphasizes that community isn't a sales channel but rather a culture that thrives on authenticity and emotional bonds. Glover discusses the importance of storytelling in marketing and the unique elements that make events successful. He also reflects on the challenges of member engagement and the necessity of shared leadership in sustaining community participation.

Louis Grenier, the unapologetic founder of Stand The F*ck Out and host of Everyone Hates Marketers, offers radical insights into standing out in a sea of sameness. He discusses the pitfalls of typical branding efforts and unveils a four-step process to achieve unique positioning. From understanding audience insights to crafting a compelling brand narrative, Louis emphasizes the importance of authenticity, continuous engagement, and the need to address real customer challenges. His refreshing take challenges marketers to rethink their strategies and embrace clarity.

Tim Dalrymple, former Head of Growth Marketing at Notion and Director of Growth at Webflow, shares insights from the forefront of marketing. He discusses the crucial differences between growth and brand marketing, emphasizing measurable strategies for scaling success. Tim dives into the complexities of advertising attribution and the need for reliable tracking systems. He also highlights the importance of AI in marketing, production strategies for impactful video content, and the role of quality SEO in driving organic traffic.

Borko Kovacevic, co-founder of the fast-growing podcast studio network Poddster and podcast operations software Podyx, dives into the evolving world of podcasting. He discusses the shift from audio-only to video formats, revealing why YouTube is taking the lead. Borko highlights the common pitfalls businesses face, like assuming interesting guests alone make a successful show. He emphasizes the power of authenticity and trust, and how strategic guest appearances can double as a networking hack for business growth.

Meet Magnus Grimeland - the founder and CEO of Antler - a one BILLION dollar venture capital firm dedicated to investing in startups at the earliest stages. As of today, Antler has invested in over 14 hundred companies, making it the largest day-zero investor in the world. And they have an audacious goal to invest in 6 thousand companies before 2030. In this episode, you'll learn: (0:00) Intro (02:36) Why are people more important than ideas?  (06:04) Examples of iterating on ideas (19:17) Hipster, Hacker, Hustler vs. Spike, Drive, Grit (29:22) Can marketers be good founders (34:39) Soft skills vs hard skills (39:03) The role of marketing in zero-day investments (46:07) What do experts get out of advising zero-day startups?  (53:45) Borrowing other people’s platforms (1:00:54) The first marketing steps for any startup (1:05:42) Building a brand (1:15:27) Founder brand vs. building local networks (1:22:03) How Antler gets referrals (1:29:52) Why VC firms don’t use SEO (1:37:33) How Antler decides who to invest in (1:40:06) Outro We hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast! As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend). Where to find Magnus: LinkedIn Website Where to find Tim: LinkedIn X Website ------------------------- Referenced: • Zalora • Lion • Basket of goods • G&A _______________ Ahrefs Podcast Host: Tim Soulo Podcast Producer: Michelle Lindner Intro Storyboard: Michelle Lindner & Tim Soulo Intro Video Lead: George Dolgikh Intro Video Animations: Ilya Yakymchuck Filmed at:  @PoddsterSingapore 

Delbert Ty, CMO at Coffee Meets Bagel, has a rich background in viral marketing from his time at Procter & Gamble and Circles.Life. He reveals the secrets behind successful campaigns, stressing the importance of storytelling and audience understanding. Delbert discusses unconventional tactics that often challenge traditional ideas, like his hilarious billboard stunt and an innovative $3 data plan from a vending machine. He emphasizes the need for courage in marketing, balancing wild creativity with strategic objectives, and even highlights when ‘bad’ ideas can lead to success.

Madhav Bhandari, a seasoned CMO known for scaling SaaS companies, shares invaluable insights into early-stage marketing strategies. He discusses the importance of creating a playbook for startups and why his focus peaks at $15M ARR. Madhav highlights employee advocacy on LinkedIn as a powerful marketing tool and introduces innovative concepts like Demo Days to engage potential customers. He also emphasizes the shift in SEO metrics and the balance between personal and company branding, shedding light on how to navigate the complexities of startup marketing.

How can you rise to unicorn status in an industry dominated by legacy players? Jon Stona, VP of Global Marketing at B2B global payments processor Airwallex shares his insights into growing the company from a coffee shop in Australia to a dominant player in the fintech space.  Today, Airwallex has a $5.6B valuation and handles $100B in processing volume. So, what's the marketing machine behind this financial challenger brand?  00:00 Intro 01:29 What is the marketing budget for a $5B company? 02:55 Sponsorships and the theory of economic value10:48 Celebrity partnerships 22:04 The mechanics of sports marketing23:48 Bringing structure to a marketing team26:53 The role of product marketing within a company33:14 Transforming company culture35:47 The difference between leadership and therapy45:17 Building a sustainable brand59:43 Measuring growth through branded search 1:06:20 Are operating principles important for a company? 1:12:01 Differentiating yourself as a commodity1:14:08 Building out PMM teams for different products1:16:57 Allocating SEO budget1:18:48 The usefulness of industry reports1:26:11 How to use case studies in marketing1:31:04 Getting your name in the press1:34:33 Driving growth through industry events1:41:17 Industry awards 1:46:48 Outro We hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast! As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend).  Where to find Jon: LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstona/) Website: https://www.airwallex.com/ Where to find Tim: LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/) X: @timsoulo Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/ -------------------------Referenced: McLaren: @mclarenF1: @Formula1Lando Norris: @LandoNorrisShifted Perspectives: https://www.airwallex.com/airwallex-mclaren-racing-shifted-perspectivesMichael Murphy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Murphy_(sculptor)Mere exposure effect (psychology): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mere-exposure_effectForrester: @forresterEdgar, Dunn & Company: https://www.edgardunn.com/Skift: @skiftnewsYouGov: https://www.yougov.com/David Fallarme: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dfallarme/) Stripe Sessions: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcoWp8pBTM3CYTQho8i-a_lzx4cq7-ePhBeyond Black FridayeCommerce Champion Awards: https://www.airwallex.com/newsroom/amid-online-spending-resurgence-airwallex-unveils-inaugural-airwallexMoney20/20: https://www.money2020.com/ Cloud 100 list: https://www.forbes.com/cloud100/list/

Neil Patel, a giant in digital marketing and founder of NP Digital, shares how he scaled his agency to over $100 million. He discusses the shift from serving small businesses to landing enterprise clients like ESPN and LVMH. Neil reveals the importance of client relationships and effective churn-reduction strategies. He also emphasizes personal branding's role in business growth and his decision to pivot away from selling courses. Plus, he candidly reflects on his spending habits and how they connect with professional credibility.