The SDM Show

The is a conversation between Rob Cairns and Adam McLaughlin, focusing on McLaughlin's new business venture, pieceofcakevideos.com, which provides easy, subscription-based social media video content for small and medium businesses. They discuss the challenges of creating consistent video content and how McLarin's service simplifies the process by recording a conversation with the client, then using AI and manual editing to chop the footage into short, engaging, evergreen clips for platforms like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. The speakers emphasize the importance of authentic, unscripted content for building trust with an audience, contrasting short-form video as a "Costco sample" that funnels viewers to longer-form content. They also address the role of AI in their workflow, noting that it assists with efficiency but does not complete more than 60% of the final product, with human oversight necessary for quality and timely content monitoring.

The source is an excerpt from a podcast discussion between Rob Cairns and Ryan Waterbury on an episode of "agency chat," focusing on the challenges and strategies of managing and growing a business. The conversation centers on the crucial role of mindset for business owners and the difficulty of delegating tasks and letting go of control, especially when hiring others. Both speakers emphasize the importance of working on the business (strategic development, systems, and processes) rather than just working in the business (day-to-day tasks), advocating for scheduled time to focus on growth. They also discuss the need to re-evaluate and update systems, including contracts, client onboarding, and toolsets, suggesting that AI can now automate certain tasks to save time and reduce the need for manual work or new hires.

The source material consists of excerpts from an episode of The SDM Show, hosted by Rob Cairns, featuring guest Caleb Mattingly. This podcast conversation primarily focuses on the multifaceted field of cyber security, covering topics such as personal experiences entering the industry, the importance of user awareness and education, and challenges related to password management and keeping software up to date. Key security concepts are explored, including the necessity of disaster recovery and offsite backups, adhering to the principle of least privilege for user access, and addressing modern threats like business email compromise and increasingly sophisticated phishing scams—including those augmented by AI. The discussion also touches upon enterprise security, cloud environments (like AWS), and the risks associated with inadequate security protocols in both large and small organizations.

The source provides excerpts from "Episode 603 Building the Changelog WP Service With Ryan Logan and Derek Ashauer" of the SDM Show, hosted by Rob Cairns and focused on topics like business, digital marketing, and WordPress. In this episode, Cairns interviews guests Ryan Logan and Derek Ashauer about their collaborative project, Change Log WP, a service designed to notify WordPress users when the change logs for their monitored plugins are updated, helping them stay informed about features, fixes, and security vulnerabilities. The discussion covers the project's development, its current status (pulling all plugins from WordPress.org and being free), future plans for monetization and expanding to premium plugins and themes, and the technical aspects of building a scalable service. The hosts and guests emphasize the value of Change Log WP for both agencies and do-it-yourself website owners, noting its utility for competitive analysis and crucial security updates.

The source provides excerpts from Episode 602 Essential SEO Mistakes to Avoid Now With Warren Laine-Naida of the SDM Show, hosted by Rob Cairns and featuring Warren Laine-Naida, where the discussion centers on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) best practices. Specifically, the segment addresses what not to do in SEO, with Laine-Naida offering several reminders about outdated or harmful tactics. Key topics covered include avoiding practices such as buying links, keyword stuffing, making basic on-page SEO mistakes (like poor heading structure or duplicate content), ignoring the importance of internal linking, and using bloated website design. Additionally, the discussion touches on the need for appropriate off-page SEO engagement, focusing on technical SEO audits, the distinction between PPC and organic keywords, and the strategic use of landing pages.

The source provides excerpts from "Episode 601-a.mp3" of The SDM Show, hosted by Rob Cairns of Stunning Digital Marketing. The discussion features Cairns and guest Chris Hallberg, the founder of the software go expand, focusing on topics like business, productivity, and digital marketing. A central theme is the importance of mindset and having a structured operating system—such as the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS)—to achieve business success, which Hallberg complements with his background in military leadership and his new software that integrates people tools and Agentive AI. The conversation also touches on the practicalities of Hallberg's software, including its cost, security, and emphasis on data-driven decisions over subjective feelings to improve team performance and company culture.

The source material consists of excerpts from Episode 600 of "The SDM Show," hosted by Rob Cairns from Toronto, Ontario, which focuses on various business, life, and digital marketing topics, particularly concerning WordPress. This landmark episode celebrates the achievement of 600 podcast episodes, which began in 2010. The episode features Cairns thanking his regular co-hosts, guests, and listeners, and includes numerous congratulatory messages from community members and friends recognizing the milestone, dedication, and quality of the show. Cairns concludes the episode by thanking his inspiration, Tiz Marrone, for helping him through a serious illness, and dedicating the show to his late father, Bruce Cairns, and his mother, Anne.

The source is a transcript from The SDM Show, hosted by Rob Cairns of Stunning Digital Marketing, featuring guest Ricky Blacker from WP Engine. The central topic of their discussion is WordPress accessibility, specifically promoting the upcoming WP Accessibility Day on October 15th and 16th, which is a free, 24-hour global event. Cairns and Blacker discuss the crucial importance of designing websites to be accessible to everyone, not only for ethical and user experience reasons but also to avoid potential legal and financial issues such as class-action lawsuits. Blacker shares his journey into the WordPress space and emphasizes that accessibility should be a foundational consideration in website development rather than an afterthought, advocating for simple best practices like proper alt tags and contrasting colors. The conversation concludes with details about the conference's structure, which involves pre-recorded talks and live Q&A sessions using the Zoom platform.

The source is a transcript from "The SDM show" podcast, hosted by Rob Cairnss, featuring guest Matt Putra, discussing e-commerce, digital marketing, and business strategy. The main topic revolves around the importance of early planning for Black Friday and the Christmas retail season, emphasizing that preparation should begin in July or August. Putra outlines a "guidance system" for e-commerce brands, which includes creating a long-term financial plan (July through next spring) and mapping a daily profit tracker and conversion funnel to monitor performance and react quickly to opportunities or problems. The conversation also touches on the necessity of a conversion-optimized website before running ads and the need for high-volume, specific creative content in advertising campaigns.

The source is a podcast episode from "The SDM Show" where host Rob Cairns interviews Cami MacNamara about her experiences at WordCamp US, a conference for the WordPress community. They discuss various aspects of the event, including the city of Portland, the value of networking over attending every presentation, and specific talks and afterparties. The conversation also touches on the accessibility of the venue, suggestions for improving future WordCamps, and the importance of community and mentorship within the WordPress ecosystem. The episode concludes with MacNamara sharing information about her own venture, "Web Designer Habits," and expressing appreciation for the friendships forged through such events.