Something I've realized recently is that I've turned into an old fogey. The fact that I just used the term "old fogey" is one sign of that! What I mean is that I'm old enough that I look at younger generations and I'm just kinda mystified. It was all I could do to get my head around Millenials and what they're all about, when here comes Gen Z, ready to take over! I have Gen Z kids, so I have some clue.They're very much online ... they spend a ton of time on social media and on their phones ... Where the existential threat when I was growing up was nuclear war with the Soviet Union, theirs is climate change. A lot of Gen Zers in the West aren't so sure about capitalism ... The list goes on.All I know is that, if you're a B2B marketer, you're gonna need to understand Gen Z and what motivates them, because before long they're going to be in the workforce in a major way. My guest today is here to help us understand Gen Z and how B2B brands need to be crafting marketing strategies aimed at them.Ian Baer is the founder and chief soothsayer of sooth, a marketing platform and consultancy that helps brands better understand how their prospects and customers make buying decisions.We drill down into what makes Gen Z tick, what motivates their buying decisions, and what B2B marketers need to know to create content that stands the best chance of converting Gen Z prospects into customers.The B2B Content Show is brought to you by Connversa, a thought leadership content agency that helps you create a month's worth of authority building content in 60 minutes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's a lot that goes into being a great podcast host. And there's ALSO a lot that goes into being a great podcast guest! Sure, you can just show up and wing it; some people are good at that. But the right kind of preparation can elevate you from being a solid or even really good guest to being a GREAT guest that podcasts want to have on their show again and again.Mike Begg is Co-founder and CEO of AMZ Advisers, a firm that helps brands and manufacturers grow their Amazon sales channel, has had lots of practice appearing on podcasts and is with us to share some tips for how to be an amazing podcast guest.We talk about pitching yourself to podcast producers and hosts; preparing to record; delivering a great performance, and much more.If appearing as a guest on podcasts is part of your marketing plan, don't miss this episode!The B2B Content Show is brought to you by Connversa, a thought leadership content agency that helps you create a month's worth of authority-building content in 60 minutes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm a big advocate for podcasting as a marketing channel, as you know. But I know that it can be a big lift for companies to get a show up and running and to build an audience. Podcasting is especially challenging for solopreneurs, who on top of running their business have to learn how to run a podcast and be a podcast host! Hats off to any solopreneur who can make it work, because podcasting can add tremendous value.I'm very glad to have with me today one such entrepreneur, Olivia Luper! Olivia is the founder of Lexicon Advisor Marketing, a digital marketing agency for financial advisors. Her podcast is called Get Advisorfit, where Olivia talks with financial consultants and industry experts about marketing strategy and business growth.Olivia describes her podcast production workflow and shares what she's learned about what works and what doesn't work for running a podcast as a solopreneur.The B2B Content Show is brought to you by Connversa: Create a month's worth of premium content in 60 minutes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SEO makes me feel a little guilty.Because I know it's important and that I probably should being doing a better job on SEO.Part of my problem, I think, is that when I have looked into SEO, it feels just complicated and time-consuming enough that, and I feel just intimidated enough, that I don't do anything about it. One thing that's helped recently, though, is a discussion I had with SEO expert Kevin Roy, CEO of Greenbanana, an SEO and digital marketing agency, about the Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule and how it applies to SEO.The 80/20 rule, as you probably already know, states that, on average, 80% of the output you get from a given system is determined by 20% of the input. It's useful for deciding where to focus your attention and efforts.And just like any other system, when it comes to SEO, some tactics and strategies drive more results than others. In this episode, Kevin provides the low down on which SEO tactics provide the most bang for the buck!The B2B Content Show is brought to you by Connversa: Create a month's worth of premium content in 60 minutes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you had to rank content types from most valuable to least, you'd probably put video right at the top, or at least near the top. That's what most of the surveys and state of the industry reports say, anyhow.But when you start to explore video, you soon realize that it's complicated! There are different types of videos ... some work better than other for certain platforms. One of the most popular is the short-form, vertical style video -- Instagram calls them reels, YouTube calls them Shorts, Tik Tok calls them ... Tik Toks!Why is this style of video so popular? Should you be producing video shorts? If so, how does that work?To help us get some answers I had a great chat with Corey Alderin, CEO and Founder of SermonShots, a video clip production platform for Churches and other organizations.Corey has a lot to say about why short-form videos are so effective as top-of-the-funnel content, how algorithms help drive their popularity, which production and editing styles work best, and much more.If you're interested in getting into short-form video, this episode is a must listen! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've talked many times on the show about the value of podcasting as a content marketing strategy. A big part of the value is using a podcast as a way to get to know people who can help you grow your business--potential clients and referral partners, current customers, and so on. But for those who aren't already using podcasting in this way, it might not be clear how it works ... How do you get people you don't already know to be guests on your show ... How do you turn prospects into customers if you don't actually talk about your solution on the podcast ... And how do you build on the relationships you build with podcast guests once the recording is done?My guest today is here to help answers these questions and more! She is Liat Kozuch, field marketing lead at Hyro, an adaptive communications platform for enterprise brands, and host and producer of Hyro's podcast, Patient Journey Pioneers.Liat shares the inside scoop on how she invites high-level guests on to the podcast and why they almost always say "Yes!"If you're a podcast or curious about how podcasting can get you time with anyone you want to get to know, don't miss this episode!The B2B Content Show is brought to you by Connversa, a digital content agency that helps B2B brands create a month's worth of content in only 60 minutes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you're a content marketer, you probably know the name Rand Fishkin.He's founder of Spark Toro, and basically a go-to source for innovative ways of thinking about and doing content marketing. Anyhow, Rand published a blog post this past April titled "AI-generated content is the new floor."The post can be summed up in a single sentence: "If your content isn't better than what AI can produce, it's not worth making."I came to Rand Fishkin's article by way of another article, "The Future of Content Marketing: Five Predictions," written by Chad S. White, head of research for Oracle Marketing Consulting, and an expert on email marketing, and the author of the book Email Marketing Rules, now in it's 4th addition.Chad mainly agrees with Fishkin and takes the discussion further, arguing that while generative AI is useful in all sorts of ways, we have to be very careful to not use it in ways that rupture the trust factor that's so important in connecting with an audience and, ultimately, converting curious prospects into paying customers.The B2B Content Show is brought to you by Connversa, a digital content agency that helps you create a month's worth of premium content in 60 minutes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thinking "outside the box" can be a double edged sword.(Two metaphors packed into a single short sentence; not too shabby, eh?)Done well, defying convention can help you stand out.But thinking TOO FAR outside the box can make you seem just plain weird and untrustworthy.It's important to strike a balance. That's what Katrina Neil and Mallory Dietl, co-founders and owners of Key Grip Virtual, do to great effect with what they call "Blushies," cartoon figures they use on their website to convey the brand voice they're going after: a little whimsical, fun, but still 100% professional.In this fun episode of The B2B Content Show, Katrina and Mallory tell the story of how the Blushies came to be, how they use them to maximum effect, and how other companies can get creative and fun with their branding without sacrificing professionalism and trustworthiness.The B2B Content Show is brought to you by Connversa, a boutique agency that uses the art of interviewing to position your subject matter experts as thought leaders and to showcase your special sauce. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all know that sales-marketing alignment is crucial.Yet for many companies it's hard to get those groups aligned.Because ... It's all too easy for marketers to get trapped inside the marketing bubble and lose sight of the fact that the entire point of marketing is to enable salesFor Greg Mischio, owner of and strategic director at Winbound, a B2B digital sales and marketing agency, content only works when it's designed to enable salespeople at every stage of the sales process.And that means working directly with sales teams to get their input on the kind of content they need to help deliver leads that can actually be closed.Hence Greg's concept of marketing functioning as a "digital twin" of your sales team.If you're looking for says to better align your sales and marketing functions, this episode is worth a listen!The B2B Content Show is brought to you by Connversa, a digital content agency that turns one hour of interviews with your subject matter experts into a month's worth of premium content for every stage of your sales funnel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all know that business communities are the bomb, right?Joining the right community can offer value in so many ways:-connecting with like-minded people-getting help with pressing problems-satisfying the need for human connection-and yes, even winning new business!But there are better and worse ways to get maximum value from communities.Lisa Apolinski, a content coach and founder of 3 Dog Write, is an expert on this.(She's also the author/co-author of several books, including Persuade with a Digital Story, Grow Your Market Share in a Zombie Apocalypse, Weathering the Digital Storm, and The Most Amazing Marketing Book Ever.)In this episode of The B2B Content Show, Lisa offers tons of insights on how to make the most of being part of communities and how to make community engagement a key part of your marketing strategy.If you're interested in learning more about the value of communities for your business, this episode is a must listen!The B2B Content Show is brought to you by Connversa, offering expert interviewing services to showcase your expertise and help you stand out from the crowd. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.