The Influential Personal Brand Podcast

Welcome to another recap episode. Today we dive into the key points from our discussion with data wizards AJ Yoger and Meagan Connell. Many brands make decisions based on emotion or what other people are doing. Our first take away is that information is the new competitive advantage, especially as basing your decisions on data is what separates real entrepreneurs from the rest. We then focus on the importance of getting your tracking right as the first key step in building your data strategy. From tracking, we talk about knowing your predictable levers and learning which areas you can zone in on to get the results that you want.

In the world of marketing, information is power. And having access to the right data empowers your business, giving you an edge over the competition. We’re joined today by Meaghan Connell and AJ Yager, the cofounders of Praxis Metrics, one of the fastest-growing data dashboard companies in the world. Their team of data scientists and engineers provide companies with insights, tracking, and reporting to chart a path to greater success. We open the conversation by talking about what a data dashboard can do for you. AJ and Meagan explain the benefits from a marketing and sales perspective, showing how data tracks how users enter your marketing funnel and engage with your brand. AJ and Meaghan also explore how data can be applied to all sections of your business to reduce human error and effort, freeing up team members and allowing them to focus on their skill set.

We are so excited that our listeners got to meet one of Rory’s early mentors and good friends David Avrin, so prepare yourself for a lot of bro-love going around! But that is not to say that there were no major takeaways; there are heaps of things to learn from this interview! In this recap episode, Rory and AJ each highlight three things that stood out to them from the conversation about speaking as a job and a business. Because although what you see on stage might seem glamorous, there is a great deal of work that goes on behind the scenes. Another important point is that your message really is not about you or even your passion but about how your expertise in an area will somehow solve a problem your audience has. If you are thinking about getting into speaking or want to get better at it, be sure to tune in for this episode and the interview with David!

Thinking about quitting your day job to become a professional speaker? Hang on a minute. What you have to understand is that the speaking part is not the business—landing the gig is. There is far more to it than being passionate, getting on stage, and inspiring others with your story. Our guest today, David Avrin, has a systematic process for acquiring keynotes and growing a keynote business. He is one of the most in-demand customer experience and marketing speakers in the world and has authored several books, including It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who Knows You!, Visibility Marketing, and Why Customers Leave (and How to Win Them Back). One of the biggest mistakes you can make is focusing too much on yourself and too little on the audience you are trying to reach. While you need to have your story together, your emphasis should be on solving a problem they have and showing them how your unique experience fits into their solution.

Sometimes, a different approach is not only possible but also necessary when it comes to building your own personal brand. This was the key takeaway from our powerful interview with Dave Hollis, former President of Worldwide Theatrical Distribution at the Walt Disney Company. After releasing some of the biggest movies in history, Dave realized that he had built many brands, which gave him unique insights into building his own one. We unpack some of those insights in this episode, in which AJ and Rory discuss secret shoppers, vulnerability, brand deposits and withdrawals, and criticism as the price of entry for building a personal brand. For more highlights from the Dave Hollis interview, tune in today!

What if you’d worked hard so hard to create a brand with all the right optics and suddenly, it all came crashing down? Dave Hollis, today’s guest, experienced this when his wife Rachel wrote her renowned book, Girl, Wash Your Face. Rather than having the devastating effects he feared, Dave instead witnessed more authentic connections than he’d ever seen. This seismic moment showed Dave that a different brand-building approach was not only possible but also necessary. As former President of Worldwide Theatrical Distribution at the Walt Disney Company, releasing some of the biggest movies in history, Dave had built brands, which gave him unique insight into personal brand-building.

In today’s special episode, we reflect on our powerful interview with photographer extraordinaire, Nick Onken. Not only was he a great guest, but he also drove home important points that we sometimes overlook in our brand-building endeavors. Some of our main takeaways from the interview include the role that photography plays in connecting with people online, how elevated realism makes your pictures jump out, and the importance of having cohesive pictures and captions. Along with this, we consider other important points from the conversation, such as the malleability of your online identity and the power you have to create and re-create your digital self, why being human and vulnerable fosters connection, and strategically planning your photographs’ emotions. Be sure to tune in today!

The visual identity of your brand is especially important in conveying your message, and photography plays a vital part in creating those visuals. Nick Onken is a world-renowned photographer, host of the NION Radio Podcast, and a creative entrepreneur devoted to inspiring the world to activate their creativity. His focus is around elevated realism, and in today’s episode, we’re going to talk about how the elevated realism that Nick creates relates to the visual identity of your brand. Nick shares his motives for conceptualizing, building, and directing creative shoots for his clients, and why a constant flow of energy is important to him while photographing his subjects. We discuss the importance of props, wardrobe, and location and how Nick creates visually stunning and authentic images from what could otherwise be cheesy ideas.

You don’t need millions of followers to create millions of dollars. Instead, you can develop deep connections with a few clients. That’s one of the key insights from our previous episode featuring John Ruhlin, an expert in client gifting. Today, AJ and Rory share their top three takeaways from the valuable conversation with John. We talk about our number one takeaway, the ‘love bomb’, which involves dropping a massive amount of love and attention on a select group of people. AJ and Rory experienced this first-hand when John threw a unique party at their home — and they’re still talking about it years later. After highlighting the impact of providing extraordinary experiences for a few, instead of ordinary experiences for many, we talk about how investing in people is a long-term marketing strategy.

Relationships are the bedrock for most businesses. John Ruhlin, today’s guest, is a speaker, author, and master of giftology, a marketing strategy that solidifies your relationships and builds stronger networks. There are few better pitches for the power of giving gifts than John’s own journey. From Ohio farm boy to becoming the top performer for one of the world’s most recognized brands — John’s success has been propelled by the power of radical generosity. We discuss the ins-and-outs of giftology as a strategy that increases customer loyalty and referrals. John explains why the essence of gift-giving is about honoring relationships and why gifting should never be transactional.