WARNING: This episode is only for marketers who use data to make informed decisions. Lea Pica is an industry-acclaimed data storytelling advocate, international keynote speaker, and instructor. She began her career as a data analytics practitioner with over 15 years of experience building digital marketing practices for companies like Scholastic, Victoria's Secret, Ralph Lauren, and Prudential. Today she teaches presentation, data visualization, and her signature data storytelling methodology, the PICA Protocol, to tens of thousands of data practitioners all around the world. Lea also hosts the Present Beyond Measure Podcast, and is authoring her first book, called “Story-Driven Data,” publishing later this year. Questions and topics we discussed include: How Lea made the leap from in-house marketer to a business owner. What drew her towards data and data storytelling? How can hiring managers evaluate a marketer’s ability to be a data practitioner? What is data storytelling? Why is it important? What is the PICA protocol? (Bonus - Lea shares the story of how she created this framework) What usually causes a lack of action after a data presentation is shown to a team? Should presentation slides have words on them? How many words are too many? What skills did you need to learn to become a great public speaker? And more! You can find links to Lea’s work below: Lea’s free online assessment on the top data presentation silent killers - LeaPica.com/Assessment Lea’s podcast, (The Present Beyond Measure® Show) - LeaPica.com/Podcast Her upcoming book waiting list - LeaPica.com/TheBook Her amazing MOZ Whiteboard Friday video (PICA Protocol: A Visualization Prescription for Impactful Data Storytelling) - https://moz.com/blog/impactful-data-storytelling

“Links plus content equals profit.” Adam is the co-founder and COO at Loganix, a fulfillment house for SEO. Notable clients of Loganix include Backlinko, FreshBooks, and Drift (now they are making a shift to working primarily with agencies). Adam spends most of his days building links and SEO products for agencies and in-house marketers. Questions and topics we covered include: What qualities does Adam look for when hiring team members? What skills are needed to create and grow an agency? When does an agency begin to mature? Why is link building still a valid way to grow a presence online? What are some common misconceptions new marketers have when it comes to link building? You can say hello to Adam on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamgsteele/ And you can say hello on Twitter - https://twitter.com/adamgsteele

“I write words that sell for people…” Finding the voice of ideal clients for business owners across the US and Canada, Sarah Talbert is the copywriting strategist trusted by six and seven-figure business owners alike. Founder of Sandbar Marketing, Sarah has developed a proven research process to truly dig out the language of an ideal client, research their behaviors, and turn it into copy for everything from websites to social media. With her expertise, Sarah changes the lingo from various industries into common, everyday words. Certified by CopyHackers, Sarah enjoys working creatively with business owners in a variety of industries. A loving mother of three, Sarah and her entrepreneurial husband enjoy boating and living life with their family on the coast of Florida. Questions and topics we covered include: The core differences between content writing and copywriting. Can a content writer learn to be a copywriter? Why is copywriting an important skill to learn and why is it so difficult to master? The things Sarah has seen brands do wrong when it comes to their copy. What skills are needed to be considered a good copywriter? (Preview: one of them is being a good researcher) How important is it for copywriters to development documentation on a brand’s voice and copy guidelines? How to qualify clients before starting a project. And more! You can connect with Sarah via her website - https://sarahtalbert.com/

“Most businesses…they haven’t finished their site.” Since 2005, Sean Work has been the go-to internet marketing consultant for startups, universities and many other businesses. Additionally, as Marketing Director, Sean grew the Kissmetrics blog (its business-to-business publication) to over 1 million readers a month. Sean's extensive knowledge of search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, copywriting, site architecture, and company building, makes him an invaluable adviser for any new venture or existing business looking to increase its numbers. Questions and topics we covered included: What does it take to get 1 million dedicated blog readers a month? The dangers marketers face by becoming the “yes person” to the CEO. What are the essential elements of a successful website? What are some noteworthy challenges that Sean's faced while working at Crazy Egg? His thoughts on how to stand out during your job search. Do blogs still work in 2022? What are some common misconceptions when it comes to keyword analysis? His process for identifying opportune keywords. How he aligns opportune keywords with content ideas. And more! You can say hello to Sean via his Twitter - https://twitter.com/seanvwork

Will Haire is the co-founder of BellaVix which is a full-service Marketplace Marketing Agency for direct-to-consumer retail brands who want to grow sales on the world’s largest marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart. Will has worked with eCommerce businesses in leading the strategic planning, implementation, and tactical execution of marketing strategies for products across all Amazon business segments. His portfolio includes companies like Instant Pot, Pyrex, Derma E, Think, and Outward Hound. Questions we covered on the show: What are the basics marketers should know about before selling on Amazon? Should businesses hire in-house to scale their Amazon marketing or should they hire an agency? What are the ins and outs of Amazon SEO? What are Will's favorite Martech tools? How similar is Walmart advertising to Amazon? What are the notable differences? What other marketplaces does Will explore with his clients?  What thinking goes behind developing a buyer persona for an eCommerce business? What should a marketer consider? How will Amazon Live is going to change the online shopping experience and how can marketers capitalize on it? And more! You can say hello to Will via LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willhaire/ If you enjoyed this episode, check out my interview with Dr. Travis Zigler. We do a deeper dive specifically on Amazon PPC basics. Here’s the link: https://anchor.fm/kennysoto/episodes/Interview-with-Dr--Travis-Zigler---The-Basics-of-Amazon-PPC---Episode-25-emd36f/a-a2or7ia

“I think everyone is interesting in some way…” Sarah Snyder is the CEO of Connection Enthusiast, a strategic public relations firm. Snyder has a vast array of experience representing both high net-worth individuals, start-ups, and budding entrepreneurs. Her expertise and talent have been the catalyst for clients securing deals in excess of 100K per client acquisition. Media placements for her clients have included numerous local and national media outlets, including Forbes, Huffington Post, Cheddar TV, Dr. Oz, and so on. In addition to being a self-earned business maverick, Snyder’s drive, interpersonal skills, and compassion in times of pressure while working with the media come from her previous background and experiences. Snyder is a licensed professional counselor and has helped develop a nationally recognized $25+ million dollar pilot program involving emergency crisis response teams and managed residential treatment programs for trauma survivors. These traits help drive her creativity and unique style, as does her sense of humor under pressure. Snyder’s goal-oriented focus and strength-driven approach are also evident in her personal life. Snyder has played women’s professional football and been ranked as one of the strongest women in the US. She believes connections are the key to a thriving business and has built her business off this belief. Questions and topics we covered: How being a counselor helped Sarah thrive in the PR field. Should business owners hire an internal PR-operator or hire an external partner to manage their PR? How can PR help with a company’s growth? What are some common struggles people face when doing media training? How can PR professionals help their clients ease their way into this for the first time? Sarah’s thoughts on the (somewhat over-used) buzzword “Personal Branding”. How can PR professionals make their clients seem more interesting to journalists? What are some pain points that journalists experience and how can publicists leverage them to secure more stories? Do PR news wires work? What are the essential parts of a media kit/press kit? And more! You can connect with Sarah and learn more about her stellar PR services via - www.connectionenthusiast.com

Tommy Walker is the founder of The Content Studio, a content marketing consultancy for Fortune 1,000 companies and fast growing B2B startups. Prior to founding The Content Studio, Tommy was the Global Editor-in-Chief at QuickBooks, and the first marketing hire at Shopify Plus. Questions and topics we covered : The story about how Tommy was living on a couch for $100/month when he was 20. How do communications silos in marketing departments develop? How can junior marketers alert senior leadership about the emergence of silos in their teams? The skills that help Tommy be the best content marketer and business owner that he is today. How Tommy approaches “serializing” the content he makes for his clients. What does the ideal content team look like? You can say hello to Tommy via LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommyismyname  Resources mentioned: Airtable’s Marketing Trends Report - https://www.airtable.com/guide/2021-marketing-trends

“I wanted my income to be free from my physical location…” Branko has lived in seven countries and speaks four languages fluently. His passion for language, analytical thinking, and desire for efficient systems lead him to co-founding Chosen Data, a content and SEO consultancy for successful MarTech companies. With a global team, Branko splits time between California and Slovakia. When away from the computer, he spends time doing mountain sports or socializing. Questions we covered: Is remote work a suitable way of working for everyone? What is Chosen Data and how would he describe his role in the team? How did he come up with the name Chosen Data? Why did he decide to start his own business vs getting a high-paying job? During the early days of Chosen Data, how did he get new clients? What are some of the management challenges he faces working with a global team? Are there any specific marketing challenges that you face trying to acquire clients from all over the world? How does he systemize marketing ops? How does he hire for his company and how does he assign teammates to specific clients? Why niching down your services is extremely important… What are some things hiring managers are looking for in marketing candidates this year? What questions can marketers ask prospective employers to evaluate if the job is right for them? How to generate backlinks for your clients? Does guest posting still work? Say Hello👋🏼 to Branko on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brankokral Say Hello👋🏼 to Branko on Twitter - https://twitter.com/brankofosho Chosen Data has a free content optimization guideline that you can get on their homepage here - https://chosendata.com

“I learned more being on my own…” Lila Schneider is a NJ native with an extensive background in marketing. Before starting her own marketing agency, Lila worked at PR agency managing big clients such as Neutrogena and Aveeno. After a few more years of work, she realized the world of PR was not the right fit for her and shifted her focus to starting her own business. She established her own agency, Let’s B Media in March of 2018. Focusing on guiding businesses through the digital landscape, Lila prides herself on transparency and providing a seasoned marketing solution for the everyday business owner. Questions we covered include: What was her experience like promoting big brands like Aveeno and Neutrogena? What inspired her to actually create her own agency? How does she approach outsourcing her work to other freelancers and how does she hire new team members? What were some of her early challenges when she started her agency Let’s B Media? How does she qualify prospective clients? How does she onboard new clients? How does she set expectations with clients? What are some of the go-to tools that she uses to manage her remote teams? Who are her favorite digital marketers? You can say hello to Lila via: Her website - https://www.letsbmedia.com/ Her LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lila-schneider/ Her Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lilaxschneider

“Product marketing is thinking not just about lead gen and awareness but, all the way through the funnel.” Margie Agin is an award-winning marketer who helps B2B tech companies discover what makes them unique and find the words to say it. She is the founder and chief strategist of the marketing agency Centerboard Marketing and is the author of “Brand Breakthrough: How to Go beyond a Catchy Tagline to Build an Authentic, Influential and Sustainable Brand Personality.” Before founding Centerboard Marketing, Margie led demand generation efforts for the education technology company Blackboard, a digital marketing tool for video conferencing leaders like Tandberg and Cisco. Questions we covered: What’s the difference between product marketing and product management? How can marketers bridge the gap between high-level branding and product-level messaging? How can product marketers become advocates for their customers’ point of view? What are the key advantages to consider when comparing the benefits between a user community versus a customer advisory board? How can marketers use content marketing and product marketing for sales enablement? What are some of the must-have content assets that are needed for marketing and sales enablement? What are Margie’s favorite social listening tools? And more!!! You can connect with Margie via LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marjorieagin/ You can view her services at - www.centerboard-marketing.com