

The Marketing Umbrella Podcast
Itamar Shafir
The Marketing Umbrella Podcast, hosted by Kevin Prewett, is for marketing agency owners and digital marketing entrepreneurs. Itamar Shafir is CEO of Umbrella, a technology platform and brand that powers thousands of marketing agencies. On ”The Marketing Umbrella” podcast, Kevin interviews leading industry experts with proven business-building experience who will offer keen insight and practical advice. Tune in each week for a dynamic conversation about tried, tested, and fine-tuned ways to build and grow a marketing agency. For more information, go to https://www.umbrellaus.com/
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 16, 2022 • 43min
045: Build A Community, Not An Audience With Heather Parady
Welcome to the Marketing Umbrella Podcast, created by Itamar Shafir, where we talk with Successful Marketing Experts about ways to build and grow a digital marketing agency.
Our guest today is a previous mental health therapist turned show host and digital business owner. After her hobby podcast NFTs for Newbies hit one million downloads in just 8 months, she fell in love with Web3 and is now actively studying how online communities are not only building successful projects but are also “humanizing” the internet. She also led a strong community movement called Unconventional Leaders that has broad impact across a variety of sectors.
It's my pleasure to welcome Heather Parady to the Marketing Umbrella podcast!
Here are some highlights of this week’s show:
-Action, to be Effective, Requires Clarity
-Communities require three things:
Clear Ethos;
Development of Leaders;
Sequential Engagement and/or Gamification
A Sense of Belonging for Its Members
-Every Business Needs a Digital Wallet
-NFTs are Basically Access to a Community
Closing Thought: "Building and Audience is Not Necessarily Building a Community!"
Connect with Heather:
Website: https://heatherparady.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherparady/
To Learn more about Umbrella and to connect with Itamar Shafir, go to https://umbrellaus.com

Jul 27, 2022 • 39min
044: Community - Enrolling Others in Your Vision With Molly Trotter
Welcome to episode 44 of The Marketing Umbrella with Itamar Shafir. Listen in as our host Kevin Prewett chats with Community Builder and Business Coach Molly Trotter.
As a former television news anchor and making appearances on ESPN, our guest today has helped thousands of people share their real, bold and authentic voice unapologetically. Nearly a decade of experience in front of the camera has earned her the title of a master communicator and she has helped hundreds of coaches lock in their confidence using their real voice to grow their business.
She is a Co-Founder with Girl Power Alliance helping Christian women grow through Christ-centered resources for personal and professional development. At GPA we believe there is NO competition in the Kingdom.
Here are some highlights of this week’s show:
· Building Community is difficult but vital for growth
· To effectively build community, you have to “Enroll Others in Your Vision”
· Building strategic partnerships is crucial in building community and expanding your agency services
· Messaging is simply identifying the top 3 problems your customers has and solving for them.
Closing Thought: "Your story is always mentoring someone else, always!"
Connect with Molly:
Website: https://girlpoweralliance.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-trotter-4937824b/
To Learn more about Umbrella and to connect with Itamar Shafir, go to https://umbrellaus.com

Jul 12, 2022 • 45min
043: Reaching Your Audience Through Storying With Katy Ward
Welcome to episode 43 of The Marketing Umbrella with Itamar Shafir. This week our host, Kevin Prewett, chats with StoryBrand Expert Katy Ward.
Katy is a StoryBrand Certified Guide & Copywriter. She works with holistic wellness companies to create a clear message and a transformational customer journey. After writing hundreds of emails, websites, funnels, and sales scripts, Katy has a knack for seeing the soul of a brand and communicating it in a way that attracts and inspires the right audience. She also excels at blending seemingly disparate elements like art and community into her marketing strategies.
Here is what to expect on this week’s show:
· Learning how to truly discover who is your ideal customer and what do they truly want
· Understanding the Psychology of Attention
· How to Capture Their Attention Through Storying
· Diving into the Process of Customer Identity, Customer Motivation and Customer Behavior
· The Simplicity of Marketing in the Hero's Journey
Closing Thought: "First hear them, then educate them through their customer journey."
Connect with Katy:
Website: https://marketingmadesimple.com http://katyward.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katy--ward/
To Learn more about Umbrella and to connect with Itamar Shafir, go to https://umbrellaus.com

Jun 28, 2022 • 39min
042: Scale to Your Ability to Deliver With Laura Bell Greeno
Welcome to episode 42 of The Marketing Umbrella with Itamar Shafir. This week our host, Kevin Prewett, chats with Marketing Tech Founder, Laura Bell Greeno.
Laura spent the last twenty plus years honing her natural creative talents as a marketer while building and growing dozens of successful startups, including her own digital marketing agency and ecommerce software company she sold for nearly $10 million in 2019.
She started in sales for a digital marketing and advertising company in 1999, was recruited into technology consulting in 2006, then moved further into the strategic side of marketing just as her technology background distinctively positioned her for the digital age.
Currently, she helps other entrepreneurs and small businesses build internal digital marketing teams and develop marketing plans as a hybrid coach/consultant. Most clients learn to think both creatively and strategically about how to grow and organize marketing efforts for maximum profitability.
Featured on: Entrepreneur Magazine, Forbes, Inc Magazine, MarTech Today, Search Engine Land, NASDAQ, Small Business Trends and more. As you can see, being a serial founder is in his DNA…
Here is what to expect on this week’s show:
· Learning how to vet potential employees well
· Using SWOT analysis in hiring
· Integrate your systems internally before exporting the service as an offering
· Scale proportionately to your ability to deliver
· Every client is an opportunity for R & D
Closing Thought: Moving forward, it will be crucial to multiply yourself utilizing the “gig economy,” in order to scale quickly.
Connect with Laura and Webscout:
Website: https://webscoutcoaching.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurabellgreeno/
To Learn more about Umbrella – please visit https://umbrellaus.com

Jun 7, 2022 • 35min
041: The Uber of Smart Marketing With Arjun Rai
Welcome to episode 41 of The Marketing Umbrella Podcast.. This week we shift to a new voice behind the mic, Kevin Prewett. Kevin sits down with Arjun Rai, founder of HelloWoofy. and they talk about how social media can be effectively harnessed and successfully utilized in your marketing agency strategy.
Arjun is a New York City based entrepreneur and has been networking with some of the most well-known entrepreneurs in the city and globally. A few weeks into college, he launched a startup, Fuelbrite.com, a social media agency focused on small businesses and startups, and a student-focused organization called TheBizDen.
His third startup, Wrkbench.io was a virtual collaboration space designed for creatives. And after spending a few years and learning the ins and outs of running a venture backed startup, he set out to modernize another industry related to his former passion of social media. The startup would become HelloWoofy - a social media management platform driven by artificial intelligence to help small to medium sized businesses with digital marketing.
Featured on: Entrepreneur Magazine, Forbes, Inc Magazine, MarTech Today, Search Engine Land, NASDAQ, Small Business Trends and more. As you can see, being a serial founder is in his DNA…
Here is what to expect on this week’s show:
What Arjun means when he says Smart Marketing for Underdogs
Equity crowdfunding can be powerful and effective
Direct Mail is still a viable and lucrative marketing channel
Continuous customer feedback drives innovation
Facebook groups are a great option to build community around your agency
Web3, IoT and Meta will soon dominate, so get ready
Closing Thoughts:
Arjun jumped into the marketing tech space simply because “He thought he could do it better!”
“You don’t have to outrun everyone, just your closest competitor”
Connect with Arjun and HelloWoofy:
Website: https://hellowoofy.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arjunrai/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/arjunraime https://twitter.com/WoofyHQ
Facebook Group: Content Masters - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1644716838875572
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellowoofy/
To learn more about Umbrella visit https://www.umbrellaus.com

Feb 10, 2022 • 37min
040: Selling Like A Warrior With Jason Forrest
Selling Like A Warrior With Jason Forrest
Welcome to episode 40 of The Marketing Umbrella with Itamar Shafir. This week Itamar sits down with Vincenzo Ruggiero and they talk about sales and how to create the successful mindset and approach so that your company’s sales team (or even just your company’s one salesman) can achieve consistent success.
Jason Forrest is CEO at FPG (Forest Performance Group), a national sales training company. He is an award-winning executive, the author of seven books, and the creator of cutting-edge sales and leadership training programs. The winner of four international Stevie Awards for his Warrior Selling and Leadership Coaching training programs, Jason is also an award-winning author of five books, including Leadership Sales Coaching – rated as one of Selling Power Magazine's Top Sales Books. Additionally, Inc. Magazine has named FPG as one of the Nation’s Best Workplaces for 2017 and Fastest Growing Companies.
Here is what to expect on this week’s show:
· Jason’s background and how it is he came from a family where selling was valued.
· The three major steps of any successful sale regardless of the industry or price of product.
· Why it’s important to see improving sales as improving lives, and how this thought practice can help.
· Whose job is it in a small business to provide the differentiation to the client?
· Tips for critical behavioral changes, ones that will change your business life as well as your personal life.
· How personality types play into one’s ability to sell.
· Why it is that Jason will not help you hire your first salesman, and what that says about how a company needs to think about investing in their sales team.
· How do you keep motivation up, through the ups and downs, for your people in sales.
Relevant links:
Fpg.com
maryandjasonforrest.com
Connect with Jason:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonforrest/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jforrestspeaker
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ForrestPerformanceGroup/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forrestperformancegroup/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 3, 2022 • 33min
039: KISS CRM for Small Business with Vincenzo Ruggiero
KISS CRM for Small Business with Vincenzo Ruggiero
Welcome to episode 39 of The Marketing Umbrella with Itamar Shafir. This week Itamar sits down with Vincenzo Ruggiero and they talk about some of the digital tools that he has created at Overloop and the reasons he believes approaching these aspects of an agency’s business correctly will help it to thrive.
Vincenzo is a web entrepreneur for almost 15 years. He launched his first SaaS company in 2007. Since then, he has already launched 5 other successful companies and sold 3 of them. He is currently the Founder & CEO of Overloop (formerly Prospect.io), a CRM built around inbound & outbound conversations. Today they are a team of 12 and are helping more than 1,000 customers everywhere in the world. They are totally self-funded and have been profitable for more than 6 years now.
Here is what to expect on this week’s show:
· A look into Vincenzo’s interesting background and how he ended up being the head of -
· What Vincenzo thought was missing in other CRM tools that lead him to develop Overloop.
· Is Overloop good for agencies or is it good for the clients of the agencies? (And why)
· Vincenzo takes us through an example flow of how an agency would use Overloop successfully.
· How Vincenzo approaches automating cold email outreach to improve an agency’s outbound sales.
· How the forecasting tool within Overloop works.
· Thoughts on how to best approach cold outreach as an agency (such as do you use links in an email, should you use an email database?).
· A look into Vincenzo’s 1x12 project, which gives away 1% of his revenue each month to different charitable projects.
Relevant links:
https://overloop.com
https://vincenzo.be
Connect with Vincenzo:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincenzor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vincenzor
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 27, 2022 • 34min
038: Doing Influencer Marketing On Small Budgets With Neal
Doing Influencer Marketing on Small Budgets with Neal
Welcome to episode 38 of The Marketing Umbrella with Itamar Shafir. This week Itamar sits down with Neal and they discuss what influencer marketing is, how you should think about it as an agency or small business, and some advice for how to be successful online through content and social connections.
Neal is an authority on helping innovative businesses digitally transform their sales and marketing. Founder of the digital marketing consultancy PDCA Social, Neal currently serves as a Fractional CMO to several companies. He also teaches at Rutgers Business School and the Irish Management Institute. Fluent in Japanese and Mandarin Chinese, Neal is a popular keynote speaker and has spoken on four continents in more than a dozen countries. He is also the author of 4 sales and marketing books, including Maximize Your Social (Wiley) and the recently published The Age of Influence (HarperCollins Leadership), a ground-breaking book redefining digital influence. Check out Neal’s Maximize Your Social Influence podcast for marketing inspiration.
Here is what to expect on this week’s show:
Neal’s background and how he got into influencer marketing, which is not what he initially did in his professional career.
A look at the differences between an agency and a fractional CMO, which Neal is.
A look at what influencer marketing is and what Neal’s unique understanding of it is comprised of.
How to understand the importance, and real value inherent, within the number of followers that influencers have (and the numerous types of influencers).
Can a small business afford to work with influencers?
Can you keep B2B influencer marketing within the realm of micro influencers or do you need to go larger?
Recommendations for tools that you can use within influencer marketing (and tools maybe you shouldn’t use).
How important is social media for your business really?
How important is short form video for your business (the Tik Tok model)?
Thoughts on what social media is going to look like in the next few years.
Relevant links:
https://nealschaffer.com
Connect with Neal:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nealschaffer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NealSchafferPage
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nealschaffer/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nealschaffer/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 20, 2022 • 26min
037: Make Sense of TOKENS for Digital Marketers with Joe Pulizzi
Make Sense of TOKENS for Digital Marketers with Joe Pulizzi
Welcome to episode 37 of The Marketing Umbrella with Itamar Shafir. This week Itamar sits down with Joe Pulizzi (again) and they discuss NFTs, the future of the creator economy, the meta-verse, and more. This may seem unconnected to marketing at first, but you’ll hear how this emerging world will effect the future of digital marketing.
Joe Pulizzi is the Amazon bestselling author of Content Inc., Killing Marketing and Epic Content Marketing, which was named a “Must-Read Business Book” by Fortune Magazine. He has founded four companies including content creation news site The Tilt as well as Content Marketing Institute, the leading content marketing educational resource for enterprise brands. CMI produces the largest in-person content marketing event in the world, Content Marketing World, held every September in Cleveland, Ohio, which has been attended by half the Fortune 50. He has spoken at more than 200 locations and 10 countries around the world advancing the practice of content marketing. In 2014, he received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the Content Council. His podcast series, This Old Marketing with Robert Rose, has millions of downloads from over 150 countries. Joe is currently spending his time at the Orange Effect Foundation, which is his foundation and delivers funds to children and families for speech therapy services and technology. OEF delivers grants to hundreds of children in 25 states.
Here is what to expect on this week’s show:
· An introduction into Joe’s background in “the creator economy” and a bit of his knowledge surrounding NFTs and the block-chain related economy.
· A breakdown of how NFTs work and the various way they can be used (which may surprise you).
· How does legal verification work for NFTs and their owners?
· Some of the implications for NFTs, digital wallets, and digital ownership for amazing real-world value as well as the meta-verse.
· Advice for digital marketers on how to take the first steps in becoming knowledge of, and being involved in, this new digital world.
· Will NFTs be useful for things such as funnels?
· What to expect in the Creator Economy Expo that is later this year in May.
Relevant links:
TheTilt.com
Jp@thetilt.com
Theorangeeffect.org
Connect with Joe:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/joepulizzi
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoePulizziAuthor
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joepulizzi/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 14, 2022 • 36min
036: Introverts Are The Best Sales People? With Matthew Pollard
Introverts Are The Best Sales People? With Matthew Pollard
Welcome to episode 36 of The Marketing Umbrella with Itamar Shafir. This week Itamar sits down with Matthew Pollard and they discuss his amazing insights into sales (and just how one should communicate themselves to others in business) and what exactly the introvert advantage is in sales, but also how extroverts can just as easily learn these skills. It’s amazing, he really breaks down sales and branding in a novel way that’ll make you rethink how you speak about yourself and your business.
Matthew Pollard is an internationally-recognized consultant, speaker, blogger, author, mentor, coach, and serial entrepreneur with five multi-million dollar business success stories under his belt, all before the age of 30. He is the founder and CEO of Rapid Growth, LLC, dedicated to achieving maximum ROI for businesses of all sizes. Though his client list includes multiple Fortune 500 companies, his real passion is helping small business owners end the overwhelm, eliminate the stress and guesswork, and get on a clear path to Rapid Growth. Called “the real deal” by Forbes, his methods have transformed over 3500 businesses to date.
Here is what to expect on this week’s show:
· How Matt started 5 multimillion dollar businesses and how he came to begin helping others grow their businesses as well.
· How Matt was able to take in lessons on sales and increase his success rate, all while being highly introverted and not being able to read quickly.
· Where the inspiration for writing about the advantages of being an introvert came from.
· Tips for the processes and education that one (especially introverts) can take on to become better at sales.
· Tips for not being seen as a commodity and for sidestepping the initial battles that often bog down sales reps that are having problems.
· The power of having a differentiated and unified message for selling your self, your product or your service.
· The role of emotional intelligence and how introverts or extroverts can either learn this skill or foster it within themselves for success in business.
· How should one go about product positioning?
Links:
https://matthewpollard.com/
Introvertsedge.com
Connect with Matt:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewPollard_
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MatthewPollardSpeaker
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewpollardspeaker/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewpollardspeaker/
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