Kevin Craine is a professional writer and editor, an internationally respected business analyst, and an award-winning podcast producer. Kevin's podcasts have been heard around the world, including the award-winning "Everyday-MBA.com" where he interviews best-selling authors about success tips and techniques that you don't learn in business school. He is the host and producer of "Bizcast" on C-Suite Radio and his interviews feature today's best thought leaders. He is the producer behind podcasts for Epson, Canon, IBM and Kelly Services, among others. Kevin has also been the written voice for some of North America's leading brands like IBM, Kodak and Intel, along with a long list of individuals and start-ups from a wide variety of industries.
“Good writing is good business.” - Kevin Craine
In spite of starting her career in accounting, failing IBM’s entry level sales exam, being given a territory that had never bought anything, and being told she couldn't sell without an engineering background, Kendra Lee entered the sales profession and proved those naysayers wrong. She turned her knowledge of numbers into her own approach to lead generation taking her to the top 1% of sales professionals in each IT company she sold for. She founded KLA Group, a sales and marketing agency, to consult, train and Do it For You so others, too, could beat the odds in sales and marketing and get more customers.
Under Kendra’s direction, her organization has assisted entrepreneurs, business owners, executives, marketers, and salespeople for over 20 years in penetrating SMB markets in just 12 weeks, increasing referrals more than 328% in just 7 weeks, and multiplying new client acquisition more than 31% year over year.
Kendra is the author of the award-winning books “The Sales Magnet” and “Selling Against the Goal.”
“Marketing can only go so far. At some point, a salesperson still has to pick up the phone.” - Kendra Lee
Libby leads the client services team at IDMLOCO, a digital strategy agency at the intersection of public affairs and marketing. With more than ten years of digital agency experience, Libby understands not just how to develop and implement successful campaigns, but also how to deliver exceptional communication and service to her clients.
A native Midwesterner, Libby has previously built and led digital agency teams for Campbell Mithun, AdFarm, and Flint Group, where her work for Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota earned a PRSA Silver Anvil. In 2012, Libby developed and taught the first class on social media for professional communicators at Minnesota State University - Moorhead.
“Dedicate at least 10% of staff time to learning, R&D, and development because that makes your processes, ideas for clients, and everything else that you do stronger.” - Libby Hall
Today we’re going to talk about #Hashtags. How do you use them -- and how do you use them well?
“Make sure you know what your hashtag means before you use it.” - Lee Caraher
So many books, so little time! We’ve taken the guesswork away by highlighting the best books you need to read this quarter.
“Each of these books has five nuggets that you can apply to your programs today that can help you have better results by next quarter.” - Lee Caraher
Julie developed Saison Beauty to bring together her passion for luxurious skin care treatments, eco health-friendly products, and holistic health.
Prior to launching Saison, Julie spent 20 years as a global brand marketing and e-commerce executive at leading companies across several industries including beauty and skincare, retail, fashion, food and beverage, and consumer electronics.
Most recently Julie was the marketing director for Gap Online International, overseeing the marketing of the Gap Europe, Gap Japan, and Banana Republic Europe e-commerce sites. While at Gap Inc., Julie also worked for the Gap Inc. Direct Marketing Strategy and Old Navy Online divisions.
Julie also worked with a number of other global brands and companies including Shu Uemura, Aveda, The Body Shop, Elle Magazine Interactive, Cosmopolitan Magazine Interactive, Fox Interactive (The Simpsons, Die Hard, The X-Files), Mattel Interactive (Barbie, Hot Wheels, Matchbox), Peet's Coffee & Tea, Hitachi Home Electronics and NEC Electronics.
“Whatever is the easiest to execute that is going to give me the highest result, that’s where I tend to lean my focus on.” - Julie Kim
Kristen Ruby is the CEO of Ruby Media Group, a full-service Public Relations and Social Media Agency in Manhattan. Ruby is one of the preeminent social media experts in America. Ruby is a pioneer in the world of social media and tech trends and is a frequent on-air contributor to FOX Business, Good Morning America and countless other networks. Kris was chosen by the Business Council of Westchester as the youngest “40 Under 40″ Rising Stars. Most recently, Ruby has been featured on Bravo as “one of the pre-eminent social media experts in the field.” For more information or to book Kris Ruby for a segment, visit www.krisruby.com.
“You should hire a PR person if you really want someone to package your brand properly and get you out there.” - Kristen Ruby
In our final episode of February, we look back at some of the best social media and storytelling lessons we learned this month from Heather Hawkins, Liz O'Donnell, and host Lee Caraher’s solocast about activism.
“When your business and your message do not line up, you’re at risk. It’s marketing’s job to make them line up.” - Lee Caraher
Heather helps companies in the wellness and outdoor industries elevate their brand message to increase the positive impact they have on their consumers and communities. She believes a thoughtful communication program is about more than just volume, it's about identifying who matters most to your company in order to reach them in an authentic way. With an ever-expanding arsenal of earned, owned and paid communication tools, it's more important than ever to match the right consumer to the right channel and the right message for the past two-plus decades, she's been doing just that for consumer brands including CLIF Bar, Camelbak, Sega of America, Bell Helmets, Sony Computer Entertainment, Maroon 5 and more. She’d love to hear how she can help you, too.
Away from her laptop, she's an endurance junkie who lives and breathes the wellness and outdoor lifestyle-- trail ultras, road marathons, triathlons, Mudders and more. If it sounds like a miserable way to spend a Sunday morning to most sane people, it's probably right up her alley. She’s also a lifelong learner, certified personal trainer and fitness nutrition coach who loves to geek out on the finer points of sports nutrition and physiology.
“Focus on one thing and see what the results are before moving on to the next thing. Otherwise, how do you know what moved the needle for you?” - Heather Hawkins
Activism is the new black for brands in 2017. What does this mean for you?
“Walk the Walk. Don’t profess a point of view that your company can not back up with policy or facts.” - Lee Caraher
We liked her so much we kept talking!
Liz O’Donnell is Double Forte’s Chief Content Officer, responsible for the firm’s and its client’s digital marketing and social media strategies. She blogs regularly for the agency on the dynamic world of social media, digital communication and being heard in a very loud world.
Liz is the author of Mogul, Mom & Maid: The Balancing Act of the Modern Woman, a book that picks up where other business books leave off – understanding the impact women’s personal lives have on their careers and the ways business can support working women. Her website WorkingDaughter.com supports women who are balancing caring for an aging parent and their career. She is a frequent speaker and consultant to women who want to thrive and the organizations that want to reach and mobilize women.
Active in her community, Liz is a member of her town’s warrant and finance committee and co-founded Women in Democracy, a non-partisan organization that encourages women to run for local office.
“Instagram is not Insta-gram anymore. Instagram is a portfolio of the best stuff.” - Liz O'Donnell
Liz O’Donnell is Double Forte’s Chief Content Officer, responsible for the firm’s and its client’s digital marketing and social media strategies. She blogs regularly for the agency on the dynamic world of social media, digital communication and being heard in a very loud world.
Liz is the author of Mogul, Mom & Maid: The Balancing Act of the Modern Woman, a book that picks up where other business books leave off – understanding the impact women’s personal lives have on their careers and the ways business can support working women. Her website WorkingDaughter.com supports women who are balancing caring for an aging parent and their career. She is a frequent speaker and consultant to women who want to thrive and the organizations that want to reach and mobilize women.
Active in her community, Liz is a member of her town’s warrant and finance committee and co-founded Women in Democracy, a non-partisan organization that encourages women to run for local office.
“If you’re going to do communications the way that you did them in the past, you might as well whisper.” - Liz O'Donnell
Doris Hobbs is an accomplished, published writer, marketing and media consultant with a successful history of leading her clients to deliver business results and sale solutions.
Doris understands all aspects of today’s complex media and marketing landscape given her 10+ years of experience across traditional and digital publication platforms, integrated media with a digital focus, publishing and social media marketing.
Doris is recognized around the world for helping luxury brands get published in magazines, elevating social media presence, where she provides modeling, product placement, brand marketing, skilled writing, and professional photography. Her past clients have obtained multiple pages within a number of premier magazine publications which have included cover exposure, exclusive profile interviews and profitable media campaigns.
She writes and models on topics of business, branding, fashion news, and style trends for a number of publications, not to mention, her own website at www.richinlovefashion.com.
“If you’re not being authentic, it’s going to show.” - Doris Hobbs
In our final episode of January, we look back at some of the best lessons we learned this month from Ian Garlic, Sarah Anderson, and Dave Karraker.
“When is the last time you went on Twitter and just listened to what your customers are saying about your brand?” - Lee Caraher
Lizz approaches life as she approaches every challenge, as an opportunity to be awesome and she delivers on this Sequence core value every time.
As Chief Creative Officer and founder, Lizz brings her deep passion for creativity and hospitality to Team SEQ. Multi-talented with an aesthetic eye, you’ll find Lizz ensuring flawless execution, beauty and unparalleled customer service at every turn. Whether gracing the cover of Meetings & Conventions Magazine or speaking on the finer points of Creating a Run of Show for the Event Leadership Institute, Lizz is often called on to share her perspective and wisdom delivered directly with a dose of fierce wit and signature sarcasm. As a young leader in the industry, Lizz rapidly rose through the ranks at international events agency Global Events before moving on to develop her own brand of big-meets-boutique agency by founding Sequence.
Lizz has dazzled clients at USA TODAY Sports, Moët Hennesy, StarKist, The Travel Channel, Toy Industry Association, Women’s Bond Club, Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International, and The Wharton School.
Lizz resides in Sunnyside with her sweet baby Rosemary (aka Rosie J. Boo Bear), awesome husband (Pat, aka John), and turtle (Igor, Queen of the Red Eared Sliders).
“If it was all about data, then IBM’s Watson would be running all of our marketing. It’s not, and it requires judgment.” - Linda Popky
Buckley Barlow works with forward-thinking organizations, teams, executives, and investors to meet growth goals: increasing sales and revenues, improving customer retention and repeat visit rates, reducing shopping cart abandonment, streamlining sales processes, and other strategic and tactical initiatives across the digital growth marketing spectrum.
His growth models syncs product, engineering, data, growth, marketing, and sales divisions to drive sustainable growth.
He owned (and later sold) two full-stack marketing agencies which handled startups and Fortune 500 companies, with customized solutions for every client. In addition, he has built and sold ventures in the medical, SaaS, software, technology, marketing, web, media, and consumer product industries.
Buckley was an early growth team member of an Inc. 500 company, which he helped grow over 100,000% (from $51k in revenues to over $60mm) in a few short years before being recruited as COO of a publicly traded sports management company.
For the last decade, he has consulted with various Private Equity Groups (PEGs) and emerging growth companies. He handles sensitive and confidential information on a daily basis, and is well-versed in the communication protocols and compliance issues relevant to publicly-traded companies.
In addition, Buckley blogs at In The Know, a learning path hub for forward-thinking organizations and teams, and my content often ranks #1 on Google.
He is the author of “The Growth Code: The Key to Unlocking Growth in any Modern Business.”
“Omnichannel is where everything is blended. It’s this amazing experience.” - Buckley Barlow
Linda is the founder and president of Leverage2Market® Associates, Inc., a strategic marketing company that helps organizations transform their business through marketing. She is the author of the forthcoming book Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters (Bibliomotion, March 2015).
If it relates to marketing, Linda has done it. Her expertise includes corporate marketing, communications and messaging, marketing team development, facilitation, sales training and support, partner and channel programs, market sizing and intelligence, field marketing, marketing operations, industry/market development, and product marketing.
She has architected leading edge customer loyalty and retention programs with a focus on improved business efficiency, customer advocacy, and quality and has a reputation for strong leadership and team management, as well as strategic program development and delivery skills.
Linda has an MBA and a BS in Communications from Boston University. Her work with business process improvement includes a study mission to Japan on Employee/Customer Loyalty. She served as a charter member of the Conference Board Council on Customer Strategy, and was a member of the Council on E-Business Strategy.
“If it was all about data, then IBM’s Watson would be running all of our marketing. It’s not, and it requires judgment.” - Linda Popky
A 25-year-veteran of the interactive entertainment industry, Sarah Anderson joined 2K, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive, in May 2005. As the Senior Vice President of Marketing she leads global Marketing and Communications efforts for 2K. Under her leadership, the 2K team has published some of today's biggest games and established franchises, including critically acclaimed titles from the Battleborn, BioShock, Borderlands, Civilization, Evolve, Mafia, NBA 2K, WWE 2K and XCOM series. Sarah has applied her understanding of the audience and quest for innovative marketing techniques that deliver results, to the marketing and communications of hundreds of games.
Sarah has a BFA in graphic design from Paier College of Art and an MBA in marketing from the Graduate School of Management at the University of San Francisco. In her spare time, she might be found enjoying the Bay Area's live music scene, taking a bootcamp class or being a lacrosse mom.
“We don’t take no for an answer. If we want to do something, we figure it out.” - Sarah Anderson
Ian Garlic brings over 15 years of inbound marketing experience, deep knowledge of commerce and understanding of current market trends. With the ability to capitalize all of your current assets and come up with countless quality ideas for your online marketing, Ian is a prime mentor for upcoming marketing gurus.
Currently, Ian is the CEO of authenticWEB, a multi-talented online agency based Orlando, FL. His team works daily on exquisite website designs, innovative marketing strategies, outstanding video production and top rated search engine optimization.
“If people only marketed with their customers’ stories, they would have brilliant businesses that no one could take away.” – Ian Garlic
In his role at the US division of Gruppo Campari, the world’s sixth-largest premium wine and spirits company, Dave’s days are focused on creating consumer relationships through engagement, sharing, conversation, and education all of which leads to advocacy. His duties cover influencer relations, public relations, social media, events, licensing, philanthropy, partnerships, and celebrity marketing. Campari America’s 30+ brand portfolio features SKYY Vodka, Wild Turkey, Grand Marnier, Cinzano, Aperol, and, of course, Campari. Dave has more than two decades of marketing and communications experience working on some of the world’s most engaging brands, including Sony, Virgin, Martha Stewart, Stoli, Makers Mark, Microsoft, Kmart, and Sega. A former television reporter for NBC and CBS, his most humiliating moment came from his appearance on Wheel of Fortune (he didn’t win).
Jason Swenk is a sought-after advisor who guides marketing agencies through a proven framework for increasing their business.
Fresh out of college Jason was off to work for Arthur Anderson. He quickly realized that it was not a good fit. Although it was not part of the plan, he decided to change direction, quit his day job and launch a digital agency that quickly grew to a multi-million dollar operation working with brands such as AT&T, Hitachi and Lotus Cars. After 12 years of steady growth, they caught the attention of bigger agencies and sold the agency in 2012.
Now, Jason leads JasonSwenk.com, a unique consultancy helping marketing agencies start, scale, enjoy, and sell their digital agencies by applying the exact proven formula he used.
Jason generously shares it all as a frequent guest on popular radio and podcast shows. He has been featured as an expert in top media publications such as Entrepreneur and Inc. Magazine. Plus, he currently hosts two podcasts that are available for download and subscription on iTunes:
Recently named Master of Innovation by Chase Bank and Fortune magazine, bestselling leadership and innovation speaker Scott Steinberg is one of the world’s most celebrated business speakers, futurists, and strategic innovation consultants, as seen in 600+ outlets from CNN to TIME and The Wall St. Journal. The author of Millennial Marketing: Bridging the Generation Gap and Make Change Work for You: 10 Ways to Future-Proof Yourself, Fearlessly Innovate and Succeed Despite Uncertainty, the Fortune 500 calls him a “defining figure in business and technology” and “top trendsetter to follow.” As the CEO of management consulting and market research firm FutureProof Strategies, he helps clients of all sizes better understand emerging innovations and trends, and cultivate competitive advantage on the back of them. An award-winning provider of keynote speeches, workshops and seminars for Fortune 500 businesses, non-profits, associations and educational institutes, he’s partnered with many leading organizations to deliver game-changing leadership, education, and change management programs.
In our final episode of 2016, we look back at some of the best lessons learned from Marketing experts KQED’s Michael Lupetin, Evernote’s Greg Chiemingo, and PayPal’s Janet Ball. We also share a big announcement for how this podcast will be changing in 2017 so that we’ll be able to bring you much more valuable content.
This week we sharpen the saw with a few golden nuggets from InterviewConnections.com’s Jessica Rhodes’ interview. We also focus on why it’s so important to spend time doing things you love.
Jessica Rhodes is the founder and CEO of InterviewConnections.com, the premier Guest Booking agency for podcasters and guest experts, and she is the acclaimed author of RockThePodcast From Both Sides of the Mic!
Jessica is also the host of Interview Connections TV, where each week she helps her viewers rock the podcast from both sides of the mic. She hosts/co-hosts three podcasts: Rhodes to Success, The Podcast Producers and The Parenting Rhodes. The Podcast Producers was selected by Apple as a How to Podcast show in iTunes and has also been included in the syllabus for a course about podcasting and audio journalism at Western University in Ontario, Canada.
Jessica is has been a speaker at Podcast Movement, Podfest.us and Dream Business Academy. She lives in Rhode Island with her husband and two kids.