Duct Tape Marketing

Kate Bradley Chernis is the co-founder and CEO of Lately, an AI-powered social media writing tool. In today's marketing landscape, you can't stand out without creating a lot of content. But the trick is that it can't be junky content; it still needs to provide value for your followers. That's where a tool like Lately comes in. By using AI to analyze your existing long-form content, Lately is able to craft tons of high-quality short-form social media posts. Bradley Chernis shares more about how the tool works, why it's effective, and how you can start creating more meaningful content for your business.

John Livesay is a sales keynote speaker and author - he's also known as the Pitch Whisperer. He's here on the show to talk about his book Better Selling Through Storytelling, where he shares tips for applying the four essential elements of great storytelling to the art of selling. Today's businesses can't simply rely on a list of past accomplishments to sell to prospects; instead, they need to craft a compelling story to win business. Livesay demonstrates how to do just that.

Rohit Bhargava is an innovation and marketing expert and the founder of the Non-Obvious Company. The company has spawned a series of books under the Non-Obvious banner, including his latest Non-Obvious Megatrends. Bhargava discusses his process for identifying the biggest trends shaping business, shares what disruptive trends business owners need to be on the lookout for, and provides insight into how anyone can learn to spot megatrends in their industry.

How do you create content that stands out online and inspires folks to share your message with their friends? On this episode, John sits down with Tim Staples, CEO of Shareability and author of "Break Through the Noise." Staples' firm is behind the creation of numerous viral campaigns and videos, so he knows what it takes to capture attention online. In this episode he discusses how small business owners can create highly shareable content.

John sits down with Drew McLellan, who owns and runs Agency Management Institute (AMI). Most agency owners feel like they're on an island, doing the hard work of running a business without someone to guide them. AMI serves as a resource for these entrepreneurs, and in this episode, McLellan shares tons of advice for owners - from his insights on the latest marketing trends to how to manage hiring within your agency.

When it comes to marketing your business, it's not really about the tactics, like social media or email marketing. At the end of the day, it's building a fandom that helps you win the day. Marketing expert and author David Meerman Scott stops by to discuss his latest book, "Fanocracy," and shares how any business can build a fanocracy that will keep customers coming back again and again.

John Jantsch closes out the year by sharing his insights on where to focus your attention with your 2020 marketing strategy. What approaches will actually move the needle and win you new customers (or help you keep old ones) in the new year? John's got answers for you.

Lukas Haensch, former Google UX manager and founder of Pathmonk, stops by the podcast to discuss the importance of page speed. A slow-loading website might not be at the top of your list of issues to address, but it should be. Haensch discusses the potential damage a slow site can cause, and he shares how to quickly evaluate your website and eliminate any issues with load time.

Early Twitter employee and digital media expert Claire Diaz-Ortiz stops by the podcast to discuss her latest book, Social Media Success for Every Brand. Diaz-Ortiz dives into the StoryBrand pillars and the complementary SHARE model to help business owners craft social media plans that actually boost engagement (and, ultimately, sales). 

Mike Yan, CEO of chat marketing platform ManyChat, sits down with John to discuss all things chat. Yan sees chat becoming an even more integral part of every business's marketing efforts in  the next handful of years, so he has helpful tips to help anyone get started with a chat marketing program.

Deanna Singh is a speaker, author, and the founder and Chief Change Agent at Flying Elephant. Singh defines her purpose in life as shifting power to marginalized communities, and she's dedicated to doing that through all of her work, including her latest book, Purposeful Hustle. In this episode, she shares why it's important to discover your purpose, how you can find yours, and what to do once you've uncovered it.

Alisa Meredith, visual marketing expert, content marketing manager at Tailwind, and self-proclaimed "Pinterest nerd," stops by the podcast to talk about social media in general and Pinterest in particular. Pinterest is often overlooked by content marketers, but Meredith contends that, if you know how to use it, Pinterest can become an integral part in helping you meet business objectives.

Tom Cronin, the co-creator of The Portal movie and the leader of a global movement to get one billion people to meditate daily, stopped by the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast. Cronin began meditating more than two decades ago, when the stresses of a job in the fast-paced world of finance started causing problems in his life. Now, he's a passionate advocate for the powerful good that can come from meditation, and he shares with us why it can not only transform your life, but humanity at large.

John sits down with Yaniv Masjedi, chief marketing officer at Nextiva. Masjedi has been with the company since its founding, and has played a part in its expansion from a cloud phone service to a unified and integrated platform for communications. He talks about the journey the company's taken over the years, and what the team has done to stay true to the essence of their core business as they grow their teams and provide new products and services.

Ron Tite, founder and CEO of the advertising agency Church + State and author of Think Do Say, sits down with John Jantsch to discuss the secrets to standing out in a crowded marketing world. Hint: it's not about leaning into the latest gimmick, it's about being authentic in what you think, do, and say.

Dr. Sabrina Starling, author of How to Hire the Best and the founder of Tap the Potential, stops by the podcast to share the secrets to effective hiring for small businesses. When you can attract top-level talent, you're able to build a happy team that enjoys work/life balance while still growing a great company.

John chats with Chad Peterson, business broker and founder of Peterson Acquisitions. Peterson walks small business owners through everything they need to consider when thinking about selling their business - from reviewing financials and assessing value through to closing the deal.

John sits down with Amanda Brinkman, Chief Brand and Communications Officer at Deluxe, and the co-host and producer of Small Business Revolution. Brinkman discusses the importance of investing in local businesses, and shares tips for small business owners who may be struggling with their marketing or finances.

Speaker, author, and diversity and inclusion expert Jennifer Brown stops by the podcast to discuss her latest book, How to Be an Inclusive Leader. She shares why inclusiveness has become a focus for many businesses, and provides leaders with a step-by-step guide to creating a workplace that embraces differences and empowers all of your employees to feel safe and do their best work.

John's guest on the podcast today is business coach, speaker, and author Bill Cates. Cates stops by to discuss his latest book, Radical Relevance, and he shares what organizations can do to personalize their messaging and reach more of their ideal clients.