In the season finale of the Growth Machine Marketing podcast, CEO Nora Schlesinger and Head of Marketing Amanda Natividad debrief on SEO and content. They discuss: How SEO knowledge can make you a better writer Why SEOs and writers also need empathy to be effective What we wish clients and marketers knew about SEO When it’s time for you to focus on SEO When it’s not time for you to focus on SEO And so much more.  Show Notes 1:16 - Nora shares what she wishes more website owners knew...

Here’s a milestone for the Growth Machine team: our first unblinded case study! Ben Siegel, CEO and co-founder of Scholars, joined us in a webinar where he talks about Scholars’s content and marketing strategy. We edited this webinar into this week’s 25-minute episode. Enjoy! Show Notes 1:21 - Ben Siegel, CEO and Co-Founder of Scholars, talks about their decision to include content from the very start of their marketing strategy.  4:01 - How Scholars first began working with Growth...

Impulse purchases are just a story we tell ourselves. Stewart Hillhouse, Head of Growth at Customer Camp, joins the show to tell us why. He explains: it’s actually a series of experiences that ultimately trigger customers to purchase. And in the end, “impulse purchase” is the excuse given in the event a purchase doesn’t work out. Stew and I also discuss: Measuring success of his podcast What to know about Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) customer interviews How content fits into Customer Camps’...

If you work in content marketing, you know John Bonini. He’s the Director of Marketing at Databox, and he also owns the widely popular Some Good Content Patreon, where he distills expert yet tactical advice for content marketers at ever level. He joined us on the show to discuss: How journalism informs good marketing Brand content that has a point of view (and why it matters) How content fuels marketing at Databox John’s strategy for the Metrics and Chill podcast And more! Show Notes...

One of the questions we hear most is: How do you hire and manage content services when you yourself are not a content marketer or an editor? Our very own VP of Content, Heather Leith, joins us today to answer that question. Heather manages our team of editors who publish over 100 articles per month for Growth Machine’s clients. We chat about: A scalable way to properly learn brands’ various styles and voices Managing client expectations Advice for freelance writers And much more! Show...

As soon as I began following SEO expert Kameron Jenkins’ work, it was clear to me how friendly and accessible she makes SEO to everyone at all levels. So I was super excited to have her on the show. Kameron is now a content lead at Shopify and we got to talk about: Communicating the value of SEO to the c-suite Balancing a content strategy across short and long tail keywords Knowing when it’s time to refresh content And lots more! Show Notes 0:53 - Kameron talks about how she got into SEO...

There’s a three-step framework to user onboarding. And you can apply to your marketing efforts as well — to ensure that your brand is top of mind to your audience. Adapted from psychologist BJ Fogg’s habit-forming framework, Ramli John, Managing Director and ProductLed and author of the new book, “Eureka,” explains how it applies to user onboarding journeys: Make it easy. (Create helpful content that can grow your organic traffic.) Increase motivation. (Explain the outcomes you give your...

Having grown dozens of brand new websites, we’ve never seen a smooth up-and-to-the-right chart of organic traffic growth. Our theory is that this has to do with the Critical Authority Threshold, a threshold you cross after some combination of publishing regularly, link building, and patience. It usually takes six months. Learn more about this theory in our 8-minute audio version of our blog post, “The Critical Authority Threshold: Why Patience Pays in SEO,” read by Amanda Natividad, Head of...

There are two ways a company can carve out its differentiation: by out-innovating the competition, or by competing on your messaging. As categories become more crowded, brands nailing their messaging is going to become more important. Peep Laja, CEO of Wynter, joins the show today to dive deeper into his marketing philosophies, and how Wynter is helping companies validate the effectiveness of their website copy — and in turn, scale their businesses. We discussed… How Peep’s SEO background...

A viral loop within The Knot accomplishes something you’d never guess. Their wedding style quiz gives brides and grooms-to-be suggested venues and style inspiration. But it actually grows their B2B business with wedding vendors. Learn more about this viral loop — and how you can create your own — in this 9-minute audio version of our blog post, “Create Viral Engagement Loops To Drive Customer Retention,” read by Amanda Natividad, Head of Marketing for Growth Machine. Show Notes: 1:12 -...

We’ll just say it up front: spend half your time creating, and half your time distributing.  In this 9-minute audio blog post, “Finding Balance Between Content Creation and Distribution” Amanda Natividad, Head of Marketing for Growth Machine, distills the expert content creation and distribution advice of Steph Smith, Head of Trends for The Hustle.  What makes Steph the expert? She published a wildly successful ebook — $40K in sales in a single month. Show Notes: 0:59 - Content...

YouTube is 16 years old. But it’s only recently that companies have realized the value in having a channel. One of those companies who has seen success? B2B app agency Headway.io. Amanda Natividad, Head of Marketing for Growth Machine, talks with marketer Jacob Miller about how YouTube fits into Headway’s marketing strategy. You don’t want to miss this episode because it’s not often you hear from a company who’s willing to share their secrets to YouTube success. Show Notes: 1:18 - How...

In content marketing, you’re often told to find your niche — to carve a path through unchartered territory with a narrowly defined audience.  But what if instead, you zeroed in on your key differentiator? And THAT was your competitive edge? In this 9-minute audio version of our blog post, “Don’t Find Your Niche — Find Your Key Differentiator,” Amanda Natividad, Head of Marketing for Growth Machine, dives deeper into this strategy. Show Notes: 1:01 - What’s Your Key Differentiator?  5:20 -...

Growth Machine’s Head of Marketing, Amanda Natividad, recently joined the Cart Overflow podcast hosted by Gen Furukawa. We’re publishing this bonus episode here so you can learn about applying content marketing strategy to your company — no matter what stage of business you’re in. Show notes: 1:22 - Amanda talks about how she joined Growth Machine. 3:40 - Missed opportunities in content marketing. Content should be sustainable and able to support all other areas of the business.  7:58 -...

When you build a community, you create a space where real people discover answers to real problems. In this 9-minute audio version of our blog post, “How to Build a Community Online,” Amanda Natividad, Head of Marketing for Growth Machine, explains how to build an online community and question of how to monetize it. Show Notes: 0:56 - What Is an Online Community?  2:53 - How To Build an Online Community  6:51 - Can You Monetize an Online Community? 7:46 - Building an Online Community...

If you have even the slightest interest in creating a movement, this is the episode for you. Amanda Natividad, Head of Marketing for Growth Machine, talks with Stew Fortier, Co-Founder of Compound Writing, about what it takes to build a successful community. And it all starts with defining that community’s purpose. Doing that one thing ridiculously well. We also discuss... Becoming a better writer Ensuring community discussions stay productive What’s next for the creator economy TED...

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you’re not getting enough out of your content. In this 10-minute audio version of our blog post, “How to Repurpose Content Without Sounding Redundant,” Amanda Natividad, Head of Marketing for Growth Machine, explains the art of repurposing your content, and getting the most bang for your buck. Show Notes: 2:01 - 3 reasons why you should repurpose your content. 5:20 - Tried and true ways to repurpose content. 7:50 - Use data & insights to figure...

How meta: a podcast about podcasting. If you’re thinking of launching your own show, start here. Amanda Natividad, Head of Marketing for Growth Machine, talks with Tristan Pelligrino, Co-founder of Motion, a done-for-you B2B podcast agency. We talk about: Why your podcast needs a theme statement Metrics to track 3 phases of podcast content Motion’s new podcasting course! ...and we do a speed round of podcast FAQs.  And good news: Growth Machine listeners get an exclusive offer for...

The beauty of content marketing is the foundational role it plays across all other marketing efforts. B2B SaaS content expert Adrienne Barnes joins us today to tell us all about that and: Writing your best hook How your customers’ language should kick off your keyword strategy Reaching out to your greatest enemies for feedback Show Notes: 5:21 - A quick detour: Prioritizing physical and mental health.  8:45 - Adrienne shares her new writing habits. 11:52 - Writing process for clients vs....

It’s hard to start a website from scratch. And one of our clients wanted to break 100,000 monthly visitors as soon as possible. In this 7-minute audio case study, “How a Gig Economy Website Hit 100,000 Monthly Visitors in 6 Months,” Amanda Natividad, Head of Marketing for Growth Machine, breaks down how. If you want to learn even more about this informational site case study, be sure to check out our interview episode with Growth Machine CEO Nora Schlesinger.  Show Notes: 1:05 - We...

When it comes to organic growth and customer retention, Kristen LaFrance, Head of Resilient Retail for Shopify, is one of the best and brightest. Today, we talk about: Nailing all those customer touchpoints The one huge advantage brick and mortar stores have over ecommerce And what ecommerce touchpoint has a 100% open rate Show Notes: 1:07 - One channel vs. many in organic growth. 4:38 - How Kristen went from total introvert to all-in podcast host. 7:56 - The story behind the Resilient...

A style guide isn’t just for design or brand teams to ensure consistency. It can apply to other teams too — especially content marketing teams, where there are various creative stakeholders involved. In this 13-minute audio version of our blog post, “From Grammar Tips to Business Goals: How to Make a Content Style Guide,” Amanda Natividad, Head of Marketing for Growth Machine, walks you through the most useful elements of a style guide. Plus, you can even use our template as your starting...

This isn’t a salesy episode. But it kind of is. Growth Machine’s Head of Sales & New Client Strategy, Nathan Daly, joins the show to talk about FAQs from our clients and gives advice for how you can vet the agencies you hire. We also talk about how content marketing should fit into your overall business strategy. Show Notes: 1:04 - Nathan shares how he prepares for client calls. 3:37 - What types of businesses contact Growth Machine? 8:00 - Indicators of a successful prospect call.  ...

Here’s the problem with most buyer personas: they’re too general to actually be useful to individuals on your marketing team. In this 11-minute audio version of our blog post, “Unlocking Great Content: How to Create a Content Marketing Persona,” Amanda Natividad, Head of Marketing for Growth Machine, walks you through creating a persona that works best for your content creation efforts. Show Notes: 2:03 - What You Need in a Content Marketing Persona 6:38 - Create Your Content Marketing...