The Brands On Brands Podcast

Advertising is great for getting the word out about your business, but you don't simply want customers who come and go. Instead, thinking about what you can do to build and manage communities around your businesses and services. A strong community can make customers and users feel like they're part of something bigger than simply using your products. In this solo show, Brandon explains how you can use your existing connections to forge a strong community around your business. The Finer Details of This Episode: Finding a way to leverage who you know into becoming your first customers. Why these existing connections can give you the most important feedback early on. Think about who you can help by expanding your business community. To build your community, check out the new Brand Growth Community Facebook group! Quotes: "Our first customers tend to be the people we know." "Having a community is what may make or break that path that you're taking." Links: Visit Brandon's website at www.brandonbrands.com Join the Brand Growth Community on Facebook at http://bit.ly/brandgrowthnow And please leave a rating and review on iTunes!

Steve Sims is the founder of personal concierge service Bluefish and a speaker who has worked with Richard Branson, Elon Musk and many other rich and influential figures. Forbes has called him "the real life Wizard of Oz," acting as a kind of Make-a-Wish Foundation for the super rich and providing them with bespoke experiences beyond their wildest dreams. He is also the host of The Art of Making Things Happen podcast and author of Bluefishing: The Art of Making Things Happen. In this episode, our host Brandon Birkmeyer speaks with Steve about some of the unique services Bluefish provides for its high profile clients. And Steve explains how he turned his little startup into an extremely well-connected business, and discusses which brands he has the greatest faith in. The Finer Details of This Episode: What exactly Bluefish does on a daily basis and who its clients are. How does Steve get out the word about Bluefish and what he thinks the problem is with modern communication. Why networking and building relationships have been so essential to Bluefish's success. The ups and downs Steve endured turning his little branding company into the massive concierge service it is today. Steve's tips for maintaining relationships with influential people. Weighing the merits of branding vs. selling in the long term. The moments Steve thinks have been the biggest turning points in his career. Which brands Steve is currently obsessed with and which ones he really trusts. What Steve secretly wishes a customer would say about him in a testimonial. Quotes: "Never ask a question where someone can answer with a 'yes' or 'no'." "I focused on my substance over my shine and that's what built up my credibility." "I created by my own brand by my identity and my values." "If you don't have a client, no matter how pretty your logo is you're fucked." "I try to find growth in whatever I do." Mentions: Richard Branson, Elton John, Andrea Bocelli, Journey, Ferrari, Guest's Brand Shout-outs: Ducati, Suntory Whisky, McIntosh Laboratory, Apple, Starbucks, McDonalds Brandon's Brand Shout-outs: Skippy Peanut Butter Guest Links: Website: www.stevedsims.com Mobile Text: Text "SIMS" to 345345 for videos, events, and Bluefishing playbook Book: Bluefishing: The Art of Making Things Happen Podcast: The Art of Making Things Happen Instagram: @SteveDSims Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveDSims Brandon's Links: Visit Brandon's website at brandonbrands.com Join the Brand Growth Community on Facebook at http://bit.ly/brandgrowthnow And please leave a rating and review on iTunes!

Today we learn what it means to be a more human brand, make connections with customers one-to-one, and how the marketing rebellion has changed what it takes to be a brand to this next generation of customers. Today our guest is an internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, Mark Schaefer. Mark is an author and strategy consultant for marketing. I have read several of his books, including his most recent one, Marketing Rebellion: The Most Human Company Wins. He is a college educator and has been a leader in this industry for years. I've respected and looked up to Mark for a long time and am excited to share our interview with you today. What is the Marketing Rebellion? Brandon Birkmeyer: [00:02:24] I was hoping you could tell me a little bit more about how you find inspiration, and then how this idea of a marketing rebellion came to be. Mark Schaefer: [00:02:49] You know, I was thinking today. I was out cutting my grass and I was thinking about how all my books sort of fit together. They provide this narrative that has sort of explored my thinking in terms of how marketing is changing. And I have been very fortunate in that it's sort of reflected how the world is changing as well. My first real book was called Return On Influence. That came out in 2012. This was the first book on influence marketing. And back then, nobody was talking about that. It wasn't even a thing. But I recognize this idea that power was shifting from agencies, newspapers, and book publishers to people. That was a very new idea back then. In fact, it was rejected by a lot of people. It was a very controversial idea. This idea that individual people could be counted on as influencers was a radical idea that caused a lot of fury when I was writing about it. We have this opportunity to create our own power to influence. Well, how do you do that? I wrote a book about creating content, about social media, and about blogging. Well then, all of a sudden, we have too much content because everybody's doing it now. So how do we stand out in this crazy world? How do we get our content to move through an audience? That was my book, The Content Code. That works for businesses. Can it work for an individual? Can an individual become known that same way? So, then I wrote Known. The problem that I solve with this new book, Marketing Rebellion, is that with this power shift, the whole world of marketing has now moved over to our customers. It has completed the cycle that I started talking about in 2012. Now, here we are today in 2019, and it is complete. It is not just shifting. It has shifted. And in those seven years since that first book came out, marketers really haven't adapted to this idea. We have built our organizations to do something, but nobody's looking up to say, "Wait a minute, is everything still the same? Are things still working the way we thought they were?" We have had our heads down, trying to do content and social media without really reflecting on reality. That is what the book is about. It is a reality check to see what's happening now. The customers are really in control of the sales funnel, of the customer journey, of the marketing process. It was not an easy book to write because it's such a profound and provocative idea. I was fearful that there could be a backlash on the book, but people have embraced it. They have seen this coming and it makes sense. How Has Marketing Changed Brandon Birkmeyer: [00:06:19] Looking back to when you first got into marketing versus where it is now, how have you seen things change? You've talked about how it's changed for consumers but it's also interesting to see how the marketing professionals and how marketing as a profession has changed and how maybe we are behind. Mark Schaefer: [00:06:58] Or has it changed? That's my biggest concern, really. One of my favorite quotes in the book is from Chris Savage, the CEO of Wistia. He says our culture is our marketing. And that is a big problem today. The culture has not kept up with the pulse of the world. Our company cultures have not kept up with the pulse of popular culture and our consumers. It is a leadership issue. There is no such thing as a grassroots organizational change. That must come from the top. So, my biggest concern is that they have not changed and there is organizational resistance built in. I was blown away by an ad agency that really gets it. A company that I featured in the book, Giant Spoon. They are doing this experiential marketing. Their mantra is we're an advertising agency that aspires to never make an ad. I really think that is poignant. We need to look at young people like the leaders of Giant Spoon to show us a new way. The world is not changing fast enough. More of Mark's Back Story Brandon Birkmeyer: [00:10:45] This idea of customer experience and of a more human approach to marketing has been a theme for you and your content. Where does this passion come from to explore that? And how did you get into marketing. You seem