Episodes

  • Branding Identity and Generating Leads with Jason Vana

    Branding Identity and Generating Leads with Jason Vana
    Jan 18 2022

    Jason Vana, of Shft Marketing discusses LinkedIn Marketing tips, content marketing, brand identity, lead generation and transparency. This podcast is all about how to generate leads the correct way: the way that builds trust and loyal clients.

    LinkedIn and Content Marketing Tips
    • Content is a branding exercise. 
    • Use LinkedIn to generate leads.
    • Pick ONE main topic to focus on
    • What are you passionate about?
    • What does your target market really want?
    • What’s gonna make you money? (if that’s a goal)
    • What do you wanna be known for?
    • Be Unique. Be you. Don’t copy others.
    • Don’t be a knockoff brand.
    • Branding is Identity
    • Marketing is promoting that identity.
    • Help them with no expectation of making money. Be the solution.
    Gated Content and Leads
    • Give it ALL away for free - they will trust you.
    • Gain trust. Don’t gate your content by asking for email addresses.
    • Too many companies require an email address for everything and then immediately spam their “leads.”
    • Don’t do this. The best way you can gain trust with your leads and clients is to serve them.
    • Give content away for free. 
    • I will tell you how to do it for free. I’ll charge you to do it for you. 
    • Help is free.
    • It’s still selling, it just does sound or feel like it. 
    • Be a resource.
    Newsletters
    • Email Newsletter Checklist (Shft Marketing Guide)
    • Before launching your newsletter, but a CTA (call to action) at the bottom of all of your posts telling people that you are launching a newsletter. Get people to start signing up. 
    • FIRST comment on all LinkedIn posts: “Did you like this post? Sign up for our free newsletter at this link…”
    • The newsletter should be the product. People should sign up because they actually WANT to get your emails. 

    Connect with Jason Vana

    Shft Marketing: shft.marketing

    Email Newsletter: shft.marketing/insider/

    FREE Guides (no email required): shft.marketing/guides/

    LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasonvana/

    Follow Jacob

    • LinkedIn

    Follow Website Squirrel

    • Website: www.websitesquirrel.com 
    • LinkedIn
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    Listen & Subscribe

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    We’d love to hear from you!

    Have some feedback about the show? Feel free to reach out to us at trustcast@websitesquirrel.com You can also rate us in Apple Podcasts or your favorite app to help more people discover the show!
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    59 mins
  • Webflow and Website Agency Secrets with Nicholas Reed

    Webflow and Website Agency Secrets with Nicholas Reed
    Dec 14 2021
    Two nerdy website designers, Jacob Harmon (Website Squirrel) and Nicolas Reed (253 Media) discuss website agency secrets. They talk about competition, LinkedIn, growth measurement, sales, trust, and our favorite website design and development platform: Webflow.LinkedInStart a friendly regular conversation. The goal isn’t to jump on a call. It’s to create genuine relationships. If genuine conversation leads to a call, it will be successful, but that should never be the goal.CompetitionIt is important to talk to other people that do what you do…make connections!The cake is big enough for everyone - bounce ideas off of and learn from each otherDon’t burn bridges. Every client needs something differentEvery business can only handle so many clients anywayCompetition is a good thing. It encourages us to perform at our best.Think of business as a sport. You’re competing against yourself.How do you measure growth?Look at payroll. Bigger payroll means bigger team which means more growth. Goal is to pay it.Closing rates. How often are you getting new clients?Project completion. Amount of projects? How many completed? Were they completed on time?How much are you working? How much are you needed day to day? As an entrepreneur, if you can step away from the business you are doing a good job.Inbound Sales Vs. Outbound SalesToo much of a good thing is a bad thing.You need to find the perfect balance between inbound sales and outbound sales. Inbound sales are better because they want to work with you and they’re warm. You have more control over outbound sales though. Outbounds sales are needed for growth.Lots of business comes from referrals. The more clients you have the more referrals you’ll get.Always make your next project your best. Your brand being there signifies your stamp of approval.Putting name at bottom of website is great for SEO.How can a website build trust?Have a beautiful website. If your website sucks, they’ll think your product does too.Have great, personal, NOT generic, testimonials.Are there typo’s on your website? That will break trust. If you don’t pay attention to your website.Don’t have too many pop ups or annoying animations.Educate customers on why product is great, and worth it. What is it about your product that makes it better?Put some thought into you website’s contentPut in content that will answer customers questions, without having to go to FAQ sectionWebflowWebflow is the perfect web development platform. Everything else is either way too simple or too complicated. Webflow is perfect for simplicity versus complexity.Some of Webflow’s built in elements aren’t great. But you can literally build everything with it.Webflow creates incredible, clean, semantic code.There’s no apps or plugins. This is good because it keeps things clean and free of bloat, but it can make it harder to integrate with other tools.There are a lot of incredible features coming to Webflow. Logic, memberships, blending modes and more.They are gonna take over internet! More and more, people are requesting that we build sites in Webflow.One complaint we have is that the company needs to be more transparent about their roadmap and future features.Webflow Ecommerce is still lacking. It’s missing shipping integrations, email integrations, multiple payment processors, and more.If your core business is selling products use Shopify. If your core business is getting leads use Webflow.Do SEO blogs about Webflow…and attract customers looking specifically for a Webflow site.Make blog topics very specific, and share secrets. That’ll make people read and learn.Being more specific in blog posts… the right person will find it, and you won’t be competing with big SEO terms.Connect with Nicholas ReedWebsite: 253media.comInstagram: instagram.com/nreed253LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nreed253/Follow JacobLinkedInFollow Website SquirrelWebsite: www.websitesquirrel.com LinkedInFacebookInstagramListen & SubscribeApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyYouTubePodchaserOvercastAmazon MusicWe’d love to hear from you!Have some feedback about the show? Feel free to reach out to us at trustcast@websitesquirrel.com You can also rate us in Apple Podcasts or your favorite app to help more people discover the show!
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Importance of Storytelling in the World of Business Marketing with Matthew Dicks

    Importance of Storytelling in the World of Business Marketing with Matthew Dicks
    Nov 23 2021
    Learn from expert storyteller, Matthew Dicks, how to tell a compelling story to help customers know, like, and trust you better.JMH Media is now Website Squirrel!I’m super excited to announce that JMH Media is now Website Squirrel. Check out our new website at www.websitesquirrel.com What makes a good story?You have to be entertaining first.Whatever your reason for telling a story, you need to make an impression on your audience. Stories make us feel goodStories entertain and people enjoy them. Transformation! We need to have a realization or change in order for the story to be meaningful. Good stories show vulnerability. Your stories should be relatable. How can a brand craft good stories?All stories should have a thesis statement. When it comes to a brand, your thesis is that the world lacked something until the company came along and fixed it. Then, you add relatability and vulnerability to the story.Stories are powerful when it comes to building a brand. Truth in storytellingAlways tell the truth. You can strategically leave out details that don’t pertain to the story you want to tell. You can embellish when it’s obvious that you’re embellishing, but you shouldn’t embellish in a deceitful way.  Where should a brand start when they want to craft a story? Start with how the company came about. Who had the original idea? Where were they when they had the idea? How did the company develop? Interview all of the people in the company. What’s their story with it? Why are they working where they are? Homework for LifeEvery day, we experience moments that are story worthy. You might notice them briefly, but then they’ll disappear if they aren’t recorded. Every day, write down one thing that happened today that is story worthy. Don’t write the whole story. Just record the moment. Homework for Life | Matthew Dicks | TEDxBerkshiresMake sure that people know who you areWhen you talk to someone make sure that they know who you are.People connect with other people. Give them little details about yourself that they can connect with. Connect with Matthew DicksWebsite: www.matthewdicks.comPodcast: Speak Up StorytellingBook: Storyworthy Follow JacobLinkedInFollow Website SquirrelWebsite: www.websitesquirrel.com LinkedInFacebookInstagramListen & SubscribeApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyYouTubePodchaserOvercastAmazon MusicWe’d love to hear from you!Have some feedback about the show? Feel free to reach out to us at trustcast@websitesquirrel.com You can also rate us in Apple Podcasts or your favorite app to help more people discover the show!
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    51 mins
  • Generate Marketing Results and Creating Brand Evangelists with Wayne Mullins

    Generate Marketing Results and Creating Brand Evangelists with Wayne Mullins
    Jul 28 2021
    “I would rather have something ugly and effective than something that’s beautiful or pretty that isn’t. Trust is at the core of marketing and basic human interaction.” - Wayne Mullins“We shouldn’t be doing things for the sake of creativity. Rather, we should be focused on how to get effective results for our clients.”Marketers can get trapped in the creative piece.How do you measure that and make sure you’re fulfilling that goal?The client’s cash register should have more money in it as a result of what you are doing, than less money.If you pursue a single platform, it would be a losing game because the platforms are always going to change.Focus on results.“We don’t care which platform it is, we care about the results for the client.”At the end of the day, most clients don’t care what method or what platform you’re using as long as it produces the long term results they are after.To create trust, deliver on the results that were promised.No client is going to hold you to blame if you’re very clear and up front about what they should expect and what you expect.Some marketers focus on anything they can do to get money.They create schemes, plans, and contracts.If you treat clients well and set clear expectations, it eventually leads to more profitability, turns leads to referrals, and establishes loyalty.What is the true definition of marketing?Most people confuse marketing with advertising and use the words interchangeably.Advertising is merely a piece, or component, of marketing.Marketing is your ability to attract and to keep a customer.Creating Leads and Retaining ThemWe live in a world where every single person with a smartphone has the potential to become an evangelist of your brand. They will either speak for or against you on all platforms.Based on research, the best customers come from word of mouth and referrals.The Clock MethodThink of a clock as a customer’s progression within your brand.12:00 represents strangers.3:00 represents friends. They know about you and like you.6:00 represents customers. They trust you and this is where money changes hands.9:00 represents evangelists. The evangelists go out and tell their friends about you. That new lead skips the 12:00 and goes straight to the 3:00.How do you turn average customers into evangelists? Ask yourself three questions.What is an ad or campaign we can run to get strangers to know and like us?What is an ad or campaign we can run to get them to like us?What is an ad or campaign we can run to build trust with those people?We have to strip away the ego and look at what we are actually doing.If you have too much ego to recognize the areas your business isn’t doing great in and you aren’t willing to change that, you will lose trust and clients.Be humble enough to learn and grow. It’s a big sign of being a trustworthy brand.When furious, get curious.Turn that emotion into curiosity.Is there something I am blinded by that I cannot see?When seeking truth, trust is an automatic byproduct.Learn from different perspectives and be willing to learn from others.Ask questions! “What experience made you say that?”You learn more from the campaigns that fail than you do the ones that succeed.If you’re willing to dive into failure, there are so many valuable lessons you can learn from. You can then adjust your course of action.Correlation vs. CausationThe only way you can focus on and separate those two things is to strip away the vanity metrics that make us feel good. Those metrics don't necessarily put money in the cash register.“People would rather trust strangers they have never met, than trust you as a marketer or as a business owner.”Money will not come without trust.Trust is the factor between becoming an evangelist for a brand or not becoming one.A marketer’s job is to make the sales job not needed.When you do your job well, selling is no longer needed.Learn More About Ugly Mug MarketingUglymugmarketing.comFollow JacobLinkedInFollow JMH Media:JMH Media: Building Brand Loyalty and TrustLinkedInFacebookInstagramListen & SubscribeApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyYouTubePodchaserOvercastAmazon MusicWe’d love to hear from you!Have some feedback about the show? Feel free to reach out to us at trustcast@jmh.media You can also rate us in Apple Podcasts or your favorite app to help more people discover the show!
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    34 mins
  • What Makes a Truly Good Brand? with Katie Dooley

    What Makes a Truly Good Brand? with Katie Dooley
    Jun 8 2021

    “Put your customers first. Set your personal preferences aside for the branding and marketing process.”

    Difference Between Good Brands & Bad Brands
    • How much thought and effort you put into it
    What makes a good brand?
    • Good brands know who they serve and how to serve them
    • Brand Values
    • i.e. Honesty, Integrity, How you conduct business
    • Mission / Vision
    • Why are you in business?
    • How do you hope to serve your customers?
    • Brand Characteristics: Personality of your brand
    • i.e. Bold, Friendly, Laid Back
    • Whatever you are doing, whether that be writing an email or answering the phone, be these things.
    • Think about how the person you are serving will feel
    Tips for Putting Yourself In Customer’s Shoes
    • Get as many details as possible about the customer you are serving
    • What do they do on the weekends?
    • How many kids do they have?
    • Where do they live?
    • Figure out how to to serve them in ways your competitors aren’t
    • Ask for continuous feedback
    • Get laser focused - Define your ideal customer
    • Design your brand, values, characteristics, marketing materials, etc. with your ideal customer in mind
    • Do your research
    • Pick colors to evoke certain emotions
    • Make different versions of the product, take it back to them, and ask for feedback
    • When asking for general feedback, ask your target market, not the general public
    • Manage expectations
    How to Create a Trusting Relationship with Clients
    • Transparency
    • Collaborative process with client
    • Projected Timelines
    • Welcome & Entertain Questions
    • Touchpoints - Let clients see the progress
    • Effective & Regular Communication
    Connect with Katie Dooley

    LinkedIn @katiedooley

    Learn More About Paperline Creative

    Paperlime.ca

    Instagram @paperlimecreative

    Facebook @paperlimecreative

    Follow Jacob

    • LinkedIn

    Follow JMH Media:

    • JMH Media: Building Brand Loyalty and Trust
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram

    Listen & Subscribe

    • Apple Podcasts
    • Google Podcasts
    • Spotify
    • YouTube
    • Podchaser
    • Overcast
    • Amazon Music

    We’d love to hear from you!

    Have some feedback about the show? Feel free to reach out to us at trustcast@jmh.media You can also rate us in Apple Podcasts or your favorite app to help more people discover the show!
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    31 mins
  • Marketing Physical Products with Drew Vernon of Tonies

    Marketing Physical Products with Drew Vernon of Tonies
    Apr 27 2021
    The key to marketing is having a strategy and thinking through it. It is easy to throw out content, but you must be strategic and conscious about what you are doing and why it is important. In this episode, you will learn how to better market your products with Drew Vernon, a marketing strategist for Tonies, “the biggest adventures to come in a little box.”Marketing a Physical Product in a Physical Space Leverage these five senses: Sound, Smell, Sight, Feel, Taste Customers will create an emotional attachment with your product Prior to purchasing, customers will ask themselves: What is it? Why should I care about it? How can I learn more about it? New Product Entry Barriers Making a name for yourself Starting from scratch How to Overcome Entry BarriersTell your story and illustrate: Why it works Why it is adding value to your target market Why they would benefit from purchasing your product Capturing Customers’ Attention in Retail Point of sale displays that draws them in Demonstrate what it does Rely on great packaging Front panel must immediately capture the customer’s attention Remaining panels tell the rest of your story Capturing Customers’ Attention in a Digital SpaceCapture their attention above the fold before they scroll Provide a hook to intrigue the customer Psychology Behind Front Panel Packaging Showcase the hero of the product - what comes in this box? Help your customer visualize the sound coming out of your product Highlight brand identity - show who you are Digital Strategy Behind Selling a Physical ProductDirect to consumer website Demonstrative & Visual Assets Internet messaging via search & social media Importance of Trust in a Physical Product Space Build a community Foster that community Give customers more than just a product you sell Give them intangibles: connection, education, opportunity, imagination SELL THE VALUE What do I bring? How do I bring that to potential customers? Other Marketing ToolsApply for awards Showcase awards in magazines Digital and print ads Influencers Who are the people with influence within your target market? How do you reach them to promote your product? Target MarketsFind who your target market is Find where your target market is Meet them where they are It takes the right person, the right message, at the right time Connect with Drew Vernon LinkedIn @drewvernon Learn More About Tonies Tonies.comInstagram @Tonies.usToniebox Usa Community GroupFollow JacobLinkedInFollow JMH Media:JMH Media: Building Brand Loyalty and TrustLinkedInFacebookInstagramListen & SubscribeApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyYouTubePodchaserOvercastAmazon MusicWe’d love to hear from you!Have some feedback about the show? Feel free to reach out to us at trustcast@jmh.media You can also rate us in Apple Podcasts or your favorite app to help more people discover the show!
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    26 mins
  • Confidence, Public Speaking, and Becoming an Author with Leta Greene

    Confidence, Public Speaking, and Becoming an Author with Leta Greene
    Apr 13 2021

    Confidence is something that all of us can use more of in our lives. As a marketer, confidence could be the key to building trust and brand loyalty—learn how from Leta Greene, Confidence Expert as she talks about being confident, public speaking, and becoming an author.

    Image
    • Be comfortable in your own skin
    • People make a first impression in Nano-seconds
    • Humans make decisions about people upon meeting them
    • Professional women: don’t show up in date night clothing-professional instead
    • Dress for the job you want
    • See what image is saying
    Write a Book
    • What is your end goal?
    • Write a good book that people will read
    • Whenever you say an amazing thought-write it down. Gather thoughts
    • What makes you excited? What gets you talking and thinking?
    • Take written down thoughts, and expound for book
    • Gathering deep thoughts
    Public Speaking
    • Until your good at speaking…no one will pay you
    • Get yourself out there
    • You can gett paid to speak or sell content through speaking.
    • Selling content or selling product?
    • Trust-gets you places
    • Sell your Idea. You’re not important… the idea is important
    • What is the value to the listeners?
    • You sell way more if you SERVE first
    • The product is a means to an end
    Serve others
    • Knowledge is what allows them to purchase from you and trust you
    • The product is the means to get paid—but their is service involved in that
    • When you commit to work with someone…be invested.
    • Go the extra mile
    • Connect with people on a personal level
    • Value yourself enough—point people to free content if they aren’t willing/able to pay
    • Do not talk about politics, religion, etc. on social media— this will cause clients to loose trust in you.
    3 Ways to sell people
    • Hype-get you excited
    • FOMO-fear of missing out
    • Service & education-intellectually work with someone <—gains trust
    Vulnerability and Humility
    • Be honest—be vulnerable. If you don’t know the answer to something, say you don’t know
    • Deliver concepts with care and concern
    • Don’t be egotistic
    • Don’t put yourself above other people
    • Be humble

    Follow Leta Green:

    • LetaGreene.com
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn

    Follow Jacob

    • LinkedIn

    Follow JMH Media:

    • JMH Media: Building Brand Loyalty and Trust
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram

    Listen & Subscribe

    • Apple Podcasts
    • Google Podcasts
    • Spotify
    • YouTube
    • Podchaser
    • Overcast
    • Amazon Music

    We’d love to hear from you!

    Have some feedback about the show? Feel free to reach out to us at trustcast@jmh.media You can also rate us in Apple Podcasts or your favorite app to help more people discover the show!
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    42 mins
  • How To Build your Email List to Grow your Income with Andrea Palten

    How To Build your Email List to Grow your Income with Andrea Palten
    Mar 23 2021
    On this episode, Jacob talks with one of the truly great marketers out there, Andrea Palten. They talk about being good in business, building an email list, marketing during a pandemic, data and privacy, and more. Again, Be Good in BusinessDon’t ghost people. Communicate! Create a trustworthy brand. We’re all humans. Your clients will understand. Just communicate with them. Tell the truth.Building an email listThe bigger your list, the bigger your income.When someone gives you their email address, they are telling you that they trust you. You own your email list. Not the people, but the list. You don’t own social media channels, but you do own your email list. Email marketing is a great way to keep yourself top-of-mind.Create a weekly big piece of content. This could be a blog post, podcast, YouTube video…You can then repurpose that piece of content in your email list each week. When you’re consistent, people will trust that you’re always there and that you aren’t going away. Create a lead magnet - a free piece of content that requires that people give you their email address. Don’t Spam or Ghost!There are two extremes. Sometimes, you sign up for an email list and get WAY too many emails. Other times, you sign up and never get an email. Then out of the blue you get a sales email. Don’t do either! There’s a happy medium here. Send emails at least every two weeks. Weekly is the best. Some unsubscribing is okay. Shoot for an unsubscribe rate of 2% or less. GIVE VALUE. Give 4 times before you get. Send 4 emails giving tips and ideas and then 1 email selling your product or service. How has marketing changed during the pandemic?Andrea is moving to more storytelling in her email marketing. Consumer behavior is changing. People are more interested in brands and want to connect with the people and businesses they work with. We are more lonely than ever. We’ve all been burned with politics and social issues. Be real. Show up as you. Be authentic. Data and PrivacyMake sure you have a privacy policy on your website. Make sure you have terms and conditions and disclaimers. Be transparent in the way that you use customer data. Only collect the data that you actually need. Pay attention to laws like GDPR. Stay on top of the news and be aware of what’s happening. Show upShow up on social media and in your newsletterBe real and authentic. Respond quickly when people reach out. Give a lot of grace and patience. We all need it. Follow Andrea:Andrea Palten WebsiteLists that ConvertIMPACT MembershipInstagram: andreapaltencoachFollow JacobLinkedInFollow JMH Media:JMH Media: Building Brand Loyalty and TrustLinkedInFacebookInstagramListen & SubscribeApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyYouTubePodchaserOvercastAmazon MusicWe’d love to hear from you!Have some feedback about the show? Feel free to reach out to us at trustcast@jmh.media You can also rate us in Apple Podcasts or your favorite app to help more people discover the show!
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    39 mins