Do you ever feel that sometimes your content or branding just isn't correctly aligned with your business? Or that your message doesn't leave the viewer or listener wanting to learn more about you or do business with you? Perhaps you or your business have pivoted, but your content or branding has not?
These were the questions I have been struggling with, and a series of events, including my recently attending Podcast Movement, let me on a journey to rebrand this podcast, changing it from Maximize Your Social Influence to Your Digital Marketing Coach. Learn all of the reasons why I did so and what takeaways it might have for you and your brand and content in this first episode of Your Digital Marketing Coach.
Key Highlights
[0:53] Introduction to Your Digital Marketing Coach Podcast
[03:05] Why Should I Consume the Content I Am Publishing?
[5:34] Moving from Social Business Unplugged to Maximize Your Social Influence
[07:05] Why Do I Need to Do Something Different to Stand Out?
[08:51] Your Content Has To Be Aligned With Your Business
[09:33] When Did I Realized that My Content Was Not Directly Serving my Business?
[11:04] Rebranding My Podcast
[11:07] Your Digital Marketing Coach
[13:07] Why I Took The "Your Digital Marketing Coach" Branding
[13:20] Do Something That Sparks Joy in You
[16:04] What's Important in Deciding A Strategy?
[17:28] Why You Should Align Your Content With Your Business Now
Notable Quotes
Learn More:
Do you ever feel that sometimes your content or branding just isn't correctly aligned with your business? Or that your message doesn't leave the viewer or listener wanting to learn more about you or do business with you? Perhaps you or your business have pivoted, but your content or branding has not?
These were the questions I have been struggling with, and a series of events, including my recently attending Podcast Movement, let me on a journey to rebrand this podcast, changing it from Maximize Your Social Influence to Your Digital Marketing Coach. Learn all of the reasons why I did so and what takeaways it might have for you and your brand and content in this first episode of Your Digital Marketing Coach.
Key Highlights
[0:53] Introduction to Your Digital Marketing Coach Podcast
[03:05] Why Should I Consume the Content I Am Publishing?
[5:34] Moving from Social Business Unplugged to Maximize Your Social Influence
[07:05] Why Do I Need to Do Something Different to Stand Out?
[08:51] Your Content Has To Be Aligned With Your Business
[09:33] When Did I Realized that My Content Was Not Directly Serving my Business?
[11:04] Rebranding My Podcast
[11:07] Your Digital Marketing Coach
[13:07] Why I Took The "Your Digital Marketing Coach" Branding
[13:20] Do Something That Sparks Joy in You
[16:04] What's Important in Deciding A Strategy?
[17:28] Why You Should Align Your Content With Your Business Now
Notable Quotes
Learn More:
Introducing my new podcast. Enjoy the intro.
Unknown:Digital social media content influencer marketing, blogging, podcasting, blogging, tick tocking, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, SEO, sem, PPC, email marketing, who has a lot to cover? Whether you're a marketing professional entrepreneur or business owner, you need someone you can rely on For expert advice. Good. Then you've got Neil, on your side. Because Neal Schaffer is your digital digital marketing marketing coach. helping you grow your business with digital first marketing one episode at a time. This is your digital marketing coach. And this is Neal Schaffer.
Neal Schaffer:All right, everybody. Welcome to episode number 224. of the your digital marketing coach podcast, formerly known as the maximize your social influence podcast, which is formerly known as the maximize your social podcast, which is formerly known as the social business unplugged podcast. Over the course of well, I launched my first episode of social business unplugged back in January of 2013. So over the course of eight or nine years, things change. People change trends, change, your business changes. And if there's one thing I want you to get out of this episode, because I'm going to tell you some stories about why I did what I did. In terms of rebranding this podcast. I'm also hoping there's some really, really important takeaways for your business. First of all, yes, the the intro is sort of in your face, isn't it? I'd really love to hear what you think about it. Was it entertaining? Was it cringy? Do I need to get rid of it? Not that I would even if you said so. But I really love if you hit me up, hit me up with a review on Amazon anywhere on social media, find a contact form on my website, email me at Neal at Neal schaffer.com. I genuinely, especially for those that have been longtime listeners want to hear what you have to say. But you know, it's funny, because I am also a podcast listener. And it's ironic, in some ways, when I started maximize your social influence podcast, that was about episode I'm gonna say number 140. That was October 6 of 2019. So a published you know, 8384 episodes in the past two years, or 23 months, not quite every week, but I'm trying to get there. That's just me. And during that podcast, I mentioned, hey, I was not a podcast listener myself, how can I become a better podcaster? If I don't consume the content that I'm publishing? Right? It's an absolute no brainer. I mean, if you want to become a better YouTuber, you got to spend more time on YouTube, how to consume YouTube videos, it goes the same for blogging, it goes the same for anything. In digital marketing and the words of john Lee Dumas, you need to do your reps in order to get better. And it begins by actually consuming the content or the type of content that you're publishing. So that was the first time I introduced maximize your social influence podcasts. Now, I was coming out with the age of influence, right? Age of influence was going to publish in March of 2020. I wanted to leverage my podcast is one of my marketing venues. I already had a podcast called maximize your social, because back in 2013, I published a book called maximize your social, so all I had to do is keep the same image and just add influence to the end. And then boom, it was pretty pain free, maximize your social influence podcast. Now, for better or for worse. It didn't really change things. Now, I obviously, I introduced content about influence, more and more in the episodes. And the mission statement. If you remember the intro, or if you go back to previous episodes, you'll still be able to hear the intro was all about looking at marketing and digital marketing through the lens of influence. But guess what, if you really want to learn about social influence, that was not the podcast for you, because the topics were not just about social influence. It was not a 100% Influencer Marketing podcast, because the work that I do for businesses and for professionals, whether businesses hire me as a fractional cmo, marketing consultant, or they're part of my group coaching membership community digital first, or you know, they're one of my students when I speak in a university right an event. What I cover is broader than just influencer marketing. It's funny because I won't say the age of influence was an attempt to create a niche per se. Although influencer marketing is an interesting niche. I see it as another piece of the digital marketing puzzle. And that's why when I published the book, Many companies reached out to me for influencer marketing. They needed a heck of a lot more than just that. They needed to redo their entire digital marketing strategy in light of what was going on with Coronavirus, what have you. So everything I've been doing is not just influencer marketing. Therefore if you are tuning in to my podcast, maximize your social influence, and use that every episode was going to be about how I help you monetize your influence, or how to leverage influencers. That just was not the case. It was a general social and digital marketing podcast. Right now. I originally started with social business unplugged, I moved to maximize your social because had a book of the same name that was going to be my new brand, maximize your social calm, boom, it all works, right? Moving to maximize your social influence sort of worked. But well, it's not just social media anymore. I'm one of the few digital marketers that actually started with a name, and creating content all around social media marketing, that now really understands that social media marketing is just one part of the entire digital marketing pie that I need to know and I help businesses with. So I knew there was going to come a time where I had to do something that, you know, as a podcast listener, myself, when I listen to podcasts, or about a certain subject, I'm not going to name names. But I listen to a podcast about say, social media marketing. Well, let's say originally, like Instagram marketing changes, and social media marketing. And then all of a sudden, like every other episode is about entrepreneurship. I tuned them out. I unfollow, and I don't subscribe to them again. You can only listen to so many podcasts every week. I am probably the average like seven or eight, but going to podcast movement. And I still need to create an entire episode about what I learned there. But one of the things I learned there and I went to sessions, I was the student there, right. One of the speeches, I heard it, I'm forgetting the guy who said it. It's not a no brainer topic, but it was the topic of Blue Ocean Strategy, go where no one else is. And I thought well, how is this relevant to podcasting and a really was relevant in that he was talking about, you know, maybe now there are only 2 million podcasts, which is way lower the number of YouTube channels or blogs or websites. But because it is so competitive now, you know, when people do a search for a certain keyword, you need to be doing something different. You need to stand out a fluffy name, might not do it anymore. And that was where I was thinking about doing some sort of rebrand or pivot. And that's where it really drove the message home. I almost felt like maybe I'm not at a plateau. But I felt creatively that I was at a plateau with the current branding. Now in parallel, one of the podcasts I listened to, is the content tenex podcast with Amy woods, Amy has been kind enough to have her on. have me on her podcast, I have to repay the favor in the not so distant future. But you know, sometimes I will have a podcast episode that really speaks to people. And I've had people reach out to me, Neil, that episode really spoke to me in my current situation. It was almost like you were directly having a conversation with me. Well, Amy on a recent episode, and it was actually an episode about sales. And I'm sorry, I'm forgetting that the name of the person she interviewed anyway, content 10x awesome podcast about content repurposing, but a heck of a lot more than that. Right. It's a it's about content repurposing, but it covers a much broader scope of content marketing. And she was talking about, you know, she listened to some podcasts, and either they're too salesy, or she doesn't know why they did the podcast in the first place, because they don't even mention like what they do for a living, like, how do they make money? How did they live? What are they trying to achieve with their content, and it was a reminder that the content in any content that you do, it has to be aligned with your business. It's like one of my clients, who has a blog that provides them a lot of organic leads and business. But the number one hit to their website is about a topic for which they have no product or service. And it's like, what do we do? Do we redirect it? How do we get Google to expose more of the content that does have a product as well, you, you start by not publishing content that is not related in any shape or form to your product or service. So I realized at podcast movement that my podcast was not serving my business, the content was not serving my business as directly as it could. It also was just sort of man. I mean, come on. What does maximize your social influence mean? If I would ask 20 people, I'd probably get 20 different answers. I'll be brutally honest with myself and with you. And that's where I realized what do I do for a living at the heart of it. I'm a digital marketing consultant or I'm a digital marketing coach. It includes social media marketing, it includes influencer marketing, some people store Remember me as the LinkedIn guru or the social selling expert? For others, it's employee advocacy. Over the course of 10 years, I've covered a lot of ground I've had to for my clients never wanted to be a one trick pony. I want to cover everything. And with my next book coming up, yes, I owe you the free preview edition. Yes, I know, I've been promising that that's my trigger point for that is the end of q3, okay, promise, but it's covering all digital marketing. And therefore, if you've been to my blog, Neal schaffer.com. Recently, you'll probably have noticed that there's more content about things like email marketing, things like search engine optimization, things that a lot of people think are old school, but I love I am passionate about I am breathing new energy into them because they are as relevant today as they ever have been, whereas most others just think of them old school and don't even consider them. So I love that. And that's why I've been much broader in topic and therefore, because my book is going to be broader and topic about digital marketing. My website is already broader. My content on my podcast was already broader, but it wasn't fitting my business because of the branding. And that's where rebranding had to take place. Now, your digital marketing coach, man, I mean, it's as direct as you can be. But doesn't everybody need a digital marketing? COACH? Isn't that why you listen to me, you want actionable advice, you don't want some fluff, or an interview that has no takeaway, or something spiritual related to something, you know that that's not actionable, or just irrelevant to the topic, I know that your time is limited, I know that the number of podcasts you can listen to are limited. And that's why I want to make sure that every episode, as I say, in the intro, every episode will help your bottom line in a different way. But that is my commitment to you. That's my promise to you. And guess what, this is what I do for a living, right? as a consultant, consultant, slash coach, whether it's businesses through my fractional cmo, consulting, marketers, entrepreneurs, business owners, to my group coaching and sometimes fractional cmo, marketing consulting as well, that is the core of what I do. I am also an educator, which is sort of related to this whole sort of consulting code. So now, when you see the title, you know what you're going to get every single episode I can go back to is completely aligned with this branding. And guess what, you know what my businesses, it's in the name of the podcast, you know, you can hire me for that. I don't have to sell you anything. It's a natural. It just made tremendous sense. I did a search on Apple podcasts on the web, I didn't really feel like there was anyone owning this topic, for whatever reason. Now, there are a bunch of other podcasts out there for coaches, like digital marketing for coaches, but I am your digital marketing coach. And it's your it's a personal relationship. When I am speaking here, I'm imagining all of you in a room. And I'm imagining, like, you're gonna ask me a question afterwards, and we're gonna hang out. But that is where I stand. And that's why I took that branding. And that's why Yes, it should be a little direct. And that's why the intro might be a little in your face. I don't know, like I said, I'm waiting to hear your feedback on it. But to me, it just made sense. And guess what, almost more importantly, it sparks joy, the big fan of Marie Kondo for those that know me. And even in content creation, in marketing, if doing what you're doing in your business of doing what you're doing does not spark joy. If you're not excited about every time you press the record button for a video for a podcast, or when you start writing for a blog, if that does not excite you, and something's wrong. Maybe you should be doing something else. Maybe you should be delegating it to someone else who is passionate about it. Because that is what sparks business. That's what sparks growth. That's what sparks creativity. And I was giddy. When I heard the intro for the first time that gentleman I hired Actually, he absorbed and added more than I was gonna do. But I was very happy because that's the sort of air that's the sort of reset button that I wanted to press a hard reset that going forward. This is me, this is my podcast. And yes, when the book comes out, it'll be just perfectly aligned with everything. Because the content has to be aligned, I'm getting back to that message. But there's another message here, which is I know a lot of people, including some people in my digital first community that have yet to hit the Launch button, they've yet to hit the button on execution. They're already they got a new website ready. They want to rebrand, but now they have some doubts. I like to put myself in positions where I don't have any more doubts. I do not let my brain say you can't do this. Don't do it. An example of that is when I recorded this last episode, and you can go back for those of you that are new. Go back to episode number 223 where I promised you That was going to be the last episode of The maximize your social influence podcast, right? That is me putting pressure on myself making a commitment publicly to all of you that I am going to change, and I'm going to make it happen. And I'm going to press the Launch button, the Start button, and I'm going to execute. That's what you all need to do. If there's something holding you back, if you're ready, you need to go. There is nothing to be afraid of. Especially if what you're doing your branding, whatever it is, if it doesn't, if it doesn't spark joy, right? It's like, do I keep this piece of clothing or that piece of clothing? Does it spark joy or not, it's really a great way of looking at life in general, I believe. But it's really helped me clarify what I want to do where I want to go. But more importantly, I share the story of when I worked at Wind River system, which is now part of Intel. And Kurt shaver, one of my mentors was VP of strategy, I believe, at the time. And he said, look at our corporate meeting look part of the strategy. In fact, what's more important about a strategy is deciding what you don't want to do rather than what you want to do. Our time is so limited, we want to help and serve so many people, there's only so much we can do make every minute count. So if some of you are on the fence, I'm not saying that quit your job and whatever, you got to be a realist about it. But in terms of launching a brand of launching a public face, or realigning your brand, you know, it was another sort of awakening for me, when I contact I'd had an SEO audit done on my websites A few years ago, because I'd maximize social business comm which is where I had all these guest contributors, you know, publish blog posts, I had maximize your social calm, which is where my podcast was, as well as some of my own blog, as well as some of my own blog content. I had Neal schaffer.com, I had the domain, it was just a landing page. And guess what? I had three websites competing against each other. So that's why in 2000? Was it 19 or 20? Time flies? Probably 2019. I merged it all into one Neal schaffer.com. Am I going to lose Google juice because of the 301 redirects? Absolutely. But going forward? Is it the absolute best thing to do? Absolutely. Am I getting better rankings and more traffic now with one quarter of the blog post that I have compared to two or three years ago, combining those three websites together? Absolutely. If in alignment in terms of content in terms of branding, in terms of launching something new, if it makes sense, you owe it to yourself to do it now, rather than wait, I am one who likes to live life without any regrets. I will not say I wish I'd done it earlier. I'm glad I did it. And I'm glad I am rebranding this podcast, because it makes me even more strongly committed to you. That man, if every episode does not provide you actionable digital marketing advice as your digital marketing coach, and digital marketing, it's not just it's social media market influence, it's everything I've been talking about. But if it ain't actionable, I ain't going to publish it. That's my promise, I want you to stick with me. I want to help your business, obviously, whether you hire me as a consultant or join my community, or we just have a remote relationship where maybe we never meet in life, but you get some value out of this podcast, I have that same relationship and a lot of podcasters. Believe me, it's okay. This is why I'm here. I believe in the bank Credit Karma. And I believe that for every one of you that I help, that I'm going to get great things in return. I don't expect it if it happens, it happens if not enough, but that's what keeps my fire burning. And you know, it's going to be a new tradition, I'm gonna have to get used to saying new things here, like when I close out these podcasts. But I want to thank you for listening, this is probably going to be one of my least actionable episodes. Now that I'm starting. But I wanted to tell you the story, but also just the main theme is that this content alignment with your business, and when your business skews because you got to pivot, your content should be skewing as well across all your platforms in all content mediums. And don't be afraid to do it. You owe it to yourself, you owe it to your business, your to your customers to do it as well. That is it for another episode of The your digital marketing coach podcast. I would really love to hear your feedback, not just about this episode or the intro the outro. But what do you think? Right move wrong move. And are there topics that I haven't talked about that now that the rebrand you think I should be talking about, or people you think I should be interviewing, feel free to hit go in the show notes. I'll put all my contact information there as well. But I really thank you for being a loyal or perhaps a new subscriber. This also gives me a new excuse to say hey, I'd really love to get a wave of reviews going on all the podcasts platform so that more and more people will be exposed to this podcast where if you found value, you can really help me give more value to more people. Just by subscribing and posting review. I hate to ask I'm going to ask anyway, I'd really appreciate it for my time invested. And that's it. I'll be looking forward to speaking to you again next week. Until then, make it a great day. Bye bye.
Unknown:You've been listening to your digital marketing coach, questions, comments, requests, links, go to podcast dot Neal schaffer.com. Get the show notes to this and 200 plus podcast episodes, and Neal Schaffer calm to tap into the 400 plus blog posts that Neil has published to support your business. While you're there, check out Neil's digital first group coaching membership community if you or your business needs a little helping hand. See you next time on your digital marketing coach.