Agency Bytes is a podcast for owners of creative, marketing, and advertising agencies that packs a ton of important agency information on one topic, from one expert into a 25-minute brief. Why 25 minutes? Because who has the attention span for much more these days, and you can squeeze in a listen between meetings with time for a bathroom break or coffee refill before your next meeting. Agency Bytes is brought to you by Steve Guberman from Agency Outsight. Steve is a 20-year agency veteran who works as a business coach for agencies around the country. He coaches owners of branding, marketing, design, and PR agencies to conquer their goals and overcome their challenges. Learn more about Agency Outsight at www.agencyoutsight.com
Episodes
Wednesday Apr 17, 2024
Ep 055 – Jacob Cass, JUST Creative – How to Stand Out Like a Flamingo
Wednesday Apr 17, 2024
Wednesday Apr 17, 2024
Featuring: Jacob Cass, Founder of JUST Creative
In this episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Jacob Cass from JUST Creative about his remarkable journey from digital nomad and designer to his current roles as an agency owner, educator, and blogger. We delve into how Jacob manages to juggle multiple ventures while maintaining focus and standing out in the industry. His pursuit of creative freedom drives him to embrace new technologies and innovative ideas, such as the AI bots he's developed to support branding efforts for agencies. We also explore topics like affiliate marketing, value-based pricing, marketplace positioning, and more. Tune in for the full conversation and gain insights from Jacob's wealth of experience!
Key Takeaways
• Embrace AI in design and see how it can improve your process and productivity.
• Diversify your revenue streams to create a more stable and sustainable business.
• Consider value-based pricing to reflect the value you bring to clients rather than charging by the hour.
• Reflect, recalibrate, and refocus regularly to adapt to changes in the market and set new goals.
• Try new tools and don't be afraid to experiment and find what works best for you.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
08:24 The Role of Design in Jacob's Business
23:55 Experimenting with Tools and Embracing Change
Jacob Cass is a brand designer, strategist, educator, podcaster, business coach, community builder, and the founder of JUST Creative, a branding & design consultancy that doubles as an industry-leading blog and community.
Jacob helps grow brands strategically and has worked for clients such as Disney, Nintendo, and Jerry Seinfeld however he is now focused on bringing this global brand experience to smaller businesses.
For Jacob, design is a lifelong journey of continuously honing his craft, as well as empowering other fellow designers & entrepreneurs to build on theirs, which has allowed him to build a large and loyal following, including his JUST Creative website which has been viewed over 70 million times.
Jacob has spoken at TEDx and been featured in Entrepreneur, Forbes, and a number of high-profile design books including The Best of Logo Lounge Master Series.
Jacob holds a Bachelor of Visual Communication (Graphic Design Major) from The University of Newcastle, Sydney, Australia, and a Brand Master Certification from Brand Master Academy, and over 17 years of experience in the industry with multiple awards on his belt.
Jacob co-hosts the JUST Branding Podcast which helps designers & entrepreneurs grow brands.
He also coaches creatives in his Inner Triangle Coaching Program, either 1:1 or in a group mastermind setting. Yahoo! recently declared him as the “Best Brand Coach”.
Jacob also runs the membership community Exponential Creatives which helps creatives grow exponentially.
Jacob is a digital nomad and travels the world now isolated in Sydney with his family of four while running JUST Creative.
He has visited 88 countries thus far with travel guides most of them available at his travel blog, JUST Globetrotting.
Contact Justin on his website, listen to his podcast, download his Branding Briefcase Freebie, and subscribe to his newsletter.
Friday Mar 22, 2024
Ep 052 – Tracy Goodheart, The PR Accelerator – Standing Out in the Crowd
Friday Mar 22, 2024
Friday Mar 22, 2024
Featuring: Tracy Goodheart, The PR Accelerator
In this episode, I got to talk to Tracy Goodheart from The PR Accelerator about her journey from being a journalist to helping individuals and brands attract sustained media attention without a publicist. She discusses the evolution of social media and its impact on journalism, emphasizing the importance of earned media over social media for brand credibility. Tracy also highlights the value of creating a messaging system and leveraging ghostwriting to elevate thought leadership within agencies. She advises agency owners to seek external validation and shares her insights on standout strategies in the marketplace.
Key Takeaways
• Earned media is more valuable than social media for brand credibility.
• Creating a messaging system can help streamline communication and ensure consistency.
• Ghostwriting can elevate thought leadership within agencies and humanize senior leadership.
• Seeking external validation can boost self-confidence and protect against workplace bullying.Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
03:16 The Evolution of Social Media and Journalism
06:46 Leveraging Social Media and Earned Media
09:21 Creating a Messaging System
10:59 Ghostwriting and Thought Leadership
13:30 The Impact of Ghostwriting on Agency Culture
20:36 Random Rapid-Fire Questions
24:06 Invaluable Business Advice
Tracy Samantha Goodheart is the founder of The PR Accelerator, a different kind of PR company. Simply put, she helps individuals and brands nail their messaging and attract positive, sustained media attention without a publicist. She also teaches marketing globally for the University of Chicago and has advised more than 75 brands on their marketing and communications.
A journalist by training, Tracy has 15 years of media experience working in every type of newsroom. She began her career as a reporter at TIME Magazine, where she covered the rise of Facebook and developed new methods for reporting breaking news. She also created a blog network for the Chicago Tribune, led global social media strategy for Crain Communications – the publisher of titles like Ad Age, InvestmentNews, and Modern Healthcare – and has trained hundreds of working journalists how to find original story ideas. Tracy has also been a frequent TV commentator and taught graduate journalism school.
A Chicago native, she now lives in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where she and her husband are renovating a historic general store and starting a lavender farm.
Friday Mar 15, 2024
Ep 051 – Debra Rizzi, Rizco Design – WBENC Agency Tips
Friday Mar 15, 2024
Friday Mar 15, 2024
Featuring: Debra Rizzi, Rizco Design
In episode 051, I had the great privilege of speaking with my long-time friend, Debra Rizzi, partner and president of Rizco, a women-owned brand-led marketing agency. We got to discuss the launch and evolution of her agency nearly 25 years ago, the benefits of becoming a certified woman-owned business, and the integration of new tools and processes like EOS. She emphasizes the importance of community involvement and maintaining core values and culture in her agency. She also talks about her day-to-day responsibilities and offers business advice, including the significance of gratitude and self-acknowledgment.
Key Takeaways
• Launching a business can arise from unexpected circumstances and opportunities.
• Becoming a certified woman-owned business can open doors and provide access to funding and resources.
• Integrating new tools and processes can enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
• Community involvement and maintaining core values and culture are essential for long-term success.
• Expressing gratitude and acknowledging personal achievements are important for personal and professional growth.Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
01:08 The Launch of Rizco
05:47 Certification as a Women-Owned Business
07:04 Benefits of Women-Owned Business Certification
09:34 Integration of New Tools and Processes
10:17 Business Development Opportunities
12:40 Involvement in the Community
20:53 Day-to-Day Responsibilities
25:23 Binging and New Tools
27:15 Business Advice
29:36 Gratitude and Self-Acknowledgment
29:59 Closing Remarks
Debra Rizzi has over 25 years of experience in developing brand strategies for local, national, and international companies. She is a partner and president of Rizco, a woman-owned, brand-led marketing agency, which she co-founded in 2000.
Upon graduating from Bucknell University, Debra worked in the finance department of corporate Lord & Taylor. Later, she managed the creative department of the global public relations firm, Porter Novelli.
Debra is a past NJ Biz “40 Under 40” recipient and 2020 NJBIZ’s “50 Best Women in Business” Award. She is a member of many business organizations, currently serves on Wall High School’s Business and Finance Academy’s Advisory Board, and served 8 years on Bucknell University’s Alumni Association Board of Directors.
On a personal level, Debra’s partner in life and in business is her husband, Keith, and together they balance the lives of their three daughters, Mia, Marley, and Monroe.
Contact Debra through her agency website, Facebook, Instagram, or on Linkedin.
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Ep 050 – Ilise Benun, Marketing Mentor – The Simplest Marketing Plan
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Featuring: Ilise Benun, Marketing Mentor
With the launch of Season Two of Agency Bytes, I'm thrilled to introduce an extraordinary guest for this momentous occasion – Ilise Benun from Marketing Mentor. Ilise is not only a longtime friend but also someone I've admired for decades. In this episode, I had the privilege of delving into Ilise's invaluable insights on her "Simplest Marketing Plan" and how she guides creative professionals to success by helping them focus and identify their market. We discuss the importance of cultivating a deep, focused niche and Ilise lays out actionable steps to achieve this.
Ilise believes that building your business should be enjoyable and shares her observations on why many agency owners struggle with their marketing efforts due to being too close to their businesses. We dissect the difference between horizontal and vertical niches, exploring how the latter can significantly boost marketing endeavors. Ilise also emphasizes the significance of sub-niches and provides guidance on expanding into new niches.
Furthermore, Ilise outlines her comprehensive program focusing on marketing, money, and mindset, identifying these as key areas of weakness for most creatives. We also challenge the notion that referrals are always beneficial and discuss strategies to overcome complacency in business development.
Tune in to uncover some of the invaluable secrets Ilise has accumulated over her more than 30 years as a creative business coach. This episode is packed with actionable insights and wisdom you won't want to miss!
For the past 35 years, Ilise Benun has made it her business to teach basic business skills – that is mindset, money, and marketing – to creative professionals and solopreneurs who should have learned them in school but, alas, did not because it’s not taught in school. This has, for years, perpetuated a “starving artist” mentality amongst creative professionals, who are naturally talented and could easily bring their creativity to the business side of their business, if only they knew how. That’s the mission she’s on with all of her work through marketing-mentor.com, including The Simplest Marketing Plan, The Marketing Mentor Podcast, 7 books including The Creative Professional’s Guide to Money, multiple online courses for Creative Live and Domestika.org and much more.
Contact Ilise:
https://bit.ly/agencyoutsight-qt
https://www.marketing-mentor.com/
https://quicktips.marketing-mentor.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/iliseben