Performance Delivered

Ben Shapiro is building a mini podcast empire, with the popular show, Martech, leading the way. The podcast is all about how industry leaders use marketing and technology to drive business growth. Not surprisingly, Ben has used some of those same techniques to garner 30,000 downloads each month. We talk about how he leverages podcast content in all sorts of ways to expand his reach, as well as… Ho...

With all the tools and software available, marketers have more data than ever about their prospects and customers. They’re drowning in it.  The trick is, says John Durham of Catalyst, is wading into that data, finding out what works, and turning it into action that gets real results. That means figuring why people buy – and who they are. Marketing 101, right? But John says not all clients get what...

Gerard Doyle, of Fractal, loves working with startups as he can influence the positioning of a client’s product or service… even the design.  He also says the most effective way to get the best clients is to go after a limited number of them. He explains how this strategy actually starts making clients come to you. It’s quite counterintuitive. We also discuss… Software tools that help you track le...

With AI, machine learning, and big data, companies have more information than ever on their customers. But, says Jason Harper, too many companies collect data for the sake of collecting data. They’re not analyzing it effectively, which means they can’t use it to guide business decisions. Jason, CEO of data science company RXA, shares how you can get clarity on how to determine what data is importa...

Akvile DeFazio took the leap from employee to self-employed with her digital marketing agency, Akvertise. The transition wasn’t always easy… but she wouldn’t trade the experience for anything because of what she learned about business, marketing, and herself. We talk about the strategies Akvile used to build her agency from the ground up… and continues to use for business development and client re...

Facebook ads are cheap. You can segment your audience to the nth degree. But all that doesn't matter if you don’t take one more step, says Bud Torcom, CEO and co-founder of digital marketing agency Mazama Media. Bud sees a lot of companies going about their social media marketing all wrong. The solution: a blend of tried-and-true marketing principles and taking advantage of the innovation availabl...

For most businesses, a main goal is turning website visitors into leads. Jay Rice, founder and CEO of Thinking Chat, says that’s a good starting point… but he’s refined that process using some very unique technology in order to engage visitors and increase conversions – while also screening out leads that aren’t a fit. Thinking Chat provides its clients with a “chatbot” – but unlike any you’ve see...

Jake Baadsgaard, founder of Disruptive Advertising, is very selective about who he works with. In fact, after they go through his vetting process, only about 20% of potential clients make the cut. He breaks down what makes a client a good fit and how he and his team figure it out. It’s a key part of a well-oiled business development machine they’ve put into place. Disruptive Advertising does no ou...

How does a small digital marketing agency compete for top employees against big firms in such a competitive environment like the Bay Area? For Richard Bumgarner and Lyn Rundell, founders of Hero Marketing, the secret has been providing a great place to work, simply put. And that doesn’t mean a foosball table in the break room. Rather, they focus on providing true work/life balance, giving many emp...

Chris Raniere, founder and president of San Francisco-based digital marketing agency 46Mile, has seen a lot since his days at early search engine Ask Jeeves and other companies of that era. One thing that has remained a constant is that many clients don’t understand the value of the work agencies do in paid search and other marketing channels and, as a result, try to lowball them when it comes to...

Jeff Rosenblum, founding partner of digital marketing agency Questus, has a unique perspective on the industry. His agency’s fortunes rose in the Dot-Com Era. But they survived the crash and came out stronger on the other side with lessons learned that guide their work to this day with companies like Apple, Suzuki, General Mills, and more. He knows that most companies waste the vast majority of th...

Working with Hollywood’s biggest movie studios keeps Los Angeles-based Daniel Heale and his team on their toes. As Chief Strategic Officer of global agency Way to Blue, he’s always on the cutting edge of what works and what doesn’t in digital marketing. But Daniel says that there are two elements a successful agency needs that have nothing to do with technology or so-called best practices. We talk...

For agency owners and executives, the digital marketing landscape is always changing. With interviews with thought leaders and those “in the trenches” of the industry, the Performance Delivered podcast will keep you up-to-date with current industry best practices… and also give you a glimpse into what innovations the future holds. Hosts Steffen Horst and Dave Antil are big agency “refugees” who kn...