A Brighter Web | Grow your business with digital marketing

Does it ever feel like something's wrong with the American model of capitalism? If obsession with growth at all costs and maximizing shareholder wealth is disappointing to you, you’re not alone. Many are working to improve this mindset, including Paul Knowlton and Better Capitalism.  Paul literally wrote the book on how to improve our system to work better for everyone, not just the wealthy. Liste...

Michael Caldwell is the co-founder of technology agency Black Airplane, and the current mayor of Woodstock, Ga. He's also a futurist who thinks a lot about how technology impacts our lives, especially artificial intelligence. At the 2025 Brighter Web Conference, Michael shared how he foresees AI impacting our lives and work, in both positive and negative ways. Michael’s talk on YouTube: https://ww...

Moira Vetter shares her experience founding and running an award-winning marketing agency, Modo Modo, in this talk at the 2025 Brighter Web Conference. Links: Moira’s talk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3YxRa1sdHA   Modo Modo: https://modomodoagency.com/   Adventure The Book: https://adventurethebook.com/   Moira on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moiravetter/ Marketing Madhous...

Co-founder of the Atlanta-based branding agency, Matchstic, Blake Howard shared how his team develops radical relevance for known brands. This talk was given at the 2025 Brighter Web Conference in Atlanta, Ga. Links: Blake’s talk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceRz3XgtuKQ   Radically Relevant book: https://learn.matchstic.com/radically-relevant-book   Matchstic: https://matchstic.com/...

KWSM agency founder, Katie Wagner, spoke at the 2025 Brighter Web Conference about a new approach to marketing that goes beyond just traditional inbound and outbound—it's called Nearbound Marketing. Links: Katie’s talk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpCx_TWUnBU&t=364s   Katie’s agency, KWSM: https://kwsmdigital.com/   Katie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiewagnerkwsm/...

At the 2025 Brighter Web Conference, Atlanta tech entrepreneur Jeff Hilimire discusses how dreaming small might be the key to finding meaning in both work and life. He shares from his personal perspective on how starting small has benefited his career and organizations.  Links: Video of Jeff’s talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNBag5WWheQ   Jeff’s Website: https://jeffhilimire.com/   Dream Sma...

Struggling to keep up with the rapid changes in AI technology and its impact on marketing? Discover how small business leaders and marketers can harness AI tools to stay ahead of the curve and enhance their strategies. This episode dives into the benefits and challenges of AI, emphasizing the need for adaptability in a fast-paced digital world. Links Claude ChatGPT Robert’s  AI experiment article

Remote work is more common than ever and a highly desired flexible benefit in many jobs. However, it doesn’t come without its own set of challenges and downsides. Coworking spaces like Fireworks in Marietta, Georgia, offer a good balance between flexibility and community. Courtney Schwartz from Fireworks shares the benefits and community aspects of co-working spaces. Chapters [01:15] Meet Courtney...

Logan Lewis is the creative mind behind Hammerhead Creations and the Your Morning Drive podcast. Logan shares his journey of building a brand that encompasses his diverse creative pursuits, from podcasting to marketing services for small businesses.  Discover how Logan balances his full-time job with his passion projects and the importance of community and personal relationships in his work. Chapt...

Digital marketing isn’t just about posting and hoping people see your content. You also need to do the more difficult work of creating an online community and forming mutually beneficial relationships. What does it actually look like to create an online community? That’s what we’re learning together in our brand-new Brighter Web marketing community . Join us and let’s learn together.

Data is both helpful and overwhelming for marketers. Let’s have an honest conversation about how to manage your flood of online data and make wiser decisions in your business. We’ll cover some common misconceptions, useful tools, and how to focus on what really matters. Highlights Data coordination involves creating client reports and answering data-related questions. Data provides unbiased insigh...

Conferences can be fun and helpful, or they can be a massive waste of time and money. Overall, we love going to marketing conferences—enough that we wanted to plan one of our own. If you’re in Atlanta on October 9, 2025, we’d love to have you at the first-ever Brighter Web Conference . Even if you can’t make it, here are some insights on what we love about these events and what we’ve learned from...

In this episode, our guest Sanjay Parekh discusses the importance of privacy and security in our digital lives. We discuss the balance between convenience and security, the necessity of using strong passwords and unique email addresses, and the tools available to enhance online safety, including password managers and two-factor authentication.  Sanjay emphasizes the need for individuals and small...

What are the most impactful web technologies of all time? We were inspired by another podcast to create our very own unscientific list. What tech made the cut? Show Notes Original Hard Fork podcast episode Our Top 30 Technologies List HTML (1993) Google (1998) AOL (& AIM) (early 90’s) iPhone (2007) WordPress (2003) Wikipedia (2001) Cable modems (late 90’s) Facebook (2004) / MySpace (2003) RSS...

It’s 2025! At the end of 2024, we recorded our reactions to an article predicting some of the biggest trends and ideas for the new year. Which of these will come true and which will flop? Only time will tell. Original article from LinkedIn: 25 Big Ideas that will change our world in 2025 Here are the items from the list that we discussed in depth: #1: AI will lead to a more productive and shorter...

In this episode of the Brighter Web Podcast, we talk to Laura Beth Daws about the critical role of communication in team building. They explore the challenges of hybrid work environments, the importance of self-awareness, and the need for psychological safety within teams.  Laura emphasizes that effective communication is not just about conveying messages but about fostering connections and unders...

Diversity is an often discussed but just as frequently misunderstood topic—including in marketing. What does being inclusive in digital marketing mean, and why is it important? We invited a marketer with experience dealing with these questions to join us on the podcast. Let’s learn from Daniela Cintron how we can all be more diverse in our representation to reach wider audiences and connect with t...

YouTube is the second-largest search engine online and the largest video platform. Video is becoming an increasingly powerful way to reach people online; however, producing and sharing meaningful video content is a challenge. In this episode, we talk to video production professional Kendrich Disch about the basics of growing your following on YouTube. Links verticalriver.co - video production agen...

Every small business owner understands that social media is meant to be part of your online presence. But which platforms should you be active on? How often should you post? What’s the goal with social media? Do you need to pay for ads? Liz Bachmann manages organic social media and more for small businesses and joins us on the podcast to answer these questions and more. Show Notes Wildflower Socia...

Over 40% of websites are built using WordPress—the popular open-sourced content management system. But do you need to be a web developer to build an effective website using WordPress. To break this down, we invited our friend and WordPress web creator, April Wier, to the podcast. Links WordPress CMS April Wier’s website April on Facebook Sugar Five Design Woodstock WordPress Meetup

Communicating clearly is a cornerstone of effective marketing. But how do you maintain a consistent message across various digital platforms? It begins with great marketing copywriting. To unpack this underappreciated art, we invited freelance copywriter Jessica Fralin on the podcast.  Links Jessica’s website Sparked studio Jessica on Instagram Jessica on LinkedIn

Despite what you might think, effective digital marketing isn’t free. It takes time and knowledge, and it can often require paid advertising to reach new audiences. The digital ad landscape can be overwhelming, so we invited our friend Mike Scott from Manticore Marketing to walk us through how any small business can get started with ads. Links Manticore Marketing’s website Mike Scott on LinkedIn M...

Your company’s brand is built on how you’re perceived by the general public. Therefore, managing your reputation among consumers using public relations is a valuable practice in branding. Cindy Miller is a PR expert with years of experience and the CEO of Cindy Miller Communications. She spoke with Mickey about the value of public relations and how you can get started with PR at your small busines...

Even if it’s not in your job title or description, you’re likely somewhat familiar with project management. However, it’s not a responsibility everyone fully understands or embraces. This makes project management one of the most underrated and underappreciated parts of business and marketing. We invited GreenMellen’s project manager, Brooke Desmond, on to discuss how we can all improve our project...

What is it like to start and run a marketing agency? Our co-host Mickey Mellen invites his co-founder Ali Green to the show to discuss building GreenMellen together. This is a peek behind the curtain of how a digital marketing agency works and what it takes to operate smoothly. Ali Green on GreenMellen's Website   Ali Green on LinkedIn The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and...