Louder Than Words with John Bonini

You know Dave Gerhardt. Maybe it's from his days running marketing at Drift. Or from his time hosting the Seeking Wisdom podcast with David Cancel. Or, maybe you've heard of (or are a member of) his B2B community, Exit Five.

Point is, if you've been working in B2B marketing at any point in the last decade, you know Dave.

In this rare podcast interview, Dave goes into detail on everything that's led him to this point––the solo founder of a $1M business.

You'll hear what he learned during his days at Drift, how his community first launched as a side gig, when he knew he could go all in on his own, and all of the details for how he currently runs his business (i.e. how his revenue streams have changed, how he prices sponsorships, where he goes from here, etc.)

Enjoy!

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode, the promotional clips, and handling the overall production of Louder Than Words.

In this episode, John hangs out with recovering in-house marketer, now founder of Growth Sprints, Brendan Hufford. In the past, Hufford worked in both growth and SEO for companies like ActiveCampaign. Now, he works with SaaS companies to help take them grow through short, focused sprints using his SaaS Growth Sprint framework.

Discussed in this episode:

• Navigating bureaucracy requires understanding the value of stair stepping and starting with a V1, V2, V3 approach.
• Transitioning from one career to another often involves taking a step back to gain momentum and escape toxic work environments.
• Creating a personal brand and consistently producing content can lead to opportunities and growth.
• Bigger companies often undervalue creative work and prioritize numbers and politicking.
• The role of individual contributors who have an audience that aligns with the company's audience is highly valuable.
• Why companies should embrace creators who can not only create content but also contribute to the company's growth.
• Being interested in your audience and sharing interesting stories and experiences is more compelling than generic content.
• Traditional keyword research is becoming less effective, and unique angles in content are more important.

Timestamps:

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (02:01) - From School Teacher to Digital Marketing
• (04:20) - Starting a Review Website and Learning Marketing
• (05:11) - Creating Content and Building a Brand
• (06:06) - Transitioning from Teaching to Marketing
• (07:05) - Taking a Step Back to Gain Momentum
• (09:00) - The Power of Volume and Consistency
• (09:54) - Finding Escape Velocity and Building a Liberal Arts Degree in Marketing
• (10:53) - The Decision to Leave the 9-5 Lifestyle
• (12:15) - The Importance of Slowing Down and Focusing on Quality
• (13:40) - Creating Ephemeral Series of Content
• (15:58) - Leaving Toxic Work Environments
• (20:10) - Navigating Bureaucracy and Frustrations in the Workplace
• (22:56) - The Decision to Quit and Prioritize Mental Health
• (24:45) - Building Your Own Dream and Being Adequately Compensated
• (25:46) - The Importance of Supportive Spouses
• (26:16) - The Value of Supportive Relationships
• (26:45) - The Challenges of Working in Bigger Companies
• (27:16) - The Value of Individual Contributors
• (28:14) - The Importance of Being a Creator within a Company
• (29:13) - The Restrictions of Working Outside of Work
• (29:41) - The Challenges of Hiring Creators
• (30:11) - Being Interested and Being Interesting
• (31:06) - The Power of Sharing Stories and Experiences
• (32:05) - The Effectiveness of Reporting on Brands and Products
• (32:36) - The Current Trends in Content Creation
• (33:05) - The Importance of Quality in SEO
• (34:05) - The Value of Website Content
• (34:31) - The Need for Quality and Unique Content
• (35:56) - The Evolution of SEO and Content Strategy
• (37:19) - The Importance of Quality in YouTube and Podcasts
• (38:16) - The Role of SEO in Marketing
• (39:14) - The Importance of Unique Angles in SEO
• (40:13) - The Value of Important Content
• (41:11) - The Importance of Owning the Narrative
• (42:04) - The Death of Traditional Keyword Research
• (43:01) - The Importance of Unique Angles in Content
• (43:57) - The Limitations of Keyword Research
• (45:22) - The Importance of Elevating Content
• (46:49) - Revamping the Newsletter

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode, the promotional clips, and handling the overall production of Louder Than Words.

Riverside is offering a 15% discount to Louder Than Words listeners. Just visit riverside.fm and use the code LOUDER during checkout to lock in your discount.

This week, I sit down with a friend and and someone whose work I've long admired––Emily Triplett Lentz. Emily has one of the most prolific and legendary resumes in content marketing, working for brands like Basecamp, Help Scout, Loom, and currently, Calendly.

Things discussed in this episode:

• Community plays a crucial role in content marketing as it helps build trust and loyalty among target audiences.
• Basecamp's non-traditional approach to content, driven by strong opinions and clarity in messaging, contributed to its success and loyal following.
• Synthesizing information from various sources and incorporating different perspectives can lead to more impactful and insightful content.
• Embrace cultural conversations surrounding your brand and educate your audience to shape the narrative.
• Leverage your audience's voice to amplify your brand message.
• Content is the fuel for important campaigns and initiatives.
• Consider the unique characteristics and needs of your company when developing content strategies.

Timestamps

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (03:32) - The Impact of Content Brands
• (05:23) - The Importance of Personal Use Case
• (07:11) - Content at Basecamp: Non-traditional Approach
• (08:40) - Content at Help Scout: Investing in Community
• (11:31) - Content at Basecamp: Freedom and Input
• (13:58) - The Power of Contrarian Content
• (17:17) - Content at Basecamp: Clarity and Opinion
• (21:28) - Content at Help Scout: Learning and Growth
• (23:18) - Content as Brand
• (24:17) - Engaging and Elevating a Community
• (24:17) - Building a Passionate and Influential Customer Base
• (30:02) - Engaging in Cultural Conversations
• (36:20) - Leveraging Product Virality
• (40:16) - Strategic Content Efforts for Limited Resources

Riverside is offering a 15% discount to Louder Than Words listeners. Just visit riverside.fm and use the code LOUDER during checkout to lock in your discount.

We’re back! The first new episode of Louder Than Words in more than 6(!) years.

Today, John welcomes marketing and creative extraordinaire Amanda Natividad to talk about her own journey as a creator filled with uncertainty and self-doubt to a full-blown influencer, how she approaches creating content that’s unique and more defensible, and how the freedom to create on her/their own terms at SparkToro works to their benefit.

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode, the promotional clips, and handling the overall production of Louder Than Words.

Johnny "Cupcakes" Earle discusses his entrepreneurial upbringing, how he started 16 businesses before he was 16, and why he still gets excited about selling t-shirts.