GYDA - Grow Your Digital Agency

GYDA Talks - Rand Fishkin - SparkToro

In this GYDA Talks, Robert talks to Rand Fishkin. Rand is the Co-Founder and CEO of SparkToro. He has dedicated his professional life to helping people do better marketing through his blogging, videos, speaking, and his book, ‘Lost and Founder’. When Rand’s not working, he’s most likely to be in the company of his partner in marriage and (mostly petty) crime, author Geraldine DeRuiter. If you feed him great pasta or great whisky, he’ll give you the cheat code to rank #1 on Google. Rand drop...

Robert Craven and Jason Swenk - 4 Things Successful Agencies Are Doing Right Now

GYDA Initiative Talks - Patrick Gilbert - AdVenture Media Group

In this GYDA Talks, Robert talks to Patrick Gilbert. Patrick grew up in Long Island, NY. He studied marketing and economics at the Pennsylvania State University and currently serves as the Executive Director at AdVenture Media Group. He is internationally recognised by Google for his expertise with automation, having been asked to deliver presentations at Google conferences held in NYC, London, and Dublin. Goodfirms.co recognised Patrick as a Top 10 Thought Leader for PPC Machine Learning, ...

GYDA Initiative Talks - Kosta Petrou - Ascend Digital

In this GYDA Talks, Robert talks to Kostas Petrou. He is the founder of the creative agency, Ascend Digital. He fell involve with digital marketing 8 years ago and studied through the CIM (Chartered Institute Of Marketing) at Loughborough College. He then worked in- house for a few years learning and perfecting the art of marketing but very quickly realised that his skillset and passion was in digital marketing. He then deep dived into disciplines such as SEO and Digital PR and quickly disc...

GYDA Initiative Talks - Warren Knight

In this GYDA Talks, Robert interviews Warren Knight. Warren is an award-winning keynote speaker, a top 100 Global Influencer and top 100 Tech Influencer.  He is internationally recognised as a speaker, trainer and coach on Digital Leadership & Digital Transformation, with nearly 15 years digital experience he’s an award-winning technology entrepreneur, certified Agile leader and author of Think #Digital First. Change agent Warren Knight’s personal approach to transforming how we view disrup...

GYDA Initiative Talks - Jason Barnard

In this GYDA Talks, Robert talks to Jason Barnard. Jason is an author, speaker and consultant on all things digital marketing. His specialist subject is Brand SERPs (what appears when someone googles your name). He teaches Brand SERP optimisation to students at Kalicube.pro. He also hosts a marketing podcast, where the smartest people in marketing talk to Jason about subjects they know inside out. The conversations are always interesting, always intelligent and always fun! Over 2 decades of...

GYDA Initiative Talks - Dixon Jones

In this GYDA Talks, Robert interviews Dixon Jones. Dixon Jones is a multi-award winning entrepreneur who has helped to build the Internet Marketing industry for over 20 years. He is currently an investor and CEO of Inlinks.net which is the first entity SEO toolset built from the ground up around its own Knowledge graphs and NLP algorithms. He is best known in the industry for building up Majestic, the link intelligence search engine as marketing director from 2009 to 2018. In that time the ...

GYDA Initiative Talks - Geoff Burch

In this GYDA Talks, Robert talks to Geoff Burch. Geoff is an internationally acknowledged authority on Change, Leadership, Sales and Customers.  An inspirational speaker who has a genuine in-depth understanding of business. Geoff is one of the most respected authorities speaking today. A best-selling author and business guru, Geoff has been voted ‘Business Communicator of the Year’ by the UK Speechwriters’ Guild and is considered to be one of Europe’s most exciting and motivational business...

GYDA Initiative Talks - Anton Shulke - SEMrush

In this GYDA Talks, Robert interviews Anton Shulke of SEMrush. A mathematician by education, Anton is now head of influencer marketing at SEMrush and the brains behind all of their informative webinars. Robert and Anton discuss: Background, Anton’s history Webinars – live or recorded Experts as ambassadors Core audience growth as the KPI How to create awareness 35% attendance the stadrad metric; half that for paid traffic It is a long game How to differentiate your webinar Quieter ...

GYDA Initiative Talks - Jonny Tooze - LAB

In this GYDA Talks, Robert talks to Jonny Tooze. Jonny is the founder of LAB and has been part of the UK digital community for the last 20 years. LAB is a digital agency specialising in human behaviour and innovation. Jonny has recently formed a group and started to acquire other agencies. He’s an advisor to many agencies outside of LAB, and has helped them grow and tackle complex challenges. He has also obsessed about leadership and decision-making for the last decade and coaches many leade...

GYDA Initiative Talks - Jeremy 'JJ' Jacobs - The Sales Rainmaker

In this GYDA Talks, Robert talks to Jeremy Jacobs. Jeremy ‘JJ’ Jacobs is the genuine article, a true Sales Rainmaker. He has devoted his life to understanding sales issues. He continues to research and share evolving as well as new insights into sales interactions. Unlike many of the profession who continue to preach out-of-date systems (methods) from the 1980s and 1990s he looks to the future. The way we buy and sell has undergone a radical shift in expectations and behaviours. What used to...

GYDA Initiative Talks - Adam Harris - Fresh Mindset

In this GYDA Talks, Robert interviews Adam Harris of Freshmindset. Adam specialises in providing leaders with the insights and tools they need to develop expertise in making the right introductions, and leverage this knowledge for strategic sales success. In other words, he’ll help you determine who and what you need to know, and who and what they need to know, to produce measurable and sustainable business results. A dynamic and powerful speaker – really, though, he’s not just saying that ...

GYDA Initiative Talks - Andy Lambert - ContentCal

In this GYDA Talks, Robert talks to Andy Lambert of ContentCal. Andy is one of the founding team and director of growth at ContentCal. From starting out as an agency and then launching their software product in 2017, ContentCal is now used by over 40,000 businesses in over 140 countries. Robert and Andy discuss: The journey to 2020 Managing content in a crisis V.O.I.C.E. What does ‘good look like? Authenticity with your audience Biggest challenge to doing good content marketing Copyw...

GYDA Initiative Talks - Bibi Raven - BibiBuzz

In this GYDA talks, Robert talks to Bibi Raven. Bibi the Link Builder is the crazy founder over at Bibibuzz – where her wild gang of outreach Jedi create powerful backlinks for her awesome clientele. She’s infamously known for doling out world-saving link building advice, creative link training and endless, utterly pointless dad jokes. Robert and Bibi discuss: How is running a team in the Philippines? Being a personality online Transactions vs Relationships Filter off rather than volume...

GYDA Initiative Talks - Geoff Ramm

In this GYDA Talks, Robert interviews Geoff Ramm. Geoff is an expert in Customer Service / Experience and Marketing. He is creator and author of Celebrity Service.  He’s challenged and inspired audiences across 43 countries to create award-winning ideas to outperform the competition. Geoff’s clients include, Emirates, Warner Brothers & McDonalds. FORBES called him….  ‘A Game Changer’. Robert and Geoff discuss: Service – how would you service change if Brad or Angelina was coming in to see ...

GYDA Initiative Talks - Geoff Ramm

In this GYDA Talks, Robert interviews Geoff Ramm. Geoff is an expert in Customer Service / Experience and Marketing. He is creator and author of Celebrity Service.  He’s challenged and inspired audiences across 43 countries to create award-winning ideas to outperform the competition. Geoff’s clients include, Emirates, Warner Brothers & McDonalds. FORBES called him….  ‘A Game Changer’. Robert and Geoff discuss: Service – how would you service change if Brad or Angelina was coming in to see ...

GYDA Talks - Garry Hamilton - Equator

In this GYDA Talks, Robert interviews Garry Hamilton. Garry is the Chief Growth Officer at the digital transformation agency, Equator. Over the last twenty years he and his two partners, have built the agency into a UK top 5 independent agency (Econsultancy 2019) with 180 experts in Glasgow and London. Equator currently serves as the digital transformation partner for FTSE 100 companies and world-renowned brands including AXA, Virgin Active, Santander, SSE, Phoenix Life and more. Robert and...

GYDA Talks - Dean Seddon - Maverikk

In this GYDA Talks, Robert talks to Dean Seddon of Maverrik. Dean founded Maverrik in 2013 as a consultancy and business development company. Having delivered growth in several small and large businesses, he embarked on building an organisation which would help business cut through the fog and grow people, sales and profit. Dean is a practical, hands-on business speaker and trainer. Supported by the Maverrik team, Dean speaks at over 100 events per year, consults with large and small busine...

GYDA Talks - Andy Lopata - Connected Leadership

In this GYDA Talks, Robert talks to Andy Lopata about his new book Connected Leadership. How Professional Relationships Underpin Executive Success. In the book Andy explores just how important strong relationships are and how to build a network of people who are: In a position to support you Want to support you Know exactly what support you need Why this book? Why now? How is it different from what you have done before? How is it different from other books on the subject? What are top ...

GYDA Talks - Jonathan Jay - Buying and Selling Agencies

In this interview Robert talks to Jonathan Jay. For over 20 years, Jonathan Jay has bought and sold companies, restructured groups, bought out competitors and successfully completed private equity deals both buy-side and sell-side. Robert and Jonathan discuss: Schoolboy errors when buying and selling The process of buying and selling Restructuring accounts Buying an agency without your own cash   This is a bitesize version of the full hour-long interview. To watch the rest visit GYDA ...

GYDA Talks - Joe Hine - SI Partners

In this GYDA Talks, Robert interviews Joe Hine of SI Partners. Joe’s passion lies in advising entrepreneurs to create and realise value in their businesses. He is a European partner at SI Partners, specialising in corporate finance and driving value prior to sale. SI Partners is a global team focused on advising creative, technology and consulting businesses. Joe has spent 20 years in M&A environments both as an advisor and in-house working on over 100 transactions. He brings his technica...

GYDA Talks - Ben Afia on Brand and Tone of Voice

In this GYDA Talks, Robert interviews Ben Afia. A recognised tone of voice pioneer and global expert, Ben uses language to help companies change culture, improve performance and forge deeper connections with their customers. As one of the first people in the world to establish and manage tone of voice, he cut his teeth with Wallgreen Alliance Boots, helping them improve relationships internally and with customers. He then set up Afia and has since helped companies like Allianz Insurance to...

GYDA Talks - Simon Jacobson - Microsoft

In this GYDA Talks, Robert talks to Simon Jacobson of Microsoft. Simon is the UK Business lead at Microsoft and has had a diverse career working in agencies, consultancies and platforms which has given him an amazing insight into the world of search. In the interview Robert and Simon discuss the state of play with agencies right now, during the COVID crisis, plus much more!   Robert and Simon discuss: The early agency response to Covid-19 What are the good agencies doing? Furloughing ...

GYDA Talks - Lucy Hall - Avviso Media

In this GYDA Talks Robert talks to Lucy Hall from Avviso Media. Lucy is a speaker and educator on Digital marketing. She is a director of Avviso Media, a digital , social and content marketing agency. Lucy also runs the three day media marketing festival and digital media awards, Social Day. Lucy is one of the UK’s most influential female leaders. Robert spends 45 minutes getting to the heart of this wonder woman’s success! Robert and Lucy discuss: Intro to Lucy and her history Social Da...

GYDA Talks - Ben Potter on Business Development

In this New Business discussion, Robert talks to Ben Potter. Ben helps agencies to win the right clients. He is a mentor for agency owners and business development managers. Ben and Robert share insight into: How to get more clients Why agencies struggle with getting new clients Culture, attention and focus Silver Bullet approaches don’t work Referrals, Farming, Hunting Examples of what works – closing the gap The future of business development Taking ownership of business developme...

GYDA Talks - Dan Sodergren - Flock

In this GYDA Talks Robert interviews Digital Marketing and tech media expert Dan Sodergren – investor in FLOCK. As a digital marketing consultant, Dan has worked with social, mobile and gaming clients ranging from high growth start-ups to well-established household names like O2. With active experience in topics as varied as gamification, geo location, augmented reality, social media excellence, and PPC, at FLOCK Dan is in charge of marketing and innovation. FLOCK itself being the digital t...

GYDA Talks - Paul Stephen - Sagittarius

Our June Expert of the Month is Paul Stephen of Sagittarius. With over 20 years in marketing, Paul is one of the UK’s leading experts on digital marketing. He oversees the agency and often lectures and consults within the industry on digital and marketing related subjects and has a particular interest and skills in the travel and tourism sectors. Paul operates nationally and internationally, helping brands to think outside the traditional horizontal and vertical channels and transform their...

GYDA Talks - Sammy Mansourpour

Here’s a bitesize version of May’s GYDA Member Hub Expert of the month. This month Robert interviews Sammy Mansourpour of Agency UK. AUK are an integrated brand communications agency based in Bath. They are privately owned and proudly independent, helping businesses grow by creating more meaningful brand experiences. They discuss: What makes AUK unique? Embracing conflict Creative for creating brand success Strange times and how AUK are addressing the crisis Client base and projects – ...

GYDA Talks - Tom Peters

In this GYDA Member Hub Talks – Robert interviews the awesome Tom Peters. Tom is one of the world’s most respected Management Gurus. He’s an Author, Business Expert, Thought Leader, Speaker. Tom is co-author of In Search of Excellence—the book that changed the way the world does business and often tagged as the best business book ever. Seventeen books and thirty-five years later, he is still at the forefront of the “management guru industry” he single-handedly invented. What’s new? A lot. ...

GYDA Talks - Timothy Armoo - Fanbytes

In this episode of GYDA Talks, Robert sits down with Timothy Armoo. Timothy is the CEO of Fanbytes, a digital agency which helps the world’s largest organizations like UK Government, Apple and Deliveroo win the hearts of younger audiences on Snapchat and Tiktok. As we watch the events in the US unfold and the #BlackLivesMatter movement grow globally, we discuss how it’s unfolding and reflect on the world that we live in… how far we have come and how far we have yet to go. Robert and Timoth...

GYDA Talks - Jason Swenk

In this month’s GYDA Member Hub interview, Robert interview Jason Swenk. Jason is an ex-digital agency owner who now runs a unique consultancy helping marketing agency owners grow their agencies faster. Jason has literally written the book for growing an agency from nothing to an eight-figure agency.  He is one of the most sought out advisors to agencies in the World, by showing them an 8 system framework that worked for growing his agency, working with brands like AT&T, Hitachi, Lotus Cars...

GYDA Initiative Talks - Rob Walsh - Clear Vision Accountancy Limited

In this episode of GYDA Talks, Robert talks to our Digital Agency network on the current state of play in their agencies during the Coronavirus outbreak. This episode features expert guest, Rob Walsh — Client Account Consultant at OnlineMarkethink.com.  They discuss: How to streamline your financial plan to optimise income and budgets in COVID What to outsource to accountants and when How to be authentic in your financial plan How to create and understand a beneficial financial forecast...

GYDA Initiative Talks - Arnout Hellemans - OnlineMarkethink.com

In this episode of GYDA Talks, Robert talks to our Digital Agency network on the current state of play in their agencies during the Coronavirus outbreak. This episode features expert guest, Arnout Hellemans — Founder of OnlineMarkethink.com. They discuss: The way you are reporting to profitability impact How to make clear choices to position your agency in; (PR / Outreach / PPC) > Work with marketing departments CRO, Analytics, Tech SEO and Site Performance > Work with operational departm...

GYDA Initiative Talks - Adam Graham - Gray Matters

In this episode of GYDA Talks, Robert talks to our Digital Agency network on the current state of play in their agencies during the Coronavirus outbreak. This episode features expert guest, Adam Graham — Founder and MD of agency Gray Matters. They discuss: Business development in May 2020 What is good business development What doesn't work Why are agency websites so rubbish Show passion or frustration Stand for something Marmite is OK How to pitch What do people really buy This ep...

GYDA Member Hub - Tom Peters - 46 Strategies

An awesome 6 minute listen, presented by Robert Craven.

GYDA Initiative Talks - Ross Tavendale - Type A

In this episode of GYDA Talks, Robert talks to our Digital Agency network on the current state of play in their agencies during the Coronavirus outbreak. This episode features expert guest, Ross Tavendale — MD of agency Type A. They discuss: Work lost Personal financial cuts The last 10 years have been a cakewalk Only the strong will survive Smart people are available Dealing with the competition T-shaped consultants 4-day weeks This episode was recorded on 08.04.20.

GYDA Initiative Talks - Guy Levine - Return Agency

In this episode of GYDA Talks, Robert talks to our Digital Agency network on the current state of play in their agencies during the Coronavirus outbreak. This episode features expert guest, Guy Levine MD of agency Return. This episode was recorded on 06.04.20.

GYDA Initiative Talks - Episode 30

In this episode of GYDA Talks, Robert talks to our Digital Agency network on the current state of play in their agencies during the Coronavirus outbreak. This Q&A covers: Can we push sales? How to collect money? Is it looking rosier?  Should we cut the fat or the muscle? This episode was recorded on 03.04.20.

GYDA Initiative Talks - Kevin Gibbons - Re:Signal

In this episode of GYDA Talks, Robert talks to Kevin Gibbons of Re:Signal. They discuss Coronavirus and dealing with staff and clients, mindset, attitude and making sense of the future. This episode was recorded on 01.04.20.

Robert Craven on the parallels between COVID-19 the Kübler-Ross model.

A quick podcast in which Robert Craven explains the parallels between COVID-19 the Kübler-Ross model. A model which forms the '5 stages of grief' but here he talks about the change curve that we are all experiencing. This podcast is more about how organisations and companies are responding to the change that is happening right now. An insightful listen!

GYDA Initiative Talks - Coronavirus – Rob Sayles - Campaign Strategy and Paid Media Consultant

In this episode of GYDA Talks, Robert talks to Rob Sayles a Campaign Strategy and Paid Media Consultant. Rob provides his Partners with campaign strategy, creative, funnels, and ads services. With over 20 years experience in digital (working for a broad range of clients across the globe), he's spent his career working on innovative ways to scale agencies. This episode was recorded on 30.03.20. They discuss: Changing the narrative Business development  Getting proactive and productive in ...

GYDA Initiative Talks - Coronavirus – Daniel Barnett - Employment Law Barrister

In this episode of GYDA Talks, Robert talks to Daniel Barnett, an Employment Law Barrister on Employment, Staff and COVID-19 during the Coronavirus outbreak. This episode was recorded on 27.3.20.

GYDA Initiative Talks - Coronavirus 25.3.20

In this episode of GYDA Talks, Robert talks to our Digital Agency network on the current state of play in their agencies during the Coronavirus outbreak. This episode was recorded on 25.3.20.

GYDA Initiative Talks - Coronavirus 20.3.20

 In this episode of GYDA Talks, Robert talks to our Digital Agency network on the current state of play in their agencies during the Coronavirus outbreak. This episode was recorded on 20.3.20. 

GYDA Initiative Talks - Coronavirus 19.3.20

In this episode of GYDA Talks, Robert talks to our Digital Agency network on the current state of play in their agencies during the Coronavirus outbreak. This episode was recorded on 19.3.20.

GYDA Initiative Talks - Coronavirus 18.3.20

In this episode of GYDA Talks, Robert talks to our Digital Agency network on the current state of play in their agencies during the Coronavirus outbreak. This episode was recorded on 18.3.20.  

GYDA Initiative Talks - Jenny Plant

In this episode of GYDA Talks, Robert talks to Jenny Plant. Jenny started her career in account management in the early 1990’s and apart from five years working client side as a marketing manager, she has spent her career in agencies managing client relationships. Jenny started Account Management Skills in 2010 to help creative agency leaders retain and grow existing clients by training their account management team. Robert and Jenny discuss: Account Management and Sales What makes Jenny ...

GYDA Initiative Talks - Tamar Saglambilek - Elevate Digital

In this episode of GYDA Talks, Robert talks to Tamer Saglambilek, founder and Managing Director of Elevate Digital. Elevate are a full-service growth marketing agency based in the Netherlands. Tamer first met Robert at the 2016 Google Premier Partners Summit in Amsterdam and in 2019 completed the Google Elevator program with our team. His insight into building a successful 25 strong agency is valuable for any agency owner wanting to grow. Robert and Tamer discuss: Who are Elevate Digital? ...

GYDA Initiative Talks - Robin Waite - Fearless Business

In this episode of GYDA Talks, Robert talks to Robin Waite. Robin ran his own agency for 12 years before deciding to take a break and re-evaluate. He is now a twice published author and runs Fearless Business, coaching SME’s to grow their businesses by adapting their strategy of selling time for money to being results orientated. Robert and Robin discuss: Growing an agency and closing it down The Ah-Ha moment – what made the change Marketing agencies – streamlining the process with the c...

GYDA Initiative Talks - Leon Milns - We Are Adam

In this episode of GYDA Talks, Robert talks to Leon Milns. Leon is a founder of We Are Adam a recruitment consultancy specialising in the Digital sector. Leon has spent 15 years building Adam into an award-winning consultancy. They create long term relationships with clients, partnering with their management team to ensure talent acquisitions fulfils their growth journey. In this episode they discuss: Leon and We Are Adam Recruitment and Setting up a Recruitment Consultancy Evolving the ...