More than a Few Words
1,038 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago - ★★★★★ - 88 ratingsA marketing podcast for business owners. The brief conversations of this marketing podcast are filled with practical tips from business owners and marketing professionals from around the world.
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Episodes
#532 Absolute Marketing
November 05, 2020 11:35 - 10 minutes - 10.7 MBThe weekly marketing podcast, More than a Few Words is hosted by Lorraine Ball and features conversations with professionals from around the world. Creating great marketing content takes a while It is important, but if you're not careful, it can take over so much of your time that you don't have any time left to run your business. Our guest, Elizabeth Pampalone shares the secret to creating a year's worth of content in a week through a process she calls Absolute Marketing. The system ...
#531 - Customers are Ready to Buy From You
November 01, 2020 11:29 - 1 minute - 1.32 MBDid you know that 57% of all purchase decisions are actually made before a customer ever talks to a supplier. The marketing minute is a shorter version of the popular More than a Few Words podcast. Instead of a conversation with a marketing professional, host Lorraine Ball shares a quick tip to start you on your day as a business owner. More than half of the people who pick up the telephone to talk to you have already made up their mind. That's good news for the people that are calling. ...
#530 How to Improve Email Engagement
October 29, 2020 13:27 - 14 minutes - 15.1 MBMore than a Few Words, a weekly marketing podcast, hosted by Lorraine Ball features conversations with professionals from around the world. This week, Shane Barker joined us for a conversation about email engagement, getting readers excited to hear from you. Do you remember when it was fun and exciting to get an email? That was a long time ago. These days, our inboxes are filled, and there's a real fatigue. As a marketer, your challenge is to break through the clutter, and get people e...
#529 Content Marketing Defined
October 25, 2020 12:01 - 1 minute - 1.43 MBThese days, it seems like everyone is talking about content marketing. But what is it really? The marketing minute is a shorter version of the popular More than a Few Words podcast. Instead of a conversation with a marketing professional, host Lorraine Ball shares a quick tip to start you on your day as a business owner. Content marketing is a strategic marketing process of using content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. It's focused on creating and distributing valuable, ...
#528 Overcoming the Content Hurdle
October 21, 2020 09:00 - 12 minutes - 11.6 MBMore than a Few Words, a weekly marketing podcast, hosted by Lorraine Ball features conversations with professionals from around the world. This week, our guest Colin Gray talks about the challenges business owners face when it comes to creating content. it's not hard usually, to convince people that content is a good idea, whether it's a podcast, whether it's a blog, a video channel. The hard part is getting them to stick to the routine, because it is the consistency that really bu...
#527 Lessons from Late Night Advertising
October 18, 2020 10:00 - 1 minute - 1.22 MBThe marketing minute is a shorter version of the popular More than a Few Words podcast. Instead of a conversation with a marketing professional, host Lorraine Ball shares a quick tip to start you on your day as a business owner. These days, it seems like everyone is talking about content marketing. But what is it really? If you watch late night television, you've probably seen infomercials for some random product. In the wee hours of the morning you find yourself watching with interest th...
#526 -Tips for Getting Started with Brett Shapiro
October 15, 2020 10:25 - 5 minutes - 5.05 MBThe weekly marketing podcast, More than a Few Words is hosted by Lorraine Ball and features conversations with professionals from around the world. Getting Started These days a lot of people who never thought they were going to be business owners are starting businesses. These new entrepreneurs have questions, an our guest Brett Shapiro has answers. To run a legitimate business, the US government and your State Secretary of State is going to want to know who you are, what your business ...
#525 Invite Me In
October 11, 2020 10:11 - 1 minute - 1.25 MBThe marketing minute is a shorter version of the popular More than a Few Words podcast. Instead of a conversation with a marketing professional, host Lorraine Ball shares a quick tip to start you on your day as a business owner. There was a time when the doorbell rang, you would jump up and fling the door open in the hopes of entertaining a neighbor, friend or unexpected guest. But things have changed. And we're a lot more cautious these days about who we invite into our homes. This can ...
#524 Marketing With Heart
October 08, 2020 10:18 - 10 minutes - 10 MBThe weekly marketing podcast, More than a Few Words is hosted by Lorraine Ball and features conversations with professionals from around the world. Many business owners think marketing is all about tactics and actions, instead of really paying attention to the outcome. They think they want a website, or social media and they expect those actions will solve their problems. But the truth is it depends on the intention of what are you trying to accomplish. At the end of the day you want to e...
#523 Geofencing
October 04, 2020 12:00 - 1 minute - 1.23 MBThe marketing minute is a shorter version of the popular More than a Few Words podcast. Instead of a conversation with a marketing professional, host Lorraine Ball shares a quick tip to start you on your day as a business owner. When you walk down the aisle of a grocery store, and a coupon for peanut butter pops up on your phone it is convenient for you and a great selling tool for the retailer. The technology that allows merchants to target specific messages based on your location is cal...
#522 Get More Done By Doing Less
October 01, 2020 10:00 - 11 minutes - 12 MBThe weekly marketing podcasts, More than a Few Words is hosted by Lorraine Ball and features marketing conversations with professionals from around the world. Get More Done by Doing Less Many people assume they need to be busy to be more productive. The truth however, is that being busy doesn't necessarily mean you are actually accomplishing anything. Well you may be getting things done, but not the right things. Our guest Alex Sanfilippo suggests if you want to be more productive you...
##521 Shout a Little
September 27, 2020 12:00 - 1 minute - 1.24 MBThe marketing minute is a shorter version of the popular More than a Few Words podcast. Instead of a conversation with a marketing professional, host Lorraine Ball shares a quick tip to start you on your day as a business owner. When you were little your parents probably told you to use an inside voice. They may have said that it wasn't polite to shout. While true in your parent's living room, there are times you have to raise your voice to get noticed. This is especially true on line a...
#520 The Agile Process with Connie Steele
September 24, 2020 11:00 - 10 minutes - 10.2 MBThe weekly marketing podcasts, More than a Few Words is hosted by Lorraine Ball and features marketing conversations with professionals from around the world. Using Agile Marketing to Get Better Results Faster. These days it feels like everything has to move just a little bit faster. In response to the "need for speed" many companies are embracing Agile Development for their marketing programs. Our guest, Connie Steele shares some ideas on how companies can put agile marketing to work. ...
#519 Live Chat Tips
September 20, 2020 12:36 - 1 minute - 1.21 MBIn an age where most people would rather text than talk, we've seen a dramatic rise in live chat features on websites. And while sometimes I get nostalgic for the old days when you could actually talk to someone, I have to admit that the chat tools are kind of growing on me. And I'm not alone. In a recent survey chat was identified as the number one method preferred by customers to reach out and connect . 41% said the preferred to connect via text. That was followed by phone, email, and d...
#518 Make a Great Second Impression
September 17, 2020 10:13 - 9 minutes - 8.44 MBEach week host Lorraine Ball and her guest have a marketing conversation for business owners. This week the topic is how to make a great second impression. Our guest, Janice Porter explains that it starts with being a good listener, and learning about the other person. Then when you follow up, refer to something from the first conversation to show them you're interested. Whether you are connecting in person or online, the strategies are still the same. Being curious, asking questions and ...
#517 The Short Letter
September 13, 2020 22:19 - 1 minute - 1.41 MBMy uncle used to say that he was going to write me a short note but didn’t have time, so he wrote me a long letter instead. When you are limited in the number or words, you choose your words carefully and you use them sparingly. When you have the luxury of a long letter, you can ramble on and on, and hope that sooner or later, you’ll get to the point. And you hope the recipient will hang in long enough to figure out what you’re talking about. That strategy is something you should keep in m...
#516 Work From Anywhere
September 10, 2020 10:00 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MBEach week host Lorraine Ball and her guest have a conversation for business owners. This week the topic is how to work from anywhere. 2020 has been an interesting year. It has created lots of challenges for business owners, especially as they adjust to managing their team as they leave the office to work at home. In some cases the home environment doesn’t have the capability to support the kind of work people need to do. In other cases, as people move out from behind the corporate fi...
#515 Building Habits
September 06, 2020 17:54 - 1 minute - 1.46 MBIf you are like me, you have that one thing that you always put off, it's something that has to get done. But there is always something else more important that gets in the way. It is time to break the cycle of guilt associated with never getting to the things that are important. You need to commit to making that thing a habit and do it every single day. And one of the best ways to make something a habit is to really understand how habits work. It is a three-part process. There's a trigge...
#514 Build Your Dream Team
September 03, 2020 10:00 - 11 minutes - 10.9 MBWhy build a dream team? On the one hand things are so much simpler when it is just you. On the other hand, when it is just you, then you are wearing all of the hats, all the time. You have to do everything. If you aren’t working in the business, it’s probably not making money. That’s where the power of a team comes into play When you build the dream team, with the right people and you actually put an accountability and follow up into your system, your life actually becomes less complica...
#513 Click This
August 30, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.05 MBThe internet is filled with calls to action. Everywhere you go, there are brightly colored buttons commanding you to read more, get the content, watch this or buy now; all those buttons exist because they work. People respond, click or take action when commanded to do so, but some buttons work better than others. If you’re going to design buttons for your website, keep the message short: 1-3 words so the reader can comprehend the command at a glance, use action phrases, tell people what ...
#512 Transitions
August 27, 2020 11:00 - 11 minutes - 11.1 MBA wise man once said, there is nothing so constant as change. That is especially true when you are a business owner. The key to success is often identifying opportunities to pivot and being brave enough to make the change. Tiffany Youngren, Host of the Next Up Nation Podcast and founder of the OHM Agency joined us for a conversation about transitions. Her advice: Just because you made one change, doesn't mean there isn't another pivot in your future. As things change you need to be pr...
#511 Celebrity Marketing
August 23, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.2 MBCelebrity endorsements aren’t new. I mean, they’ve been around for a really long time as far back as the 1760s, when producers of pottery in China used royal endorsements to promote their product. Hollywood stars and athletes routinely allow their images to be used in endorsements of products. And we assume that the athlete knows something about the running shoes or the celebrity chef knows something about cooking. But these days, there is a new class of celebrity with the rise of the Intern...
#510 How to Work with Your Spouse
August 20, 2020 10:44 - 9 minutes - 10.4 MBPeople often ask me if I work with my husband. And I politely explain that I would rather remain married, than try to navigate that challenging path. But my guest, Paul Tompkins explains how to do both. It boils down to a few simple strategies. It requires patience and a willingness to put the other person ahead of you Separate work from family and not allow work to bleed into other parts of your life. Set up a daily plan that may not start and end at the same time.
#509 Blogging Checklist
August 16, 2020 11:01 - 1 minute - 898 KBA few thoughts to start your blogging checklist. I am a big fan of blogging because I think it can be a very powerful part of your overall marketing. So what’s involved in a successful blog? Well, to start it needs to be filled with a steady stream of content filled with relevant keywords. That’s great for search engines, but it also needs to be well written and relevant content for your target audience. Then then content needs to be properly indexed and categorized. s both human beings an...
#508 Become an Expert | Mark Dunsmore
August 13, 2020 11:32 - 11 minutes - 10.2 MBThis week our guest Mark Dunsmore explains the best way to become an expert in your niche is not to try to learn everything about your industry. You don't have to be a superpower in the industry and teach everything someone needs to know. Instead, what it means is having more knowledge than the person who wants to learn from you, and being able to package that up in a way that enables them to progress along their journey
#507 Natural Language
August 09, 2020 11:40 - 1 minute - 1.91 MBIf a prospective customer went to Google to look for a business like yours, what words would they use? Your website must contain those words. They tell a search engine like Google exactly what your website or page is about. That information is then stored in the search engine database so it can be presented to prospective customers when they’re looking for a product or service. One of the most common mistakes business owners make is thinking that there’s some single magic key word or phr...
506 Customer Experience
August 06, 2020 17:39 - 9 minutes - 9.46 MBWhen people throw around the term customer experience, what are they really talking about? They're talking about the experience that customers go through when interacting with your brand. It is not just a single moment, but rather a series of interaction in their customer journey. The cumulative impact of these experiences defines how they feel and how they perceive the brand is delivering on their promise. This week, Stacy Sherman of DoingCXRight®shares some tips on how and when busi...
#505 Why You Need An SSL
August 02, 2020 09:21 - 1 minute - 1.26 MBEvery day when you leave your home, you lock the door and you take your keys. That's what you do to protect your home. As a business owner with a website, you need to lock your website to protect that as well. To do that you need to add what's known as an SSL, a secure socket layer to make sure that your information does not fall into the wrong hands and to signal to search engines that you're serious about security. Because you see, Google and other search engines don't want to sen...
#504 Judgement vs Curiosity
July 30, 2020 12:44 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBIt is human nature to be judgmental, to look at things which are different and judge them good or bad. What is the difference between judgement and curiosity? Actually, they're two sides of the same coin. They occur as we recognize that something is different from how we'd like it to be or just different from what we're used to. Judgment is what we typically do as human beings. We recognize something as either better or worse, good or bad. Where as curiosity is just looking to see ...
#503 Meme This
July 26, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.17 MBIn this week's Marketing Minute, we look at the art of the Meme If you’ve been using social media for any length of time, you’ve probably seen a meme. What makes memes so popular is the fact that they give people a common topic or trend to make jokes about, creating a community feel as the meme is expanded and shared. But what about brands? Are they invited to the party? It’s a question that every social media manager grapples with at some point, and the answer is more complicated th...
#502 Productively Working Remotely
July 23, 2020 11:00 - 14 minutes - 12.8 MBThis week's guest Robby Slaughter discusses the pros and cons of remote work. He shares tips on how to make working remotely more productive without allowing it to take over your life. Stop using the phrase wok - life balance. Think of it as life - work balance. When you put your life first in that phrase you are making a decision to think about the person you want to be and how you want to live. Then the work is what enables you to have the life you want to have with your friends, w...
#501 Advertising for Repeat Business
July 19, 2020 14:15 - 1 minute - 1.21 MBRemember when everyone thought the internet was free, you could put your message out there and suddenly traffic came to your website? It was like magic. Well, those days are gone. Today, you are competing with so many messages as you try to drive traffic to your website that you need to push your way to the top with a little bit of advertising. As you think about advertising, you need to think about your business to see if it’s going to make sense. If you’re running a transactional busines...
#500 - Throwback Thursday with Allison Carter
July 16, 2020 11:42 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MBTen years ago, More than a Few Words was in its infancy. We tested a lot of formats, short programs, live broadcasts, and interviews with marketing professionals. And for about a year, simply the show was comprised of conversations between Lorraine Ball and Allison Carter. it was the early days of social media and there was so much to talk about. There were mistakes by larger brands like Kenneth Cole and little regional publications as businesses of all sizes looked for guidance on using...
#499 Welcome Visitors to Your Website
July 12, 2020 16:00 - 1 minute - 964 KBToday, I want to start with a simple question. Is your website ready for company? Think about when you invite guests over to your home, you take a little time to clean up, dust, polish, put things where they need to be, you make sure your refrigerator is well stocked, and you have clean plates and silverware. Well, when you bring visitors to your website, you need to do the same thing. You need to take time on a regular basis to make sure that the site is well organized, that you’ve got fre...
#498 Why Web Copy Matters
July 09, 2020 15:36 - 11 minutes - 11 MBEveryone wants their website to look awesome, with interesting pictures and cool animation. Unfortunately, none of that matters if the words don't tell your story. Why? Because while it may be impressive, people don't come for this great scrolling animation across your homepage. They come for information. In this episode we share tips on planning and writing the all important web copy.
#497 The Gain Headline
July 05, 2020 11:55 - 1 minute - 1.03 MBWhen you're trying to get someone's attention, get them to open your email, or click on a link from social media, you have to be able to tell them what's in it for them. You need to use what's called a Gain Headline. To use this style of headline you have to be specific and define for your reader how they will benefit if they take the time to click or read more. And if you want them to come back, you need to be sure that your content lives up to the promise your headline makes. This marke...
#496 No Daddy!
July 02, 2020 17:07 - 11 minutes - 10.3 MBSome web hosting firms are definitely better than others. While they were once your very best choice, these days we find ourselves saying No Daddy to GoDaddy.
#495 The Pain Headline
June 28, 2020 12:46 - 1 minute - 1.07 MBWhen someone stumbles across your content or social media or it’s dropped into their inbox, you have just a few seconds to make them care enough to click and read more. With so much information thrown at potential clients every day. Your challenge is to compete with all of those other messages and get readers to pay attention to you. While there are a lot of techniques you can use. One of the most effective is the pain headline Why? Because hardwired into people is the drive to avoid an un...
#494 Five Most Common Web Design Mistakes
June 25, 2020 04:00 - 10 minutes - 10.4 MBBuilding a website is easy, but building it correctly is not. In this episode Sam Moss of the 1Click Agency shares the five most common web design mistakes. The biggest mistake is not including bold call to action buttons. Maybe you have a flashy website that looks great, with some really cool cool pictures, and you spent a ton of money on it. But if it is missing a strong call to action such as "call now", "get a quote" or "schedule an appointment" you are wasting your time. Bold call ...
#493 Healthy Conflict
June 21, 2020 12:46 - 1 minute - 1.32 MBWouldn't it be nice if we all just got along? Well, that seems like a nice idea. But when it comes to running a business, you can't eliminate conflict completely. And quite honestly, you shouldn't. Managed conflict helps cultivate discussion and creates opportunities to uncover new and innovative solutions. So as a business owner, one of your main jobs should be to establish an environment that cultivates healthy conflict. You can do that by being willing to invest the time it takes t...
#492 Visual Communications
June 19, 2020 14:46 - 8 minutes - 8.19 MBWe are living in a visual world. And as a brand, every image you choose has to support the message you want customers to receive. Jennifer Riley Simone of Fresh Figs Marketing joined me for a conversation about how businesses can do just that. She suggested three simple strategies business owners should adopt: Cohesion - There are many ways to make images cohesive. For example you can use consistent coloring or style of photography or the kind of images you choose. The objective is wh...
#491 Web Performance Review
June 14, 2020 08:55 - 1 minute - 1.51 MBWhy You Should Conduct Web Performance Reviews If you have employees, you're probably conducting performance reviews on a regular basis, evaluating the quality of their work, the objectives you outlined for them, and the results they delivered. But my question is, do you hold your website to the same standard? Are you conducting web performance reviews on a regular basis to determine if your website is delivering results? You should. As the epicenter of your marketing, it's feeding socia...
#490 - The Company You Keep
June 12, 2020 03:20 - 11 minutes - 10.3 MBIn the early days of SEO, it was all about the links. It was about quantity, how many inbound links could you build for your website. These days, the search engine algorithm is a lot more sophisticated, considering multiple factors to calculate your ranking, but a good link is still valuable. In this conversation, we chat with David Pagotto about simple link building strategies such as leveraging existing relationships and connections. For example reaching out to suppliers, referral par...
#489 Make it Personal
June 07, 2020 20:34 - 1 minute - 1.78 MBLet's face it, everyone wants to feel special. When you walk into a coffee shop and you're greeted by name, or a waitress remembers that you like your eggs over easy before you order, you feel at home. And the next time you want a cup of coffee or an omelet, you're more likely to go back for the personal touch that makes you feel special. With so much business conducted remotely and online, sometimes it feels like we've lost that personal touch. But it doesn't have to be that way. Companies...
#488 Why Reviews Matter
June 06, 2020 18:05 - 15 minutes - 15.7 MBWhy do reviews matter? Part of the answer to that question lies in the psychological phenomenon of social proof. We look to others for advice and ideas. Whether it is contagious laughter at a comedy show, or turning around in an elevator to face the door, behavior is observed and replicated. Particularly when buying something we have never bought before reviews provide that social proof. How do you solicit reviews? Ask for them when customers are still excited about the purchase. For e...
#487 I Can Do That
May 31, 2020 11:08 - 1 minute - 1.7 MB“I can do that,” I said calmly, as I looked across the table at a potential client. All the while in my head, I could hear a loud frantic voice saying, “Are you crazy? You have never done that. You don’t know how to do that!” That was the early days of Roundpeg and people were not exactly beating down the doors to work with me. I was excited to be sitting in front of someone who actually had money to spend on marketing. So I decided I would figure it out. Sure, it was a little outside m...
#486 Bringing a Voice to Your Business With Twitter
May 29, 2020 10:01 - 10 minutes - 9.85 MBSince starting my first Twitter account in 2008, I've had a love hate relationship with the platform. It's fast moving and entertaining. There are days that I can scroll through and just enjoy the conversations. Sometimes it's great for business, and sometimes it's just a complete time suck. So how do you get the most out of the Twitter platform? That's a question. I've asked a number of people over the years. In this episode, you'll here excerpts of some of my favorite conversations abou...
#485 Make New Friends
May 24, 2020 10:56 - 1 minute - 1.75 MBNobody told me when I was a kid how much harder it was going to be to make friends when I got older. Changing jobs and moving to new cities, I always felt like I had to start all over again. The same is true as you start your business. Sure you have friends from former jobs and other positions, but they may or may not necessarily travel in the same circles that you're moving in now that you're a business owner. And so it's time for you to go out and make new friends. Get out there and star...
#484 Build an Audience of Raving Fans
May 22, 2020 12:57 - 12 minutes - 11.5 MBWant to grow your business from zero to 1000 fans? Start by asking people what they want from you. Sounds simple, right? But that's exactly what my guest Josh Tapp, The Lucky Titan, said he did to grow his business. In this episode we talk with Josh about building an audience of raving fans, customers who are so passionate about you, they will pay you, no matter what your offer. They're willing to come to you with their wallets wide open and say, "give me whatever you have because I know...
#483 Who is Your Target Customer
May 17, 2020 14:01 - 1 minute - 1.15 MBLet’s face it, everyone is not your customer. Even if you sell the most basic of products like crackers or toilet paper, some people will like your particular brand and others won’t. And trying to make your product as generic as possible so that it will appeal to the widest group possible means that you’re probably not going to satisfy the demands of any one group. So, today’s tip is really to start thinking about who is your target customer? Who are the people most likely to buy? What make...