Fastlane Founders and Legacy with Jason Barnard: Personal Branding, AI Strategies, and SEO Insights for Visionary CEOs

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Entities and Knowledge Panels (Bill Slawski and Jason Barnard) Mar 23, 2021

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Bill Slawski talks with Jason Barnard about knowledge panels Bill Slawski is the Director of Search Marketing for Go Fish Digital and the editor of SEO by the Sea. He has been doing SEO since 1996, and is regarded as a teacher and mentor to the SEO community - educating on both core and complex SEO principles. Google created the Knowledge Graph back in 2012, and as it started to focus on indexing “things” instead of “strings” - the world of SEO has not been quite the same again. As Bill explains: “strings to things, where it is not so much about matching keywords, but instead, about answering questions involving things”. This was a fascinating and insightful episode where Jason Barnard and Bill Slawski discuss in depth the Knowledge Graph, knowledge panels, and entities in search. Bill also touches on the concept of “Teachable Moments” - a fascinating concept that ties in with the Zero-click searches Rand Fishkin talks about. We will certainly hear more about in the coming months (and years). How does the Knowledge Graph confidence score work? How does Google ‘learn’? WHat purpose do knowledge panels serve? What triggers a Knowledge Panel? You'll find out all about that and much more! Further reading: https://gofishdigital.com/what-is-semantic-seo/ https://www.searchenginejournal.com/queries-structured-information-cards/389002/ What you’ll learn from Bill Slawski 00:00 Bill Slawski with Jason Barnard02:18 Word Vectors in search05:29 How Google identifies entities in search07:40 Teachable moments in search08:59 Do PAA Boxes mean that Google understood the entity within the query?10:11 Bill Slawski’s Brand SERP14:53 How does Google's Knowledge Graph confidence score work?18:48 How Google distinguishes between reliable vs popular sources21:48 Building your presence in the Knowledge Graph today24:18 Geolocation, relevance and topicality as factors in the Knowledge Graph27:35 Does Google understand physical entities better than conceptual entities?33:19 What purpose do Knowledge Panels serve in Google's eyes?35:45 What triggers a Knowledge Panel?38:08 Trigger Terms according to Bill Slawski38:45 Label Terms according to Bill Slawski40:07 Bill Slawski expands on how knowledge panels evolve42:02 Google's challenge in understanding certain entities43:47 The concept of Dominant Entities explained by Bill Slawski Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video March 24th 2021 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Insight Platforms Vs SEO Data platforms (Mark Traphagen and Jason Barnard) Mar 16, 2021

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Mark Traphagen talks with Jason Barnard about SEO platforms Mark Traphagen is a social media and marketing expert with decades of experience in the field. He is currently VP of Product Marketing and Training for seoClarity – a leading enterprise SaaS SEO platform that provides AI-driven search insights to its clients. Data is a common commodity nowadays, and there are many tools out there that can provide you with boatloads of raw data. The problem comes when it's time to select the most useful data, make it actionable and minimise the lag between data analysis to action. Mark breaks down how seoClarity tackles those challenges and reveals the right system to adopt in order to automate a successful process from analysis to execution. Mark ends with a surprising singing reply to the podcast theme tune. Delightful! What you’ll learn from Mark Traphagen 00:00 Mark Traphagen with Jason Barnard01:05 Mark Traphagen’s Brand SERP04:02 A rundown of Google’s SERP features (1200+)07:06 Why did your featured snippet disappear from the SERP?09:15 The difference between Insight Platforms vs SEO Data Platforms14:13 A common problem with SaaS Platforms – providing big reports with few actionable insights21:02 How analysis automation can free up more time for what really matters: Content creation22:52 A SaaS platform success is measured by its client's results rather than the amount of platform usage24:46 Clients should be the judge of their own success26:34 Using customer feedback as a valuable resource for any business32:05 A simple system to turn data into practical tasks Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video March 16th 2021 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Cumulative Advantage in Business (Mark Schaefer and Jason Barnard) Mar 09, 2021

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Mark Schaefer talks with Jason Barnard about cumulative advantage Jason Barnard was joined by internationally-acclaimed speaker and author Mark Schaefer to discuss his take on the concept of Cumulative Advantage. Some of the most pressing questions in the modern marketing era are: how do we stand out? How can our audience find us in an increasingly noisy world? Mark shares his ideas on how to create momentum for your personal brand and excel in your field. Whether you're at the beginning of your career or at a more advanced stage - where you are at the position of creating what Mark calls a “sonic boom”, and your idea spreads and becomes viral - the secret is resilience and consistency! You will discover the perfect time frame to find out whether or not your idea is going to work, and examples of qualitative measures to look for to determine that. What you’ll learn from Mark Schaefer 00:00 Mark Schaefer with Jason Barnard00:45 Mark Schaefer’s Brand SERP05:27 Cumulative Advantage by Controlling your Brand image and connecting with your audience07:20 Where is Mark found by his audience?10:06 Mark's beginnings in e-business and internet marketing12:13 The Initial Advantage16:45 Marks secret to creating the Vast Awareness of his project 20:25 Timeframe and qualitative measures to determine if your idea is going to work25:01 The value of Brand advocacy and super-sharers Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video March 10th 2021 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Laughing Your Way Through Outreach (Bibi Lauri Raven and Jason Barnard) Mar 02, 2021

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Bibi Lauri Raven talks with Jason Barnard about link building Bibi Lauri Raven (aka Bibi the Link Builder) is a very experienced Link Builder based out of Amsterdam. Very well known in the SEO industry – having guest-posted at major authoritative websites such as the Search Engine Journal - she has mastered the art of manual outreach down to a science. She explains the importance of focus, narrowing down and understanding your prospect list, in order to create an instant and personal connection through humor and familiarity. You'll find out Bibi's inspiration for her pitching philosophy, what a typical email looks like, and the secret to making Link Building fun! What you’ll learn from Bibi Lauri Raven 00:00 Bibi Lauri Raven with Jason Barnard00:49 The Brand SERP for Bibi the Link Builder 02:41 The goal of the Brand SERP03:38 The importance of Links in your overall marketing strategy07:15 Making Link Building fun10:03 The downside of having a wide prospect list (and using automation)11:00 Is mass-emailing a dangerous tactic?12:24 Link Building is all about building relationships13:44 A marriage proposal that resulted in Bibi turning into a cartoon16:10 Theming in Link Building and laughing your way through outreach24:25 Do templated emails eventually come across as inauthentic?25:50 What’s your follow up tactic when you get a “No”?31:03 Does “No referral” traffic equal no real value?32:09 How to pitch your service when quantifying the value is difficult?34:16 What's Bibi's goal?36:14 Outreach for linkable assets – is it a hit or miss? Helpful Resources About Laughing Your Way Through Outreach Don’t Be a Link Builder: 7 Deadly Link Building Sins Y’all Are CommittingThe Anatomy of a Kick-Ass Outreach Email – a Guide for Lost Link Builders Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video March 3rd 2021 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

What Problems Do CDNs Solve? (Ben Gabler and Jason Barnard) Feb 23, 2021

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Ben Gabler talks with Jason Barnard about CDNs Ben Gabler is the Founder & CEO at Rocket.net and has 17 years of experience in the industry, having worked with companies like HostNine and HostGator. He joined Jason Barnard to speak about the advantages of opting for a CDN as part of your web hosting solution. Turns out, the UX improvement and optimizations a CDN provides really does justify the cost and the advantages it brings to your business, your clients and Google makes it a no-brainer. After this episode, you'll have a much better understanding of how your website delivery platform influences its speed, security, and UX. What you’ll learn from Ben Gabler 00:00 Ben Gabler with Jason Barnard00:50 Ben Gabler’s Brand SERP01:50 Argument number one on why you might want to opt for a CDN06:38 Argument number two on why you might want to opt for a CDN07:21 Cloudflare as a website / content delivery platform09:34 How much does a DNS speed matter for UX?12:42 What's the process from the moment your browser requests a webpage and the moment you get the content?16:30 How does a CDN deal with content update?19:09 Besides speed and cost, what other benefits does a CDN bring?21:23 Chatbots on websites - good or bad idea?24:22 The importance of speed in Google’s Core Web Vitals26:33 Is HTTP/2 now universal?27:22 How Google “judges” your website29:10 The balance between pleasing Google and satisfying your customers Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video February 24th 2021 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Cultural Differences in Digital Marketing (Pinar Ünsal and Jason Barnard) Feb 16, 2021

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Pinar Ünsal talks with Jason Barnard about significant cultural factors companies should consider There's a lot to be said when it comes to how important it is for companies to invest in adapting correctly to each market they want to enter. Pinar Ünsal is a Search Engine Marketing Expert no stranger to conducting marketing campaigns in different countries. She’s an ex-Googler with more than 14 years of experience in the industry, and now co-founder of the award-winning agency Kubix Digital. Attention to detail is key and for everything from the language barrier to cultural differences to the preferred payment system, everything makes a difference when it comes to getting access to a new market. Pinar and Jason go over some rather fun and educational examples where companies overlooked language and cultural differences when trying to expand to new markets, and the different details to consider when deciding to expand to new international markets with your business. What you’ll learn from Pinar Ünsal 00:00 Pinar Ünsal with Jason Barnard01:20 Pinar Ünsal in the Knowledge Graph05:10 The challenges in translating and presenting content from different cultures08:48 Examples of how marketing fails due to cultural and language differences being overlooked14:44 Why is Yandex so popular in Turkey?18:38 The importance of identifying which search engine and platforms are popular in a particular market20:51 Is LinkedIn the answer in B2B, regardless of the market?22:16 How country-specific are payment system preferences?27:18 The importance of having the right social channels for your audience28:38 How do different countries respond to influencer marketing?31:15 How important it is to have a tailor-made strategy for a specific market32:45 Your Brand SERP as a mirror to how your brand is perceived in different countries34:51 One last example when a bad translation resulted in spectacular failure Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video February 17th 2021 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

All About Digital Transformation in B2B (Kelly Hungerford and Jason Barnard) Feb 09, 2021

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Kelly Hungerford talks with Jason Barnard about digital transformation The percentage of businesses that are still not ready for the digital reality of the 21st century is much larger than we tend to assume. Kelly is a MarTech strategist and consultant with over two decades of experience. Her job at Sunstar is to help the group (and their multitude of brands) successfully integrate digital into their marketing strategies, and reach a broader slice of their potential market. As Kelly describes it, digital transformation is all about dreaming big. She discusses the challenges and success factors for facilitating change in big (and often decentralized) companies, and what’s needed to build a transformative mindset and culture within an organization. What you’ll learn from Kelly Hungerford 00:00 Kelly Hungerford with Jason Barnard01:07 Kelly's Brand SERP02:05 The percentage of B2B businesses that fail to adjust to a 21st century's digital world is bigger than we might think06:43 How well will B2B business adjust in the next 10 years?09:45 How does Kelly deal with her company's decentralization?13:48 The crucial role of the Marketing and IT departments when implementing a transformative blueprint17:42 The challenges of getting a good overview of a highly decentralized company21:41 Why companies should invest resources on Digital Transformation?25:13 The secret for a Digital Transformation success26:52 People love progress but hate change - the challenges of getting stakeholders on board32:31 How to manage information overload when implementing a digital transformation in a company35:38 The importance of adapting digital transformation to stakeholder’s current level of digital expertise Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video February 10th 2021 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

How Review Attributes Work in Local SEO (Mike Blumenthal and Jason Barnard) Feb 02, 2021

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Mike Blumenthal talks with Jason Barnard about review attributes Mike Blumenthal loves to say “All Local, All the time”. He is an authority on local SEO with 20 years of experience under his belt... so, who better than “The Godfather of Local” himself to discuss Google's new feature — Google Review Attributes. This new feature in Google allows consumers to leave a quality rating about attributes concerning the business as part of their review and, according to Mike, as a business, there's a lot of reasons to love: it helps build consistency in customer service, and actionable information — which ultimately is the purpose of reviews — and it gives a chance to analyze your competitors in a structured and consistent manner. Mike goes on to explain how reviews, and particularly review attributes directly influence local search results and how to take advantage of that. He shares the strategies he uses with his clients to best leverage reviews and attributes in a successful local SEO strategy. What you’ll learn from Mike Blumenthal 00:00 Mike Blumenthal and Jason Barnard00:43 The argument for Google being your homepage01:52 GatherUp's Knowledge Panel07:05 What are Review Attributes?12:26 Google Attributes focus on service-based industries15:54 In what industries are Google Attributes currently appearing?19:31 Could this new feature put the fear of Google into businesses?21:18 Google Maps as the bleeding edge for the Knowledge Graph23:58 How the information about reviews extracted by Google influences local search results26:08 How to encourage your customers to provide specific review content28:52 Is there a direct effect in a Brand's local search performance from a great attribute rating?30:17 The how-to of getting and leveraging first and third party reviews34:58 Could we say that Google homepage is Google’s reflection of the world’s opinion of you?38:25 How to get clients to give reviews on the different platforms Helpful Resources About How Review Attributes Work in Local SEO Have Review Attributes Fixed A Google Review Problem?The (Almost) Complete List of Google Review Attribute Categories Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video February 3rd 2021 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Engaging the Connected Customer (Adam Helweh and Jason Barnard) Jan 26, 2021

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Adam Helweh talks with Jason Barnard about customer engagement We are in the age of the technology-driven customer. It is vital to understand that the devices, platforms and social channels they choose to use dictate their relationship with friends, institutions … and businesses. That means brands have a complex problem to solve: with so many parameters at play, how can a brand align their engagement strategy to the Connected Customer in an effective manner? And that problem is becoming more and more daunting for brands as the number and variety of platforms and devices explodes. Adam Helweh is a Digital Marketing Expert and CEO & Founder of Secret Sushi. In this episode he presents an incredibly effective system to create an appropriate engagement strategy for your Connected Customer - the three ‘Ms’ (Mindset, Moment, and Medium).He then elaborates on how to test and improve your strategy, stay abreast of new market trends and (super-importantly) keep up with your connected customer, making their user experience with your brand seamless. What you’ll learn from Adam Helweh 00:00 Adam Helweh and Jason Barnard02:23 Adam Helweh’s Brand SERP3:56 Adam Helweh in the Knowledge Graph4:42 What are the criteria to get the Twitter boxes on your Brand SERP7:29 What does it mean to be a Connected Customer?12:52 The Connected Customer and their different geographic locations15:12 Do we need to adapt to the Connected Customer today more than we needed 10 years ago?18:16 Strategizing for the Connected Customer?19:42 Identifying Mindset, Moment and Medium to engage effectively with your customers28:30 How can brands keep up with the ever-evolving tendencies?32:45 How not to get the “Mindset” part wrong and ruining the user experience35:31 Is it appropriate to present your customers with a solution (a website pop up for instance) while they're researching it themselves?41:25 As customers become savvier, what's the one thing that makes the difference at the bottom of the funnel? Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video January 27th 2021 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

All About Brand Affinity Marketing (Chris Savage and Jason Barnard) Jan 19, 2021

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Chris Savage talks with Jason Barnard about brand affinity Brand identity and authenticity is the key for Brand Affinity. One of the biggest mistakes companies make is trying to over-monetize their companies to the detriment of its authenticity. Chris Savage is the co-founder of Wistia, a very successful company designed to serve businesses with on-site videos for marketing purposes. He talks about the early challenges of building a multi million dollar company from the ground up, and the power of brand identity. Chris talks us through a plethora of topics - from faking brand identity to branding through cult of personality to building affinity with your audience. What you’ll learn from Chris Savage 00:00 Chris Savage and Jason Barnard 00:36 Chris Savage's Knowledge Panel around the world 05:20 Wisita's story from it's initial challenges to its current success 12:52 Why Chris and his business partner didn't sell the company when presented with big offers 14:04 Would Wistia have died if they had sold it early on? 15:13 The problem with over-monetizing a company 16:20 A story about the power of brand identity 19:12 Is Brand Affinity fakeable? 20:33 Is it OK to present your brand by just being yourself, without a calculated approach? 22:14 How Tim Cook vs Steve Jobs 23:49 Brand Affinity - Wistia’s approach 26:30 Using video to connect with your audience? 28:53 Understanding your client - a practical and effective approach 31:58 Your audiences feedback VS their real needs and how that aligns with your company's mission Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video January 20th 2021 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

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