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The Heart Of Marketing

Despite all the latest digital marketing technology, the fundamentals of good marketing haven’t changed a whole lot. At its core, we still need a solid strategy. And we still need to make human connections. That is The Heart of Marketing. Join hosts Jayme Soulati and John Gregory Olson for an informative and entertaining romp through the digital marketing world today. You get an insider view of a variety of topics to help you win customers and grow sales. Some of the topics we’ll cover include: online publishing, public relations, content marketing, social media, mobile, branding, message mapping, marketing integration, and lots more. All delivered with the wit and wisdom of two accomplished marketing pros. Meet your hosts ... JAYME SOULATI is president of Soulati Media, Inc. and is a message mapping master. She hails from Chicago's public relations firms and delivers strategically blended marketing based on core PR with content, social and digital. She is an award-winning blogger since 2010 and brings perspective in business since 1984. Jayme is a past president of the Publicity Club of Chicago. Find her at Soulati.com. JOHN GREGORY OLSON has more than 25 years of B2B marketing experience in both agencies and corporations spanning manufacturing, legal publishing, imaging supplies, healthcare, and nonprofit. John has designed and executed marketing strategies that have generated in excess of $300 million in revenue for 3M, Thomson Reuters and other global businesses. John is a past president of the Midwest Direct Marketing Association. In 2014, John was ranked #52 on Onalytica's list of the top 200 content marketing influencers in the world. John specializes in helping midsized business organizations grow customers and sales with integrated digital marketing strategies. Find John at JGODigital.com.
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Now displaying: Category: Business
Mar 28, 2017

She's the official Ambassador of Happiness with a Circle R after that, and we're so delighted to have Maura Sweeney on the show today. She rounds out the third episode in The Happiness Series on The Heart of Marketing, and what a way to finish...or start your happiness journey.

Maura shares way too much sensory overload, so trust me when I tell you (this is Jayme Soulati with John Gregory Olson) that you're highly likely to listen to this episode twice. I've now listened to it four times, and I'm hearing things for the first time from expert-on-happiness-as-a-core-lifestyle Maura Sweeney.

So many people experience life with a negative vibe. Is that a choice? Maura says it is. We all have the opportunity to live positive and with mindfulness about being happier. It is a practice that when exercised provides a balance of spirit, heart core, and positivity that leads us and others around us to feel light and free.

Maura Sweeney has a variety of resources she shares on her website that you can tap into. We'd like to plug you into the Ambassador or Happiness today and every day:

Maura4U.com
Tweet with Maura here
Listen to Maura Sweeney's podcast here
Read and purchase her books
Hire Maura for a keynote presentation

Thank you, Maura for being our guest today! We heart you!

And, You Might Like our Happiness Series:

Are You Happy?

Dean of Happiness at the Wharton School

Mar 22, 2017

We're in the second episode of The Happiness Series, and today John Gregory Olson and Jayme Soulati are discussing the definition of happiness.

When you experience life at home, in the workplace or buzzing around the world, how do you comport your emotions? Laughter, mindfulness and happiness do contribute to a more healthful life.

The Harvard Business Review did a cover story on 'The Value of Happiness, How Employee Well-Being Drives Profits," in January-February 2012. It also commissioned a happiness study, and we reference many of the findings in the study within this episode.

So, as you experience life, some of what we mention today may help you take an inward look at your happiness quotient. And, if you're a leader in business, are you giving your star achievers a goal to accomplish?

The values happiness bring are powerful especially in the workplace. There are wonderful tips today that may make you regard people's emotions differently.

This is The Heart of Marketing.

Jan 10, 2017

Mini-episode alert! This is probably the shortest episode on The Heart of Marketing; yet, it's chock full of solid ideas for all sizes of company on how to spend $10,000.

From Inc. magazine, we got this idea and decided to do our own brainstorm on how to spend $10K across the organization or just in our own marketing department.

John Gregory Olson and Jayme Soulati proffer some ideas, and they may be ones you would consider or not. Do listen in because every business often puts its own doorstep last on the list of cash infusion or business strategy.

While $10,000 is not a ton of money in business, it will ensure:

1. Consultant time with a possible gap analysis

2. Planning

3. Tradeshow participation

4. Or...just ask the team!

Thanks for listening!

Nov 8, 2016

This is probably the shortest headline we've ever written for a Heart of Marketing episode, and rightly so, we're talking about making the pitch, the ask, the sell, the cold call, and whatever else you'd like to say about some kind of sales.

Everyone sells every day; from the elementary school kid selling magazines and sorority fundraising for a cause-related campaign to the employee wannabe trying to get a foot in the door.

Is your pitch perfect?

Probably not, and that's why this episode should give you some tips on:

1. Personalization
2. Research beforehand
3. How to write the pitch
4. Whether a deck is in order
5. Using email -- how about the subject line?
6. Cold calling -- what do you say first?

Well, you get the drift, and we often forget that being short, concise, simple, and appreciative are some of the ways to make the best pitch perfect.

At the end, there's a final thing you have to do and that's to 'say thanks.'

Oct 25, 2016

Don’t get caught up in the opening today when Jayme Soulati goes squarely down the rabbit hole to the delight of John Gregory Olson who has to show his technical expertise by playing audio emojis every two minutes. Heh.

Today is a volley where we lob a thought back and forth about traits of a marketing leader.

John starts with Jayme’s favorite – strategy, planning, data, and analytics. Frankly, Jayme thinks he’s wrapping four traits into one.

Each cohosts on The Heart of Marketing raise solid leadership qualities you need in your organization from the marketing department. John is a goal-setting guy, so that’s an obvious quality. But, turning data into insights to make customers lives better is also critical.

Flexibility and focus come to mind and a disciplined mind is helpful in ignoring day-to-day minutiae.

The two discuss a variety of traits across leadership, team building and creativity of a marketing leader.

Be sure and listen to the ‘Heart of the Matter’ at the end where John and Jayme provide a wrap-up viewpoint with a twist in perspective.  

 

Sep 27, 2016

Authenticity means trust and having integrity, and that applies in your workplace culture and even in your own life.

John Gregory Olson and Jayme Soulati tackle this esoteric topic and try to put some arms around its definition with examples of those brands that have lead us all astray with lack of authenticity.

The co-hosts spend some time dissecting the Wells Fargo debacle and discuss other brands that have recently had run ins with lack of authenticity, too.

When you think of authenticity, it begins with self. Once your authentic self is established, then you need to present that in various settings that may require a blending of core values with workplace culture.

There are so many angles to this topic, and the most important one is to understand the definition of authenticity as it relates to you -- where you live, where you work, and where you're going.

 

Sep 13, 2016

Hang on to your seat, #RockHot listeners! This episode of the Heart of Marketing, our 90th, please note, is chock full of rabbit holes, a sound bite from a thought leader you may recognize from the marketing realm, discussion about what's behind the PPC click, how customer shopping is driving marketers crazy...AND...what do we mean by higher purpose in business?

Whew. Seriously.

Jayme Soulati, cohost, raises points about small businesses that decide to launch PPC campaigns without purpose. The problem becomes that lack of substance behind the click due to the lack of strategic purpose in developing the campaign to begin with.

John Gregory Olson, cohost, raises a Millward Brown study of the top 50 fastest growing brands and shares how many bring value and purpose to customers. 

At the very end of the day, we ask 'why.' Why is your business a business? Why do you do what you do for customers? And, why are customers delighted about your product and service?

Purpose-driven business is not just purpose-driven marketing. It goes deeper, and that's why John raises the 5 Pillars of Heart Marketing in this episode.

If you take anything away from this episode besides John razzing Jayme into fits and giggles, you'll ponder whether your business is managing to a higher purpose.

(Do take a look at John's link about higher-purpose customer service; the link is accessible via his name above.)

Sep 6, 2016

One of our synergistic items is the fact that Jayme Soulati and John Gregory Olson have both worked directly in legal marketing. Jayme was a consultant with LexisNexis and Thomson Reuters for 12 years total, and John worked directly at Thomson.

Each stint was oriented to software marketing and working with influencers to promote the brand without promoting the name of the brand!

The opportunities for legal software marketing are endless, and in this episode with a B-to-B bent, we explore many:

Case studies

White papers

Blogs and tips series

Annual meetings and tradeshows

Association thought leadership

Speaking engagements and presentations

See? Each of these tactics on their own can be inserted into your own marketing strategy with ease.

B-to-B marketers still regard their challenge as different from B-to-C marketing. It very well may be; however, we're hopeful you'll find these suggestions helpful in boosting your own strategy to get in front of customers. If not, give us a shout!

You can find us right here!

 

May 24, 2016

What does it mean to have a heartful business? Believe me it's not woo woo or Kumbaya, but it is being genuine and outwardly compassionate to customers from the inside-out.

When was the last time you explored your heartfulness inside your culture, eh? I'm betting it's been awhile, and perhaps never.

Today, John Gregory Olson and moi, Jayme Soulati, explore the ins and outs of being heartful in business. We have this discussion surrounding our 5 Pillars of Heart Marketing, and we encourage you to listen and understand the concept of what heartfulness means in today's disrupted, fast-paced world.

But, you know what? You can't fake it. If you don't abide by and embody a core of true customer care and compassion, people see right through it. It's not real; it's fake and phony. When you're labeled fake and phony, it's really hard to battle that.

So, listen in and especially guffaw alongside us both as I poke fun at myself, too, for the wrong word choice at the very top of the hour! (In fact, I laughed out loud at one point as I was listening to this episode before I sat down to write; wonder if you will?)

May 10, 2016

We often forget that a website is still the face of our business. Too often, we hit a website that is not mobile responsive, has poor imagery, isn't appealing visually, and has no clear message.

Is that your website?

In this episode of The Heart of Marketing, John Gregory Olson and Jayme Soulati are back with a volley of tips to remind you that your website needs a refresh.

Do check:

1. Images

2. Message

3. Navigation

4. Interaction

5. What else? Take a listen to find out!

Thanks for tuning in!

May 3, 2016

It's guest appearance time! Today our very special VIP isMichelle Mazur, PhD who is one of those extraordinary speechconsultants (no, she doesn't help you with diction, although sheprobably could) who helps folks determine how to monetize theirspeeches.

So, is a speech the same as a presentation, and what's the best wayto get one cooking for real time, I asked Michelle in this episode.(I am Jayme Soulati, co-host of The Heart ofMarketing podcast with John Gregory Olson, my arch frenemy --because we always nag one another on the show).

BTW, the answer to those two questions are 'blowing in the wind!'(Remember that song??)

Then, I asked whether it was OK to write my deck in my head andthen hit the PowerPoint and create. I'll answer that one --Michelle said, " not usual, Jayme!" Oh, well, I never did conformto the rules, right John?

Michelle has a great story about helping people make money, or not,on stage as an edutainer. The operative word here is STORY. What'syour story? Is it good enough to hit the speaking circuit? How doyou make that leap from free to paid speaking engagements,anyway?

Honestly, I am stuck in the free. I have been paid to speak, butit's not consistent every time. Michelle shares her tips of thetrade, and her energy is boundless. We love this woman for all herexpertise. She has a book, she has a course, she is brilliant atemail marketing and community nurturing, and if I had designs onspeaking for greenbacks, I'd make her my coach -- in a heartbeat(soundbite, please, John!).

Resources

Learn more aboutMichelle Mazur, PhD here

Get her book,'Speak Up for Your Business' here

Mar 28, 2016

We never knew how much culture mattered until John Gregory Olson and I began to take a closer look at the goings on at Zenefits (the company with sex in the stairwells and alcohol every day) and Volkswagen.

We've been exploring culture in our Workplace Series because culture IS your heart core. It's the alignment of heartful business practice with values, vision, and mission. When culture heads into a downward spiral, then an entire business suffers.

In this episode of The Heart of Marketing, we take a strategic look at why culture matters and its impact on stakeholders from customers on the outside and employees on the inside.

In the examples we showcase, the impact of negative culture is obvious in how the CEOs made change following negative incidents on the companies brands.

When was the last time you took a good look at your company culture? If you're a small or mid-sized company, you have an opportunity to develop the how and why of your company and to also change it up should you need to.

It's the responsibility of a marketer to align with the intended culture leadership seeks to create, grow and maintain. It's also important to put the best foot forward so people on the outside of a brand want to align with that company.

This episode is a double-listen. It is likely going to take you a few times to grasp all that we have to say as you align your thoughts and vision from how your brand is positioned to grow your company.

Mar 21, 2016

Culture is a funny thing in the workplace, and John Gregory Olson and Jayme Soulati take an inside view at how the mission statement shapes culture shapes productivity shapes the bottom line.

Did you know that? John drops a bombshell with this little factoid about happier employees, happier profitability; sad employees, even worse profitability.

In this episode, another in our Workplace Series, we take a look at several examples of companies like VW, Radio Flyer, Starbucks, and Zenefits. (You know the latter, right? Its culture was so disastrous that...you'll have to listen.)

Our discussion is a sister to our most-downloaded episode 'Specialists v. Generalists,' and if you've not listened yet to Episode 21, do take a listen and tell us why you like that one? It's baffling to us!

Which company do you know that has a fitting culture? We believe Trader Joe's fits its culture very well (we did an episode with this #RockHot company, too), and Starbucks, golden child of Wall Street, is a maverick when it comes to culture; and, its culture is aligned to its mission...

Is Yours?

We are The Heart of Marketing!

 

Mar 15, 2016

This episode of The Heart of Marketing with John Gregory Olson and Jayme Soulati is a lot like our most-downloaded episode #21, 'Specialists v. Generalists.' And, we can't figure out why that one is so popular. Can you?

Here, we wax and wane on the topic of marketing consultants. Should you hire one? When is the best time? Why would you ever need one? And, most of all what benefit might you derive from investing in a marketing consultant.

Jayme and John paint the case for making the investment in a marketing consultant because they can:

1. Enhance an experience gap

2. Outfit bandwidth for a specialty project

3. Conduct an outsider audit to understand performance deficiency

4. Become the insider team

There may be a few more ways that come to light in this episode that you've not thought of in re your own growing business. Take a listen, and grab some thoughtstarters to push your business toward another growth goal.

This is a solid conversation with good perspective from the business and consulting sides.

 

 

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