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Leadership Powered by Common Sense: A Conversation with Jason Barnard
Hello everyone, I’m Doug Thorpe, your host for the “Leadership Powered by Common Sense” podcast. Today, I want to share with you some insights from a recent episode where I had the pleasure of hosting Jason Barnard, a digital marketing expert. We had an enlightening conversation about branding, digital marketing, and the importance of common sense in leadership.
Standing by Your Brand
I started the episode by sharing a story about how a marketing agency once disliked my tagline, “Leadership Powered by Common Sense.” Despite their opinion, I stood by it because it resonated with my audience. This story underscores the importance of staying true to your brand and understanding your audience’s needs.
The Power of Common Sense in Digital Marketing
Jason Barnard, my guest, shared his approach to branding and digital marketing. He emphasized the importance of using Google to understand a brand’s position, narrative, and perception. Jason believes in the power of common sense and blindingly obvious ideas in digital marketing strategies. This resonated with me, as I’ve always believed in breaking down complex ideas into easy-to-understand concepts.
Educating Google About Your Brand
As a business owner, I’ve faced challenges in elevating my brand’s presence. I highlighted the need to educate Google about a brand’s identity and purpose, treating it like a child. Jason expanded on this idea, stating that businesses should focus on explaining who they are, what they offer, and why they are a credible solution. Google’s goal is to efficiently connect users with the best solutions, so businesses need to make their offerings clear and relevant.
Understanding User Intent
We discussed the misconception of Google penalizing businesses for cheating the system. Instead, Google demotes less relevant results that don’t provide clear solutions. Jason emphasized that businesses should focus on understanding user intent and providing the best solutions.
Finding Credible Vendors, Suppliers, and Partners
I shared my experience with finding credible vendors, suppliers, and partners. I mentioned that I have been using the free tools on Jason Barnard’s website and found them to be incredibly helpful and intuitive. This contrasted with my previous experience with another platform that was complex and required hiring a freelancer to navigate.
Identifying the Right Audience
Jason added that the key to successful marketing is understanding the problem and providing a valuable solution to the right audience. He explained that search engines like Google and Bing aim to efficiently connect users with the solutions they are looking for. He emphasized the importance of identifying the right audience and demonstrating credibility as a solution provider.
Communicating Your Capabilities Accurately
I shared an example of a business owner who specializes in auto body repairs but is not equipped to handle high-end, factory-grade finishes. This example highlighted the importance of businesses accurately communicating their capabilities to avoid disappointing customers.
Using the Right Words to Attract the Right Audience
Jason and I discussed the importance of using the right words to communicate with Google and attract the right audience. We mentioned a plumbing company in Houston that had a unique strategy of wanting to get into every home in the city once, rather than focusing on repeat business. This strategy worked for them because they were confident in getting callbacks and repeat business.
The Importance of Real Photos in Google Search Results
Jason discussed the importance of using real photos in Google search results. He explained that Google aims to recommend the most credible, experienced, authoritative, and trustworthy solutions to its users. To achieve this, Google wants real photos of businesses and individuals rather than stock photos.
Building the Right Marketing Strategy
When asked about his usual first steps in building the right marketing strategy for clients, Jason explained that his company, Calico, identifies the most efficient and profitable digital marketing strategy for a company, incorporating SEO. They then adapt this strategy to the client’s business goals and resources. Jason’s team coaches the client’s marketing team to integrate the strategy into their day-to-day work, ensuring that SEO is incorporated seamlessly.
Conclusion
This conversation with Jason Barnard was a treasure trove of insights about digital marketing, branding, and the importance of common sense in leadership. I hope you found it as enlightening as I did. To learn more about Jason and his company, you can search for his name or company name on Google, which will display a Google business card with various engagement options.
Guest Bio:
Jason Barnard is the CEO of Kalicube, a software company that helps business leaders take control of their brand narrative online and dominate the competition.
Jason is also an entrepreneur, author and digital marketer who specialises in Brand SERP optimisation and Knowledge Panel management. Jason uses the pseudonym “The Brand SERP Guy” for his professional work.
Links for Jason Barnard:
Personal name link to: https://jasonbarnard.com
The Brand SERP Guy link to: https://thebrandserpguy.com
Professional link to: https://kalicube.com/about/jason-barnard/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmbarnard/
Doug Thorpe Social Media:
Small business owners will hit an invisible wall that can stall the growth of the company. The key reason there is a wall is that owners need to shift from manager to leader. The question is, how to do that?
Doug Thorpe. Doug is a coach for CEOs and Senior Leadership Teams with 30 years of leadership experience. He is the president & CEO of Doug Thorpe Group. Doug is also a podcast host.
He helps owners understand the ways they need to reshape their thinking and attitude to make a successful break through the wall.
Learn how to move from Founder to CEO.
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