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This is episode 178 of Winfluence. I don’t typically count or even add the episode number to the shows because I’ve always thought episode numbers were more of an internal cataloging system for the podcaster and listeners don’t care.  I keep track, but it’s easier to just search for the guest or topic on my […]

Would you believe that even the big, fancy influencer marketing managed services companies need an influencer marketing consultant? Sadly, it’s true. I say this as someone who has hired and managed campaigns with managed services companies over the years. I’ve also hired and contracted execution with companies calling themselves influencer marketing agencies. While some do […]

August is not the time to be thinking of the holidays. Unless you want to ask for gifts that take some savings to afford. Or in the case of the influencer marketing industry, that might take some time for agile development sprints. When you’re an influencer marketing strategist and practitioner, not to mention an influencer/creator, […]

At the end of each show, I offer you up the opportunity to ask a question or throw out a topic you’d like my take on to inspire a show. You’re always welcome to do that by emailing me. The address is [email protected]. I love it when you do because it gives me a good […]

Talking Influence, which is in my opinion the top daily news source for all things influencer marketing, has created an honors list of who it sees as the Top 30 Pioneers in Influencer Marketing in the United States. I am on the list, which is both humbling and exciting. The criteria included being nominated by […]

Instagram is changing its algorithm and user experience. Kylie Jenner isn’t happy about it. She once critically wounded Snapchat by saying she never goes there anymore. Now she’s created a PR issue for the platform. But the changes to Instagram go far beyond pissing off a Kardashian. Instagram is now outwardly saying video is better. […]

Software as a Service (SaaS) products are hard on SMBs. The money is in enterprise customers, so they placate the little guy with a freemium product that almost does what they need, but requires an upgrade. But, of course, the upgrade is far beyond a reasonable budget for many.  So it’s back to Excel sheets […]

We’ve gotten into a little bit of a pattern here on the show. Seems like every other interview or so is with some founder or executive at an influencer marketing software company. There are lots of reasons for that. First, they’re anxious to mention their platform to you since they know the people who listen […]

I just returned from a short vacation with my children, Grant and Katie. We choose a city the kids haven’t been to each summer and go explore for four or five days. This year, we chose Denver, or the Denver area. We stayed in an AirBnB between Denver and Boulder. We spent a day in […]

The influencer marketing space is overrun with agencies and marketplaces and software solutions and such. It’s hard for a brand to find the right partner to actually solve the specific problems they have that influence can address.  Case in point, I reached out to a talent agency last week – you know, one that manages […]

Many of you are small business owners. Some of you might also work in marketing teams or even at agencies where influencer marketing budgets are thin. So when you hear people rattling on about the software platforms they use for their influencer marketing efforts, you probably think, “Yeah … wouldn’t that be nice.” The soup-to-nuts […]

The most overlooked facet of marketing execution across our industry is consumer research. The large brands and agencies swear by it. But the one-percent is just that: one percent. When you drop down to the lower end of the large brand spectrum, and then to medium brands and small businesses, consumer insights are seldom even […]