Growth Machine Marketing Podcast

We're not going anywhere... but our name is. After years as the Growth Machine Marketing Podcast, we're rebranding to something that better reflects what this show has become: a space to explore how real people use content to build meaningful brands. In this short episode, you'll hear why the change felt necessary, what you can expect going forward, and why we're so excited about the future of The Content Lab. Thanks for being here! Links: * #42 Lessons From a Merger [https://open.spotify.com/episode/39cpTaAkMouUJJ1MjkA2IY?si=BIR_m579RyG10L2D8orRWw] * #46 Lessons From a Merger Pt 2: The Buyer Side [https://open.spotify.com/episode/20rHAH5UhwnGnU7mCymGjy?si=pC9QgrkTRVOChfXcO4LSHA] MBE Group: https://mbe.group/ [https://mbe.group/] https://www.facebook.com/mbegroupllc/ [https://www.facebook.com/mbegroupllc/] https://www.linkedin.com/company/mbegroupllc/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/mbegroupllc/] https://www.instagram.com/mbegroupllc/ [https://www.instagram.com/mbegroupllc/]

Frank Buscemi and Tom Eisbrenner from MBE Group share their POV of the acquisition of Growth Machine. We talk about how the merger process went on their end of things as the buyers, covering: * Why they wanted to buy us * How they chose Growth Machine * Their biggest fears in the buyout process * What they learned merging our two companies * Advice for business owners looking to acquire a company Show Notes (1:35) You’ve heard the acquisition story from the Growth Machine side, but this time, hear it from the MBE Group side. (1:57) Meet Tom, our President, and Frank, our CEO, as they share their backgrounds and roles at MBE Group. (7:14) Tom and Frank discuss what growing the business looks like from their perspective. (14:25) What MBE Group was looking for in an acquisition and their dealbreakers when evaluating potential companies. (18:14) Why did MBE Group choose Growth Machine? (24:41) How a past merger experience helped shape the process of bringing MBE Group and Growth Machine together. (28:54) The importance of aligning core values when merging with another company. (32:20) The biggest challenges and obstacles faced during the acquisition. (40:37) How company culture impacts success—because apathy kills. (43:28) Tom and Frank share whether they'd consider another acquisition in the future, and how it would differ from this one. (48:39) Closing thoughts: Advice for those exploring acquisition opportunities. Links: IPREX [https://www.iprex.com/] (9:50) Palmer [https://palmeradvisors.com/] (18:44) Connect with Nora, Heather, Frank, and Tom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noraschlesinger/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/noraschlesinger/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-leith/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-leith/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-buscemi-556a243/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-buscemi-556a243/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-eisbrenner-2596185/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-eisbrenner-2596185/] Growth Machine: https://growthmachine.com/ [https://growthmachine.com/] https://twitter.com/growthmachine__ [https://twitter.com/growthmachine__] https://www.linkedin.com/company/yourgrowthmachine/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/yourgrowthmachine/] Join our newsletter! [https://growth-machine.kit.com/80f638d896] MBE Group: https://mbe.group/ [https://mbe.group/] https://www.facebook.com/mbegroupllc/ [https://www.facebook.com/mbegroupllc/] https://www.linkedin.com/company/mbegroupllc/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/mbegroupllc/] https://www.instagram.com/mbegroupllc/ [https://www.instagram.com/mbegroupllc/]

It’s Q&A time! Nora and Heather tackle listener questions, including: * How do you build a better content strategy when your current content is suffering? * Should I be optimizing for Google Gemini, Perplexity, and other AI tools? * I have a limited budget and want to do SEO, paid ads, and social media, but can’t afford all of them. Where is the best place to start? * If you plan to sell in the future, what should you be doing now to prepare and put your agency in an attractive position to be acquired? * What is the best lesson/resource to teach yourself SEO? Show Notes (1:45) Today’s episode is a mailbag episode with questions sent in by listeners or followers on our social channels. (2:19) Building a better content strategy. (7:12) It’s not just about finding the right keywords, but also about writing the right content. (11:38) Should you be optimizing your content for Gemini, Perplexity, and other AI tools? (16:47) Where to invest your marketing efforts with a limited budget. (24:23) How to put your company in an attractive position to be acquired. (34:48) Nora and Heather share their top tips and resources for someone who wants to teach themselves SEO. (40:05) That wraps up this episode! As always, thank you for listening and sending in your questions. Links: Ahrefs [https://ahrefs.com/] (5:32) Semrush [https://www.semrush.com/] (5:34) Growth Machine's blog [https://growthmachine.com/blog] (6:58) Clearscope [https://www.clearscope.io/] (9:07) Surfer [https://surferseo.com/] (9:08) Moz [https://moz.com/] (36:35) Google Help [https://support.google.com/] (36:45) Search Engine Journal [https://www.searchenginejournal.com/] (37:23) Search Engine Roundtable [https://www.seroundtable.com/] (37:24) Hashtag Jeff [https://hashtagjeff.com/] (37:46) Marie Haynes [https://www.mariehaynes.com/] (38:57) Connect with Nora and Heather: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noraschlesinger/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/noraschlesinger/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-leith/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-leith/] Growth Machine: https://growthmachine.com/ [https://growthmachine.com/] https://twitter.com/growthmachine__ [https://twitter.com/growthmachine__] https://www.linkedin.com/company/yourgrowthmachine/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/yourgrowthmachine/] Join our newsletter! [https://growth-machine.kit.com/80f638d896] MBE Group: https://mbe.group/ [https://mbe.group/] https://www.facebook.com/mbegroupllc/ [https://www.facebook.com/mbegroupllc/] https://www.linkedin.com/company/mbegroupllc/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/mbegroupllc/] https://www.instagram.com/mbegroupllc/ [https://www.instagram.com/mbegroupllc/]

Want to make sure your content agency doesn’t fire you? This week, Heather and Nora are breaking down the must-haves every business needs before diving into content marketing. Without them, you might be setting yourself up for failure. From choosing the right CMS to nailing your brand voice, we’re covering everything that makes content agencies want to keep working with you for a long time. Show Notes: (1:04) So you've decided to hire a content agency. That's great! In this episode, we're giving our tips on what you can do to build a lasting partnership. (2:46) Before you invest in any type of online marketing, you should have a functioning website. (5:25) Why choosing a good CMS for your website matters. (11:04) Get crystal clear on your unique value proposition and exactly what it is you offer.  (18:07) Developing your buyer persona. Who is is that we're targeting with our writing and messaging? (20:45) The importance of knowing your customer's pain points and how they may search for them. (22:26) How understanding your content competitors can help inform your content strategy. (28:40) Heather and Nora talk brand voice and style. (35:44) How much promotion of your services and products do you want in your content? (39:24) Be prepared to answer questions on internal links, external links to avoid, and images. Major bonus if you have your own product images. (43:04) Communication is key! A good partnership includes a point of contact who can give approval and provide updates. (52:18) Whether you're looking to hire a content agency this week or in a year, we hope you took away some insights from this episode on how you can best prepare. Links: The 8 Best CMS Platforms for SEO-Conscious Businesses [https://www.growthmachine.com/blog/best-cms] (6:13) 6 Iconic Tone of Voice Examples Every Brand Can Learn From [https://www.growthmachine.com/blog/tone-of-voice] (28:40) Connect with Nora and Heather: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noraschlesinger/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/noraschlesinger/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-leith/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-leith/] Growth Machine: https://growthmachine.com/ [https://growthmachine.com/] https://twitter.com/growthmachine__ [https://twitter.com/growthmachine__] https://www.linkedin.com/company/yourgrowthmachine/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/yourgrowthmachine/] Join our newsletter! [https://growth-machine.kit.com/80f638d896] MBE Group: https://mbe.group/ [https://mbe.group/] https://www.facebook.com/mbegroupllc/ [https://www.facebook.com/mbegroupllc/] https://www.linkedin.com/company/mbegroupllc/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/mbegroupllc/] https://www.instagram.com/mbegroupllc/ [https://www.instagram.com/mbegroupllc/]

As our VP of Content, Heather has hired hundreds of writers in all sorts of niches. There are writers who pop right off the page and make her want to talk to them immediately, and there are writers who get disqualified before she’s even opened their portfolio. She’s sharing all her tips and answering new freelancers’ questions in this advice-packed episode. You’ll walk away knowing how to structure an application to a freelance writing job and how to communicate your eagerness without looking too desperate. In this episode: * Advice from working freelance writers * How to stand out from masses of applicants * Easy tips to become indispensable once you get the job * Red flags you’ll want to avoid having in your application, socials, and portfolio Show Notes: 0:51) How can you become an irresistible hire? Take it from a content agency who has worked with hundreds of freelance writers over the years! (1:41) Heather kicks off the episode by sharing her background in working with freelance writers. (4:20) The top 3 things to avoid that will likely disqualify your application right off the bat. (9:12) What does it take to make yourself stand out from hundreds of other applicants? (11:57) We give some real-life examples of great responses we’ve received, and why their answers hit the mark for us. (25:29) Ways to give the extra *zing* on your application. (27:20) So… you got the job! Now, how can you make yourself indisposable? (33:07) Let’s talk dealbreakers. (37:05) Heather shares a few recent stories of things writers have done to make her job easier. (40:35) AMA time! We invited Heather’s network on LinkedIn to submit any questions they had about being successful freelance writers. (53:01) That concludes this episode. Thanks for listening! Links: UpWork [https://www.upwork.com/] (43:44) ProBlogger [https://problogger.com/] (43:53) Writer Intake Form [https://www.growthmachine.com/writers] (49:38) Alice’s Lemee's LinkedIn post [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/alicelemee_im-telling-all-my-freelance-coaching-clients-activity-7272746550143995904-QS9s?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAEsnovYBV4bmI0DN3qJrwUyp1z7R-zT8gMc] (50:32) Connect with Nora and Heather: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noraschlesinger/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/noraschlesinger/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-leith/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-leith/] Growth Machine: https://growthmachine.com/ [https://growthmachine.com/] https://twitter.com/growthmachine__ [https://twitter.com/growthmachine__] https://www.linkedin.com/company/yourgrowthmachine/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/yourgrowthmachine/] Join our newsletter! [https://growth-machine.kit.com/80f638d896] MBE Group:  https://mbe.group/ [https://mbe.group/] https://www.facebook.com/mbegroupllc/ [https://www.facebook.com/mbegroupllc/] https://www.linkedin.com/company/mbegroupllc/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/mbegroupllc/] https://www.instagram.com/mbegroupllc/ [https://www.instagram.com/mbegroupllc/]