The Bottleneck

Happy Wednesday Reader, Buckle up your social media seatbelts because it's time to talk engagement again. As algorithms continue to change and consumers are overloaded with branded messages, it becomes more and more difficult for your brand to garner attention, much less get folks to engage with your content. But since engagement is key in winning the social media game, you must crack the code to "stop the scroll" and drive an interaction. It's more than just Likes - you need dedicated,...

Happy Monday friends, First off, I'm totally kidding, it's me writing this email, not an AI bot. Second, if you're new here and fresh out of CBC - welcome! I want to chat with you today about using AI in your marketing efforts. Hence the subject line for attention. I got asked about AI during the Q&A section of my presentation at the Craft Brewers Conference, so I feel like it's something we need to address. (shout out to my girl Jenna from Union Craft Brewing for helping me knock our session...

Hey there friends and family! I don't do weekend editions often, but this week is pretty unique. At the moment, I'm sitting on the side of I-15 in Utah because my partner and I are driving to the Craft Brewers Conference in Las Vegas in our RV and we just got a flat tire (sad violin noise here). I was hoping to write this when we settled in, but I've got some time to spare. Hey oh! So let's get into it This is a big week for many people making the trek to CBC. It's also a very expensive week,...

Happy Monday Reader, I had a bit of a lightbulb moment over the weekend. That sounds bad - like it never happens or something. Trust me, I have these all the time, but this is pretty cool, so I had to share. Thanks, Bill! I'll give you the setup You've heard me talk about product life cycles and how important it is to know where your brand is on this journey to determine your marketing and sales goals. Here's a good refresher. I know it's small, click on it to expand You have also heard me...

Greetings Reader, I'll be honest with you, I had no intention of sending you an email today, but Snowmageddon 2024 had other plans. It's rare for Colorado to shut down due to snow, but here we are under a solid 10-12" (and counting). My kids got a snow day today and tomorrow. Businesses are shut down. Might as well pass along some marketing tips! Not going to lie, I'm also looking forward to Taco Thursday and Taylor Swift's Eras Tour streaming on Disney+ tonight. Don't even think about coming...

Hi there Reader, Random subject line huh? It will all make sense soon, I promise! For every conference that I have spoken at in the past handful of months, the subject of authenticity in branding has come up multiple times. It's a buzz word that gets tossed around quite a bit, but no one really actually explains how to do it. Honestly, you don't really "do" brand authenticity- you express it and have to embody it full heartedly or else it will feel forced. Forced authenticity feels gross and...

Happy Leap Day Reader! Since you have an extra day this month, you're getting an extra announcement from me. Introducing - Liquid Insight A digital marketing audit service from Not Your Hobby Marketing. One of the most frequent complaints I get from client partners and members of my group program is that they don't know what's working or not working when it comes to their marketing campaigns. As a small business owner myself, I get it. It's hard to get out of your own head and figure out...

Hi Reader, So I cheated recently. No, not what you're probably thinking. But I used a cheat sheet to better understand some new terminology for GA4 (Google Analytics). Don't be mad at the easy button I might have formal marketing training, but let's be honest, my BA in Marketing from 2005 is not cutting the mustard for advancements in modern marketing tech these days. And understanding Google Analytics to get a better perspective about how my (and my client partners') marketing materials are...

Happy Friday Reader! I got into a really interesting conversation with a journalist friend of mine this past week, so I wanted to share. He wanted my marketing opinion about the relationship between craft beer and tennis. Sounds weird at first, but there are a few interesting things to dive into here. First, beer is not uncommon at professional tennis matches. European brands like Heineken and Stella Artois have long been big-name sponsors of these events. And who could forget the US Open...

This email has what? RIZZ AKA charisma, according to my 12-year-old son (and Wikipedia). I was talking with him the other day about how I was writing a business email to send out to my online community and he suggested that I give it some "rizz" so that more people read it. Can you tell he's the child of a marketer? After pondering this for a bit, I thought to myself, okay - challenge accepted kiddo. I can put some rizz in my words... Turns out that's harder than it sounds For most, the...