In this episode of the Ecommerce Marketing Podcast, host Arlen Robinson interviews Marti Sanchez, CEO of Influence Podium, a thought leadership content marketing agency. Marti shares his journey from a professional athlete to a content marketing expert, discussing key strategies for effective B2B content marketing.

Key Takeaways:

• Introduction to Marti Sanchez (00:00:10)
  • Overview of Marti’s background from playing college basketball to founding Influence Podium.
• Beginning with B2B Content Marketing (00:04:30)
  • Step 1: Belief in Content Marketing (00:05:00): Understand that results take time (6-12 months).
  • Step 2: Reverse Engineer Long-term Objectives (00:06:00): Identify your main goals for content marketing.
  • Step 3: Identify Target Audience (00:06:30): Go beyond demographics to understand fears, motivations, and language.
  • Step 4: Create a Content Roadmap (00:08:00): Outline the main topics and strategies.
  • Step 5: Build a Content Creation System (00:08:30): Assemble a team of writers and editors.
  • Step 6: Set KPIs and Track Progress (00:09:00): Measure performance to improve strategies.
• Understanding Your Target Audience (00:10:00)
  • Speak to Your Audience (00:11:00): Conduct interviews to understand their language and needs.
  • Example of Effective Customer Interviews (00:15:00): CEO interviewing 100 software managers for insights.
• Generating Leads with Content Marketing (00:17:30)
  • Right Content and Distribution (00:18:00): Focus on creating valuable content and ensuring it reaches the right audience.
  • Quality over Quantity (00:19:00): Inbound leads may be fewer but are higher quality.
• Choosing the Right Content and Distribution Channels (00:22:00)
  • Self-awareness and Skill Identification (00:23:00): Focus on your strengths (writing, video, etc.).
  • Where is Your Audience? (00:24:00): Identify and target platforms your audience uses (LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.).
• Testing and Tracking Content Performance (00:26:00)
  • Test Different Channels (00:27:00): Experiment to find the best-performing platforms.
  • Qualitative Tracking (00:30:00): Look for inbound leads and revenue rather than just vanity metrics like views and followers.
• The Challenge of Dark Attribution (00:31:30)
  • Hard-to-Track Interactions (00:32:00): Examples like word-of-mouth recommendations that aren’t easily measurable.
• Final Thoughts on Content Marketing (00:35:00)
  • Focus on Results (00:36:00): Track inbound revenue to gauge content effectiveness.

Guest Information:

Marti Sanchez

• CEO of Influence Podium
• LinkedIn: Marti Sanchez
• Website: Influence Podium