Digital Marketing Stories on Bad Decisions With Jim Banks – Details, episodes & analysis

Today, we're joined by Kevin Gibbons, the founder of Re:signal, who shares his journey through the ups and downs of the search industry, from SEO consulting to handling major brand transitions.

We'll dive into Kevin's experiences with career changes, the challenges and pitfalls of the franchise model at Blueglass, and what he's learned from past failures.

Jim Banks and Kevin also discuss the importance of purpose and value in their work, the evolution of remote work setups, and the significance of financial accountability within a business.

Stay tuned as we explore the lessons learned from these pivotal moments and how they shaped Kevin's path forward.

Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting in the industry, this episode is packed with insights you won't want to miss.

• Re:signal - ecommerce SEO agency

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Today, we're breaking new ground with not one, but three incredible guests - Taryn Stoddard, Kali Ashford, and Sara Malo.

All trailblazers in their own right, they share their unique experiences and insights from navigating the challenging waters of male-dominated industries.

This episode explores the spectrum of their professional journeys.

We'll touch on the importance of boundaries, the evolving dynamics of gender roles in the workplace, and how collective support has helped these women carve out spaces of their own.

Plus, we'll discuss innovative initiatives like LinkUnite, a community that aims to elevate female representation in the performance marketing industry.

Join host Jim Banks as he reflects on his own career challenges, while engaging with our guests about the lessons they've learned from their past, the technical hurdles they’ve overcome, and their visions for a more inclusive future.

Whether you're curious about the nuances of urban networking, keen on understanding the balance between chivalry and modern professional conduct, or looking for inspiration on supporting young talent, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways.

So, let’s get into it.

• Kaija Group
• AdMediaCards
• LinkUnite.live – A movement aimed at uniting communities and the greatest minds in marketing and wider industries.

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Anton Shulke is an inspiration.

He is from Ukraine and when the war started everyone in the search community rushed to Facebook looking for the video that Anton posted of himself drinking a coffee.

Since then he has moved on to many countries.

He is also fantastic at creating influencer communities.

So enjoy this discussion with Anton on Bad Decisions with Jim Banks

Discussed during the episode

• SEO for Paws Announcement
• Ukrainian Cats & Dogs Initiative
• Duda - eCommerce Website Builder

One small ask - If you do nothing else, please, please, please can you visit Anton's Buy Me A Coffee link. He donates every penny to support the stray cats and dogs that have been left abandoned by the war in Ukraine.

Today, we're in for a special treat as we're joined by Purna Virji, a renowned PPC expert, author, consultant, and all-around guru in digital marketing.

In today's episode, we're diving deep into the labyrinth of explaining digital marketing to the uninitiated, tackling the misconceptions and complexities with Purna's incisive clarity.

We'll get a glimpse into her world – from university days in Cardiff to her big move to the US, navigating through her auspicious career trajectory that led her straight to the heart of SEO.

As we unravel Purna's approach to creating high-impact content that stands the test of time, we will also explore how to combat the challenge of rising AI influence and still produce content that resonates authentically with our audience.

Purna will reveal some pearls of wisdom on crafting a book that becomes an evergreen resource, and we'll even touch upon the economic pressures shaping digital marketing today.

So, sit tight and get ready for an insightful journey that could reshape the way you view content creation, leaving you with a fresh perspective on how to leave a meaningful legacy in a world constantly morphing by technology.

It's time to take our bad decisions and turn them into powerful learning experiences, here on Bad Decisions with Jim Banks.

Don't forget to check our show notes for more on Purna's strategies, and be sure to follow, subscribe, and share our podcast with your colleagues and friends.

Let's dive in.

Discussed on the episode

• High-Impact Content Marketing: Strategies to Make Your Content Intentional, Engaging and Effective

In this episode we dive into conversation with my guest, the PPC evangelist from Optmyzr, Navah Hopkins.

Navah shares her wisdom on the industry’s pressing need for diversity, her own challenges on the speaking circuit, and the pivotal role brands have in creating an ecosystem that embraces underrepresented voices, especially women.

We unpack the importance of providing a platform and opportunities to speak at industry conferences.

Navah's insights on navigating the complexities of SEO and PPC marketing will shine a light on good and bad decisions made in these fields.

We discuss the evolution of Google's advertising tools, the ethics around branded search, and the indispensable value of trust in this business and the special role of the Google Ads liaison representative.

Navah's transition from SEO to PPC to makes her perfect for her role with Optmyzr, we're covering all angles.

All this and more in today's engaging episode of "Bad Decisions with Jim Banks".

Every decision has a story, and today's might just change your perspective on the digital marketing industry.

Discussed on the episode

• Women in Tech SEO
• Paid Search Association
• Foxwell Founders
• High-Impact Content Marketing: Strategies to Make Your Content Intentional, Engaging and Effective
• LinkUnite - A movement aimed at uniting communities and the greatest minds in marketing and wider industries.

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A soul searching episode with a back story to the early 90's, some really bad decisions and how tossing a coin can help you arrive at the right decision.

Short episode with some profound and personal content for you to listen to, hop you enjoy it and learn.

One small ask - would you please subscribe to the show and leave me a rating - it goes a long way as I get the show off the ground

This week's guest is Ashley Segura, the co-founder of Content Yum.

We take a deep dive into content marketing, SEO, and the evolving role AI is playing today.

Listen as we explore Ashley's new venture, Content Yum, and its human-centric approach to content creation.

We discuss the competition posed by AI-generated content and its impact on SEO and content marketing.

Ashley shares personal stories about the negative effects of spam content and the importance of authenticity in user-generated content (UGC) and what UGC actually is might shock you.

Ashley shares the importance of having a solid content strategy and the significance of actively looking for criticism and feedback for growth.

Gain insight into the importance of authority in product reviews and the potential pitfalls of relying too heavily on AI in business decisions.

Be sure to listen in, follow and subscribe and share with an industry friend or someone interested in breaking into content marketing specifically or digital marketing more generally.

Discussed on the Episode

• Semrush
• Descript
• ContentYum - Your Content Marketing Partner

One small ask - would you please subscribe to the show and leave me a rating. Feedback is the food of champions and I love getting feedback, even if it is negative.

It's been a tough few months since I launched the podcast.

Partly because I was travelling and hadn't worked out how to keep the cadence of publishing going and also because just having podcast guests puts pressure on schedules.

Solo episodes, like this one, are much easier to make. I can talk directly to you and share my thoughts and feelings, as well as tips, tricks and things that are aha moments.

My digital marketing guests so far have been amazing.

I've loved the conversations and am so thankful that they gave up their time to come and talk to me.

Sure, they all mainly have their own things they are trying to achieve, whether it is book promotion, speaking promotion, new business.

In this short solo episode I share how someone made me feel when they reviewed my digital marketing podcast on their show.

I've flip flopped between being grateful and being annoyed about the feedback I got.

But, now that I have made this episode, I can park it and move forward.

There is a valuable lesson here for all of us in how and when you should give feedback and the impact it might have on the recipient.

Please listen to the end, and do what I ask you to do.

It's not for me.

It's for you.

• Descript - Video editing, filler word removal
• Bad Decisions with Jim Banks - Reviewed

I only have one small ask - please subscribe to the show and leave me a rating or a review - it goes a long way as I get the show off the ground.

And tell a colleague, friend or family member looking to get in to digital marketing to come and listen.

In episode 10 Jim delves into the twists and turns of agency life, working in-house with 20 year digital marketing veteran Dave Roth and his bumpy journey as a digital marketer.

Discover the high-stakes world of managing campaigns with an insider's perspective from his time at Yahoo and realtor.com

Learn about Dave's early involvement in "that search engine thing" which led to a decade at Yahoo managing substantial search engine marketing budgets for their internal paid media channels and delivering over 3 billion page views a day for their many web properties.

We explore the complexity of running Google Ads accounts today vs. the past and how generative AI can help streamline workflows, and the constant innovation required in the digital marketing industry.

We jump into the challenges and strategies needed to work with startups, setting expectations, and maintaining client relationships and why Jim doesn't like working with startups (no offense to any startups)

• Emergent Digital

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Thought I would jazz things up a bit and add in an extra "episode" with a short aha moment or tip while we work on pulling together the guest interviews for Wednesdays.

This particular aha moment is about the Amazon Associates program and how members of the program can stop leaving money on the table when they post their content on YouTube, Instagram or anywhere else for that matter where the geographic location of your visitors can mean the difference between a big fat commission or a big fat duck egg.

There is also a great story about Sean Cannell and Think Media, tea, biscuits and some bad decisions.

Love to know what you think of the idea of the shorter form episodes, that are not really episodes.

• Geniuslink - URL Shortener for Creators and Affiliates
• Brian G Johnson - YouTube
• Nick Nimmin - YouTube
• Think Media - YouTube

One small ask - would you subscribe to the show and leave me a rating - it goes a long way as I get the show off the ground