Ep 173: Less Tech Can Mean Better Customer Relations

by Brad Friedman

Less Tech Can Mean Better Customer Relations

The Digital Slice Podcast is brought to you by The Friedman Group, LLC

Visit thedigitalslicepodcast.com for complete show notes of every podcast episode.

Join Brad Friedman and Chris Zeunstrom as they chat about businesses that build relationships and Chris' work improving relationships between people and the technology they use.

Chris Zeunstrom is the Founder and CEO of Ruca and Yorba. Since July 2017, Chris has led Ruca, a full-service global design cooperative, overseeing its design practice, ventures, philanthropy, and investments in bootstrapping startups. Chris also founded Yorba, a company dedicated to creating a decentralized internet based on trust, which emerged from beta in January 2024.

Previously, Chris was a Limited Partner at NextGen Venture Partners (2015-2018), where he supported entrepreneurs through a network-driven venture firm. He also co-founded Advocate, serving as CEO from September 2015 to January 2018, focusing on integrating technology and civic engagement for inclusive representation. Chris is based in Lisbon.

In this Episode:

Chris talks about his commitment to making relationships better between people and the technology they use.
Chris says that with the best sales people you don't know you're being sold to.
Chris talks about the use of data pods in the future.
Chris discusses the use of relationship building to build a better profile infrastructure.
Chris says the best brands are built over time.

Quotes from this Episode:
“ I think it's just that we over index into these unpersonal relationships with our customers and it's felt across the ecosystem of online platforms.” – Chris Zeunstrom
“ I think all the tools today, you can get a lot of good insights and stuff like that on like where you should focus.” – Chris Zeunstrom
“Tthey're focused on something called data pods, basically, which is it keeps all of your information and it allows you to move your data with you from platform to platform.” – Chris Zeunstrom
“ It's data driven marketing based on a like a rotten core of guessed data a lot of times.” – Chris Zeunstrom
“ It's about a lot more data ownership, blockchain distributed networks and decentralizing of walled gardens.” – Chris Zeunstrom

Resources:

Chris Zeunstrom:
LinkedIn: Chris Zeunstrom
Yorba Website: Yorba
Ruca Website: Ruca

This podcast is brought to you by Magai. The tool we use for our AI needs. Magai is 12 AI apps in one. There's just one subscription to access all the best AI models. Get Magai right here, https://friedmansocialmedia.com/magai

Our favorite Social Media Management Tool is AgoraPulse
https://friedmansocialmedia.com/agora

Libsyn is the Host of The Digital Slice Podcast. Just use our Libsyn code SLICE at https://friedmansocialmedia.com/libsyn to get up to 2 months of free podcasting service with Libsyn! Get your show on Apple Podcasts, get critical show-building stats—Libsyn even does video!

Streamyard is the tool we use to stream to all major platforms simultaneously directly from a browser. We also use Streamyard to record The Digital Slice Podcast because of its ability to provide us with crystal clear audio and 1080p video. Sign up today for free at https://friedmansocialmedia.com/streamyard

Are you looking for an email service provider that has stood the test of time? Be sure to look at Constant Contact, the provider we use. Constant Contact

Are you looking for a CRM for your business? We suggest taking a look at a few different ones before making your decision. Be sure to look at Nimble, one of our favorite CRMs, and take advantage of a 14-day free trial.

And, here's the link to my calendar for the two slots I have open to give you a sample coaching session: Coaching Session With Brad

Brad Friedman

X:

@BradFriedman

@FriedmanGrp

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefriedmangroup

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bfriedman/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-friedman-group-llc

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/friedmansocialmedia

Website: https://friedmansocialmedia.com

Books
“Brad Friedman on Digital Marketing,” by Brad Friedman
“The Small Business Owner's Guide To Inbound Marketing,” by Brad Friedman
“100 Livestreaming & Digital Media Predictions,” by Ross Brand with a chapter by Brad Friedman

Here's the equipment we use and recommend:

Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone http://amzn.to/2hWshL8

Heil Sound PRSM Champagne Shockmount http://amzn.to/2hUMVen

Heil Sound PL-2T Overhead Broadcast Boom http://amzn.to/2hXTvB1

RODE Videomic Shotgun Microphone https://amzn.to/3cZp2fD

Logitech C920 Webcam http://amzn.to/2hNhiQk

Roland R-05 Digital Recorder http://amzn.to/2zZ2vN4

Neewer 6×9 foot Green Screen https://amzn.to/35G4K6u

Elgato Key Light https://amzn.to/3ial9Fg

LED Lighting Kit https://amzn.to/35GBPiW

Desk Mounting Stand https://amzn.to/3qanNxM

These products and more can be found at our Amazon Store Front
https://www.amazon.com/shop/bradfriedman

We highly recommend you use TubeBuddy to up your YouTube game!
TubeBuddy https://www.tubebuddy.com/TheFriedmanGroup

Launch your video Membership course or subscription website community with Uscreen. Uscreen helps creators like you build and grow their online video business with membership sites. See what you can do with Uscreen! https://friedmansocialmedia.com/uscreen

AFFILIATE LINKS
Thank you for trusting me with my honest opinion on future purchases you may make after listening to this podcast. I am always completely transparent with you. As a friend of The Friedman Group, LLC you allow me to be able to use affiliate/referral links when suggesting items for purchase. Please know I am a customer myself or have done sufficient research to feel comfortable sharing these links with you. When you click on a link and purchase the item I may receive a small “commission.” This allows me to continue to provide you with quality content and doesn't affect you in any way at checkout.

Not every link is a referral link and some appear here because my guest spoke about them and I want to make it easy for you to check 'em out. Thank you!

Ep 155: Start With Clarity To Build A Strong Brand

by Brad Friedman | The Digital Slice

Ep 155: Start With Clarity To Build A Strong Brand

by Brad Friedman

Start With Clarity To Build A Strong Brand

The Digital Slice Podcast is brought to you by The Friedman Group, LLC

Join Brad Friedman and Alison Richmond as they chat about the need for small business owners to craft a compelling story that helps communicate who they are.

As SVP of ClearEdge Marketing, Alison Richmond leads the largest division of ClearEdge by upholding its commitment to serve as a visionary growth partner and brand innovator to businesses across the talent and HR tech sector.

Alison has led marketing teams for more than a decade with a focus on ensuring the strategic development and careful tracking of integrated marketing campaigns to maximize ROI and increase brand reach. Constantly curious and passionate about driving growth, Alison is committed to helping companies navigate changing market conditions, building brands with purpose, and supporting the people behind the projects.

In this Episode:

Alison talks about your brand being about presenting and communicating who you are out to the world.
Alison says the founder of that small business really is the brand.
Alison believes business owners need to capture the strengths of the business to communicate out.
Alison discusses the need to write your compelling story to share across all the digital platforms.
Alison suggests creating your pillars of conversation.

Quotes from this Episode:
“The brand is really the heart and soul of a company.” – Alison Richmond
“There's a quote that says, brand is not what you say it is. It's what the people that have experienced you or your company say that it is.” – Alison Richmond
“When you're building that brand, you think visionary about what you want your brand to be.” – Alison Richmond
“Consistency builds trust.” – Alison Richmond
“I once had a boss tell me that if you can't measure it, you can't manage it.” – Alison Richmond

Resources:

Alison Richmond:
LinkedIn: Alison Richmond
Website: ClearEdge

We are sponsored by the Lomi Composter. Use “digitalslice” at checkout to save $50. Lomi is the world’s first Smart Waste kitchen composter. You too can have a cleaner, more sustainable home.

This podcast is brought to you by Magai. The tool we use for our AI needs. Magai is 25+ AI apps in one. There's just one subscription to access all the best AI models. Get Magai right here, https://friedmansocialmedia.com/magai

Our favorite Social Media Management Tool is AgoraPulse
https://friedmansocialmedia.com/agora

Libsyn is the Host of The Digital Slice Podcast. Just use our Libsyn code SLICE at https://friedmansocialmedia.com/libsyn to get up to 2 months of free podcasting service with Libsyn! Get your show on Apple Podcasts, get critical show-building stats—Libsyn even does video!

Streamyard is the tool we use to stream to all major platforms simultaneously directly from a browser. We also use Streamyard to record The Digital Slice Podcast because of its ability to provide us with crystal clear audio and 1080p video. Sign up today for free at https://friedmansocialmedia.com/streamyard

And, here's the link to my calendar for the two slots I have open to give you a sample coaching session: Coaching Session With Brad

Brad Friedman

Twitter:

@BradFriedman

@FriedmanGrp

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefriedmangroup

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bfriedman/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-friedman-group-llc

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/friedmansocialmedia

Website: https://friedmansocialmedia.com

Books
“Brad Friedman on Digital Marketing,” by Brad Friedman
“The Small Business Owner's Guide To Inbound Marketing,” by Brad Friedman
“100 Livestreaming & Digital Media Predictions,” by Ross Brand with a chapter by Brad Friedman

Here's the equipment we use and recommend:

Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone http://amzn.to/2hWshL8

Heil Sound PRSM Champagne Shockmount http://amzn.to/2hUMVen

Heil Sound PL-2T Overhead Broadcast Boom http://amzn.to/2hXTvB1

RODE Videomic Shotgun Microphone https://amzn.to/3cZp2fD

Logitech C920 Webcam http://amzn.to/2hNhiQk

Roland R-05 Digital Recorder http://amzn.to/2zZ2vN4

Neewer 6×9 foot Green Screen https://amzn.to/35G4K6u

Elgato Key Light https://amzn.to/3ial9Fg

LED Lighting Kit https://amzn.to/35GBPiW

Desk Mounting Stand https://amzn.to/3qanNxM

These products and more can be found at our Amazon Store Front
https://www.amazon.com/shop/bradfriedman

We highly recommend you use TubeBuddy to up your YouTube game!
TubeBuddy https://www.tubebuddy.com/TheFriedmanGroup

Launch your video Membership course or subscription website community with Uscreen. Uscreen helps creators like you build and grow their online video business with membership sites. See what you can do with Uscreen! https://friedmansocialmedia.com/uscreen

AFFILIATE LINKS
Thank you for trusting me with my honest opinion on future purchases you may make after listening to this podcast. I am always completely transparent with you. As a friend of The Friedman Group, LLC you allow me to be able to use affiliate/referral links when suggesting items for purchase. Please know I am a customer myself or have done sufficient research to feel comfortable sharing these links with you. When you click on a link and purchase the item I may receive a small “commission.” This allows me to continue to provide you with quality content and doesn't affect you in any way at checkout.

Not every link is a referral link and some appear here because my guest spoke about them and I want to make it easy for you to check 'em out. Thank you!

Ep 054: Personalized Messaging Is Our Savior

by Brad Friedman | The Digital Slice

Ep 054: Personalized Messaging Is Our Savior

by Brad Friedman

Personalized Messaging Is Our Savior

The Digital Slice Podcast is brought to you by The Friedman Group, LLC

Join Brad Friedman and Mike Betzer as they chat about customer service, customer experience, and which big brands are doing it right.

Mike Betzer is the Chief Digital Transformation Officer of Khoros where he is focused on maintaining strong customer health across all of the product lines. Mike has been helping big brands interact with customers for 30+ years. An experienced executive in contact center and CRM, Mike worked for MCI for 14 years leading contact centers and technology. He then started Ineto Services in 1999, a SaaS contact center infrastructure company, which he built to profitability over five years and sold to Siebel in 2004.

Mike then led the new Siebel OnDemand division, becoming the lead for CRM strategy at Oracle after Siebel was acquired in 2006. In 2008 he was recruited by Convergys as a President and Officer to create a new technology division and lead key acquisitions. He left Convergys to start Social Dynamx which was acquired by Lithium. And the rest, as they say, is history.

In this Episode:

Mike talks about his work background and something called “long-distance.”
Mike talks about the importance of understanding customer experience analytics.
Mike talks about how important it is for brands to focus on customer experience.

Quotes from this Episode:
“If you can get the logic and the knowledge and the understanding and the data, listening to your customers correctly, it makes beautiful music” – Mike Betzer
“If you listen to your customers correctly they'll tell you exactly what to do.” – Mike Betzer
“The most important thing brands can do to provide a great customer experience is to change their mindset” – Mike Betzer
“The most important thing for brands to do is to appreciate the new technology, understand that it's there, and it has to come from the top.” – Mike Betzer

Resources:

Mike Betzer:
LinkedIn: Mike Betzer
Website: khoros.com

Resources:

Brad Friedman

Twitter:

@BradFriedman

@FriedmanGrp

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefriedmangroup

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bfriedman/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-friedman-group-llc

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/friedmansocialmedia

Website: https://friedmansocialmedia.com

Books
“Brad Friedman on Digital Marketing,” by Brad Friedman
“The Small Business Owner's Guide To Inbound Marketing,” by Brad Friedman

If you want to sign up and get a one-month free trial of Stitcher Premium monthly plan, go to Stitcher Premium and use Promo Code DIGITALSLICE (all one word) at checkout.

Be sure to sign up for the Brad Bot at TheBradBot.com To get reminders when I go live on Facebook and to receive freebies and other content from The Friedman Group, LLC.

5 Predictions For Social Media Marketing In 2017

by Brad Friedman | Social Media

It's never too early to prepare. Halloween, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, and other holidays may ensure your brand's success in 2016, but why not plan ahead for 2017? To sustain your success not just now but in the future, you need to understand upcoming trends in order to act quickly once they happen. To get you ready, here are our 5 predictions for social media marketing in 2017. (more…)

Digital Transformation: Evolve Or Die?

by Brad Friedman | General Business Advice

Last month, Altimeter Group released a new report on digital transformation to help digital strategists understand what companies are doing today so they can plan and evolve for tomorrow. Insert obligatory “Get busy living, or get busy dying” quote from The Shawshank Redemption right here. Findings from The 2014 State of Digital Transformation include results that are both relevant and noteworthy for organizations from all industries throughout the world that want to get busy evolving their business to deliver a positive experience for digital customers. (more…)