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Little Talks

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It's been a busy few weeks for the agency, that included client visits in Pennsylvania and Kentucky. This week, the gang is back together and recording for the first time in nearly a month! The topic? Why working with an independent marketing agency can be a smart move for brands. Bigger isn't always better, and the group discusses what that means for your business. For one, direct access to senior talent means there’s no “B team.” Clients work directly with the experts, the people making the...
Wrapping up their learnings from HubSpot's INBOUND marketing conference in San Francisco earlier this month, Sam takes a breather while Claudia joins Roop on the mics once again to chat about email marketing. What's working? What's changing? What's new? Claudia and Roop recap three email marketing sessions they attended with friend of the podcast, Jay Schwedelson. From subject lines that work to formatting hacks, new stats bring clarity to what’s ahead for email marketing, including insights ...
Sam is back from his MAGNET (Marketing & Advertising Global Network) retreat in Paris, as fired up as he's ever been! He compares AI notes with Roop (still high from his INBOUND trip in San Francisco), specifically around AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and of course SEO (Search Engine Optimization) in the age of AI. What's new? What's still the same? What's next? So grab a crépe and your favorite wine (those are French things, right?) and listen in ...
Sam's in Paris (France, not Texas) this week, so Claudia steps in to join Roop at the table for a "Claudcast" continuing to cover their recent trip to HubSpot's INBOUND marketing conference in San Francisco. This week's topic: HubSpot's newly announced AI-powered products and upgrades. The duo has been able to get hands on with these in the past week and a half, and are have the 411 for you here. Marketing Studio HubSpot's new all-in-one, AI-powered campaign planning and creation workspace th...
On this week's episode of Little Talks, Roop and Claudia are back from HubSpot's INBOUND 25 marketing conference in San Fransisco, and boy oh boy do they have updates! Everything from new HubSpot products to a new marketing playbook for the AI age called Loop Marketing, it's a LOT. Plus their favorite speakers, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and friend of the podcast, Jay Schwedelson (who had a special message for Sam, since he wasn't able to go this year). So where to begin? Well, this...
On this week's Little Talks we talk search. What it is, where it's going and how your brand can stay relevant in the age of AI SEO. AI is definitely changing the SEO playbook, but fortunately some of the same old tricks that have worked in traditional SEO still work for AI search as well. We chat strategy, measurement and everything in between as AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini and Preplexity start to slowly chip away at Google Search, who is easily still the king with 90% of global search ...
It’s Roop’s favorite time of year—HubSpot’s INBOUND marketing conference is here! This year, the event moves from Boston to San Francisco, but the awesomeness remains the same. On this week’s episode of Little Talks, the gang shares some favorite INBOUND memories and the sessions they’re most excited about for 2025. AI and new HubSpot platform announcements are set to take center stage again, but INBOUND isn’t just about the technical updates. Every year, Roop comes back buzzing with fresh id...
On this episode of Little Talks, we tackle four common B2B marketing myths and set the record straight. First up is the idea that gated content is the only way to generate leads. While putting valuable resources behind a form can work, the hosts explain that leaning on it too heavily can actually shrink your audience and hurt your brand authority. Mixing in ungated assets—like blog posts, videos, and podcasts—helps build trust, position you as a thought leader, and keep you visible in search ...
On this week's episode of Little Talks we welcome back a frequent guest and friend, Mike Simmon from Grasshopper Mowers. Mike was in town from Kansas for his monthly HubSpot and CRM meeting with Roop, Chelsea, Claudia and Kendall and was kind enough to join Sam and Roop on the mics. The topic? What in marketing is still as true now as it was 10-20 years ago? We discuss timeless marketing truths like brand consistency and knowing your customer, tactics or trends we used to swear by but wouldn...
From catchy podcast intros to snappy TikTok snippets, this week the gang explores why sound design is still a hidden gem in the B2B world. Roop and Sam break down what makes a memorable sonic brand—like a signature melody or audio logo—and explains how these cues can be just as powerful as a company’s visual identity, instantly setting the mood and signaling who you are, sometimes before a single word is spoken They also discuss a common misconception that "serious" industries—manufacturing, ...
Sam is back this week to chat about being a marketing agency in the midwest. Is there a perceived bias for Midwest agencies compared to their larger city or costal counterparts? We discuss, as well as celebrate the strengths of Midwestern values—loyalty, authenticity, grit—and how they shape our marketing and client relationships. We believe the bias is bunk, and the perception is changing. Sam shares some stories of wins and loses that reinforce this thought. The Midwestern reputation for '“...
This week on Little Talks, Roop is joined by a surprise duo—Grasshopper Trent (VP of Marketing at Grasshopper Mowers) and his son Andrew. Trent usually pops in at the end of the year for Trent-a-palooza, but a quick trip to Tulsa to handle some car trouble turned into a bonus Trent podcast episode this year! Coming off last week’s Gen Z episode, it felt like perfect timing to bring Andrew into the conversation. As a younger Gen Z-er, he offers up fresh insights on how his generation is using ...
On this week’s Little Talks we’re talkin’ about Gen Z, with some insight from one of our resident Gen Z voices in the office, Claudia! Claudia tells Sam and Roop about how purpose at work matters. A paycheck is great, sure, but waking up every day to do work that actually makes an impact? That’s where it’s at. She reminds the gang that fulfillment can outweigh dollars—and for many members of Gen Z, that’s non-negotiable. We also dive into what it means to be a “digital native” that is fast to...
Rebranding isn’t just for B2C. This week, Sam and Roop discuss when and why B2B brands should consider updating their look, messaging, or even name. From rebrand to refresh to repositioning, we go through the 'when' and the 'why' of the matter so you know if it might be time to consider making a change. We also go through some real-world B2B rebrand examples—what worked, what didn’t, and what can be learned from them. Are brand refreshes easy? Not always, but there are some data-driven strate...
It’s Wellness Week at Littlefield Agency! Following our previous episode on work-life balance, we thought this is as good a time as any to dig into strategies for preventing burnout at work, especially in high-pressure B2B marketing roles. We know not everyone can have a full week to work on their mental, physical and spiritual well being, but the gang does discuss some smaller ways that can make a difference and encourage sustainable productivity. It all starts at the top. "If the boss isn't...
It was a real meeting of the minds at Littlefield Agency last week when we welcomed MAGNET Agency partners Chris Sullivan and Bauer Fichter from Media Thesis. Capping off an all-day summit around all things media, analytics and AI, Sam and Roop were able to talk Bauer into joining them on the podcast. If you've ever met our own media and analytics guru, Chris Kizer, you have a pretty good idea of Bauer. This guy eats, sleeps and breathes media. Everything from audience personas and niche targ...
It’s been a while, but Roop is BACK! Just in time for a busy week at Littlefield Agency. We’ve got people traveling to AI conferences, client meetings, and more. But that won’t stop Sam and Roop from bringing you a new episode of Little Talks! This week, the gang talks about client communication. Simple topic, you say? You would think so—but there’s more variety and nuance to it than you might expect! Everyone has their own preferences for communicating, ranging from email to Slack to text. W...
On this week’s episode of Little Talks, we’re celebrating 45 years of LA with our founder and chairman, David Littlefield. He’ll take us back to 1980, when "Littlefield Inc." began in his home in Stillwater, Oklahoma. We’ve had plenty of ups and downs over four decades—moments where we just had to hang in there and keep pushing. Through both triumphs and setbacks, we learned that being persistent and adaptable matters more than quick success. What’s kept the agency going for 45 years? David s...
On this week's episode of Littlefield's Little Talks, Sam and Roop jump into a topic that's been heating up lately—AI-powered search. Have traditional search engines and SEO finally met their match? After decades of worrying about what page of search results your B2B brand's web content shows up on, along comes AI and it's non-liner usage of your content. Users are increasingly moving toward AI-powered search tools and features, changing their traditional search behavior. It's not just social...
On this week's episode of Little Talks, Roop is back from NYC and Brandon jumps back into the studio again to cover for a traveling Claudia. After a week off, Sam and Roop discuss A/B testing for various marketing efforts from display ads to emails. They chat about how what you think you may know isn't always what is real, and why it's important to have a hypothesis going into testing. A/B testing is like having a friendly marketing competition right in front of your eyes! You take two versio...