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The SDM Show discusses all things Business, Marketing and WordPress. This show was formerly known as The SDM Business, Marketing and WordPress Show.
625 Episodes
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In this episode, Rob Cairns sits down with Henry DeVries, an author, publisher, and marketing expert, to discuss the transformative power of writing a book to grow a professional service business. They explore the shifting landscape of the book industry, the rise of audiobooks, and why being an author is the ultimate marketing tool for consultants and agencies.
Rob Cairns sits down with David Wilder, a media strategist and founder of Trust Point Exposure, to tackle the complexities of AI in 2025. They discuss the rapid transition of AI into the mainstream, its impact on the manufacturing and job markets, and why businesses must shift toward "Answer Engine Optimization" to remain visible in a search landscape dominated by AI overviews.
In this episode, host Rob Cairns sits down with content creator and filmmaker Jake Isham to discuss the evolution of storytelling, the impact of AI, and practical advice for entrepreneurs looking to build a digital presence.
In this podcast episode, host Rob Cairns and guest Todd Jones review the state of copywriting and digital marketing throughout 2025. They discuss the practical use of artificial intelligence in content creation, emphasizing that while AI is useful for summaries and social media posts, it often lacks the creativity needed for remarkable results. A significant portion of the conversation focuses on the power of storytelling, specifically the importance of developing a founder story to build human connections in a commoditized market. The speakers also address industry shifts, noting that customer experience and emotional targeting are becoming more vital as traditional digital playbooks lose their effectiveness. Finally, they highlight the potential risks of AI replacing junior-level roles, which could disrupt the long-term development of skilled professionals in the field.
In this podcast episode, Rob Cairns and Warren Laine-Naida review the evolving landscape of SEO as 2025 comes to a close. They highlight how artificial intelligence has fundamentally changed search by providing direct answers, requiring creators to structure content into clear, verifiable "chunks" for better visibility. The discussion emphasizes that while technical performance remains vital, successful digital marketing now relies on a holistic approach that connects a user-friendly website with active social media engagement. Laine-Naida argues that off-page SEO and genuine relationship-building are more critical for discovery than the specific platform or CMS used. Ultimately, the source advises businesses to prioritize trust and authority through case studies and facts rather than outdated tricks like keyword stuffing. The conversation concludes by reminding listeners that SEO is a long-term commitment requiring patience, adaptability, and a willingness to experiment.
In this podcast episode, host Rob Cairns and marketing expert Bridget Willard conduct a comprehensive review of the 2025 marketing landscape. They emphasize that small businesses must prioritize foundational stability, such as functional websites and accurate analytics, over flashy, expensive ad campaigns. The conversation highlights social media as a vital component of SEO, noting that active engagement on platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn helps brands stay relevant in AI-driven search results. They also discuss the nuanced role of AI, framing it as a tool that requires human expertise to produce authentic, high-quality content. Finally, the pair advises businesses to maintain human connections and exercise cultural sensitivity during times of global political turmoil.
In this podcast episode, Rob Cairns and Ryan Waterbury conduct a comprehensive year-in-review for 2025 while looking ahead to 2026. The hosts discuss the critical importance of customer support systems and the technical challenges of WordPress core updates during the busy holiday retail season. A significant portion of the conversation focuses on artificial intelligence, highlighting its role in streamlining agency processes and commoditizing traditional web development. They also emphasize the necessity of digital visibility and email marketing as essential tools for lead generation in an increasingly noisy online landscape. Finally, the duo explores the need for business backup plans due to recent major cloud service outages and the impact of evolving privacy regulations on data collection.
Episode 616 The Future of Work – Augmenting Humans with Practical AI. Cairns is joined by guest Derek Crager, the founder of Practical AI, to discuss the current state and future of artificial intelligence. The conversation centers on the rapid advancements in AI, such as the release of Gemini 3, and the hosts’ belief that AI is an augmentative tool rather than a replacement for human labor, citing historical technological revolutions like the printing press and the agricultural revolution. Crager explains that Practical AI, his enterprise-level product, is designed to provide practical, instantaneous, and secure knowledge to industrial manufacturing workers, functioning as a "Pocket Mentor" to reduce cognitive load and increase productivity. The discussion also touches upon the high failure rate of corporate AI adoption and the importance of educating the public about AI to diminish fear and skepticism.
Episode 615 Build a Foundation Before You Market is a solo show hosted by Rob Cairns of the SDM Show. Cairns, who is the founder and CEO of Stunning Digital Marketing, emphasizes the critical importance of establishing a solid digital foundation before engaging in any marketing efforts. He stresses that website health is paramount, detailing necessary checks such as ensuring forms work and are spam-protected, maintaining regular backups, updating WordPress, and auditing analytics and content. Cairns concludes that fixing foundational issues must precede marketing to ensure that promotional efforts are directed toward a functional and appealing "house."
The SDM Show, hosted by Rob Cairns, featuring guest Chris Panteli. The conversation centers on the topics of digital Public Relations (PR) and link building, particularly in the context of the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs). Panteli, co-founder of the agency Linkify, shares his backstory and expertise in securing high-authority media links for clients through strategies like expert commentary and thought leadership, emphasizing platforms like Help a Reporter Out (HARO). The discussion highlights the value of high-quality backlinks from trusted sources like Forbes and The New York Times for improving SEO and visibility within both Google's algorithm and emerging AI systems like Copilot. Cairns and Panteli also address the importance of consistency, accuracy, and providing a compelling story to successfully engage with modern, time-constrained journalists.
"The SDM Show with your host Rob Cairns," where Cairns interviews guest Cary Prejean, a strategic business and ontological coach. The discussion centers on the challenges faced by entrepreneurs, highlighting the need for business owners to understand their financial statements and the common difficulty of entrepreneurs transitioning from visionary to effective manager. Prejean, who moved from accounting to coaching, explains that the mindset and personality traits that make one a successful entrepreneur often hinder their ability to be good managers. The conversation also explores the importance of clear vision, focused leadership, and established business processes for sustained growth, concluding with practical advice on financial health and personal well-being for business owners.
The provided text is an excerpt from a podcast episode of "The SDM Show," hosted by Rob Cairns, which focuses on business, life, and digital marketing. Cairns is interviewing Alfredo Borodowski, an expert in positivity and resiliency, who shares his compelling personal journey, including his dramatic shift from being a prestigious rabbi who was arrested and diagnosed as bipolar to becoming a social worker and positive psychology expert. Their conversation centers on the practical application of positive psychology, such as identifying one's top five character strengths to foster personal and professional excellence. Borowski also discusses his upcoming book, "The Human Upgrade," which explores the necessity of implementing a "human plan" alongside technological advancements like AI to mitigate the associated increase in anxiety and fear in the workplace, stressing the importance of culture, purpose, and self-care for achieving peak performance.
The source provides excerpts from The SDM Show podcast, hosted by Rob Cairns, featuring a conversation with Jess Frick of Rocket.net about the web hosting industry. The discussion covers the significant financial requirements for running a hosting company, often involving private equity or VC funding, as well as the importance of trust and support in a good hosting partnership. Cairns and Frick specifically address security measures, mentioning the complexities introduced by AI and the value of having comprehensive, non-tiered security, while also touching upon e-commerce scalability and the preference for using dedicated providers for email and domain registration.
The source is an excerpt from "The SDM Show," hosted by Rob Cairns, featuring guest Tim Nash, a security expert. The discussion centers on various cybersecurity topics, including recent security incidents like an AWS outage and a vulnerability used in airport PA systems, as well as the risks of using end-of-life operating systems like Windows 10. A primary focus is the "circle of trust" in the WordPress ecosystem, where they examine the security of popular form plugins like Contact Form 7 and Gravity Forms and the challenges of trusting third-party vendors and individual developers. Finally, they discuss the controversial timing and potential issues of the upcoming WordPress 6.9 feature release during the busy retail season, advocating for separate streams for security and feature updates.
The SDM Show hosted by Rob Cairns, featuring guest Dave Burnett, a fellow Torontonian and expert in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The conversation primarily focuses on the evolving relationship between AI and SEO, with Burnett sharing his background in both fields, from owning a promotional products company during the Great Recession to becoming an OpenAI beta tester. Cairns and Burnett discuss common anxieties about AI, emphasizing that it is simply reshaping work processes and requires users to master prompt engineering to avoid receiving "average" content. The experts also explore the enduring relevance of SEO, particularly for local search, and discuss strategies for businesses to build online authority and integrate AI effectively into their marketing and business models, concluding that success requires consistent effort and time rather than quick fixes.
The SDM Show, hosted by Rob Cairns, which focuses on various business and marketing topics. In this segment, Cairns and guest Bridget Willard discuss the critical importance of holiday marketing preparation, specifically addressing the year-end buying season that includes Black Friday and Cyber Monday. They debate whether it is already "too late" to plan for holiday sales and analyze the logistical and strategic pitfalls of offering deep discounts, especially for small businesses and the WordPress industry. The conversation also touches on the need for technical readiness for increased web traffic and the fundamental necessity of tracking marketing analytics for effective business growth.
This episode of The SDM Show Podcast, hosted by Rob Cairns, which features a conversation with guest Al Schuster, the founder and owner of Polaris Brand Promotions. The discussion centers on the role of brand ambassador agencies in providing experiential marketing services, such as in-store product demonstrations, trade show staffing, and event activations, for various consumer goods, particularly alcoholic beverages and packaged snacks. Cairns and Schuster explore how these promotions drive brand awareness and sales, emphasizing the importance of planning for peak retail seasons like October, November, and December (OMD), while also touching on the complexities of regulation and effective strategies for client engagement.
The is a conversation between Rob Cairns and Adam McLaughlin, focusing on McLaughlin's new business venture, pieceofcakevideos.com, which provides easy, subscription-based social media video content for small and medium businesses. They discuss the challenges of creating consistent video content and how McLarin's service simplifies the process by recording a conversation with the client, then using AI and manual editing to chop the footage into short, engaging, evergreen clips for platforms like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. The speakers emphasize the importance of authentic, unscripted content for building trust with an audience, contrasting short-form video as a "Costco sample" that funnels viewers to longer-form content. They also address the role of AI in their workflow, noting that it assists with efficiency but does not complete more than 60% of the final product, with human oversight necessary for quality and timely content monitoring.
The source is an excerpt from a podcast discussion between Rob Cairns and Ryan Waterbury on an episode of "agency chat," focusing on the challenges and strategies of managing and growing a business. The conversation centers on the crucial role of mindset for business owners and the difficulty of delegating tasks and letting go of control, especially when hiring others. Both speakers emphasize the importance of working on the business (strategic development, systems, and processes) rather than just working in the business (day-to-day tasks), advocating for scheduled time to focus on growth. They also discuss the need to re-evaluate and update systems, including contracts, client onboarding, and toolsets, suggesting that AI can now automate certain tasks to save time and reduce the need for manual work or new hires.
The source material consists of excerpts from an episode of The SDM Show, hosted by Rob Cairns, featuring guest Caleb Mattingly. This podcast conversation primarily focuses on the multifaceted field of cyber security, covering topics such as personal experiences entering the industry, the importance of user awareness and education, and challenges related to password management and keeping software up to date. Key security concepts are explored, including the necessity of disaster recovery and offsite backups, adhering to the principle of least privilege for user access, and addressing modern threats like business email compromise and increasingly sophisticated phishing scams—including those augmented by AI. The discussion also touches upon enterprise security, cloud environments (like AWS), and the risks associated with inadequate security protocols in both large and small organizations.
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