The Agents of Change Digital Marketing Podcast

Most small business owners treat their Google Business Profile like it's some afterthought—maybe they fill out the name and address and call it good. But here's the thing: your Google Business Profile is basically the homepage of your business online. It's often the first impression potential customers get, and it's your ticket to showing up in those coveted top three map pack results. My guest today, Greg Gifford from SearchLab, has been helping businesses crack the local SEO code for over two decades, and he's got some eye-opening insights about what actually moves the needle (spoiler: it's not what you think). From category selection strategies that seem counterintuitive to why your business might get suspended for something as innocent as updating your hours, Greg breaks down everything you need to know to dominate local search. https://www.theagentsofchange.com/597 Need help with your branding, website, or digital marketing? Reach out to me (Rich Brooks!) today at https://www.takeflyte.com/contact

Your customers aren't making decisions the way you think they are. They're not carefully weighing pros and cons or conducting rational cost-benefit analyses. Instead, they're relying on mental shortcuts—psychological triggers that happen so fast they don't even realize it's happening. Richard Shotton has spent over two decades studying these invisible forces, and in this episode, he reveals how small businesses can harness the same psychological principles that power billion-dollar brands. From the counterintuitive reason why listing fewer benefits can boost sales to the simple trick that makes any promotion 59% more appealing, these aren't theoretical concepts—they're proven tactics you can implement today to change how people think about your business. https://www.theagentsofchange.com/596 Need help with your branding, website, or digital marketing? Reach out to me (Rich Brooks!) today at https://www.takeflyte.com/contact

You know that feeling when you hear "link building" and immediately think of sketchy tactics that'll get your site penalized? Yeah, me too. But here's the thing—while the spammy guest posting networks got nuked by Google's helpful content updates, the smart marketers pivoted to something way more sustainable: digital PR. My guest today, Vince Nero from BuzzStream, spent years at agencies like Siege Media figuring out what actually works (spoiler: it's not buying links from "tech123.com"). Instead of chasing quick wins that blow up in your face, he's going to show you how to create content that journalists actually want to link to—because it's genuinely newsworthy, not because you paid them to care. https://www.theagentsofchange.com/595 Need help with your branding, website, or digital marketing? Reach out to me (Rich Brooks!) today at https://www.takeflyte.com/contact

Nina Clapperton went from hating her job as an estate law clerk to building a seven-figure business through SEO—and she did it by completely ignoring what most "experts" tell you to do. Instead of chasing algorithms and obsessing over backlinks, she focused on something revolutionary: actual humans. Her audience-first approach to SEO has helped her grow blogs to 50,000 sessions in six months and scale to six-figure monthly income. Today, she's sharing how to build SEO sales funnels that guide prospects from "What's SEO?" to "Take my money!" without relying on social media burnout or algorithm guessing games. If you're tired of creating content that ranks but doesn't convert, this conversation will flip your entire approach upside down. https://www.theagentsofchange.com/594 Research on comics vs. traditional text comprehension: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cogs.70081 Need help with your branding, website, or digital marketing? Reach out to me (Rich Brooks!) today at https://www.takeflyte.com/contact

Most business owners hit publish and immediately start planning their victory lap. But here's the uncomfortable truth: pressing publish isn't the finish line—it's barely the starting gun. Ross Simmonds, founder of Foundation and Distribution.ai, has built his career on what happens after you hit that button. In our conversation, he breaks down why your best content is probably gathering digital dust and shares his surprisingly simple framework for turning one piece of content into a distribution goldmine. If you've ever wondered why your brilliant blog post got crickets while someone else's mediocre LinkedIn carousel went viral, this episode will explain everything (and yes, it might sting a little). https://www.theagentsofchange.com/593 Need help with your branding, website, or digital marketing? Reach out to me (Rich Brooks!) today at https://www.takeflyte.com/contact

Email marketing isn't dead—it's just been sleeping on the couch while you've been chasing the latest social media trends. While everyone's panicking about Instagram going down or TikTok's latest algorithm changes, smart marketers know there's one channel that nobody can take away from you: your email list. Today's guest, Jessica Best, has spent over 15 years proving that email isn't just alive—it's got superpowers that make every other marketing channel jealous. She's going to show us exactly how to wake up those powers without turning into the marketer everyone hits "unsubscribe" on. https://www.theagentsofchange.com/592 Need help with your branding, website, or digital marketing? Reach out to me (Rich Brooks!) today at https://www.takeflyte.com/contact

What if the key to growing your business isn't doing more, but listening more? Georgiana Laudi, co-author of Forget the Funnel, explains how customer-led growth flips the script on traditional marketing by using real customer insight to guide strategy, improve onboarding, and uncover the moments that truly move the needle. https://www.theagentsofchange.com/591 Need help with your branding, website, or digital marketing? Reach out to me (Rich Brooks!) today at https://www.takeflyte.com/contact

Most small business owners think earning media coverage is about luck or having the right connections. The truth? It's about understanding that journalists are humans with preferences, deadlines, and pet peeves—and treating them accordingly. PR maven Nancy Marshall has spent 35 years building relationships with journalists, from local Maine reporters to Al Roker from the Today Show. Her approach isn't about flashy pitches or aggressive follow-ups. It's about showing up consistently, being genuinely helpful, and remembering that every journalist operates differently. Some prefer a quick text, others want a formal email, and a few still appreciate the old-school coffee meeting. Whether you're a solo entrepreneur or managing marketing for a growing business, Nancy's insights will help you earn the kind of third-party validation that money can't buy—and turn those media mentions into real business growth. https://www.theagentsofchange.com/590 Need help with your branding, website, or digital marketing? Reach out to me (Rich Brooks!) today at https://www.takeflyte.com/contact

If you've ever stared at a Google Analytics dashboard wondering what the heck all those numbers actually mean for your business, you're not alone. Most small business owners are drowning in data but starving for insights. They've got conversion rates of 100% (because they're tracking page views as conversions), bounce rates that mean nothing, and reports they never actually look at. That's exactly why I was excited to sit down with Jeff Sauer, a data-driven marketing expert who's trained over 50,000 digital marketers and delivered keynotes in 20 countries. Jeff recently partnered with analytics guru Chris Mercer to tackle one of the biggest problems in digital marketing: the difference between having data and actually using it to grow your business. In this episode, Jeff breaks down his game-changing measurement marketing framework—a systematic approach that puts strategy before spreadsheets and turns overwhelming data into clear action steps you can implement immediately. https://www.theagentsofchange.com/589 Need help with your branding, website, or digital marketing? Reach out to me (Rich Brooks!) today at https://www.takeflyte.com/contact

What if everything we've been taught about brand positioning is backwards? While most businesses scramble to cast themselves as the hero swooping in to save the day, conversion optimization expert Brian Massey argues there's real power in embracing your inner villain. Not the mustache-twirling, world-destroying kind of villain—but the purposeful antagonist who sees something wrong with the world and has the audacity to change it. In this conversation, Brian breaks down why being the villain in your customer's journey might be exactly what your marketing needs to cut through the noise, attract your ideal customers, and yes, even make the world a little bit better in the process. https://www.theagentsofchange.com/588 Need help with your branding, website, or digital marketing? Reach out to me (Rich Brooks!) today at https://www.takeflyte.com/contact

For many marketers GA4 isn't exactly the analytics platform we were hoping for when Google forced us to make the switch. But while everyone's been complaining about GA4, some smart marketers have figured out how to actually make it work for them. That's exactly what Dana DiTomaso has done. As a digital analytics expert who teaches at the University of Alberta and has helped over 170,000 learners through her LinkedIn Learning courses, Dana doesn't just accept GA4's quirks—she's mastered them. In this conversation, she's going to show us how to stop obsessing over perfect accuracy (spoiler: it never existed) and start using directional data to make better marketing decisions. Plus, she reveals something fascinating: AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini are already sending traffic to your website, and most businesses have no idea it's happening. Dana will show you exactly how to track it. https://www.theagentsofchange.com/587 Need help with your branding, website, or digital marketing? Reach out to me (Rich Brooks!) today at https://www.takeflyte.com/contact

LinkedIn can feel like a numbers game—post content, hope someone notices, and cross your fingers for leads. But what if there was a systematic approach that actually worked? Joe McKay discovered this the hard way after earning just $500 for his first batch of LinkedIn posts. Fast-forward two years, and he's built a six-figure business helping solopreneurs and CEOs generate over 2 million impressions while building powerful personal brands. His secret? A three-pillar content strategy that moves beyond random posting to create genuine business results. Whether you're struggling to get noticed on LinkedIn or ready to turn your presence into consistent leads, Joe's framework will change how you think about LinkedIn content forever. https://www.theagentsofchange.com/586 Need help with your branding, website, or digital marketing? Reach out to me (Rich Brooks!) today at https://www.takeflyte.com/contact

You've built the landing page, set up the emails, and even ran a few ads - but your funnel still isn't converting. What gives? Jason Wright joins us to break down the real reasons sales funnels fail, how to create offers your audience actually cares about, and the simple automations that keep leads moving and revenue growing. If you're tired of throwing money at marketing that doesn't work, this episode will give you the practical strategies to turn your funnel into a revenue machine. https://www.theagentsofchange.com/585 Need help with your branding, website, or digital marketing? Reach out to me (Rich Brooks!) today at https://www.takeflyte.com/contact

LinkedIn isn't exactly the flashiest social platform out there, but it remains unmatched as a professional networking tool. And if you're not using it properly, you're leaving valuable business connections on the table. In this episode, I chat with personal branding expert Kate Paine about how to transform your LinkedIn profile from a boring digital resume into a dynamic personal brand that attracts your ideal clients. Kate brings 30+ years of PR and marketing expertise to the conversation, sharing tactical advice on making your profile stand out, creating content that resonates, and leveraging LinkedIn's latest features to boost your visibility. https://www.theagentsofchange.com/584 Need help with your branding, website, or digital marketing? Reach out to me (Rich Brooks!) today at https://www.takeflyte.com/contact

Is your business missing out on free, organic traffic from Pinterest? Many small business owners overlook Pinterest, thinking it's just another social platform or a place for DIY crafts and recipes. But today's guest opened my eyes to the massive potential Pinterest has as a search engine for driving qualified traffic to your site. Nadalie Bardo, known as "Your Pin Coach," has spent eight years mastering Pinterest marketing and has helped over 7,000 businesses boost their traffic and sales without spending a dime on ads. She's sharing practical, actionable strategies you can implement today—even if you're starting from scratch or reviving a dormant account. https://www.theagentsofchange.com/583 Need help with your branding, website, or digital marketing? Reach out to me (Rich Brooks!) today at https://www.takeflyte.com/contact