Episodes

  • MORE 057: Grant McGaugh - How to get the best out of branding with this 4 step process

    MORE 057: Grant McGaugh - How to get the best out of branding with this 4 step process
    Dec 10 2022

    In this episode you will learn the 4-step process to get the best out of your branding efforts. 

    Social selling and the power it can provide
     - Tweaking your profile that tells the story you need it to
    - Your prospects and anyone to that you meet will be checking out your LinkedIn Profile
    - Aligning your message with what your product offering provides.

    Four-step process
    1. Skills Gap Workbook – what do you want to accomplish
    2. Review your SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) for your business
    3. Fully defined Target Market demographics
    4. Recommendations to fill the gaps of what has been identified.

    This process is important for any business – small to large.
    - Ideation of where your business is and if it aligns with your mission and values.
    - New businesses will get a leg up in building a successful company.
    - Existing businesses who are developing a new product that is going to market.
    - This process will work with any industry focus.
    - Repurpose your content to attract prospects.

    Tools that assist you building your brand:
    - InMail feature in LinkedIn
    - Events on LinkedIn
    - StreamMart
    - Grammarly
    - Audacity for podcasts
    - Canva

    Connect with Grant via LinkedIn.

    This podcast is brought to you in part by MI Group:

    MI Group is a tech company that assists you with billing technology solutions, full-service digital marketing, and hosting and maintaining your digital assets. With over 12 years of experience and a team of over fifty passionate business professionals, MI Group is your key to taking the next step to success. Visit migroupco.com to learn how we can help you and your clients reach your business goals.

    This podcast is brought to you in part by mMessenger.co:

    mMessenger.co is the ultimate SMS software that allows you to send messages to people in over 100 countries across the globe. Notifications, alerts, or any message you want to send can be done from the comfort of one website. Visit mmessenger.co for a free trial and to learn how you can use SMS to reach more customers.

    This podcast is brought to you in part by MI Digital Hub:

    MI Digital Hub is the all-in-one digital experience to help you improve your digital marketing experience. Suppose you want to understand your current online positioning and how your presence appears. In that case, MI Digital Hub gives you a high-level view of SEO, performance, listing, social media, and any online presence that might impact your business. Get a free snapshot of your performance by visiting midigitalhub.com to see where you are now and where you need to go. 
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    41 mins
  • MORE 056: Coach AP & Dangerous Diva - This platform rewards you for engagement

    MORE 056: Coach AP & Dangerous Diva - This platform rewards you for engagement
    Nov 23 2022

    In today’s episode of the MORE podcast, Ricardo is joined by Coach AP and Dangerous Diva to discuss their company The Black Tube and how they are empowering content creators. They discuss what The Black Tube is, how it came to be, why it is important, and how you can benefit from using it. 

    Who can benefit from TheBlackTube.com?

    • The Black Tube was created to empower people of color who were not getting treated by other content creation platforms. 
    • Everyone can benefit from The Black Tube, especially content creators. 

    What makes The Black Tube different?

    • The features on The Black Tube are similar to those of other platforms, but the system is different.
    • The Black Tube puts the algorithm in your favor so that you see more views than on any other platform. 
    • You can also become a pro-member to receive other benefits. 

    Book and podcast recommendations

    • The Bible
    • “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert T. Kiyosaki
    • “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren
    • Visit theblacktube.com

    This podcast is brought to you in part by MI Group:

    MI Group is a tech company that assists you with billing technology solutions, full-service digital marketing, and hosting and maintaining your digital assets. With over 12 years of experience and a team of over fifty passionate business professionals, MI Group is your key to taking the next step to success. Visit migroupco.com to learn how we can help you and your clients reach your business goals.

    This podcast is brought to you in part by mMessenger.co:

    mMessenger.co is the ultimate SMS software that allows you to send messages to people in over 100 countries across the globe. Notifications, alerts, or any message you want to send can be done from the comfort of one website. Visit mmessenger.co for a free trial and to learn how you can use SMS to reach more customers.

    This podcast is brought to you in part by MI Digital Hub:

    MI Digital Hub is the all-in-one digital experience to help you improve your digital marketing experience. Suppose you want to understand your current online positioning and how your presence appears. In that case, MI Digital Hub gives you a high-level view of SEO, performance, listing, social media, and any online presence that might impact your business. Get a free snapshot of your performance by visiting midigitalhub.com to see where you are now and where you need to go.
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    44 mins
  • MORE 055: Georgee Low - Your business and life will flourish with this tool

    MORE 055: Georgee Low - Your business and life will flourish with this tool
    Nov 9 2022
    In today’s episode of the MORE podcast, Ricardo is joined by Georgee Low, they discuss a method that Georgee has successfully used to help her clients make difficult decisions called Why Discovery.  What is Why Discovery? It is based on the work of Simon Sinek, and it gives you a decision making filter for everything that you do. George recommends this method to anyone who wants to create a business that really matters to the world.  The process Analyze 3-6 moments in your life that were truly impactful, a moment that you can really feel. Look for common themes from those moments and then create a statement. This statement will help you to recognize your values, which should be actionable. Use these actionable values to drive your decision making process.  Who can benefit from Why Discovery? Individuals who are struggling with finding their purpose and feel like they can’t articulate what is missing. Those who want their career to be about more than just making money. People who lack motivation.  How is this different from other similar processes? Oftentimes people think of purpose as WHAT you are doing, this process is about WHY you are doing it.  How can we ensure this works for you? For it to be useful, you have to use it. It takes effort. Georgee recommends that you write down your big why statement and review it at the end of each day. Once you create a habit, it becomes natural.  Georgee’s book and podcast recommendations The Power of Giving Away Power by Matthew Barzun Trailblazer by Marc Benioff and Monica Langley From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. BrooksThe Infinite Game by Simon SinekFind Your Why by Simon Sinek The Monk who Sold His Ferrari by Robin SharmaRich Roll PodcastThe Futur Podcast If you would like to learn more about Why Discovery process and meet with Georgee visit www.decideyourlife.com. You can also follow Georgee on Instagram and LinkedIn.  This podcast is brought to you in part by MI Group: MI Group is a tech company that assists you with billing technology solutions, full-service digital marketing, and hosting and maintaining your digital assets. With over 12 years of experience and a team of over fifty passionate business professionals, MI Group is your key to taking the next step to success. Visit migroupco.com to learn how we can help you and your clients reach your business goals. This podcast is brought to you in part by mMessenger.co: mMessenger.co is the ultimate SMS software that allows you to send messages to people in over 100 countries across the globe. Notifications, alerts, or any message you want to send can be done from the comfort of one website. Visit mmessenger.co for a free trial and to learn how you can use SMS to reach more customers. This podcast is brought to you in part by MI Digital Hub: MI Digital Hub is the all-in-one digital experience to help you improve your digital marketing experience. Suppose you want to understand your current online positioning and how your presence appears. In that case, MI Digital Hub gives you a high-level view of SEO, performance, listing, social media, and any online presence that might impact your business. Get a free snapshot of your performance by visiting midigitalhub.com to see where you are now and where you need to go.
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    37 mins
  • MORE 054: Harold Alexander - No more worries about email delivery with this tool

    MORE 054: Harold Alexander - No more worries about email delivery with this tool
    Oct 26 2022

    Harold is the CEO and founder of the Underground App. On today’s episode of MORE podcast, Ricardo talks with Harold, the CEO, and founder of Underground App, about his new app and an email service provider that he has used along the way, SMTP2GO. 

    Why does Harold use SMTP2GO?

    • Any organization with a marketing system in place that is sending emails can benefit from SMTP2GO.
    • You can try it for free and if you want access to more features the subscription starts at $15 a month. 
    • It easily integrates directly into your backend application.
    • Great customer support. 
    • Harold found that many of the emails he was sending were going to spam. Once he started using SMTP2GO that stopped happening. 

    What are the integration opportunities that exist with SMTP2GO?

    • Easy to integrate with CRM, Java, and PHP. 
    • Their website has sample code and great tutorials. 

    How has Harold stayed in business through recent difficult times?

    • Continue communication with your clients. Make sure that they are happy and that you are providing them value. 
    • Harold always makes sure that in his communication everything is clear and transparent. He has kept clients coming back for many years with these principles. 
    • When you are truly providing value, your clients will refer you to others. 

    Other information from Harold

    • His application is coming out on android within a few weeks. Check out underground.app to sign up for a newsletter and get involved. 
    • Harold recommends reading the books The Last Lecture, and Proof of Heaven.

    To connect with Harold, find him on LinkedIn, Twitter, and subscribe to his newsletter. 

    This podcast is brought to you in part by MI Group:

    MI Group is a tech company that assists you with billing technology solutions, full-service digital marketing, and hosting and maintaining your digital assets. With over 12 years of experience and a team of over fifty passionate business professionals, MI Group is your key to taking the next step to success. Visit migroupco.com to learn how we can help you and your clients reach your business goals.

    This podcast is brought to you in part by mMessenger.co:

    mMessenger.co is the ultimate SMS software that allows you to send messages to people in over 100 countries across the globe. Notifications, alerts, or any message you want to send can be done from the comfort of one website. Visit mmessenger.co for a free trial and to learn how you can use SMS to reach more customers.

    This podcast is brought to you in part by MI Digital Hub:

    MI Digital Hub is the all-in-one digital experience to help you improve your digital marketing experience. Suppose you want to understand your current online positioning and how your presence appears. In that case, MI Digital Hub gives you a high-level view of SEO, performance, listing, social media, and any online presence that might impact your business. Get a free snapshot of your performance by visiting midigitalhub.com to see where you are now and where you need to go.
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    27 mins
  • MORE 053: These tools could increase your ROI by 40x | Valerie K

    MORE 053: These tools could increase your ROI by 40x | Valerie K
    Oct 12 2022
    Email marketing can increase your ROI by 40x. On today’s episode of MORE podcast, Ricardo talks with Valerie K, an email marketing specialist and manager who helps strategize and develop email marketing collateral. They discuss two email service providers, Mailchimp, and Constant Contact, and how you can utilize them to improve your organization.  How did Valerie get into her role? She was a teacher for several years, and she was a professional development coach at her elementary school. While great with students and parents, she was beginning to get burnt out.A mentor teacher helped her get a position at a school in Abu Dhabi. She traveled the world and learned a lot. She made traveling a part of her lifestyle, and she learned that she had the power to learn and accomplish anything.She took some free coding courses and decided she wanted a change of career. She enrolled in a coding boot camp and was exposed to tech.After graduating from the coding boot camp, she quickly dove into email marketing. What are Mailchimp and Constant Contact? In Valerie’s opinion, these are two of the easiest email service providers to use. They are intuitive and have many templates already in place. It’s good to have great imagery in your emails. Try using free image sites such as pixels to add beautiful images to your emails. These services will help you to craft a great subject line. They give you tips on how to increase your open rate.Great analytics. These ESP’s give you great analytics so that you can improve your email marketing by knowing what works and what doesn’t.  Where do you get email contacts to add to your ESP? If you have a website, you can add a pop-up that prompts users to submit their email and join your email list. Social media is a great way to get contacts. If your business is more in-person, offer discounts in exchange for email addresses. Use a QR code to make it easier.Some people buy lists, but Valerie doesn’t recommend it because of legal issues and the risk of getting put in spam. It’s not about how many people you have, it’s about having people who really want to hear from you. Quality over quantity.  Who would benefit the most from using an email service provider?  Small business owners. They can use these ESP’s to develop your email voice and connect with your customers. Influencers. It is a great idea for influencers to be able to connect with their followers away from social media as well. Most everyone should be investing in email marketing.  How are these ESP’s different from others? They are intuitive. They are easy to use for individuals who aren’t comfortable coding. If you aren’t very tech-savvy you are better off using Mailchimp and Constant Contact. They have simple layouts that make it easy to style your emails.  What can users expect once they start using these services?  Figure out how to use the program and ease yourself in. Start small and make sure you are saying things that are meaningful. Mailchimp and Constant Contact integrate well with your website along with Canva. They are also more affordable than other email service providers.  Last advice from Valerie and Ricardo Optimize your subject lines. The subject lines are gold. Avoid too many graphics. Imagine you are writing a note to a friend. Something personal.  Valerie’s book and podcast recommendations Jasmine Guillory  Find me: A Memoir by Viola David Becoming by Michelle Obama To connect with Valerie, find her on Instagram, Tik Tok, LinkedIn, and her website.  This podcast is brought to you in part by MI Group: MI Group is a tech company that assists you with billing technology solutions, full-service digital marketing, and hosting and maintaining your digital assets. With over 12 years of experience and a team of over fifty passionate business professionals, MI Group is your key to taking the next step to success. Visit migroupco.com to learn how we can help you and your clients reach your business goals. This podcast is brought to you in part by mMessenger.co: mMessenger.co is the ultimate SMS software that allows you to send messages to people in over 100 countries across the globe. Notifications, alerts, or any message you want to send can be done from the comfort of one website. Visit mmessenger.co for a free trial and to learn how you can use SMS to reach more customers. This podcast is brought to you in part by MI Digital Hub: MI Digital Hub is the all-in-one digital experience to help you improve your digital marketing experience. Suppose you want to understand your current online positioning and how your presence appears. In that case, MI Digital Hub gives you a high-level view of SEO, performance, listing, social media, and any online presence that might impact your business. Get a free snapshot of your performance by visiting midigitalhub.com to see where you are now and where you need to go. 
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    33 mins
  • MORE 052: Have You Heard of This 7-Stage System? | Patty K

    MORE 052: Have You Heard of This 7-Stage System? | Patty K
    Sep 28 2022
    If you can’t sell, you can’t make money. So, what’s the secret to building an effective source of leads ready to purchase? In today’s episode of the MORE podcast, Ricardo is joined by marketing consultant Patty K to learn how to implement a 7-stage marketing system from Duct Tape Marketing capable of helping any business in any industry gain more sales. Patty specializes in working with advisors and experts, selling their time to clients.  She helps get their content out of their heads and into the world so people can see how it’s valuable.She started as a self-employed software developer but was stuck with the sales and marketing elements - getting people to buy her code.Patty became fascinated with marketing and soon learned the 7-stage system from Duct Tape Marketing to help clients develop more sales. Think about marketing not as a funnel but as an hourglass. Marketing doesn’t end when you have a client - current clients are your best clients.The most high-level elements of the hourglass are the completed clients who can refer and buy again.Four of the stages people go through - Know, like, trust, and try.Put yourself inside the head of the marketing person and put yourself out there, whether that’s social media, advertising, and other ways to make sure people know who you are. Have people form an opinion about you: Utilize reviews, testimonials, and indicators of trust as professional designators to give people a reason to trust you.Consider offering a trial period or a limited quantity of functionality on a site to encourage people to purchase. People don’t buy what you sell; they buy who you are. Everybody can use the system. It’s an absolute requirement for people like trusted advisors, but restaurants and other industries are also missing out.Many marketing funnel methodologies aren’t complete because they stop at the initial sale.Marketing professionals often put too much weight on the top of the funnel. Practical applications with the seven stages: Look at the seven steps and determine which facet of the stages you’re neglecting.Is there a way to get more positive reviews or variables to supplement the neglected stages?It works well with other tools and systems. Often the change required is the messaging within the system. Patty’s parting advice? If you want to be successful in marketing, get in the head of the person buying your product and present what you do as the solution they’re looking for. To learn more about the methodology, visit Duct Tape Marketing’s website at https://ducttapemarketing.com/ for more information and free resources. If you’re a trusted advisor, visit PattyK.com for resources and materials specific to your industry to help you find and retain more clients.  Patty’s book and podcast recommendations: Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller Built to Sell by John Warrillow Pricing Creativity by Blair Enns The 2Bobs Podcast with Blair Enns This podcast is brought to you in part by MI Group: MI Group is a tech company that assists you with billing technology solutions, full-service digital marketing, and hosting and maintaining your digital assets. With over 12 years of experience and a team of over fifty passionate business professionals, MI Group is your key to taking the next step to success. Visit migroupco.com to learn how we can help you and your clients reach your business goals. This podcast is brought to you in part by mMessenger.co: mMessenger.co is the ultimate SMS software that allows you to send messages to people in over 100 countries across the globe. Notifications, alerts, or any message you want to send can be done from the comfort of one website. Visit mmessenger.co for a free trial and to learn how you can use SMS to reach more customers. This podcast is brought to you in part by MI Digital Hub: MI Digital Hub is the all-in-one digital experience to help you improve your digital marketing experience. Suppose you want to understand your current online positioning and how your presence appears. In that case, MI Digital Hub gives you a high-level view of SEO, performance, listing, social media, and any online presence that might impact your business. Get a free snapshot of your performance by visiting midigitalhub.com to see where you are now and where you need to go.
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    34 mins
  • MORE 051: No, you don't need to be technical to use this tool | Anthony Lagoon

    MORE 051: No, you don't need to be technical to use this tool | Anthony Lagoon
    Sep 14 2022
    Modern marketing isn’t just for tech-savvy coding experts, especially if armed with the right tools to be successful. In today’s episode of the MORE podcast, Ricardo is joined by the founder of creative agency Underbelly, Anthony Lagoon, to learn the tech tools and platforms he uses to be successful.   The primary platform for today’s discussion? Airtable.  Airtable helps automate processes within the company and links several different tools together.From sales funnel requests and client touchpoints to project management and potential roadmaps, Anthony maps out timelines a month in advance with Airtable. This helps his team plan for their workload, PTO, and hiring opportunities.Airtable is much more robust than a spreadsheet. It creates automation without needing a developer. Who is Airtable for? It can be used by any business professional looking to move beyond the spreadsheet. If you get an email, it can scan it to determine the email type and then place it in the appropriate workflow.Spreadsheets store information, but Airtable is the backend that can support more facilities of your organization.If you have a website, it’ll be good as a content management system to automatically publish to a website and workflow. How is Airtable different from comparable platforms? Its competitors could be a time-tracking tool or no-code software like GlideApps to create custom applications. While it can get complex, there are simple integration opportunities with Google Sheets and similar platforms. Using Airtable helped Anthony cut 3-4 other tools from his current toolkit because of the wide variety of features Airtable offers. Practical applications: Anthony wanted a SaaS, but they had a limited budget.With AirTable, they used Airtable as their background to make an Admin interface, which has been incredibly productive and allowed them to scale quickly.Twillio is a third-party texting service. Anthony’s final takeaways? As a business professional, he likes to learn something new each day. By focusing on his and his employees’ growth, he can plan for long-term success. Anthony’s Book and Podcast Recommendations: Great Leaders Ask Great Questions by John C. Maxwell The Advice Trap by Michael Bungay StanierCraig Groeschel Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify  This podcast is brought to you in part by MI Group: MI Group is a tech company that assists you with billing technology solutions, full-service digital marketing, and hosting and maintaining your digital assets. With over 12 years of experience and a team of over fifty passionate business professionals, MI Group is your key to taking the next step to success. Visit migroupco.com to learn how we can help you and your clients reach your business goals. This podcast is brought to you in part by mMessenger.co: mMessenger.co is the ultimate SMS software that allows you to send messages to people in over 100 countries across the globe. Notifications, alerts, or any message you want to send can be done from the comfort of one website. Visit mmessenger.co for a free trial and to learn how you can use SMS to reach more customers. This podcast is brought to you in part by MI Digital Hub: MI Digital Hub is the all-in-one digital experience to help you improve your digital marketing experience. Suppose you want to understand your current online positioning and how your presence appears. In that case, MI Digital Hub gives you a high-level view of SEO, performance, listing, social media, and any online presence that might impact your business. Get a free snapshot of your performance by visiting midigitalhub.com to see where you are now and where you need to go.
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    28 mins
  • MORE 050: Master this tool and change the way you do business | Miguel Lloyd

    MORE 050: Master this tool and change the way you do business | Miguel Lloyd
    Aug 31 2022

    All it takes is one tool to dramatically shift how you and your organization operate. In today’s episode of the MORE Podcast, Ricardo is joined by producer and visual storyteller, Miguel Lloyd, to discuss a tool he uses to perfect virtual meetings and video production. 

    In the virtual world, Zoom is wildly popular for coordinating calls and video feeds.

    • However, Miguel found Zoom too low-quality for what he needed.
    • After looking for alternatives, he discovered Ecamm, which offers more potential, qualities, and features that help him in multiple situations, meetings, and events. 

    Who is this tool for?

    • You don’t have to be a media expert, and it’s excellent for process-oriented individuals who want more viability in their video recording platform.
    • You might not need that level of production capability the platform offers, depending on what you need from the platform. So evaluate your business needs and determine if it’s the right solution for you.
    • The main limitation - you have to be a Mac user.

    Practical applications with Ecamm:

    • If you have a call with many people, you can block other people from running other things on their screens. You can fully control the output other people see.
    • You can easily place overlays and visuals in your video feed to make the video seamless and professional.

    What integration is possible?

    • It can be used in tandem with multiple video recording elements, both software and hardware. 
    • Any platform that allows a virtual camera can utilize and connect with Ecamm.

    Miguel’s parting advice? Don’t be afraid to do what you can and then outsource that talent to other people. Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart, but the 9-5 workday just isn’t for everyone. There’s a market for everything and everybody. Whatever content niche you love, there’s a community behind it.

    Miguel’s Recommendations and Resources:

    • Lamar Tyler’s Traffic Sales and Profit
    • Will by Will Smith
    • Anthony O’Neal’s YouTube channel, The Table With AO

    This podcast is brought to you in part by MI Group:

    MI Group is a tech company that assists you with billing technology solutions, full-service digital marketing, and hosting and maintaining your digital assets. With over 12 years of experience and a team of over fifty passionate business professionals, MI Group is your key to taking the next step to success. Visit migroupco.com to learn how we can help you and your clients reach your business goals.

    This podcast is brought to you in part by mMessenger.co:

    mMessenger.co is the ultimate SMS software that allows you to send messages to people in over 100 countries across the globe. Notifications, alerts, or any message you want to send can be done from the comfort of one website. Visit mmessenger.co for a free trial and to learn how you can use SMS to reach more customers.

    This podcast is brought to you in part by MI Digital Hub:

    MI Digital Hub is the all-in-one digital experience to help you improve your digital marketing experience. Suppose you want to understand your current online positioning and how your presence appears. In that case, MI Digital Hub gives you a high-level view of SEO, performance, listing, social media, and any online presence that might impact your business. Get a free snapshot of your performance by visiting midigitalhub.com to see where you are now and where you need to go.
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    31 mins