Jordan Buckner

I’ve never really told you all what I actually do for a living, so here you go Pisgah Peaks Ventures builds & manages fractional marketing team for SMBs that are doing under 10-15 M ARR. The teams could be anywhere from 2 to 20+ individuals. Hiring for PT marketing roles can be a big drain on small businesses. They're unsure of who to hire, how to train, and they def don't want to manage them. This keeps costs in check (no office space here!) + avoids costly benefits / W2 wages. Perfect clients for us? B2B companies with 1-2 internal marketing team members Dispensaries with 2-5 locations. Soloprenuers who are scaling from 6 > 7 figures. A few years ago we started investing into other small businesses & at this point have equity in a handful of other SMBs. The goal? By 45; be able to live off the proceeds of our portfolio and golf 4X a week. To my network.... Tell us What do you do? Why do you do it? Post in the comments!

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Read it twice: A smaller, more engaged database is worth more than a large database that never opens your emails. Over my past 2+ years at Marsello, I’ve talked to lots of retailers about their customer marketing strategies. Here are my top insights from retailers on email marketing. 1) Better email health gives you better deliverability and acts as a preventative measure to stop you being flagged as spam. 2) Your database is your audience to test new products and give you insights about what will sell, and what won’t. 3) It’s a measure of your brand loyalty and the community you’ve built. Don’t let it be a ghost-town. 4) A healthy database will generate consistent revenue (whereas an over-leveraged database takes a big squeeze to draw out a couple of $50 purchases). 🚨 What to watch out for 🚨 If your database is consistently getting <20% opens, you’ll be tempted to send more emails. More emails, more eyeballs, more revenue, right? Wrong. I’d bet my bottom dollar it’s mostly the same people opening your emails each time. So it’s more likely that you’re just annoying the heck out of that 20%—who you actually want to take care of—and the other 80% are ignoring you. What do you reckon? Time for a spring clean? #email #emailmarketing #retail

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I hear a lot of tour and activity operators say they don't have much of a process for following up with leads who reach out to get info about a booking, but say they want to "think about it" or "call back later" or whatever. If they called you then you've already spent 100% of the cost to acquire that customer/lead so why not try to maximize your ROI with a follow up process? I already know what you're probably thinking..."I'm too busy for that" or "I am too short handed and would need to hire someone", or if we're being totally honest, maybe even "I don't feel like it". 😆 So that's why we created this automation to swoop in and save the day. 🦸 You can have the benefits of a hot lead follow up campaign with 0 additional effort on your part aside from speaking to the prospect again if they decide to book. Sometimes you don't even have to do that if they book online. Want to see how it works? Check out the video below. #marketingautomation #touroperators #automationftw

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Check out our recent case study for a Shopify website We teamed up with Pinkergreen (who assisted w/ UX & design) Outcomes from work? Conversion rate up ⬆️ 60% Avg order value ⬆️ 7% Upsell value (within 45 days) $8100 SEO up ⬆️ Bounce rate ⬇️ Check out the full case study below with more info on process & outcomes

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SEO Helpful Hint #1 (I'll be sharing weekly SEO tips to help you boost your Google rankings 🚀) SEO "gurus" might complicate things, but here are only 8 important things to remember to insert keywords effectively: 1. Make sure your keyword is in your URL or URL page slugs. For example: domain/dog/treats/soft-and-chewy-treats/ 2. Make sure your keyword is included in your article title. 3. Make sure your keyword is in your first 100 words. 4. Make sure your keyword is used at least 3 times throughout your article (but don't overdo it). 5. Make sure your keyword is included in some supporting headlines or sub-headings. 6. Make sure your keyword is included in the last 100 words of your article. 7. Make sure your keyword is included in the Alt Text of any images. 8. Make sure you include related search term keywords, known as LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords. For instance, if your main keyword is 'dog treats,' include related search keywords such as 'dog treat recipes,' 'dog treats for training,' 'best dog treats,' and 'dog treat brands.' These tips aren't about "hacks." They're fundamental to helping Google understand your content. Google is becoming more intelligent every day, but it's still an algorithm. By using these 8 important factors, Google will understand what your article is about... and will be more likely to rank it higher. #SEOtips #RaiseYourRank #BattleshipSEO

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As a digital marketer at WSI in Colorado Springs, I constantly seek the latest trends to elevate local businesses. An article from VBOUT outlines vital email marketing trends for 2024 that are highly relevant to medium-sized businesses in our community. ### Key Trends and Their Relevance 1. **Personalization**: Utilizing VBOUT's AI-enabled features can optimize email send times and subject lines, boosting engagement—a critical aspect for fostering strong customer relationships locally. 2. **Dynamic Content**: Customizable experiences on landing pages can significantly improve conversion rates, making marketing efforts more efficient and effective for targeted customer segments. 3. **Social Media Integration**: A unified approach to social media management can extend brand presence across multiple platforms, essential for reaching a broader audience. 4. **Analytics and Reporting**: VBOUT's comprehensive suite allows for data-driven decisions through a unified dashboard, crucial for optimizing marketing strategies. 5. **AI-Powered Automation**: Workflow automations, predictive sending, and sentiment analysis streamline operations, allowing businesses to focus on strategic initiatives. ### Applications for Our Clients 1. **Email Campaigns**: Leverage AI for personalized emails, enhancing engagement and trust. 2. **Social Media Management**: Create a cohesive strategy that aligns social media with email marketing to maintain a robust online presence. 3. **Automation and Analytics**: Implement AI-powered tools for efficient operations and data-driven improvements. 4. **Customer Engagement**: Employ dynamic content to personalize customer

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One of the most simple but important tools in HubSpot (in my opinion) are lists. I use lists for pretty much everything... - Workflow enrollment criteria (always) - Workflow logic - Automated emails - Deal tags - Smart & dynamic content - Using lists within other lists for greater & more granular control - Using lists of one object type to populate a list for associated objects - In reports... ...especially when trying to use Deal Tags Is there anything I'm missing? To me, using lists feels like a much cleaner and smarter way to segment and use data in HubSpot. Once you've set up a list you can use this across many of the HubSpot tools without the need to recreate the same logic over and over again. Let me know your thoughts! :)

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Your customers aren’t leaving because of price. They're leaving because your website design scares them away. Customers make decisions based on ease of use, not cost. Here’s how to double your sales with CRO tweaks: Start by analyzing your website’s load time. A faster site can increase conversions by 20%. Just look at Walmart, who saw a 2% increase for every second of improvement in load time. Next, focus on simplifying your call-to-action buttons. Changing CTA button colors alone boosted HubSpot's conversions by 21%. Improve your mobile design for seamless user experience. In 2021, Google found that 53% of mobile users leave a site that takes longer than 3 seconds to load. Don’t forget to A/B test your headlines for clarity. Unbounce improved conversions by 64% just by rewriting their headline to be more direct. Lastly, personalize your product recommendations. Amazon generates 35% of its revenue through personalized recommendations alone. Optimizing these areas makes sure customers stay not just because of price, but because your website delivers a seamless experience. P.S. Are you currently A/B testing your website? #Leadership #Sales #Marketing

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Anecdotally, I see the same on the CRM side. I think a big percentage of this comes from businesses reaching for a software solution without investing in the human resources needed for training, adoption, and in the case of marketing the expertise needed to run it. It's as if by purchasing HubSpot you checked a box off and now you're on your way to success. By the way it is even more so that way for Salesforce and Dynamics on the CRM side because they are less intuitive and have a steeper adoption curve. Looking forward to your session tomorrow Peter Caputa 😎

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Adam while I agree with some of your points I don't think loyalty programs outright fail. Instead, I believe many brands misunderstand what makes a loyalty program effective, leading to poor execution. They need to shift their thinking. I completely agree that Loyalty programs aren't a quick hack to improve CLV or retention. Many brands think of this as a magic bullet without thinking about the costs, the strategy, the promotion etc. So, if this is what you mean, you're right, this approach often ends up eroding margins and failing to deliver meaningful results. At one of our recent Klaviyo meetups we had a great conversation about this exact topic. The conclusion was, that a well thought of program doesn't just reward spending, instead it amplifies the customer's experience with the product or with the brand. Think Tesla - giving free charging credits, not only saving money but reinforcing the brand's ecosystem and promoting product usage. So, I disagree with your point of them being confusing or ineffective. I think the flaw is in the preparation and implementation. Points might or might not work if they're just discounts in disguise. A good loyalty program goes beyond that and puts the customer at the center. Do research, interview your best customers, understand needs and wants. Now try to find intersections between your customers, your brand and your products. How can a loyalty system create a better brand or product experience? For these things you need to go beyond just points (discounts). Creating a community, adding perks (Amazon Prime?). On the topic of Point-based programs - one area I feel most brands fail in, is inclusivity. Most programs only reward those who have most to spend. But amount someone spends with you alone does not always equal loyalty. What about those that have been buying once a year with you for the last 7 years? A well-designed system should recognize and reward all forms of loyalty, whether it’s spending, advocacy, or longevity.

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📊 This month has been all about leveling up Facebook Ads, and there were some key takeaways! 🎯 Here are a few things I’ve learned that could make a big impact on your campaigns: Audience Segmentation: Narrow targeting works better than ever. Speak directly to your audience! Creative Testing: Keep testing visuals and copy. Small changes can create big differences. Budget Optimization: Invest in your top performers, but don’t be afraid to cut what’s not working. Ad Frequency: Watch out! Too many impressions can turn people off. 💡 What did you learn from running your ads this month? Drop your thoughts in the comments! ⬇️ #FacebookAds #DigitalMarketing #AdStrategy #AudienceTargeting #MarketingTips #OnlineAdvertising #CreativeTesting #BudgetManagement #AdPerformance #MarketingBestPractices

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When a DTC clothing brand starts offering 70%+ discounts for items I paid full price for 1 year ago... How does that make me feel? Like I got scammed. 😅 And that the products are much cheaper than I originally thought... The funny thing? For all my DTC clients, removing discounts and time delays has actually been better for conversion rates. Both short-term and long-term. Current customers don't feel like they got scammed, So they are more inclined to use the new offers without hesitation... And new customers are buying because they love the product and truly believe it will solve their pain points, Instead of getting new customers only interested in a great deal. It takes time to make the transition and you will have to go through some growing pains as a brand... But once you get through the first 2-3 months, You'll never have to rely on heavy discounts again. --- P.S. The other underrated effect of getting customers to see value in your products (instead of just discounts) is that they will be much more likely to recommend the product to friends. Word-of-Mouth advertising is still the most efficient and powerful for any brand, so making your customers "happy" is more impactful than you might see on the surface. #dtc

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Do you own a B2B consulting firm? Here's what you need for your business: - Clear & concise website - Messaging that speaks to pain points - Technically sound SEO for website - Clear value prop Check out some of our most recent work where we helped a Charlotte based Fractional CTO firm revamp their site & messaging & dial in their technical SEO. Hit us up if you're curious about elevating your digital footprint!

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“Go see what the competitor is doing.” I’ve heard it too many times in my career. We’re pressed for time, need new copy, have a website update, building emails—anything. And then the shortcut appears: copy what’s already out there. Sounds smart, right? ...not really Sometimes you should reinvent the wheel. → Your competitor’s audience is not your audience. → Copying skips learning what really works for you. → You miss out on true originality. → Your brand loses its unique voice. → You become second-best, not first. Sure, the top-down request to “just copy” seems easy. But long-term success? That takes fresh thinking. New ideas. Risk. Next time someone says, “do what they’re doing,” remember: Your brand can’t be #1 by duplicating #1. Build your marketing foundations around your customers and what you do best → not what somebody else does best. #metoomarketing

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I’ve noticed a depressing trend in travel. Digital agency reporting is REALLY bad. Almost everyone is just describing numbers going up and down: ◾ CTR is up 3.2% this week 👍 ◾ CPC increased 2.2% 👎 ◾ CPA increased 3.45% 👎 ◾ AOV is up 3.5% 👍 It’s no wonder travel marketers I speak to are frustrated with their agencies. What does any of this really tell you about your business performance? Is it even good, or bad? (My mum could do this and I’m still convinced she doesn’t know what I actually do for a living 🤣). This is why we attach a commentary report to the data we share with clients: ◾ Why are you seeing certain changes in the account (seasonality, competition, etc) ◾ What are we doing to drive better performance ◾ What are the key takeaways to be aware of ◾ What are we doing with budget (increase or reduce?) ◾ What is the outlook for performance in future weeks and months If your agency’s reporting is just numbers going up and down… They’re doing it wrong 🙅‍♂️ Don’t go mad by pulling your hair out…there really is a better way PS. Before anyone mentions, pulling hair out obviously not a viable option for me 😂

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What does Pisgah Peaks Ventures do? We build fractional marketing teams, but there is more to it than that. I've waffled on positioning for a while I landed on the tagline "We build fractional teams for the price for 1-2 FTEs" But I knew my website needed an update (been a couple years since one) I don't like to use the word agency. Too many biz owners have been burned . Agencies deliver projects. They don't necessarily "join your team" For more developed companies; sometimes this works just fine. We also custom quote things vs put companies in packages. We save smaller companies from: - W2 wages - Benefits - Training - Equity Nothing wrong with FTEs; but when you're trying to scale a marketing program; you can only hire so many generalists. I've been working on a website revamp & I wanted a short / concise video that conveyed our value prop to visitors. I knew David Pascaru & his firm Purely Imagined from LinkedIn from several years. (This is a great example of why staying active on LinkedIn has value; as I wasn't in market for years; but as soon as I was; he was first person I thought of & closed a deal without much in the way of "sales") He & his team helped me take my vision & create a sleek & easy to understand explainer video that will live on my new home page. Check out the video below & excited to share my updated site later in the quarter.

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I recently came across a post discussing the "So What" Theory, and it resonated with me. So, I thought I'd share a few insights with my fellow marketers and copywriters. As professionals in our field, we often overlook the true meaning behind the words we use. English, especially, can be tricky as it’s often understood as it’s heard, leading to all sorts of complications. Take PPC managers, for example. They might struggle with ads that aren’t delivering a good CPR, even though the copy reads perfectly fine in English. So, where's the disconnect? After countless revisions of a single line, we might craft what seems like the perfect ad copy, only to lose the calm, conversational tone our audience expects. In doing so, we miss the essence of what the copy is meant to convey or, to put it simply, we forget the "why" behind our writing. My advice? I used to ask myself, "So what?" after writing every line until I answered every doubt in my mind. This approach gave me the mental clarity to write better and, more importantly, led to better results. Today, I came across a beautifully crafted carousel that explains this concept perfectly. Have yourself a read, it is worth your time.

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