Dave Riggs’ Post

Integrity is the backbone of every great marketing team I’ve worked with. It’s the unsung hero behind campaigns that truly resonate, the quiet force that turns a good brand into a great one. And let me tell you, when it’s missing, you feel it. Like a campaign that rings hollow or a promise that doesn’t deliver, something’s off, even if it takes time to surface. In marketing, integrity shows up in the little things: owning up to underperforming campaigns, being transparent about data, and refusing to push strategies that mislead customers—even when the pressure is on to deliver quick wins. It’s the account manager who tells a client their product needs refinement before scaling. It’s the media buyer who pushes back on flashy metrics that don’t align with business goals. These are the people you invest in, not because they’re the loudest in the room, but because they have the guts to do what’s right when it counts. Integrity also means knowing when to say no. In this business, it’s easy to get swept up in opportunities that look good on paper: a lucrative client with questionable practices, a viral strategy that skirts ethical lines, or a quick ROI tactic that erodes trust long-term. The right thing—the hard thing—is to step back and ask, “Does this align with who we are?” Sometimes, you walk away. And that’s okay. Building a brand that lasts means sticking to values that can weather the storm. If you’re leading a marketing department and not hiring for integrity, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Skills can be taught, platforms can be mastered, but integrity? That’s the foundation. You need a team that’s willing to tell the truth, even when it’s inconvenient. People who’ll push back on bad ideas, challenge assumptions, and focus on results that matter, not just the ones that look good in a quarterly report. Promoting for integrity might not win you the popularity contest at every happy hour, but it sets the tone for the entire organization. It says, “This is what we stand for. This is how we win.” And if someone’s values don’t align with that? It’s better to cut ties than compromise the culture. Integrity isn’t about perfection. It’s about consistency. It’s about doing the right thing when the numbers are down, when the competition is fierce, and when no one’s watching. It’s not a line item or a buzzword in a values statement. It’s the lifeblood of a marketing team that leads with purpose and delivers with conviction. So, hire for it. Promote for it. Live it. Because without integrity, all the clever headlines and sleek visuals in the world won’t save you. And who wants to work for a team like that?

It’s not about the cost. 𝗤: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸? I remember desperately looking for ways to do marketing with ZERO marketing budget. So I understand what you’re seeking  But I’m sorry to say, you’re taking the wrong approach. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 The things you need to do to market yourself for advisory and consulting work do not cost any money. And… I think you already know that. But the problem is, you don’t want to do these things. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 What works is 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚. Calling them, asking them for a chat over coffee or Zoom, emailing them, asking for their help and advice, and yes, asking for ‘the sale’. These things are all free to do. These things are also really, really hard to do. So it’s actually mindset, not marketing. Now, you have two choices. 1) work on your mindset first Build your confidence. But be aware, this could take a very long time. 2) just make those calls now 𝗜𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝙁𝙖𝙘𝙩: you’ll get much much faster results from having conversations with people. You’ll find out all the important stuff really quickly. You can make this happen now.  Like an ice plunge, it’s a shock to the system but you feel great afterwards.  And it gets easier the next time (because that part of your brain gets bigger). I understand some people are genuinely not capable of this approach. That was me for a long time, so I do know this pain. But now I am capable, and I got there by making myself do it. The marketing programs and assistance I bought (that I could not afford) and all the mindset work I did – they really didn’t help much.  Speaking to people really did help. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁…? For sure, there are marketing activities that are really important. Once you’ve had these conversations, people will want to verify you by looking at your LinkedIn, your website, your case studies etc etc. You’ll need to have those proof points in place soon. But you can have preliminary chats right now. You can say “I’m right at the beginning” or “I’m just getting started” or “I’m in the planning stage”. You’ll get useful information straight away, especially about proof points. You may even get work. That’s how it went for me. I got really valuable intel AND offers of work from these conversations. The sooner you start, the sooner it starts to get easier. 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝: it’s never gotten that easy for me. I don’t enjoy getting the No Thanks or being ghosted. But I still send the messages and make the calls and do the things. Because there really isn’t a choice. As I said, you know this. Go do it.

Maximizing Profits: The Ultimate Guide to CPA Marketing Success

Have You Started Using VSL in Your Marketing Campaigns? These 10 Tips Will Make Your Video Sales Letter Astounding! 1.Hook Your Audience: Does your VSL grab attention? If not, get people's attention by making your first few words captivating. People are busy. Making a boring video is pushing them away. So, grab their attention fast with a question or an amazing statistic. 2.Touch a Pain Point: Mercilessly point out the problems your audience are going through, and promise them the result they want to hear. Talk to your audience as if you were their health or finance advisor. Again, draw them closer to your VSL until they take an action. 3.Go Emotional: Does someone feel like you're talking to them personally? Until your VSL is talking to a particular person, you're making noise. Raise your audience's curiosity by telling them a story, infusing some humor, or sharing personal experience. These allow people to connect deeply with your video. 4.Benefits not just Features: Listing the features of the product you're advertising without emphasizing on their benefits, would make your video appear poor. Therefore, state the features and tell your target audience how the features can help solve their problems. Benefits are more powerful. 5.Build Trust: Let people know, like, and trust you enough to do business with you. Position yourself as an authority on the product you're advertising. Show proof of what people are saying about the product. This is your credibility. That's all for now. Expect the other 5 shorty. P.S. This is for those who want a VSL that's up to the point, and want to double their revenues fast. I'll be crafting VSLs for the first 5 people to send me a DM. Up to 50% discount of the actual price you've ever paid a writer. It's because I want to encourage you to taste and feel the beauty of inculcating VSL into your business. Whether you've used VSL before or you want to start now. But be warned! This offer lasts for 48 hours only. So, hurry up and get a VSL that sells.

As a marketing consultant, I hate saying obvious things. People don't want to pay for the things they already know. However, sometimes obvious things are the things that people ignore the most. For example, exercising is healthy. But how many people exercise every day? Here are 8 obvious marketing things that people/companies ignore the most. I turned them into quotes. 1) "Marketing is far too important to be left to the marketing department." David Packard (HP cofounder). This guy certainly knows what he is talking about. If your marketing is outsourced to a marketing agency or if your employees see marketing as «something that marketing people do in the marketing department», don't be surprised when your sales don't grow. 2) "Realize that everything connects to everything else." Leonardo da Vinci. You might believe that your ads have nothing to do with your salespeople. But you will rarely see highly effective online advertising and salespeople who don't know how to sell or exceptional salespeople and horrible ads. It's because all of that is connected to marketing. 3) "Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted." Sun Tzu. Marketing is a war. If you don't know how your competitors sell their services, how are you going to win the war against them? 4) "The man who chases two rabbits, catches neither." Confucius. If your marketing message is focused on B2B and B2C at the same time, you will have neither B nor C. 5) "No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy is, if you're playing a solo game, you'll always lose out to a team." Reid Hoffman. I am a marketing consultant. For the last four years, I've been learning marketing through books/videos/seminars/podcasts/online courses/events/mentors, and anything I could find about marketing. You might be surprised to know, that some of your employees, who know nothing about marketing, might have way better marketing ideas for your company than I am. 6) "Just because you out-advertise your competition doesn’t mean you are going to outsell them." Al Ries. This is especially true for most contractors today who still believe that the more money they spend on Google ads, the more customers they are going to have. Advertising expenditures are often like legal expenditures. Both can be negative indicators. A company with big legal bills is not necessarily a company on the way up. 7) "The purpose of a business is to create a customer who creates customers." Shiv Singh (PepsiCo). The most effective marketing is when your customers do the marketing for you. "I told two friends and they told two friends. And so on and so on and so on . . ." 8) "Courtesy costs nothing, but buys everything." Ali ibn Abi Talib. How much does it cost for your salespeople to call your customers 1-3 months after the purchase and ask them if everything is all right? Almost nothing. But that simple act of politeness can generate exponential returns in the long run.

I discovered the holy grail of marketing strategies (and it's not what you think) For years, I chased the latest marketing trends, hoping to find that elusive "silver bullet" to skyrocket our business. Spoiler alert: it doesn't exist. But here's the thing: after all that chasing, I ended up right back where I started. Except now, I was exhausted, confused, and my wallet was a lot lighter. Then it hit me. The holy grail of marketing wasn't some secret formula or cutting-edge tech. It was something so simple, so obvious, that I'd completely overlooked it. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: The 3C Framework 1️⃣ Customer Obsession 2️⃣ Content that Doesn't Suck 3️⃣ Consistent Communication Mind-blowing, right? 🤯 Let me break it down: Customer Obsession Stop trying to sell to everyone. Seriously. Your product isn't for everyone, and that's okay. Get to know your ideal customer like they're your best friend. What keeps them up at night? What makes them laugh? What's their favorite ice cream flavor? (Okay, maybe not that last one, but you get the idea.) Content that Doesn't Suck Here's a wild concept: Make stuff people actually want to consume. I know, I know, it's crazy talk. But hear me out. Instead of churning out another soulless "10 Tips for Optimizing Your Optimization" blog post, try telling stories that don't make people regret learning to read Consistent Communication Remember that crush you had in high school? The one you'd text once every six months and wonder why they never fell madly in love with you? Yeah, don't do that with your customers. Show up regularly, be helpful, be human. Now, you might be thinking, "That's it? That's the holy grail? Where are the complex funnels? The secret formulas? The marketing buzzwords that make me sound smart at meetings?" Nope. That's it. No smoke and mirrors. No magic beans. Just treating people like, well, people. Is it groundbreaking? About as groundbreaking as discovering water is wet. Is it easy? Actually, yeah, it kind of is. We just overcomplicate things because, let's face it, "be human" doesn't look as impressive on a PowerPoint slide. So here's my challenge to you: Take a hard look at your marketing strategy. Are you truly nailing these 3Cs? Or are you still running on that hamster wheel of endless tactics? Drop a comment: What's your biggest "aha moment" in implementing this framework? Or, if you're struggling, what's holding you back? Let's cut through the marketing BS together. Who's with me? 🙌 ♻️ Repost if you Like Follow Sivanandan N ---------------------------------------- #marketing #strategy #strategicplanning #business #leadership

If the company will fail if it can't achieve profitable growth... What does that mean for marketing? SaaS has gone through a massive shift in expectations, from "grow at all costs" (as Sam Jacobs has taught us consistently over the last year)... To "grow profitably." Under the old set of expectations, marketing had massive CAC and loads of inefficiency... And that was OK, because that model was hitting the goal of growth. With today's expectations, inefficient marketing tactics and strategies are on the chopping block. One of the most effective ways to be efficient is to (for real this time) put your focus on your highest leverage ICP. In the previous era, self-proclaimed "customer-focused" companies still led with product benefits, ROI figures, case studies, customer logos, etc. That's inefficient. It's like trying to get someone interested in your vacation pictures. They weren't there ... they don't care. Instead, market to that person with messages that resonate much more deeply with: 1. Their current awareness level 2. Their specific, personal pain 3. The business problem causing that pain That kind of marketing produces a personal, emotional connection with the prospect. So, yes, businesses should market on a personal, emotional level to the individuals they want to engage with. They can then teach those individuals how to relieve their pain by solving their problem (no product pitches yet). Once the prospect has confidence they can and should solve the problem, then you offer the product as a way of doing it: 💥 Better (you can do this on your own and produce X. If you use our product, you'll produce 10X). 💥 Faster (this generally takes 18 months. If you'd like to get that result faster, you can do it in 6 weeks with our product). 💥 Cheaper (the cost for this type of effort is generally between $300 - $450K. Our product allows you to do it for less than $100K). 💥 Easier (as we've established, you should solve this problem no matter how much effort it takes. However, our product can handle 90% of the effort we've outlined here, so you have a much lighter lift to get the result). 💥 With Greater Certainty (while there are a lot of people getting these results, there are a lot of variables in this process. Our product removes many of those variables to dramatically increase your odds of success). 💥 With More Fun (this result is worth going through the difficult and joyless work - but you can actually skip that if you use our product. You'll enjoy the process so much more with the tools we give you). All of this can be accomplished before your prospect ever talks to an SDR or salesperson. It can be accomplished during the period of free product access if you're running a PLG play. Imagine the success you would have if you put this into an automated process that converts at a high rate at each step, and then delivers prospects to the next step with this level of readiness.

I just completed a marketing assessment for a client and found they were pissing away fully half of their budget (over $3m) and they had no idea what was performing. This client had pretty decent tracking systems set up internally and worked with an outside firm to handle their advertising, website, social media, etc. But his information showed one thing and the marketing firm showed something else. The owner called me and we moved forward to see what was really going on. He explained that he doubted his own perspective because he felt that marketing wasn't his area of expertise but at the same time what the "agency" was telling him didn't add up. He needed an objective, experienced review to make sense of things. His biggest question was whether or not he was getting an ROI on his investment. First I dug through their data, website, service offerings, past marketing - everything I could get my hands on. Then, I interviewed his executive team. I found them to be very knowledgeable and open (a good sign). They felt they were at the mercy of their external marketing team. They underestimated their knowledge but I could see why they were confused. Next I interviewed the sales team. They were absolutely disgusted with the marketing people and felt that the "leads" being delivered were very poor quality. They were right. Finally I interviewed the external agency. They were less than cooperative. Even after doing hundreds of these assessments and talking to hundreds of agencies and similar companies, I've never seen such hostility - not just towards me but towards the client. In this case, it was clear that the agency was not focused on this client's success. They were interested in padding their pockets and obfuscating their lack of performance. They delivered extremely complex KPI reports without any meetings or discussion with the client - they simply emailed the report and the client was too intimidated to push back or ask questions. When all was said and done, $1.5m was essentially disappearing into the void and being hidden by the "agency". They were pocketing some of the money but mostly wasting it on tactics that were simply not performing. We allocated the budget, helped them find a reputable agency and delivered written recommendations as to what to do next. Most importantly for them, the amount of waste we eliminated covered our humble fee by more than 9X. Can you dig it?

ROAS is the fool’s gold of marketing. I’ve called it a vanity metric before, but that isn’t entirely true; ROAS is only a vanity metric when it’s used incorrectly. Whenever I’ve been handed dying ad-accounts from a client that’s dropped their last agency, you can bet that 90% of the time it’s because the agency was trying to bend their campaigns to hit some kind of ROAS target. And don’t get me wrong, having a high ROAS isn’t a bad thing, it’s just that it’s often a symptom of an underlying problem - the problem of not knowing how to scale. New customers cost more to acquire, it’s obvious when you say it out loud, but it’s not always obvious in the data. If an agency sets a goal of getting 7 ROAS and optimises their campaigns towards this end, they’re likely to see a drop-off in their gain of new customers. Revenue might stay strong, and that’s fine if the goal is to keep the company afloat.  Not so fine, if the goal is to scale. New customer ROAS is naturally going to be lower, and so it will be deprioritised in favour of cheaper returning customer ROAS, all in the name of increasing overall ROAS. Habits like these can produce pretty looking graphs, but pretty looking graphs are exactly what lull you into a false sense of security. SCALING COSTS MONEY If you focus too much on ROAS, you’re going to get killed on opportunity cost. Fool’s gold is useful; in the 16th century they used it for firelighting. But don’t get fooled It’s not gold.