Brad Friedman 😎 Digital Marketing Strategist

Financial forecasting for small businesses isn’t setting a numerical goal. In fact, the most important metrics for a business’s success aren’t the numerical results, they’re the non-financial things that drive business. Jody Grunden lays it all out on episode 254 of The Digital Slice podcast, out now on your preferred platform. Or listen here: friedmansocialmedia.com/appl…

Where do you turn with small business financial questions? Jody Grunden is one of our favorite resources, and he’s back on The Digital Slice podcast to share his insights on financial planning for agency owners, including important differences in financial forecasting vs budgeting, to help you grow a profitable business. Jody Grunden specializes in guiding digital and creative agencies toward sustainable profitability and scalability using a proprietary profit-focused maturity model. He’s the co-founder of Summit CPA Group, now Anders Virtual CFO, he pioneered subscription-based billing for accounting firms, and he built the first fully distributed Virtual CFO practice in North America. If you’re still having cash flow issues even with an increased revenue, Jody has answers. Stop guessing what your budget should be and learn how much cash you need to operate, and more priceless business advice from Jody Grunden on episode 254 of The Digital Slice podcast. Out now wherever you listen! #AgencyGrowth #CashFlowManagement #BusinessProfitability #VirtualCFO #SmallBusinessOwners

Jody Grunden joins The Digital Slice podcast for episode 254, all about financial planning for small businesses. Find out why this number is the benchmark for growth readiness (and the one circumstance where you could do it with less) on the all-new episode out tomorrow wherever you listen! #AgencyGrowth #CashFlowManagement #BusinessProfitability #VirtualCFO #SmallBusinessOwners

If an Ad gets clicks, Google counts it as a success. If that Ad doesn’t convert to business, how can you find out what went wrong? Jeff Coleman covers the simple fixes many service business owners miss and what Google might be getting wrong about you and your audience on episode 253 of The Digital Slice. Watch today! youtu.be/-DiMacipeU0

More traffic to your website doesn’t mean more conversions if it’s not the right people. Jeff Coleman shares his concerns about Google AI Max, and what better Google Ads strategies look like for service businesses on episode 253 of The Digital Slice podcast. Listen on your favorite podcast platform, or watch it here: youtu.be/-DiMacipeU0

What counts as conversion on your Google Ads dashboard, and what you count as conversion, aren’t the same. Sharing that data with Google will increase the likelihood your ads will be seen by the right people. Jeff Coleman shares more insights on how to improve Google Ads ROI and make sure your Google Ad success goes beyond clicks, on episode 253 of The Digital Slice podcast. friedmansocialmedia.com/jcol…

Get your Google Ad campaigns back on track with episode 253 of The Digital Slice podcast! It’s easy for busy business owners to go with Google’s first suggestion when creating ads, but if you’re not seeing the outcomes you want (despite what Google says about your ad success), it’s worth a closer look at some of the elements Jeff Coleman focuses on in our interview. Jeff has been building results-driven Google Ads campaigns since 2004, and 17 years ago, he built Factor Four Marketing to provide clients with clarity, accountability, and marketing campaigns that deliver measurable results. Today, Factor Four manages over $4 million in annual ad spend, working with everyone from local service businesses to Fortune 500 organizations. Jeff’s recommendations will help you create ads that achieve your marketing goals, and make sure your website and landing pages serve those goals, too. Listen today on your preferred platform!

If your dashboard says your firm’s Google ads are performing well, but you’re not seeing an increase in new clients, you could be casting too wide a net. There are also other reasons you might not be as pleased with your ads' results as Google is, and Jeff Coleman shares them on episode 253 of The Digital Slice podcast. Out tomorrow wherever you listen! #GoogleAds #LeadGeneration #SmallBusinessMarketing #ConversionOptimization #MarketingROI

What your brand stands for, your unique insights, these are things that LLMs can’t generate for your marketing campaigns. As Ray Jang tells his clients, you have to understand those things, and then use AI tools to help amplify that message in your marketing. Find out more on episode 252 of The Digital Slice, now out on YouTube! #AIMarketing #MarketingStrategy #SmallBusinessMarketing #CreativeStrategy #BrandAuthenticity

When everyone is using the same tools, your AI creative strategy becomes the thing that will ensure your marketing doesn’t sound generic and actually connects with your audience. Ray Jang shares how, on episode 252 of The Digital Slice podcast. friedmansocialmedia.com/jang

If you want to get the most out of AI marketing and creative tools, you first have to understand the unique value of your business and what you do for clients. Otherwise, what it produces will be generic, and you’ll look the same as your competitors (because they’re using the same tools!). That’s what this week’s guest, Ray Jang, tells his clients at Atria, the AI Creative Strategist platform he founded. Ray uses AI to help brands create smarter, more effective campaigns without losing the human touch, helping small brands systematize their creative edge using AI-driven insights and predictive modeling. Tune in to episode 252 of The Digital Slice podcast for Ray’s advice for small businesses building their AI marketing strategy. Out now wherever you listen!

Breaking through the Sales and Marketing silos comes up often with The Digital Slice guests. Debbie Qaqish has a solution that takes marketing from a cost center to a revenue center, by sharing the huge amount of data marketing collects with the sales team and getting the two departments aligned on revenue goals. Find out more from our conversation: youtu.be/S6PJHjVGNj0 #RevenueMarketing #MarketingStrategy #SalesAndMarketing #MarketingGrowth

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And that’s how it all began! Since this exchange, Debbie Qaqish has worked to redefine marketing as a measurable driver of business growth, working with CMOs and B2B teams to align strategy with revenue outcomes. She has great hopes for how AI tools can help Marketing and Sales teams finally work together to drive revenue. Hear how on episode 251 of The Digital Slice podcast. #RevenueMarketing #MarketingStrategy #DigitalMarketing #SalesAndMarketing #MarketingGrowth

Debbie Qaqish has spent more than 10 years being asked how marketing can go from a cost center to a revenue center. Her answer is Revenue Marketing, and she shares that with The Digital Slice listeners in episode 251. Listen now and let it be the push to finally get your teams aligned and really grow your business. Find it wherever you listen, or here: friedmansocialmedia.com/appl… #RevenueMarketing #MarketingStrategy #BusinessGrowth

Debbie Qaqish has spent more than 10 years being asked how marketing can go from a cost center to a revenue center. Her answer is Revenue Marketing, and she shares that with The Digital Slice listeners in episode 251. Listen now and let it be the push to finally get your teams aligned and really grow your business. Find it wherever you listen, or here: friedmansocialmedia.com/appl… #RevenueMarketing #MarketingStrategy #BusinessGrowth

No one in the business knows more about the prospect than the marketing department, and they have tons of data to back it up. Yet it’s still rare for sales and marketing to work together, and it’s costing companies. Debbie Qaqish joined me on episode 251 of The Digital Slice to share a concept she’s been championing since 2011 — Revenue Marketing. Listen today on your preferred podcast platform to hear more about Revenue Marketing and how AI may play a role in helping marketers finally distribute their data to assist in later stages of the funnel.

Is there anything more frustrating for solopreneurs and small business owners than seeing an incoming call from a lead you’ve been chasing… …when you’re already on an important client call? Will they leave a message? How many more rounds of phone tag are you going to play? Gene Sigalov shared a new solution on his visit to The Digital Slice podcast: new AI-powered phone services that can be programmed work in conjunction with your CRM and schedule appointments or determine when to send the call to someone else on the team. They’re not right for every business, but it’s worth finding out more. Check out episode 250 of The Digital Slice and see if they can work for you!

Small to mid-sized businesses have new options for phone answering services! With the recent advances in AI, AI phone answering with CRM integration are a great way for certain businesses with moderate to high volume to get things organized. From automated appointment scheduling and options for businesses to configure transfers to the appropriate person make it easier to connect with potential customers, even when you’re working with current ones. Watch this week’s episode of The Digital Slice podcast to learn more from Gene Sigalov. youtu.be/tWR039rSOAQ

If an AI-powered virtual receptionist isn’t the right choice for your small business, that’s ok! Make sure you emphasize that human connection as a benefit in your marketing to minimize customer frustration if calls aren’t answered immediately. Gene Sigalov looks at the choice between AI receptionist vs human answering service from all angles on episode 250 of The Digital Slice podcast. Listen now! #BusinessAutomation #AIAgents #CustomerService #AIReceptionist #Solopreneurs