Marketing Buddy #2: "Follow people who are doing it well" with Jim MacLeod
Let me introduce you to Jim MacLeod, who has 20+ years of experience in branding and marketing. Additionally, he supports designers in adapting to an AI future.
Hello, Branding enthusiast, How are you doing today?
This week, let's discover a new guest in the series ‘‘Marketing Buddy’’ — a great addition to our Brand Revealers. Occasionally, we will invite them to join the letter and share marketing wisdom and strategies. We have to become friends with the craft of Marketing, so let’s bring them in and grow!
Short Q&A - Marketing Buddy
Jim MacLeod is a fellow Substack writer and an engaged reader of this letter. I am even more honored to have him on board. He speaks about industry shifts, but also how marketing can be leveraged within brands. His curated, short visual infographics are always a surprise within his letters. You dive in!
Prospective ideas for creatives We all know AI is advancing rapidly, and for many creatives, it is also a concern. I appreciate his educational approach to explaining the numerous shifts within the industry. Check out After Design, his new newsletter designed to help creatives navigate generative AI.
Who are you? What is your profession?
My name is Jim MacLeod. I am Director of Digital Experience for Northeastern University. I am also the creator of the newsletter Marketing Podcast Recap.
Jim
Where are you located?
Boston, MA.
Jim
Where can we discover your work? (website, socials…).
What is your definition of Marketing? And what is, in your opinion, the main difference between Branding and Marketing?
Marketing is about building an audience for your product. Branding is how a person feels about you, your company, or your product.
You can use marketing to help project an image you want to convey, but the brand is owned by the person who interacts with those engagement touch points.
Jim
Seth Godin, the marketing expert, says, "You cannot be seen until you learn to see". What do you think about this superpower of seeing what others do not see and providing a solution to it?
Seeing the problem is more important than seeing the solution. Some people/companies jump right to the solution part. I try to find the problem, and I keep digging deeper to find the root of the problem because often what people see as the problem is the result of a bigger problem.
Jim
Do you have any tips for creative entrepreneurs and Brand Revealers to improve their marketing skills in three steps?
#1 • Follow people who are doing it well. See how they're marketing their products (they often present the problem, then the solution).
#2 • Try different things, but make sure you're delivering consistently.
#3 • Measure the tests.
Jim
What are the repeated words you hear about your Branding and Marketing from your audience, teams, and people who discover you? (3 to 5 keywords)
Helpful • Informative • Forward thinking
Jim
Do you have any recommendations for mastering marketing, such as books, podcasts, conferences, etc.?
Conferences ❇️ Start with Inboundor Content Marketing World, then go deeper on different topics once you've outgrown the high-level events.
Jim
What has been your most challenging marketing pain point so far? And, more importantly, how did you manage to find a breakthrough and overcome it?
My most challenging marketing pain point is getting executives to understand the value of branding. If they don't immediately get it, I have to start small and show consistent progress over time. Then I have to hope that someone on the outside talks to them about something related to the brand.
Jim
Could you share some steps you take to educate executives on branding? How do you shift their perspective? Additionally, are they detached from the brand because of their role?
Some executives don't like to change their mindset when it comes to certain things. Some are detached from the brand because they've been with the company a long time and don't see a shift in the external brand or market evolution. For those who don't want to hear about the brand, what I try to do is talk about the benefits of the individual brand aspects. I'll illustrate how similar actions are tied together, even if it's not obvious when looking at disparate activities. Over time, they'll start to see how making progress in small areas contributes to the overall brand experience.
The Best of European Internet (This is such a cool spread of what the Internet can offer, but also a great marketing standpoint. It is curated by IADAS).
The power of a newsletter strategy(James Schramko stated in this episode, ‘‘Newsletters have always been there! They are a long-term marketing magnet, especially when coupled with a podcast’’. Food for thought!).
Build an online presence (A free 2-day masterclass by Kitti Majoran on 16-17/ October, packed with strategies to get clients and speaking opportunities. Put my name in the ‘‘Referred by’’ box when registering).
Empower 100 (A programme of support from Virgin StartUp. Only for founders based in Greater London. Deadline → January 16th).
I hope you enjoyed this new interview. Feel free to share this letter and give it a heart, as it helps more people discover this space.
Thanks for including me!