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#129 From Fractional Growth to Full-Service Impact with Bradley Jacobs and Katie Wagner

Bradley Jacobs is a passionate advocate for fractional work, having built a successful independent consulting business that generated $25K per month in just 25 hours per week after scaling businesses at Uber. Recognizing the challenges of client acquisition and revenue consistency, he founded Mylance Scale to transform marketing and sales for fractional executives. With a background in launching and managing high-growth operations at Uber and consulting across various industries, Bradley now helps fractional professionals build sustainable, high-value businesses while maintaining the freedom and flexibility they desire. Katie Wagner spent 15 years as a television and radio journalist, working for major news outlets like ABC, CBS, Fox, CNN, and NPR. Today, she is the owner of KWSM, a full-service digital marketing agency founded in 2010, where her team of brand journalists specializes in lead generation. With offices in Orange County, San Diego, Atlanta, and Las Vegas, KWSM helps businesses effectively connect with their audience and drive growth. In this episode, we explore LinkedIn tactics and AI insights while diving into innovative marketing strategies with Bradley and Katie.
“I loved being the expert in the room, making good money, working when and where I wanted to. But lead generation, finding new clients reliably was so challenging for me and everybody I talked to.” -Bradley Jacobs
“Human nature doesn’t change. Humans connect with stories. They want to make connections with other humans.” -Katie Wagner

About the Episode

Welcome to another exciting edition of our marketing journey where we dive deep into the realms of growth marketing, fractional leadership, AI innovations, and the evolving digital landscape. Today, we explore insights from our recent episode with Bradley and Katie, two remarkable leaders steering the ship in a sea of digital transformation.

Discovering the Journey of a Fractional Leader

Our guest speaker Bradley is the founder and CEO of Mylance, a community-driven lead generation and business development engine specifically crafted for fractional executives and boutique marketing agencies. His journey began after a notable tenure at Uber from 2014 to 2018, a period marked by exponential growth and scaling challenges. He describes his time there as “an MBA in a nutshell” that packed a lifetime of learning into a few short years.

“I loved being the expert in the room, making good money, working when and where I wanted to. But lead generation, finding new clients reliably was so challenging for me and everybody I talked to.”

Bradley’s shift into the fractional world came from the desire to maintain autonomy while identifying a critical gap: reliable lead generation for fractional roles. Thus, Mylance was born to fill this void.

The Uber Experience: Scaling at Lightning Speed

Recollecting his Uber days, Bradley shares insights from the blitz-scaling era, where Uber expanded from 80 to 600 cities and grew its employee count exponentially. This phase was as exhilarating as it was chaotic, offering invaluable lessons on scaling, market entry strategies, and even learning from failure.

For anyone curious about the dynamics of rapid global scaling, this experience underscores the importance of adaptability, teamwork, and continuous learning. It paints a vivid picture of an era where ride-sharing was yet to become the household term it is today.

 

Embracing Fractional Work

Fractional work appeals to individuals who crave flexibility without sacrificing professional growth. Bradley highlights the growing trend of fractional roles allowing experts to leverage their skills on their terms. His approach involves using LinkedIn as a potent tool, both for networking and for sharing “first-hand accounts” that establish authority and foster genuine connections.

Bradley’s LinkedIn Strategy:

  1. Daily Connection Building: Strategically adding new connections, especially focusing on fractional executives with several years of experience.
  2. Content Publishing: Every day content sharing that isn’t preachy but offers valuable insights and stories.
  3. Relationship Nurturing: Building trust over time through consistent engagement.

“It’s obviously not a perfect system, but so much of the time, they have this relationship because of the LinkedIn content that’s genuine, that’s from my mouth.”

Tackling the Spammy Feel of LinkedIn

As LinkedIn becomes more popular, the platform has unfortunately gained a reputation for spam. Bradley tackles this perception head-on by ensuring his outreach is authentic and genuinely helpful. His secret lies in understanding his audience’s pain points and crafting messages that resonate on a personal level.

Marketing in the AI Era

The conversation naturally drifts towards the influence of AI in marketing. Bradley’s approach to AI highlights its role as a creativity augmenter and content generator. He leverages AI for brainstorming marketing ideas and refining content that has resonated over his years of experience.

“AI has saved me a lot of time, both in the creativity and actually content generation if I give it a really good input.”

Tools Bradley Uses:

  • Claude: Preferred for its superior writing capabilities compared to other AI tools.
  • ChatGPT: Used for its interface and user-friendliness.
  • Taplo: Utilized for scheduling LinkedIn posts, although its AI features aren’t employed.

Targeting with Precision

Bradley introduces his use of AI for precise targeting – identifying companies within specific criteria that standard platforms like Sales Navigator don’t cater to. It’s an edge that sets Myln apart, providing clients with an unmatched list-building capability.

Transitioning to an AI-Driven Marketing Landscape with Katie Wagner

As we transition to our second guest, Katie Wagner, we delve into the intricate web of digital marketing transformations. With a rich background as a television anchor, Katie bridges her journalistic roots with the dynamism of digital marketing.

From Newsroom to Boardroom

Katie’s career trajectory from TV anchor to leading a digital marketing agency exemplifies adaptability. Witnessing dwindling viewership due to digital platforms, she recognized the shift to digital strategies early on. Her agency, KWSM, focuses on lead generation by building digital infrastructures that support consistent revenue streams, especially for companies prepping for a sale.

Strategies for Modern Lead Generation

Katie shares her unique approach to lead generation. The decline in traditional SEO effectiveness has led her team to explore new horizons, including nearbound lead generation, which relies on leveraging partnerships to build trust and reputation. This innovative strategy indicates a shift towards a more holistic digital marketing approach—combining inbound, outbound, and strategic partnership tactics.

Key Strategies:

  1. Holistic Inbound Techniques: Integrating traditional inbound with modern outreach and partnerships.
  2. Nearbound Marketing: Co-marketing with allied businesses to extend reach and credibility.
  3. Strategic Partnerships: Building alliances to tap into established trust and consumer bases.

Maintaining Core Values Amidst Change

Despite an ever-evolving landscape, Katie emphasizes the importance of returning to core values, particularly storytelling. Her agency continues to embrace “brand journalism”—delving into client stories with depth and sincerity, which AI cannot replicate.

“Human nature doesn’t change. Humans connect with stories. They want to make connections with other humans.”

Adapting to AI and Digital Transformations

Katie’s team uses AI to optimize their processes and emphasizes human-centered storytelling. She acknowledges their significant role in strategic content creation, leveraging Google’s Gemini and exploring autonomous learning modules like agents and gems.

“AI is helping streamline our processes to make us more efficient and ensure we spend our time on important aspects of content creation.”

Embracing the Unknown

Both Katie and Bradley’s perspectives underscore a common theme—the necessity to adapt and embrace technological innovations. They stress the balance between utilizing AI and preserving the fundamental human touch in marketing.

Conclusion

In the ever-changing world of digital marketing, embracing innovation while remaining grounded in fundamental principles like storytelling and relationship-building is key. As shared by our dynamic guests, forward-thinking strategies, and adaptability can navigate the challenges of modern marketing landscapes.

Whether it’s through leveraging AI, building authentic connections on platforms like LinkedIn, or crafting rich narratives that resonate with audiences, the future of marketing lies in merging technology with human elements. Tune in next time as we uncover more strategies and stories that shape the marketing world.

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