Elizabeth Pampalone with Absolute Marketing

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for High Velocity radio.

Stone Payton: [00:00:15] Welcome to the High Velocity Radio show where we celebrate top performers producing better results in less time. Stone Payton here with you this afternoon. Please join me in welcoming to the broadcast with Absolute Marketing. Elizabeth Pampalone. How are you?

Elizabeth Pampalone: [00:00:34] I’m doing good. How are.

Stone Payton: [00:00:35] You? I am doing well. Really been looking forward to this conversation. I think maybe a good place to start is mission purpose. What are. What are you and your team really out there trying to do for folks, Elizabeth?

Elizabeth Pampalone: [00:00:49] Well, we are creating one year of marketing content in five days. That’s our goal and we pretty much get it done every time.

Stone Payton: [00:00:57] Well, I got to say, that is a good match for a show called High Velocity Radio. How in the world can you really do it? Can you can it really be done that quick?

Elizabeth Pampalone: [00:01:08] It can. A lot of what we find is that the back and forth between the designer and the owner and the person making the decision is a lot of unnecessary emails and time and meetings. And so we’ve just cut all that down by asking the client to sit with us for an eight hour day to complete one project. And then we have about eight different day options that they can choose from based on their needs.

Stone Payton: [00:01:35] Now, do you find that some types of industries, businesses really fit this mold better than others, or are you finding there’s quite a wide variety of businesses that can employ this?

Elizabeth Pampalone: [00:01:46] A lot of businesses can do this. We have one of our days where you can create one year of social media content in a day. And unfortunately, some people are too skeptical and they don’t take the chance. But we’ve had several real estate agents and other industries where they are constantly receiving new information. And so they think, well, how could I put together one year of marketing content in a day, especially social media? And it’s actually surprisingly easy and it does give them a leg up on their competition.

Stone Payton: [00:02:18] So is this an idea, an approach that was brewing in your mind for a long time, or did you stumble into it? How did you land on on this one year of marketing content in five days like that?

Elizabeth Pampalone: [00:02:34] Well, I actually had been doing it for myself for many years. This is my 15th year in business as a marketer, and I had been running my own marketing in this similar way. I just didn’t really see it as a thing, right? I just do it that way because that’s how I do it. It’s me. But I was doing the traditional marketing for other people where a website could take 30 to 60 days. You know, a logo could take 2 to 4 weeks. It just all these same typical things you hear. But when I actually came to it, I was like, Why am I not using my own process that I developed for myself on my clients? And in 2017, I took everything off my website and said, We only do day projects. Here they are. And that’s what we do still today.

Stone Payton: [00:03:21] Well, you clearly enjoy the work. I can hear it in your voice and I know our listeners can’t can too. At this point in your career, at this point, in your practice? What are you enjoying the most about the work?

Elizabeth Pampalone: [00:03:34] Really seeing people have that aha moment. It’s usually on. We work with people anywhere from 3 to 5 days as a typical engagement and it’s usually on day one. We’ll do that first day with them and somewhere along the way and that first day they just kind of look at me and go, This is really possible, isn’t it? Or We’re really doing this, aren’t we? And so I think that’s my my most exciting piece is for them to have that aha moment in that first day and then just be ready to jump into the second and third and etc. days and and really put everything they can into it because they, they do know that it’s possible.

Stone Payton: [00:04:13] This strikes me as such a pioneer move. The answer to this may be no, but I’m going to ask anyway. Have you had the benefit of one or more mentors along the way on this path that have helped you kind of navigate that terrain?

Elizabeth Pampalone: [00:04:30] Not this particular one. I’ve had mentors over the years who’ve really helped me to kind of break through some of the blocks I was having, whether it was naming the system or coming up with that tagline. Things like that to really help me market my own system because I am a marketer. But as you know, marketers need marketers, coaches need coaches, all that kind of stuff. And so I’ve had people come along the way and kind of help me see my own business from a different angle. But as far as like the actual concept, that was really something that I came up with after really, really reading about Parkinson’s law and a couple of other time saving energy saving tips and like theories from other people that don’t have anything to do with the marketing or technology field. These were like people who wrote in the early 19th century or early 20th century. So it’s something that I try to incorporate other types of modalities into what I do. And for me, it was looking at the process and going, Wow, this is just taking way too long and nobody really has time for this, especially me, especially the clients and just finding a solution.

Stone Payton: [00:05:41] Well, you bring up an interesting point, and I saw this happen a lifetime ago when I was in the change management consulting arena. Often, I mean, a drug company can look at the way a surfboard company is executing on some of its business practices and learn a ton, sometimes more than they can looking at their company. So kudos to use for sort of going outside of the of the established pattern and then then re synthesizing it to to to serve your clients. I’ve got I guess this is kind of a more of a tactical question, but and I certainly don’t even know that I understand the word, much less the the process. But you talked about social media. Where do algorithms and all this play into this whole process?

Elizabeth Pampalone: [00:06:33] Well, I actually build something called algorithm proof social media. That’s what that full day is about. It’s an eight hour day. And what we really focus on is that organic growth is more important and credibility is more valuable to a business than the number of followers you have or the number of likes you have. And so because those things can be manufactured, but credibility cannot, we really focus on going kind of around the algorithm, almost ignoring it completely and giving the client the best chance they have at being competing with the big guys, essentially, because as most of these small businesses I work with, they don’t have the ability to pay for these massive ad campaigns and things like that, which the big guys are doing and really dominating that space. So I’d rather make them really credible in their field, in their industry, or even in their local area, in their industry, in their local area, and have them compete on the level that they need to compete on rather than focus so much on ad spend and things like that. So really my focus is algorithm algorithm and really go around it and go for the credibility aspect.

Stone Payton: [00:07:43] I think that’s great. Now you’ve had an opportunity to serve nonprofit enterprises as as well. Speak to that.

Elizabeth Pampalone: [00:07:51] A little bit.

Stone Payton: [00:07:52] Yeah.

Elizabeth Pampalone: [00:07:53] Yeah. I love working with nonprofits because a lot of times they are really, really clear on their message, but they’re really, really unclear on their audience. And so this gives me a chance to come in and help fix that foundational piece when the house is kind of falling down around them and they’re not really sure why the donations are down and they’re not able to help as many people as they need to. This is a really great option for them to get this done quickly and have that credibility boost. But then also really focus on, oh, this is our actual client. And once those that piece of the puzzle is fixed, the website falls into place. You know, the social media falls into place. Email, blogging, if needed, podcasting, all of that starts to make more sense once they’ve clearly defined that audience.

Stone Payton: [00:08:43] So my instincts are that part of the answer to this question is going to be, as my daddy would say, eat your own cooking. But I wanted to ask about sales and marketing for you, for your firm, how you get the new interest to the new clients.

Elizabeth Pampalone: [00:08:57] I educate. I actually go out and teach quite a bit. I am teaching probably anywhere from 20 to 40 classes a year for any range of volunteer organizations to paid speaking engagements that are across the country. I also do a lot of podcasts like this one and just try and give people kind of a hope that there’s another option out there for them, especially if they’re frustrated or confused by a lot of the marketing stuff. And then also just doing a ton of volunteer work through the small business organizations that are in my local area and then also nationally. And then I also do a ton of networking as much as I can with all the other stuff that I’m doing. And I love doing that because it just helps me to see people in the in the field, if you will, and give them that small tidbit of, Hey, did you know this is happening? Yeah, you could definitely talk to this person and just make those connections and help people to see that there’s there’s other options than just, oh my gosh, I have to do social media again, you know?

Stone Payton: [00:10:04] Side note to our audience, Elizabeth is being very modest. She said, you know, she does a lot of podcasts. Yeah. I’ll say, like you have gotten on a hundred plus podcasts in in less than a year. Any secret sauce there that you’d be willing to share with some of our folks who want to get on shows more?

Elizabeth Pampalone: [00:10:22] Yeah. Yeah. It was really funny because in 2020 my goal was to be on 100 shows from March to December and I ended up getting on over 200. So it was really exciting and it was a lot of work, a lot of time. However, I’ve kind of got it down to a science now where if you have the right pitch again, knowing your audience, knowing your signature, talk to huge points and if you have the right elements. So for example, I have a press kit that I put together that has everything that you would ask me. Stone Everything you would need from me is in that press kit. And so I can literally send you that press kit and you have everything you need. You don’t even have to ask me for anything. And all we do is show up and have a great conversation. But that that pitch is what really gets me into the shows. And so I try to make it fun, I try to make it interesting. I try to put my best foot forward. When it comes to the topic of the show, I’ve spoken on everything from shows about old movies to shows about dancing, divorce, technology, marketing, sales, everything you can think of. And I really try to go outside the box when it comes to which shows I choose to go on. And I probably applied to get on those 200 shows. I applied to about 500 shows. So it’s not like it was definitely a game of numbers. It’s not like I got every show I applied for, but I really just tried to follow the trend of Where is the last show I was on, Who else was on that show and what other shows have they been on and kind of followed people through that path of this guy I really like. He was on one of the shows I was on and now I can apply to these other shows he was on and say, We were on a show together over here. You should check it out, you know, that kind of thing, and use that credibility to build on other credibility.

Stone Payton: [00:12:08] And you also have spent quite a bit of time on the other side of the mic and you are a podcaster. Talk about that experience a little bit, what you’ve learned and and your perspective on if other people ought to be exploring that as well.

Elizabeth Pampalone: [00:12:23] I think being a host is amazing opportunity and I have been in radio since I was in my teens and then I started podcasting in 2014, walked away from it for a little bit and then I restarted my my own show marketing minimalism in 2010, 20, 20, early 2020, before everything went crazy. It was like January. I thought, I’m going to try this again. I’m going to see what happens. And my show is a little different. I wanted to choose something that would fit my lifestyle. A lot of people say podcasting is really time consuming. While it can be, you can really choose what fits your lifestyle. Your show doesn’t have to be an hour long. My show is only 2 minutes and I have guests. Stephen So if you’re interested, you can check that out and hear how I accomplish that.

Stone Payton: [00:13:12] Well, let’s make sure we leave people with an easy way to to get there, including me. I want to go listen to those two minute bits. Absolutely. So I know that you say your company, you don’t say that your company sells marketing. What do you say that you sell?

Elizabeth Pampalone: [00:13:29] Relief. We’re like Rolaids. We we sell relief.

Stone Payton: [00:13:37] So relief from what? Just the headache, the burnout, the stress of.

Elizabeth Pampalone: [00:13:41] Yeah, all of that. I mean, I was in a session, I was teaching a session and a couple of a year ago, and I asked the audience, I said, how many of you on a daily basis feel anxiety over your own social media campaigns? And this was a room full of marketers and they all raised their hand. Anxiety or stress on a daily basis because of their social media. And I thought, that’s insane. So for me, it’s really about if I can take something off your plate or I can explain something to you that you didn’t understand before and make it easier and make it more manageable for you. Again, fitting it into your lifestyle wherever you are, whoever you are, then that’s my whole goal. And a lot of people that do the year in a day or do the year and five days, they walk away with so much accomplished and they see that it’s been possible in such a short time. They can now, one, go out on their own and just do it themselves, which I’m happy that they should do. Or they can know that this is not as hard and as time consuming and as arduous as they thought initially.

Stone Payton: [00:14:50] All right, before we wrap, let’s leave our listeners, especially those that are just kind of getting started. Let’s leave them with a couple of pro tips, maybe some do’s, some don’ts, some go read this, be thinking about that kind of thing.

Elizabeth Pampalone: [00:15:05] One of the things people always tell me is you’re too expensive because I am not cheap, let me tell you. But the thing I tell them is go read profit first and come back in three months. And a lot of them do, surprisingly, because profit first really helps small business owners to get a handle on their cash flow management. It’s not necessarily about budgeting, it’s about cash flow management, and that’s not something they teach entrepreneurs. So I highly recommend that as first thing it’s called Profit First by Mike McCullough. It’s very popular book. You’ll find it right away if you Google it. And then the second thing would be, once you have that budget and you know what you’re going to be able to spend on marketing, I would say set aside anywhere from 5 to 10000. If you’re starting out and you want to do it like all upfront and get it all done and do it right. But the first thing that has to be done is branding. If you don’t know who you are, what you’re doing and who you’re sharing it with, then there’s no point in the rest of it. Everything else will fall short. Everything else won’t work. It’ll feel tough. It’ll feel like this isn’t working. Why am I trying? You just keep trying and trying and nothing works. So brand is the first thing. Got to get that right. Then follows the website, then your social media, all these things have to come in this order for them to be successful. And then you can add things like blogging, podcasting, and definitely don’t forget email marketing.

Stone Payton: [00:16:25] Well, given the counsel that you just laid on us in 90 seconds, I have no problem believing that you can get an awful lot done in the course of a few days. Incidentally, I can’t pronounce his last name as eloquently as you do, but we interviewed the gentleman who wrote that book, Profit First, and it was a fantastic conversation. He’s amazing. Okay, let’s make sure that our listeners can get in touch with you. Let’s leave him with some coordinates. Email, LinkedIn, whatever you feel like is appropriate.

Elizabeth Pampalone: [00:16:56] Well, you can go to our website and get absolute marketing, and there’s actually a free tab there where I have every video I’ve ever made. It’s all free. And our free library. And also you can get my pro tool kit. It’s every tool that I use in my own business and for my clients. And there are discount links in there as well.

Stone Payton: [00:17:15] Well, Elizabeth, this has been a blast and it’s gone by incredibly fast. I have thoroughly enjoyed the conversation. Thank you so much for hanging out with us this afternoon and sharing your insight and your experience. This is You got me fired up. Now I’m going to go back, reread Mike’s book Profit first, but I’m also going to put some thought into these topics. You’re doing important work and you’re obviously doing a great job with it. And we sure thank you and appreciate you.

Elizabeth Pampalone: [00:17:42] Thank you so much.

Stone Payton: [00:17:44] All right. Until next time, this is Stone Payton for our guest today, Elizabeth Pantalone with Absolute Marketing and everyone here at the Business Radio X family saying we’ll see you in the fast lane.