Ep. 233- GUEST: SECRETS to Turning Employees into STARS and CONTENT MARKETING TIPS 🔥 FOUNDER AMP Creative: Morgan J Ingram (160,000 LinkedIn Followers!)

0:08Welcome to Do This Not That, the podcast for marketers. You'll walk away from each episode with actionable tips you can test immediately. You'll hear from the best minds in marketing who will share tactics, quick wins, and pitfalls to avoid. We'll also dig into life, pop culture, and the chaos that is our everyday. I'm Jay Schwetelson. Let's do this, not that.

0:40we are back for do this not that presented by marigold and we have we have a like a really important dude here today guest um who do we got we got morgan ingram now you probably already follow morgan on on linkedin because the dude has 167 000 followers it's like a small country's following this guy. He is the founder and CEO of AMP Creative, AMP Creative. And he's, I mean, he's probably one of the most well-known people in the B2B universe in terms of marketing and things. And today we're going to be digging into the influencers within your organization and how to leverage them and what it all means that you don't even realize you're sitting on this gold mind.

1:23Morgan, welcome to the show. Awesome. Well, fantastic. So I'm excited. I'm excited. I'm excited that you're excited. Yeah. Before we get into the topic of the day, how did you wind up? How did Morgan wind up? This is what you do. Like, how did you wind up here? So it was an accident for sure. It was not intentional. So I started creating content in 2016 on LinkedIn. So this is like ancient LinkedIn. And I remember reading a post from a sales leader when I started off my sales development rep roles. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's like someone who cold calls and does cold emails and all the fun things to book meetings to head it off to a closer.

2:05And so in that article, it said, hey, if you are in this role, you should create a YouTube channel and content because no one else is. And I was just one of those people was like, all right, cool. I'll do it. So four months into my role at my first job, I started creating content. Jay, this was a huge controversial thing because people were like, one, you just started your job. So why are you creating content? Two, you don't have 20, 30 years of experience. Why are you creating content? Like three, you're on LinkedIn creating content. Like why aren't you on like Instagram? So it was so much of that controversy, but that's where I started my journey of creating content was just documenting what I was doing.

2:44I didn't talk about things I hadn't done yet. I was just talking about what I'm currently doing actually at this moment. And that's when I started that journey. You know, it's so interesting about what you just shared. And I, I believe this, you know, there's that whole thing out there that you have to spend, do 10 ,000 hours of something to be like a quote unquote expert in whatever the hell it is. And there you are, you're starting your job. You don't even know where the bathroom is and you're putting out content there and everyone's like, who are you to put out content? But that's the world that we're in now.

3:11People, you don't need to be 10 years into your career, right? To be trying to put out thought leadership stuff and to establish yourself. Is that fair? A hundred percent. And it's fair, but you have to do it right. Like for example, if I came out and started creating content and I was like, Hey guys, I'm running an eight figure business that would have not landed well at all. So anyone can start if you're documenting and doing the right things, but you have to make sure your context is appropriate. Don't look at someone's content and be like, oh, they're talking about that. I'm going to talk about that too.

3:40It's like, well, where you're at in that journey might be different. That's the one thing I will say. Okay. So I want to dig into exactly what we're talking about here, which is I'm a company. I could be a 50 person, you know, business to business. I sell, you know, plumbing supplies or whatever it may be. And there are people within my plumbing business here or whatever that you believe you can turn into almost like an influencer for your own company and turn your own team into a content engine. Do I have that even remotely, right? That's correct. We're in the right place. We're not on a different island.

4:20We're on the same island. But how do you do that? What do you just say? Okay, I listened to that episode. That guy, And Morgan says, look around your company, that dude over there, let's make them our influencer. Like what is the actual and why? Okay. So let's plumbers. We'll use the plumbers for example. So first and foremost, before we go into this, I actually did run into a company. I think it was last year and they had a roofing company, right? In the same film or the service. And they had a YouTube channel and it gets views and it gets them business. I didn't think that was a thing. But then when I saw it, I was like, this is interesting.

4:56So I have been on this journey for the past year. Like, can anyone do this? And the thing is, yes, they can. There is, I forgot what the YouTube channel is called, but there is a YouTube channel that is for plumbers. And he's literally like, here's how you uncock the toilet. And it has like hundreds of thousands of views, which is crazy. But like, it's a real thing. So how do you get started? Right. So the first thing that you need to do is identify the people internally that could be what we call the subject matter experts. So you need to change your entire viewpoint on how you look at influencers because it's typically negative connotation.

5:32You typically say, oh, well, I'm not a TikToker. I'm not a dancer. I have calls with executives all the time, and that's what they think. I'm like, no, our job is to get your expertise and put it out digitally so that people could say you are a trustworthy source to come buy whatever you're offering. So you need to talk to that person internally, those people internally and say, hey, who first and foremost wants to create content, right? Show of hands. Then you need to decipher into the three buckets of how they're going to distribute the content. So one is video. So maybe you have someone who like could be good on video.

6:06Okay, let's maybe get them to start creating some YouTube videos, some how-to videos on like how to do whatever it is in plumbing that you would do, right? I just mentioned unclog the toilet, but like I know there's way more than that. Second thing is like writing. Okay, so maybe we need to start writing some blogs. Maybe we need to be on maybe a Facebook probably. You probably wouldn't be on LinkedIn to like create this content. Let's say Facebook. So you're probably writing content there. And then three is like we're on this right now. This podcast is audio. Is there a podcast for plumbers? Jay, I actually have no idea.

6:36But like you can be the go to source for plumbers interviewing plumbers. I don't know. I would listen to like, what are you all even talking about? But the thing is, is that like that's what people want. Right. It's the content is about becoming a trustworthy source at scale before they even hop on the call. They're like, ah, this person is trustworthy. And that's what's helped me grow my business and continue to help me grow my business and do all these different things. So I know there's a lot to unpack there, but that's how you get started. So the first thing I would ask, though, if I'm the owner of that business, I'm like, okay, this sounds pretty cool.

7:11But I don't want to turn somebody into a star and then they're the star. I want my company to be the star and to get the benefit. How do you turn that around back to that company and say, no, no, no, you should invest in that person and here's why? Yeah. So that's very valid. A lot of people that I talk to, they said, okay, if I invest in this person, they're going to leave me. They're going to go on all these different things. Right. And these are all fair and valid points. What I tell people, though, is this person's expertise and skill is most likely actually happening on calls and when they're in front of customers.

7:47Do you worry that when they do a good job in front of a customer that they could leave you? That actually could happen. They did a really good job on the plumbing service. They get a five star. You don't think that other companies could they could do these things. So the reason I mentioned that is they can be they can always go off on their own and they can always do that. So maximize the time that you have with this person because it's going to be reciprocal. You help them build their brand. Ultimately, it will come back and help build your brand. And the ROI of that is going to be bigger than if worrying about if they're going to leave you or not.

8:18And also, that's why it's important to systematize these things on how you actually build these these internal people. And that's why I also say that you need to have at least two to three people creating at once so that you de-risk all the things I'm saying, right? Because if one person leaves, you still have two other people creating. And here's the most important part of all this. If you decide all these things I just told you, you're like, Morgan, I don't care about that. Your competitor will decide to listen to me and do the thing that I just told you. And you won't have a business and then you won't have anyone on your team.

8:48That's also the ultimate reality of it. So when you have this almost like these bench players, right? You're like, okay, this person is going to be front and center. We got these two people waiting on the bench in case whatever. Just are you like kind of 80 % of the contents around this person and then the other 20 % we're getting these people there. So if the 80 % person kind of bails on us or whatever, we have to be people that have some notoriety. Are you doing that or is it just like, hey, if this person leaves, we got that person. Don't worry. Great question. So the way that there's two ways actually to go about this.

9:22and also it depends on the talent you have internally and how they operate and how you want to go about it. The three different channels that I mentioned of distribution, we have each person own that lane. So we have one person for video, we have one person for written, we have one person for audio. Now, if the video person goes away, typically your audio person could probably step up and do that. If your written person goes away, your video person could step in and fill that gap. The goal is that we have three lanes of content creation. the it's easier for someone if they already created the content to go to a new thing harder to pull someone into it if they haven't been creating that content so that's why we want those three channels going on that on that lane the third thing is yeah but yeah no no i want to know what's the third thing yeah so or the second thing the second thing is that like okay you have these lanes that are going the other component of this is you can do what you're talking about which is like, all right, we have this one person going more heavy than everybody else.

10:21And we have the other people supporting doing other content pieces, but it's not as crazy. Let me give an example. We have one person who's doing the videos, they're writing the blogs, and they're posting on LinkedIn. This is what they're doing. But then we have two people just writing text posts on LinkedIn. They're not doing anything else. If the person that was full in front, they leave, one of those people can step up and take that place. And then we just have the systems to then go from there. So that makes a lot of sense to me. When somebody comes to you and says, hey, we already are posting a lot of how-to videos.

10:54We've got this person doing it, but we're getting no engagement. Nobody cares. And we're trying to make somebody the star. Is there things that companies are just doing flat out wrong that is holding them back? Are Are there some simple pitfalls to avoid if you're not ready to hire, you know, AMP Creative and work with Morgan and just do on your own that are just they're just screwing up? Yeah. Yeah. I'll give you some baselines, like three things that like if you make these tweaks, you'll see a success. One is, are you are you talking in corporate talk? That's like the first thing. Right. I was working with a company and we were like going back and forth on something.

11:40And then I was like, wait, hold up. You mentioned that this did not go well for you in the past month. But all they did was the executives just reposted the product updates. And they're like, it's not working. And I was like, well, yeah, because you're not even communicating with the audience. It's very stale. Like you need to actually have a communication route. So that's like number one. Number two is let's go to what you just said, the how-tos. If you actually are saying, okay, we're not having any corporate talk, no jargon, we're actually getting tactical and you're not getting views, a couple of things are going on there.

12:17One is the hook is probably off. So that's the first thing I look at is like, is your hook good? Like, are you actually bringing people in? Like, does it even make sense? And then the second thing is the packaging idea. Is the idea of what you're presenting actually relevant to the audience? Or did you just say, oh, we just did this because we thought it would be good? Like, no, does the audience actually care about what you're talking about? We got to actually dive in that. the third thing is what's the length of that video and where are you putting it and that's also a big thing too so those are the things that i look at across the board well i totally agree with all that especially the length that's why we keep this podcast tight because nobody is nobody when they see something along they bail on it and you know one of the reasons i wanted you to come on the podcast i asked you to come on the podcast was because and i'm curious if you believe this that i believe that with ai this tidal wave of generic garbage that's coming at us, that personality-led marketing, whether you're a business brand, a consumer brand, whatever it is, that this personality-led marketing is how the go-to-market, how you're going to be successful as AI becomes even more and more part of this world of content that we're in.

13:30And that's why I wanted you on because that's what you're about. You're about this kind of personality-led marketing initiative. Do you buy in all that? I do because I mentioned three, right? That was the third, which is AI, is that most people will just rely on AI to be a genie and say, here's our posts. So they write their scripts in AI, they write their posts in AI. And guess what? Everybody knows it. And you've got to get away from that. And even I agree with you 100%, but also we have to look at the past four years. Like four years ago, we were in COVID, right? Terrible time for most people.

14:02And that created isolation. It created people weren't as social. And so not only is AI basically dehumanizing the communication, we also have COVID that put you in isolation. And now people just want, can I just connect with a real person? Can I hear what really this company is about or what they're trying to accomplish? And so the more personality you can tap into your brand, the better. That's why I believe tapping into those internal people are how you're going to get that message out. And the external influencer marketing plays a part of this. I'm not saying get rid of it. I'm just saying your people also need to have a voice too.

14:40Yeah, I couldn't agree more. If you don't have this on your roadmap for 2025 and beyond, I think that you are just, you're going to become the wallpaper. You're going to become the thing that doesn't stand out. So by the way, I hope everybody actually doesn't follow this advice. They keep being wallpaper. So everybody else's stuff stands out. So that's me being a horrible human being. Before we wrap up here, I want to ask you something totally off topic. You are, you're an exceptional public speaker. I've seen you speak, you crush it. And for everybody out there, whether they are speaking at an internal meeting with five people at it, doing a webinar, speaking at a big event, whatever it may be, what are Morgan's secrets to public speaking that are like, this is what I always make sure to do.

15:23This is what I never do. Oh, wow. This is actually, this is awesome. So the thing that I would tell you all not to do, and I have done this so many times is immediately just like come into the talk and not set it up with the expectations of what people are going to get out of it. Because you don't inherently know who's in the room and you need a level set. It's just like doing a call or anything, right? Just like when you start a podcast, it's like, here's what we're going to cover. So don't do this because sometimes I've hopped to the talks and I'm like, all right guys. So like, and I just want to dive into it and I don't set the context and then people leave because they don't know what's going on.

16:04So do not do that. Don't this is a personal thing. And I've just found this to work really well. Don't like put yourself in a prison on the stage. What I mean by that is most people see the podium and they just stay on the podium. Now, I think there's a time and place for that depending on what you're delivering. But if you're talking to an audience, you need to like get rid of the podium. Like I immediately get in the audience. Like I am in there with you. And the reason for that is it's a psychological barrier that you create When you're on the stage, the stage is elevated, which gives a subconscious sense that you are above everyone else.

16:40So that's why I get off the stage as fast as possible if I can. Some areas you can't. But I try to get off the stage and I'm with the crowd. So let's talk about things that I do do. So I create motion throughout my talks. So I have people raise their hand. I call out people. I have people talk. One of the best things that my mentor taught me in the past was when you have a talk, it's a conversation, not a presentation. The people should feel like they're a part of it. And they're like, wow, OK, like this is so different than what I've ever experienced. Like this Morgan guy is great. Right. That's what you want.

17:16And you also, again, like I mentioned, set up the expectations. I say, hey, everybody, these are the three things that you need to do in this talk if you want to actually find success. And then I go through one, two, three and I break it down for people. And if they don't follow those things, then like it won't be successful. That's just what it is. And the other thing is pauses. You need to be really good at pausing so people can reflect. I talk pretty fast. We're on a podcast now, but my speed is a little bit lower when I speak in person. But like the energy is still there. But I pause a ton because I want people to embrace the point.

17:50I want people to know what's going on and to absorb what's happening so I can probably keep going. I know our time is tight, but those are the secrets there. So I like the pausing and I like the, it's a conversation and not a presentation. That's cool. I really dig that. Yeah. It's such good advice. Yeah, no, totally. All right. I love all of this. Morgan, how does everybody get involved with, uh, amp creative and you, where they follow you? What do they do? Everyone's got to take advantage of your world. Yeah. So if you want to see what we're doing and my posts where I'm the most active, I'm on LinkedIn, Morgan J Ingram.

18:24And then if you want to see the work that we are doing with executives and also founders to create this credible content that converts, check out amcreative.io. Love it. All right. We're going to put this all in the show notes. Morgan, you are awesome. Appreciate you being here, man. Absolutely. Appreciate you. You did it. You made it to the end. Nice. But the party's not over. Subscribe to make sure you get the latest episode each week for more actionable tips and a little chaos from today's top marketers. and hook us up with a five-star review if this wasn't the worst podcast of all time. Lastly, if you want access to the best virtual marketing events that are also 100 % free, visit guruevents.com so you can hear from the world's top marketers like Damon John, Martha Stewart, and me.

19:13Guruevents.com. Check it out.