Marketing 2.0, a Decade Later with Bernie Borges, Episode #1

Marketing 2.0 a Decade Later is a deep dive into “Modern Selling” with the Godfather of social media marketing Mr. Bernie Borges.  Bernie is currently the Chief Marketing Officer of Vengreso.  He is host of the Modern Marketing Engine podcast and the author of Marketing 2.0, one of the first 50 books written on social media strategy.  This episode unpacks the evolution of online marketing in the decade since Bernie authored his book.  From social media marketing to “modern selling”, Bernie Borges has remained a thought leader and one of the most respected figures in the digital marketing world, continually recognized for his leadership.  Bernie is recognized by TopRank as a Top 50 Content Marketing Influencer, by Onalytica as a Top 100 Artificial Intelligence Influencer, as well as a Marketing Insider Group Top 60 Marketing Speaker.  He is a regular contributor to Social Media Today and Business 2 Community.

In this episode of The Power Producers Podcast, David Carothers and co-host Kyle Houck,  , interview Bernie Borges, Chief Marketing Officer of Vengreso and author of Marketing 2.0: Bridging the Gap Between Seller and Buyer Through Social Media Marketing. They discuss the role social media plays in the current market, and how to optimize social media platforms such as LinkedIn to attract buyers.

Episode Highlights:

• What does Bernie Borges’ daily routine looks like? (3:07)
• What is Bernie reading or listening to right now? (5:55)
• David is releasing a book The Extra 2 Minutes, which will be released in May 2020. (9:09)
• Discussion on the changes in the platform of Marketing 2.0. (10:43)
• Bernie discusses how too many people think of social media as a broadcasting platform and that we need to treat social media as a communication and interaction channel. (12:56)
• The principles and practices still apply today as they were when his book was published in 2009. (13:36)
• A product meets a need, whether it is known or unknown. Example: no one told Steve Jobs that the world needs an iPhone. (15:25)
• We need to be really good at communicating our ability to fill a need, and we need to make sure our message is resonating with people at some emotional level. (16:06)
• David explains the difference between transformation and innovation. (17:13)
• Try not to focus on AI (artificial intelligence). Focus more on today, and helping salespeople create relationships. (20:07)
• Sellers need to be attractive to buyers, especially digitally, which often starts with LinkedIn. (22:59)
• Technology and video-sharing platforms, such as Zoom, allow sellers to meet buyers where they want to be met. (26:22)
• Why does Bernie focus on using LinkedIn, and what makes it better than it was 10-15 years ago? (30:28)
• We, as humans, retain more when we consume information through “chunking”, small chunks of information spaced out over time. (43:00)
• If someone is just starting with social marketing, what would be Bernie’s one piece of advice for them? (44:21)
• What is one thing people can do to improve their LinkedIn profile the most? (45:55)
• What is the best way to get in touch with Bernie if someone is considering hiring Vengreso? (49:15)
• What does Vengreso mean? (52:45)

3 Key Points:

• Even though marketing platforms have changed, the principles remain the same. Salespeople need to utilize social media for communication with buyers.
• Sellers need to be “attractive” to buyers, especially on social media platforms. They need to engage buyers and meet them where they want to be met.
• Ensure your LinkedIn (or other social media platform) is written to engage buyers, and not written as a resume.

Tweetable Quotes:

• “At the end of the day, a product is something that meets a need.” -Bernie Borges
• “The seller’s number one challenge is having more conversations.” -Bernie Borges
• “You’ve got to meet people where they want to be met.” -David Carothers
• “A blog post is like hiring a salesperson that works for you 24 hours a day.” -David Carothers quoting Ryan Hanley
• “I wouldn’t think of it as social marketing, I would think of it as modern selling.” -Bernie Borges

Resources Mentioned:

• Marketing 2.0 (Amazon link)
• Bernie Borges LinkedIn
• David Carothers LinkedIn
• Kyle Houck LinkedIn
• Vengreso.com
• Books:
  • The Will to Die by Joe Pulizzi
  • Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss.