More than a Few Words

When was the last time you were pitch slapped? You know what I mean — you comment on someone’s post, and suddenly your inbox is full of “personalized” pitches that feel anything but personal. In this episode, I chatted with Billy Sammons of Live Local Marketing, who believes it’s time to push back against the noise and get back to what actually works: real, human connections. Billy’s been building local marketing communities for 15 years, and his message is refreshingly simple — relationships still matter. Here’s what stood out from our conversation: Go old-school — because it still works. As digital spaces get more crowded, buyers tune out. Billy says the antidote is face-to-face connections that make people feel seen and valued. Start small, start local. Forget the cold calls. Walk into a business you already support, strike up a conversation, and collaborate on something that helps you both. Keep it simple. You don’t need a fancy setup. A phone, a $19 mic, and a tripod are all it takes to start creating local content that connects. Be genuine. Giving only works when it’s authentic. If you help someone and immediately flip to a sales pitch, you’ve lost the magic. Stop chasing viral. The diamonds are in your own backyard — meaningful, local relationships that grow your business organically. Billy’s reminder is a good one: You don’t have to go viral to be valuable. Sometimes the best marketing starts with a handshake and a conversation. About Billy Sammons With 15 years of experience, Billy teaches proven strategies—like filming video commercials with local business owners—that put you in front of the right people, build stronger relationships, and generate long-term clients. His goal is to help others replicate what works, saving time and replacing cold leads with warm growth.” LEARN MORE  https://www.livelocalwarmmarketing.com Try the 5 day Challenge and see for yourself if warm marketing is the right way to grow your business. I want to give something for free, a trial run, which is a quick and easy way to try Warm Marketing for themselves.

If you think branding starts and ends with a logo, we need to talk. In this conversation, I dug into what really makes a brand work and spoiler alert, it has very little to do with what you personally like. We talked about why branding gets messy, where business owners go wrong, and how to build something that actually connects with the people you want to serve. I sat down with Jessica Adanich, an award winning designer, brand strategist, and founder of DesignProd Studio. She helps businesses turn half formed ideas into brands that are ready to stand up in the real world, not just look good on a screen. Here are a few takeaways you can use right away: Your brand starts with your audience, not your tasteJessica nailed this. If you do not know who you are talking to, every design choice is just a guess. The goal is not to please yourself. It is to connect with the people you want to attract. AI is a tool, not the answerAI can help you get unstuck, spot patterns, or gather insight. It cannot replace talking to real customers or making smart judgment calls. Think toolbox, not magic wand. Consistency beats creativity when it comes to trustYou might feel repetitive showing up with the same look and message. Your audience feels reassured. Brands stick because they are familiar, not because they constantly reinvent themselves. A good logo has to work in the real worldIf it only looks good in color, at full size, on your laptop, it is not a logo. It is artwork. Your brand assets should hold up everywhere, including black and white and low tech situations. If your brand feels a little fuzzy right now, that is not a failure. It is a sign you are ready to clarify what you stand for and who you serve. About Jessica  Jessica Adanich is an alumna of the Cleveland Institute of Art where she studied industrial design, graphic design, sculpture and glass. She spent her early career working with renowned brands such as Vitamix® and Hasbro NERF®. She spent the next six years leading the design and marketing department of Mace® Brand. As a seasoned professional, Jessica yearned for a creative agency of her own. DesignPod Studio was born in Cleveland in the fall of 2018. Jessica moved to Tampa Bay in October 2019 to be closer to the ocean she loves, where she leads DesignPod Studio as well as her shark conservation endeavor Fuzzy Sharks that creates artwork to educate individuals on shark conservation. Learn More: 

Welcome to 2026. This week is exciting for a lot of reasons. It’s the beginning of a new year, which means I get to close the book on last year and start fresh.  I will be bringing along what worked and letting go of what didn’t. This week is also special because on January 7, I’ll be marking a big milestone: the 16th anniversary of this podcast. It’s kind of hard to believe I’ve been talking that long, but my mother would not be surprised. She always said I was born talking. While the show has gone through plenty of iterations, one thing has stayed consistent, a focus on creating great marketing insights for marketing professionals. I’ve changed formats over the years, but in the last few, I’ve settled into a rhythm that really works. That said, after 15 years of talking about marketing, I’ll admit I was getting a little bored with just the tech and the tools and the tools and the tech. So last year, I launched a series called What Went Wrong, where I interviewed marketing professionals about campaigns and programs that didn’t turn out quite the way they hoped. Those candid conversations became some of the most popular episodes last year, and What Went Wrong will absolutely continue in 2026. I’m also taking More Than a Few Words out of the studio this year with some in-person interviews, and I’m even working on a local podcaster conference here in Indianapolis. More details on that soon. I’m really looking forward to connecting with my audience in new ways, and one of my favorite tools for that is SpeakPipe. You can head over to morethanafewwords.com/contact to drop me a note or record a one-minute message. I’m hoping to include some of those messages in episodes throughout 2026. There’s more to come, so stay tuned.

Some days the problem isn’t your KPIs. It’s the fact that you’ve been staring at your own brand so long you can’t read the label anymore. That’s where this conversation with Charlie Sells got interesting. We dug into how easy it is for business owners to chase goals, tweak dashboards, and sprint through to-do lists while completely missing the bigger opportunity hiding in plain sight: curiosity. Charlie, the founder of Clarity Over Everything, spends his days helping leaders step back far enough to see what’s actually going on. And let me tell you, he’s right. I’ve lived this one myself. Takeaways Curiosity beats KPIs every time.When you stop assuming you already know your customer, your competitors, and your message, you finally spot blind spots you’ve been tripping over for months. Throw out assumptions and go look again.Competitors shift. Platforms shift. Markets shift. If you haven’t audited your landscape in a few months, you’re already behind. Not all ideas deserve your TimeOnce curiosity uncovers new possibilities, you need a simple roadmap so every shiny new idea doesn’t hijack your business. Leaders don’t need to get out of the way. They just need to stand in the right place.It’s not about consensus; it’s about alignment. When the team agrees where you're going, disagreement stops being drama and becomes fuel. Specific Actions You Can Use This Week Do a 20-minute assumption purge.Write down everything you think you “already know” about your audience, competitors, and message. Then test one of those assumptions with real data. Run a quick clarity audit.Click through your top three competitors’ websites. Look for changes in their messaging, offers, or positioning. Note one thing you should reconsider. Set a 12-week priority filter.Pick one quick win and one long-game improvement. Everything else goes in the “later” column until those two are done. Yes, everything. About Charlie - In his own words Hi I'm Charlie, the face behind Clarity Over Everything and a brand positioning and clarity strategist who helps leaders and teams get clear, move faster, and set their brand up for success. For the last 15 years, I’ve worked across copywriting, content marketing, branding, and strategy—helping national brands, local businesses, nonprofits, and small teams turn complexity into clarity. I uncover the hidden things causing confusion and misalignment, then partner with businesses to cut through the noise, simplify what matters, and get aligned and prioritized around what’s next. I also collect vintage vinyl records. Book a free discovery call and learn more about hiring me as your collaborative marketing and branding partner.  https://clarityovereverything.com   More than a Few Words  - A Marketing Conversation A bite-sized marketing podcast that cuts through the noise and delivers actionable ideas, with no fluff and no jargon. Send a note or record a message https://morethanafewwords.com/contact/  

Ever feel like your marketing message is shouting into a crowded room? Every day, your customers are bombarded by thousands of messages—from family, friends, and brands all vying for their attention. So how do you make yours stand out? I chatted with Orly Zeewy, a speaker, educator, and facilitator of those “aha” light bulb moments, about one of my favorite topics: clarity. Orly helps entrepreneurs turn fuzzy ideas into sharp, memorable messages that connect and convert. As she put it, “What’s clear for you is not necessarily what’s clear for the person you’re speaking to.” And that’s the heart of the problem—most of us start by explaining what we do, when we should be showing people why it matters to them. We explored how clarity isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s what helps people remember you long after they scroll past. And, Orley reminded me, true clarity starts with understanding who your message is for and what they actually need. Here are a few takeaways from our conversation: Start with your audience. Everyone says they market to “anyone,” but that’s a fast track to blending in. Get clear about who really needs what you offer. Fix your elevator pitch. Stop saying what you do and start saying what problem you solve. “I design websites” doesn’t stick—but “I turn fuzzy content into clear messages that cut through the noise” sure does. Own your superpower. Women especially tend to undervalue what comes naturally to them. Just because it feels easy doesn’t mean it isn’t valuable. Avoid being a hammer looking for a nail. When you don’t define your audience, you end up marketing to everyone—and connecting with no one. If you’ve ever felt like your message gets lost in the noise, this episode will help you find your voice, sharpen your story, and finally get your marketing to click.  Because let’s face it—when you make the fuzzy clear, everything else just falls into place. About Orly Orly Zeewy is an author, speaker, educator, and a facilitator of lightbulb moments. Her superpower? She makes fuzzy clear. She helps entrepreneurs clarify and communicate their zone of genius, so they can attract more of their ideal clients and go from invisible to memorable in 3 weeks. She has lectured at Wharton and taught in The Close School of Entrepreneurship at Drexel University, and the University of Pennsylvania. Her book: Ready, Launch, Brand: The Lean Marketing Guide for Startups was published in 2021 and was endorsed by Seth Godin. Her new book: Why NOT Me? The Female Guide for Entrepreneurship will be published in Q1 2026. Learn More:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/orlyzeewy/ https://www.youtube.com/@orlyzeewy https://bit.ly/readylaunchbrand (to purchase my book) About the Show More than a Few Words is a bite-sized podcast that cuts through the noise and delivers actionable marketing ideas, with no fluff and no jargon. Listen in as marketing pros swap real stories, smart strategies, and painful lessons as we discuss what’s hot, what’s not, and what went wrong If you live and breathe campaigns, content, and creativity, this is your space for practical advice, strategy and inspiration.