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Interviews with top marketers sharing tactical tips, strategies, and lessons learned to help you grow your business. Hosted by Dave Gerhardt, founder of Exit Five, former CMO, and author of Founder Brand. Learn more at exitfive.com
Dave [0:00:01]: You're listening to The Dave Gerhardt Show.
Dasha [0:00:17]: Hey.
Dasha [0:00:17]: It's Dasha, and the episode that you're about to hear was recorded live in person in S vermont at Exit Fives Drive event.
Dasha [0:00:25]: I sat down with marketing legend Ross Simmonds.
Dasha [0:00:28]: Ross is the founder and CEO of not one, but two companies.
Dasha [0:00:32]: One is called distribution Ai, and one is called foundation marketing.
Dasha [0:00:37]: Ross is an expert when it comes to educating marketers.
Dasha [0:00:41]: Around what it's like to actually get the most out of the content that they're creating.
Dasha [0:00:46]: He is the king of content distribution.
Dasha [0:00:49]: And that's exactly what we spend some time talking about in this short of mighty episode.
Dasha [0:00:53]: I also ask Ross, what worked for him and his team in twenty twenty six.
Dasha [0:00:57]: And what bet they're making for twenty twenty seven.
Dasha [0:01:00]: I hope you enjoy this episode.
Dasha [0:01:03]: Alright.
Dasha [0:01:03]: Ross.
Dasha [0:01:03]: Welcome to the pod.
Dasha [0:01:05]: Thanks.
Dasha [0:01:05]: Not your unusual podcast environment?
Ross [0:01:09]: What a place?
Dasha [0:01:09]: It's crazy.
Dasha [0:01:10]: Excited for this.
Dasha [0:01:11]: First time in Vermont?
Ross [0:01:12]: Second time in Vermont.
Ross [0:01:13]: First time I'm doing a podcast outside.
Ross [0:01:15]: Yeah.
Ross [0:01:15]: It makes sense.
Dasha [0:01:16]: Honestly me too.
Dasha [0:01:16]: Yeah.
Dasha [0:01:16]: The sun is beam down on us.
Ross [0:01:18]: That's alright.
Ross [0:01:18]: It's good.
Ross [0:01:19]: Gotta get the vitamin D.
Dasha [0:01:20]: Gotta get the vitamin D.
Ross [0:01:22]: Hundred percent.
Dasha [0:01:22]: This is your second Drive.
Ross [0:01:24]: Second Drive, second Drive excited to be back.
Dasha [0:01:26]: You went to the very first.
Dasha [0:01:27]: You went to the Og?
Ross [0:01:29]: To the inaugural...
Ross [0:01:29]: Inaugural Drive event, and it was a blast.
Ross [0:01:33]: It was so much fun, so I'm excited to be back.
Dasha [0:01:35]: Did you have any takeaways from the first Drive?
Ross [0:01:37]: The first Drive.
Ross [0:01:38]: Wow.
Ross [0:01:39]: Takeaway.
Dasha [0:01:41]: Takeaways are, like, things that you did after Drive that you wouldn't have otherwise done.
Dasha [0:01:45]: Before the podcast, Ross said, ask me some hard hitting questions.
Dasha [0:01:47]: I've never been asked before, and I said, say us.
Ross [0:01:50]: I've never been asked that.
Ross [0:01:51]: I think one of the biggest takeaways that I took from that was that Ai was actually going to be playing a massive role in the way in which we worked, and it came true, which is fascinating because it's been like, like, thirty some months since then.
Ross [0:02:06]: So...
Dasha [0:02:07]: Right.
Dasha [0:02:07]: Yeah.
Dasha [0:02:08]: I mean, it's really changed literally everything.
Dasha [0:02:09]: Yeah.
Dasha [0:02:10]: Yeah.
Dasha [0:02:10]: We should introduce you?
Ross [0:02:12]: We should.
Dasha [0:02:13]: We should introduce you.
Dasha [0:02:13]: Please introduce...
Dasha [0:02:14]: Who the heck are you?
Dasha [0:02:15]: Yeah.
Dasha [0:02:15]: What do you do?
Dasha [0:02:15]: Why are you here?
Ross [0:02:16]: Yeah.
Ross [0:02:16]: My name is Ross Simmonds.
Ross [0:02:17]: I'm the founder entrepreneur.
Ross [0:02:18]: I run multiple companies primarily known for foundation marketing as well as distribution dot Ai.
Ross [0:02:23]: I'm helping enterprise brands get their story spread.
Ross [0:02:26]: I've been one of the Og in the world of distribution and reddit and marketing and content, all of that good stuff and have always been in B2B and Saas.
Dasha [0:02:36]: Say more about the distribution of content, you help, enterprise companies distribute their content how.
Ross [0:02:41]: Yeah.
Ross [0:02:41]: So it started off with this belief that a lot of companies were creating great content, but just letting it collect us.
Ross [0:02:47]: I would talk to companies CMOs executives.
Ross [0:02:49]: And they would produce white papers, ebooks, all of this stuff, and they wouldn't do anything with it.
Ross [0:02:54]: They wouldn't promote it on Linkedin.
Ross [0:02:55]: They wouldn't share on meet reddit.
Ross [0:02:57]: At the time there's a site called slide share.
Ross [0:02:59]: They weren't using that.
Ross [0:03:00]: Medium, none of those things.
Ross [0:03:01]: And I was like the biggest problem in marketing is that we're creating things and not actually spreading them.
Ross [0:03:06]: So I started to talk about organic distribution, built foundation around that concept of distributing your stories through reddit through SEO through paid through all of these different channels, and then as you fast forward through Ai, Ai is now using all of those different distribution surfaces to translate back into the L answers to questions.
Ross [0:03:23]: So our services have increased in demand because of that.
Ross [0:03:27]: In addition to that, I launched distribution dot ai, recognizing like, hey.
Ross [0:03:31]: Software is definitely still a, a key part of the world in which we live?
Ross [0:03:35]: So can we build a platform that allows brands and marketers in their teens, sales executives, etcetera, distribute their stories online at scale?
Dasha [0:03:43]: How has Ai changed?
Dasha [0:03:45]: How you view distribution of content?
Dasha [0:03:48]: Does it make it harder?
Dasha [0:03:49]: Is it more important less important easier?
Dasha [0:03:51]: Like, how has the dynamic changed?
Dasha [0:03:53]: Because you started before Ai was, like, a big thing?
Dasha [0:03:55]: Yeah.
Dasha [0:03:56]: Say some more?
Ross [0:03:57]: There's Two key things that have changed in distribution with the rise of Ai.
Ross [0:04:00]: One, it has never been no.
Ross [0:04:02]: There's a lot of slot.
Ross [0:04:04]: There's a lot of trash content being you produce.
Ross [0:04:06]: You can go on any channel and you'll see.
Ross [0:04:08]: A lot of people like to, like, pick on sites like Red, etcetera, but it's everywhere.
Ross [0:04:12]: It's on x It's on threads.
Ross [0:04:13]: It's on Linkedin.
Ross [0:04:13]: It's on Cora.
Ross [0:04:14]: Every site you go on.
Ross [0:04:15]: It's filled with a lot of slot.
Ross [0:04:17]: That creates an opportunity If you can create authentic, valuable human content and then put it on these platforms, you can win.
Ross [0:04:25]: But it's no than ever before.
Ross [0:04:27]: What Ai is also done is it's given us a super superpower as humans.
Ross [0:04:32]: We now have the ability to distribute great content, valuable stories across multiple platforms for a fraction of the cost that it used to take.
Ross [0:04:40]: It used to take hours to listen to a podcast and find the key moments that you have to cut up and then send it off to a editor and chop it up.
Ross [0:04:47]: Now, Ai I can do a lot of that for you.
Ross [0:04:49]: So I think it's a it's created a lot of challenges, but the opportunity that it is presented is been massive as well.
Dasha [0:04:56]: Can we take a real example of a piece...
Dasha [0:04:58]: Of content.
Dasha [0:04:58]: Let's say, let's take a blog post.
Dasha [0:05:00]: Because everyone's producing blog post.
Dasha [0:05:02]: And maybe with Ai even more.
Dasha [0:05:04]: So.
Dasha [0:05:04]: Sure You have a blog post.
Dasha [0:05:06]: Yep.
Dasha [0:05:06]: A lot of marketers will stop there.
Dasha [0:05:08]: Right.
Dasha [0:05:09]: If I'm working with Ross.
Dasha [0:05:10]: Yeah.
Dasha [0:05:10]: What am I doing with that blog post distribute it.
Ross [0:05:14]: Yeah.
Ross [0:05:14]: So as long as the blog post is good.
Ross [0:05:15]: Yeah.
Ross [0:05:15]: I will do something zoom I don't wanna just like send notes something that's trash.
Ross [0:05:19]: So Yeah.
Ross [0:05:20]: Assuming that it's a good blog, post Yeah The first thing we're going to do is just send it on on social.
Ross [0:05:24]: So if you have a Linkedin account.
Ross [0:05:25]: You have an x account on a threads account, Blue sky master on.
Ross [0:05:27]: You name it, we're probably going to write a piece of content that can promote it on those different channels.
Ross [0:05:31]: Linkedin is probably gonna be a little bit longer.
Ross [0:05:33]: I have a strong hook and then send it out that way.
Ross [0:05:35]: But you're not just gonna do that.
Ross [0:05:37]: Once you're gonna schedule it so it goes out the next week as well.
Ross [0:05:39]: Because the people were online today at that moment.
Ross [0:05:41]: Are going to be the same people that are on next week.
Ross [0:05:43]: So you're gonna res share it the next day.
Ross [0:05:45]: You're also gonna send it out to your email newsletter.
Ross [0:05:47]: You're also gonna tap to your sales team and hopefully ask them to send it out to their contacts.
Ross [0:05:50]: Anybody who's the pipeline that might have gone quiet.
Ross [0:05:53]: They're gonna send it out to them I would recommend that you also create a video on the blog posts, ideally a long form video that you can then chop up into shorts.
Ross [0:06:00]: Take those shorts.
Ross [0:06:00]: You're gonna share them as individual shorts on rails on Tiktok on all those platforms.
Ross [0:06:04]: Hopefully, you're also gonna share it on your stories, and then share it on Linkedin again.
Ross [0:06:08]: At that moment, you're probably gonna have a cup of coffee, and then you're gonna ask yourself what else can I do, you can take the blog post and then upload it to Reddit, submit in to key subreddit reddit that are relevant to your niche and your audience?
Ross [0:06:17]: Then after those pieces are submitted to the Rent it.
Ross [0:06:20]: I would say you're probably going to us wanna create like a carousel or something that can go on Instagram or Linkedin with the slides functionality.
Ross [0:06:26]: From there, if you're really feeling ambitious, I would advise that you just put up a story talking with the blog post and then put a green screen behind you.
Ross [0:06:33]: So you check the link and then people swipe up and go to it.
Ross [0:06:36]: I think that would be a nice add on.
Ross [0:06:37]: And then from there, you're gonna go back to those social media channels because it's probably been two weeks and repo it again on those and then schedule a few more to go it next week in the week after that.
Dasha [0:06:45]: Holy hack.
Dasha [0:06:46]: I am not repurposing content and at all.
Dasha [0:06:49]: For the market are listening to this, that's, like, alright.
Dasha [0:06:53]: I can do all those things.
Dasha [0:06:55]: Yeah.
Dasha [0:06:55]: But is it worth it?
Ross [0:06:57]: Right.
Dasha [0:06:57]: What are you seeing?
Dasha [0:06:58]: Like, you work with clients Yeah.
Dasha [0:07:00]: So you get to see the before and after?
Dasha [0:07:01]: Right not just with one client, but
Ross [0:07:03]: person percent.
Dasha [0:07:04]: You know, across multiple.
Dasha [0:07:05]: Yeah.
Dasha [0:07:05]: What on average are you seeing?
Dasha [0:07:07]: Like, if you do this, Yeah.
Dasha [0:07:08]: What happens to your business?
Ross [0:07:10]: Oh, we've seen, like, ten x, the amount of traffic to multiple brands websites and their content?
Ross [0:07:14]: Because they actually distributed.
Ross [0:07:16]: A brand came to us a few months back.
Ross [0:07:18]: They had a white paper that they created was they...
Ross [0:07:20]: It spent hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Ross [0:07:22]: Design, stats, surveys, all of this stuff, and they promoted it once on Linkedin, they got like, six leads The right approach is to do what I just said and then distribute it and start to amplify it etcetera.
Ross [0:07:32]: And from that, you're just going to see the leads start to trickle in.
Ross [0:07:36]: We've had one example where we created a piece of content for a client and instead of taking the traditional route.
Ross [0:07:42]: We distribute it.
Ross [0:07:43]: We amplified it etcetera.
Ross [0:07:44]: That content asset that was created back in, like, three years ago.
Ross [0:07:47]: We continue to update it, distribute it and promote it is now cited in the L consistently across some of the most priority prompts in their category, and they're generating leads on the back of this asset from, like, three years ago.
Ross [0:07:59]: And this is the key that people don't realize is that it's a long game.
Ross [0:08:03]: Like, when you play the long game and you're willing to distribute your stories, the Roi can be infinite, which is why I always say, create ridiculously content once and then distribute it forever.
Ross [0:08:13]: And if you do that, you'll just went.
Dasha [0:08:15]: How often should you be creating original content?
Dasha [0:08:18]: Like, when do you know okay Squeezed as much as possible to this piece of content?
Dasha [0:08:23]: Like, we're gonna just, like, let that live somewhere and move on to the next piece?
Ross [0:08:26]: Nike said just do it for a very long time.
Ross [0:08:28]: And I think a lot of marketers overestimate how many people they actually reach.
Ross [0:08:33]: Right underestimate how much they have actually promoted things and they should probably lean a little bit more towards the promotion side.
Ross [0:08:40]: If you create something that's absolutely ridiculously good.
Ross [0:08:44]: You should promote that until the wheels fall off.
Ross [0:08:47]: There is no point in which I would say stop promoting it unless you can say with high confidence that you've reached a hundred percent of the target market in your demographic, and I would argue that simply due to math that is likely impossible.
Ross [0:09:01]: Because new people have entered the market.
Ross [0:09:03]: And at the end of that twelve months, guess what, new people have just entered the market who didn't have that resource.
Ross [0:09:07]: And if you update it, annually, you are providing new value to the people who subscribed the first time.
Ross [0:09:13]: So I think you can do it consistently as long as you actually focus on content excellence upfront.
Dasha [0:09:19]: Let's talk about the content excellence piece.
Dasha [0:09:21]: Yeah.
Dasha [0:09:21]: It sounds like you have a high bar forever ever have a good piece of content.
Dasha [0:09:25]: For sure.
Dasha [0:09:25]: What's like the menu for...
Dasha [0:09:27]: This is genuinely good.
Ross [0:09:29]: The best content does what I like to call the four east.
Ross [0:09:31]: It educate, engages, entertain and empowers people.
Ross [0:09:35]: Now it's hard to do all four.
Ross [0:09:37]: But if you...
Ross [0:09:38]: Crack that.
Ross [0:09:38]: You will have a piece of content that is super successful.
Ross [0:09:41]: So on the educational side, you provide people with information they never had before, engaging it gets people talking.
Ross [0:09:46]: It might have a little bit of controversy, it might be kind of contra in nature.
Ross [0:09:51]: Right entertaining, you should try to, like, make people feel some type of emotion, I like to make people feel like they can do anything which leans in well to the next e, which is empowering.
Ross [0:10:00]: So when you make people feel empowered that they read this and they feel like they can go and do something special.
Ross [0:10:05]: Then they'll go and do that.
Ross [0:10:07]: And I think the beauty of content is in the idea that one piece of content can fundamentally change anybody's life.
Ross [0:10:14]: Like, I grew up in halifax fast dartmouth Nova scotia, small town, not a lot of people talking about marketing, not a lot of people doing a lot of things.
Ross [0:10:23]: And I've been able to work with some of the biggest brands in the world because I committed to this idea that if I give value to the Internet, the Internet will give me value back.
Ross [0:10:31]: And it's unlocked a ridiculous amount of opportunities.
Ross [0:10:33]: So Danny anyone listening anybody watching, my piece of advice to you is you are one piece of content away from a fundamentally different life, so just create great things.
Ross [0:10:43]: Publish it out there.
Ross [0:10:44]: Don't be a afraid of the cringe.
Ross [0:10:46]: Don't be afraid to get roasted in the group chat.
Ross [0:10:48]: Just do your thing and watch what happens.
Ross [0:10:50]: And you're living proof of that.
Dasha [0:10:52]: On the other side of.
Dasha [0:10:53]: Climbing Mount Cringe.
Ross [0:10:55]: Mount Cringe?
Dasha [0:10:56]: Is Mount Cool.
Ross [0:10:57]: That's it.
Ross [0:10:57]: That's it.
Dasha [0:10:59]: That's...
Dasha [0:10:59]: You gotta play the game.
Ross [0:11:00]: You do.
Ross [0:11:00]: You...
Dasha [0:11:01]: What is a piece of content that's changed your life?
Ross [0:11:03]: Oh, there's so many.
Dasha [0:11:04]: Let's let's break it down like this.
Dasha [0:11:05]: Okay?
Dasha [0:11:06]: Yeah.
Dasha [0:11:06]: Blog posts that's changed your life?
Dasha [0:11:08]: K.
Dasha [0:11:08]: And then, like, we'll do a book because it's a little bit longer.
Ross [0:11:11]: Yeah.
Ross [0:11:11]: So the first blog post that changed my life.
Ross [0:11:13]: I wrote when I was a young pop I think I was oldest too.
Ross [0:11:17]: I'm gonna give you two.
Dasha [0:11:18]: Yeah, please.
Ross [0:11:19]: So the first one that changed my life was a blog post I wrote before I had a job in advertising.
Ross [0:11:23]: Okay.
Ross [0:11:23]: But this blog post It was titled fourteen books that you need to read to get a job in advertising.
Ross [0:11:27]: And then all of the I know.
Dasha [0:11:30]: The irony is not lost on.
Ross [0:11:31]: Yeah.
Ross [0:11:31]: And then every agency in the city reached her to me and they're, like, man.
Ross [0:11:34]: If he's reading all these books.
Ross [0:11:35]: He's probably worth hiring.
Ross [0:11:36]: Right.
Ross [0:11:37]: So that got me my interviews with a lot of agencies.
Ross [0:11:39]: And then, I wrote a blog post, this is when Jen z was still young and hip and cool.
Ross [0:11:44]: I wrote an article about five things that marketers need to know to do marketing to Gen z.
Ross [0:11:49]: And I was living in my parents basement, drinking instant coffee, probably an overdraft, like no money.
Ross [0:11:54]: And Ba cardi comes across the piece and they're like hey Can we fly you out from Nova Scotia to Miami to present to our C suite.
Ross [0:12:01]: And I was like, And they're like, sure.
Ross [0:12:05]: Do your thing.
Ross [0:12:06]: So then I flew down, and I was like, okay.
Ross [0:12:08]: This Internet thing is real.
Ross [0:12:10]: I can create content on the Internet reach brands that are, like, globally known and Unlocks some amazing opportunities, So I kept going.
Dasha [0:12:18]: That's amazing.
Dasha [0:12:19]: That it was cool.
Dasha [0:12:19]: Have you worked Mccartney sense?
Ross [0:12:21]: No.
Ross [0:12:21]: Yeah I want b2b to.
Ross [0:12:22]: I was like be.
Ross [0:12:23]: Was in the consumer world as, like, too much emotions.
Ross [0:12:25]: Let's just stick to capitalism, and
Dasha [0:12:27]: Wait.
Dasha [0:12:27]: What do you mean too much emotions?
Ross [0:12:29]: With consumer marketing.
Ross [0:12:30]: Yeah.
Ross [0:12:30]: It's very much a emotional Driven purchase.
Ross [0:12:33]: Mh.
Ross [0:12:33]: So I did a lot of time in consumer marketing.
Ross [0:12:36]: I sold scotch, kick buyers, all that stuff, Canadian consumer goods.
Ross [0:12:41]: Mh.
Ross [0:12:41]: And from that, what I realized is there was two things I didn't, like, one, you have to really go deep into all of the different layers of a human like an onion and have to play with a lot of different emotions.
Ross [0:12:52]: And that was complex.
Ross [0:12:53]: It was fun and enjoyable, but you're not just playing and trying to understand the emotions of your audience.
Ross [0:12:59]: You're also trying to understand the emotions of your clients who might respond negatively to certain things that don't actually influence the buyer in a bunch of drama.
Ross [0:13:07]: So that was difficult.
Ross [0:13:09]: In b2b is much more linear in nature.
Ross [0:13:11]: It's like, can you solve this problem, and I will give you a certain amount of cash to solve this problem, and it was very much more cut and dry, so I start to lean into that and Loved it.
Ross [0:13:21]: I still love consumer for what it provides the market in terms of intelligence, and I love the psychology of marketing, but I like to apply it to B2B because it's just a...
Ross [0:13:30]: I don't wanna say it's an easier game, but it's a...
Dasha [0:13:32]: It's festival world.
Dasha [0:13:34]: Exactly.
Dasha [0:13:34]: Yeah.
Ross [0:13:35]: Exactly.
Dasha [0:13:35]: I got that.
Ross [0:13:36]: It's easier to innovate.
Ross [0:13:37]: Right.
Ross [0:13:37]: It.
Ross [0:13:37]: Because in B2B most people are slow to respond to the changes that consumer sees quicker.
Dasha [0:13:44]: Is there a brand or a company?
Dasha [0:13:46]: It can be a client of yours, It can be just a company that you like that is doing the for...
Dasha [0:13:52]: He's really well.
Dasha [0:13:54]: Like if I'm a marketer and I'm like, alright.
Dasha [0:13:56]: Yeah.
Dasha [0:13:56]: I wanna engage with a piece of content.
Dasha [0:13:58]: I just wanna see what good looks like?
Dasha [0:14:00]: Yeah.
Dasha [0:14:00]: What's something they should check out.
Ross [0:14:02]: There's a lot of them.
Ross [0:14:03]: I would look at brands like, Cam have done it ridiculously well.
Ross [0:14:07]: Hubspot is doing ridiculously well with their shift to Youtube videos and the content that they're putting out there Bit does an amazing job with it as well.
Ross [0:14:14]: There's a lot of brands in B2B that are starting to really, like, lean into educational engaging entertaining and empowering content.
Ross [0:14:21]: But it's always the ones that are just, like, willing to do things that everybody else isn't and then they get copied and then the industry starts to catch on.
Ross [0:14:28]: But those are a few brands that do it well.
Dasha [0:14:30]: Love it.
Dasha [0:14:30]: What was your biggest win in twenty twenty six?
Ross [0:14:34]: The biggest win that I had in twenty twenty six would have probably been a lot of the partnerships.
Ross [0:14:39]: Like, I've been partnering with a lot of brands to create content, helping them, like, with their actual stories through my team at foundation and foundation has just grown and built an amazing team.
Ross [0:14:50]: So I would say, like, the biggest win is actually building the team.
Ross [0:14:54]: The team that we have a foundation and the work that they do to be able to go into some of these top brands in the world and influence their culture amidst so much change.
Ross [0:15:02]: Would probably be my biggest win even though I didn't actually do it.
Ross [0:15:05]: So my biggest win of twenty twenty six, Let me put this on a bumper sticker would be the ability to create a culture where my team can go into these organizations do best in class work and really move the needle for these clients on an innovative problem, which is Ai visibility and then translating that into pipeline.
Ross [0:15:27]: It's been really cool to see and the fact that they're doing it without me and so many of them are better than Me now I read it at Linkedin and stuff like that is just, like, chefs kiss.
Ross [0:15:35]: That's what it's all about.
Dasha [0:15:37]: That's beautiful.
Dasha [0:15:37]: We were just talking with Dave about how building a great team is, like, the secret sauce to building anything great.
Dasha [0:15:43]: Yeah.
Dasha [0:15:43]: You've hired a number of people?
Ross [0:15:46]: Yeah.
Dasha [0:15:46]: How do you hire great people?
Dasha [0:15:47]: What have you learned?
Ross [0:15:49]: I've learned the most important thing to hire great people is to be ridiculously intentional of holding up your values of what you care about as a business.
Ross [0:15:59]: And then showing them to the person who's is interested in the role and seeing how they react to it.
Ross [0:16:05]: And then from there, making sure that there's no surprises on the other end, Give them big problems, be transparent with all of the war, so there's no, like, Oh, that was a a trick and then just let them go and thrive.
Ross [0:16:18]: And if you do that, you can win.
Ross [0:16:20]: I think what also has helped us is we eat our own dog food.
Ross [0:16:23]: We promote content.
Ross [0:16:24]: We create software.
Ross [0:16:25]: We do innovative things.
Ross [0:16:27]: We speak out events.
Ross [0:16:28]: We empower our team.
Ross [0:16:29]: We have an unlimited book budget because we are so committed to learning and professional development that people get books just sent to them all the time.
Ross [0:16:37]: We're big on living the values that kinda started with foundation and giving people the capacity to do it.
Ross [0:16:43]: And then I think great people just get interested, and then they show up.
Ross [0:16:47]: And we're also fully remote.
Ross [0:16:48]: So we have people who are all the way in Spain through all across Canada, the Us and beyond.
Ross [0:16:53]: So it's been it's been fun.
Dasha [0:16:55]: What you just said, the...
Dasha [0:16:56]: Being transparent about what happens on the inside.
Dasha [0:16:59]: Yeah.
Dasha [0:16:59]: We call that the anti cell.
Dasha [0:17:00]: And it works so what you're like, look.
Dasha [0:17:03]: Here are all the reasons you should join.
Dasha [0:17:04]: And here are all the reasons you probably don't wanna join.
Dasha [0:17:07]: And if someone's like, heck yeah, sign me up for that.
Dasha [0:17:09]: Like I always say, If you don't like ambiguity, Like, if you want a really clear swim.
Ross [0:17:14]: Yeah.
Dasha [0:17:15]: Series a start up, probably not the vibe.
Dasha [0:17:17]: Hundred If someone's like, oh, yeah.
Dasha [0:17:19]: Like, that's kinda not it.
Dasha [0:17:20]: Great.
Dasha [0:17:20]: Like, we both avoided a bad fit.
Dasha [0:17:22]: And if someone's like, no.
Dasha [0:17:23]: I actually want to be wearing, like, twelve hats sign me up.
Dasha [0:17:26]: Like, Perfect.
Dasha [0:17:27]: Yeah.
Ross [0:17:27]: It's a good fit.
Dasha [0:17:28]: Come board.
Ross [0:17:28]: Yeah.
Ross [0:17:28]: Makes sense.
Ross [0:17:29]: I love that.
Dasha [0:17:30]: Is there a trend that you're hoping stays in twenty twenty six and doesn't follow us to twenty twenty seven in marketing.
Ross [0:17:36]: I think it would be manipulating Reddit.
Ross [0:17:38]: I'm a big reddit.
Ross [0:17:39]: I loved red.
Dasha [0:17:41]: Favorite subreddit it real quick.
Ross [0:17:42]: Favorite subreddit, our Fantasy football because I...
Dasha [0:17:44]: Big football.
Ross [0:17:45]: Big football guy.
Dasha [0:17:46]: Okay.
Ross [0:17:46]: I spent a lot of time there.
Dasha [0:17:47]: I like...
Ross [0:17:47]: But I also like I could geek up.
Dasha [0:17:49]: But I like best of reddit update.
Ross [0:17:51]: That's Reddit is good.
Ross [0:17:52]: So it's.
Ross [0:17:52]: There's a lot of good ones.
Ross [0:17:53]: So, yeah, I'm a big reddit.
Ross [0:17:55]: I think people spamming Reddit.
Ross [0:17:56]: In twenty twenty six.
Ross [0:17:57]: It's killing a lot of the good value that comes out of this channel pre all of the slot getting dropped into it.
Ross [0:18:04]: I think it's a ridiculously valuable platform still today.
Ross [0:18:07]: There's billions of dollars worth of deals in B2B that are being influenced by Reddit that people don't even realize because Reddit is such a powerful training data, platform.
Ross [0:18:16]: Right?
Ross [0:18:17]: Things like Gemini, etcetera.
Ross [0:18:18]: Totally.
Ross [0:18:18]: But marketers are starting to mess it up a little bit.
Ross [0:18:21]: So I hope that stays in twenty twenty six.
Dasha [0:18:23]: Do you include White hat editing?
Dasha [0:18:25]: Have you heard that?
Ross [0:18:26]: I think That's great.
Dasha [0:18:27]: That's good.
Dasha [0:18:27]: We like that.
Ross [0:18:28]: Yeah.
Ross [0:18:28]: White hat editing is the idea that you go in into authentic as a brand.
Ross [0:18:31]: Yeah simply chime in when it is right.
Dasha [0:18:33]: You're like, I work at Proton?
Ross [0:18:35]: I love that.
Ross [0:18:35]: Yeah.
Ross [0:18:35]: I love that.
Ross [0:18:36]: I eat that up.
Ross [0:18:36]: I think that's exactly how brand should be doing it.
Ross [0:18:39]: Be transparent add value, educate engage entertain and power if you do that on reddit, you'll win.
Ross [0:18:44]: But if you go in in every single time, your comment is hey, you should buy my software, hey, we are the best.
Ross [0:18:50]: We are the top and you're just using course.
Dasha [0:18:52]: Like, pretending to
Ross [0:18:53]: be to be something else that you're not Yeah.
Ross [0:18:55]: Like, I would say that needs to stand in twenty twenty six.
Dasha [0:18:58]: What is your biggest bet for twenty twenty seven?
Ross [0:19:02]: My biggest bet for twenty twenty seven would be that there's going to be a massive surge in in real life events.
Ross [0:19:08]: I think people have loved the Internet and Ai and social and all of that.
Ross [0:19:13]: But I think there's a real desire amongst buyers to get together with real people, build those connections in person.
Ross [0:19:20]: I've always been a digital first person.
Ross [0:19:23]: I love the Internet.
Ross [0:19:24]: I built my career on the Internet.
Ross [0:19:26]: But there's something special about going from pixels to flesh, and I think it will never be replaced and amidst the rise of Ai.
Ross [0:19:31]: I think it's becoming more and more of a necessity hence the reasons why some of the top Ai firms in the world are starting to actually hire for these community and events roles.
Dasha [0:19:41]: Pixels to flush should be a big fan flush.
Ross [0:19:43]: Man That would be a good band.
Dasha [0:19:44]: That would be...
Dasha [0:19:44]: I.
Dasha [0:19:44]: You plan and like, should we start
Dave [0:19:46]: the chance.
Ross [0:19:47]: Maybe a harmonic.
Ross [0:19:47]: I'll pick it
Dasha [0:19:48]: Okay.
Dasha [0:19:48]: You can be the Harmonic, I will play.
Dasha [0:19:50]: I played the piano as a kid.
Dasha [0:19:52]: But I've, like sims lost it, but So can't lose it.
Dasha [0:19:55]: I will bring it back start this bad because you can't piss the flesh.
Dasha [0:19:58]: Brand bad name of all time.
Dasha [0:20:01]: Cool.
Dasha [0:20:02]: Well, before we go.
Ross [0:20:03]: Yeah.
Dasha [0:20:04]: Is there anyone that you're, like, really pumped to see a Drive this week.
Ross [0:20:07]: Oh, I am pumped to see.
Ross [0:20:09]: I just love.
Ross [0:20:10]: Just love everyone.
Ross [0:20:11]: Love everybody.
Ross [0:20:11]: Any straight industry.
Dasha [0:20:13]: You're signed up for workshops.
Dasha [0:20:14]: I imagine.
Ross [0:20:14]: I am.
Dasha [0:20:15]: And you're giving a talk.
Ross [0:20:16]: I am Jess Cook.
Dasha [0:20:17]: Jess Cook.
Dasha [0:20:17]: I'm signed up for a talk to salon.
Ross [0:20:19]: Yeah.
Ross [0:20:19]: I'm looking forward to that.
Ross [0:20:20]: Yeah.
Ross [0:20:20]: Brand has back or something.
Dasha [0:20:22]: It's, like, baby got back, but.
Dasha [0:20:23]: Baby got brand.
Dasha [0:20:24]: Yeah.
Dasha [0:20:25]: That's So good.
Ross [0:20:26]: So good.
Dasha [0:20:27]: So much.
Dasha [0:20:27]: To that.
Ross [0:20:27]: It was great.
Ross [0:20:28]: So excited to see her.
Dasha [0:20:29]: Thanks for coming on to the podcast in the outdoors.
Ross [0:20:32]: Thrilled to be here.
Ross [0:20:33]: This is so much fun.
Ross [0:20:34]: That's.
Ross [0:20:34]: Thank okay.
Ross [0:20:35]: Thank you.
Dasha [0:20:36]: Awesome.
Dasha [0:20:36]: Thanks.
Dave [0:20:41]: Hey.
Dave [0:20:41]: Thanks for listening to this podcast.
Dave [0:20:42]: If you like this episode.
Dave [0:20:43]: You know what?
Dave [0:20:44]: I'm not even gonna ask you to subscribe and leave a review because I don't really care about that.
Dave [0:20:49]: I have something better for you.
Dave [0:20:50]: So we've built the number one private community for B2B marketers at Exit Five, and you can go and check that out instead of leaving a rating a review, go check it out right now on our website, exitfive.com.
Dave [0:21:01]: Our mission at Exit Five is to help you grow your career in B2B marketing, and there's no better place to do that than with us that Exit Five.
Dave [0:21:09]: There's nearly five thousand members now in our community, People are in their posting every day asking questions about things like marketing planning.
Dave [0:21:16]: Ideas, inspiration, asking questions and getting feedback your peers, building your own network of marketers who are doing the same thing you are so you can have a peer group, or maybe just venting about your boss when you need to get in there and get something off your chest.
Dave [0:21:29]: It's a hundred percent free to join for seven days so you can go and check it out risk free.
Dave [0:21:34]: And then there's a small annual fee to pay if you wanna become a member for the year.
Dave [0:21:38]: Go check it out, learn more, exitfive.com, and I will see you over there in the community.