Ponderings From The Perch

Strap on your headsets and fasten your seatbelts - we're taking you on a ride through the skies of market research! Welcome to the MRX Mavericks miniseries, where we'll show you how to soar above the competition like the true Top Guns of the market research industry. Priscilla McKinney, call sign Momma Bird, welcomes Karen Lynch, Head of Content at Greenbook, to the cockpit. Together, they pull back the curtain to examine industry events both as organizers and as attendees!  Karen’s passion is to bring the best content to the Greenbook stage, to make sure the audience gets the ultimate experience. To do that, she has adopted the mantra “Always be Curating.” She says though Greenbook events appeal to a wide variety of industries (tech, MRX, entrepreneurs, etc.) the connecting thread between all attendees is a growth mindset. Her curation spans a multitude of sources to ensure the content honors the breadth of attendees. They discuss Karen’s methodology for organizing content to span the variety of Greenbook

“Slam the brakes, lay off employees.” Corporate America is out of the frying pan and into… the dumpster fire! Wait, what’s going on?! Today on Ponderings from the Perch, host Priscilla McKenny and Sasha McCune, Director at Conifer Research, are untangling the knots of post-pandemic paralysis and indecision in Corporate America. Sasha is a strategic insights and design research leader, innovator, vision-setter, avid traveler, espresso junkie and tropical plant lover. As Director at Conifer Research, she specializes in ethnographic research, innovation programs, behavioral research and digital ethnography. From Sasha’s experience, she has gathered insight into the leading cause of post-pandemic paralysis in the corporate world. It’s vision. Or rather, the lack of vision. Companies are dropping the ball left and right by not providing their team VISION for where they are going. People need goals. Those who aim at nothing hit it with remarkable accuracy. Stuck in fear of financial setbacks and laying off hundr

The success of any event depends on careful planning, at Little Bird Marketing, we always say, “There ain’t no party like a Little Bird party!” Listen in for great tips about creating an unforgettable event that will further your B2B marketing strategies. This episode provides great conversation starters for your team about how you can get strategic, be mindful of first impressions and accurately document the event to maximize the marketing ROI. As ideal client buyer experts of course, we start with thoughts on proper assessment of your most ideal client, but here with a twist about how to curate a great list from meaningful thoughts on marketing strategy. We provide some great ideas to spark creativity around first impressions and how to set the stage for great expectations when people do arrive at your event. Finally, we provide insight into how to extend the life and value of your investment in the event. As B2B digital marketing events experts, we hope you found these tips helpful and that they will inspi

LAYERS! Onions have layers. Languages have layers. You get it, they both have layers.  We’re not afraid of communicating through Shrek quotes, but we know with communication it's not just what you say, it's how you say it that unlocks the door to connection and understanding! In this episode, Little Bird Marketing CEO Priscilla McKinney is joined by fellow Spaniard Carlos Hevia, director of business development at Multilingual Connections. Today’s discussion unveils the artwork of language and the science behind opening the door to international insights. Accurate translation plays a vital role in the market research world. Without asking questions in the proper dialect, reliable data cannot be obtained. As Carlos highlights, “If you are not speaking their language, you might not find your insights the way you want to.” With language variations present, it takes the ability to see both sides of the language coin to elicit open and honest responses. All journeys begin with a single step. Your translation a

Social Media Pillar Page Promo) - FIELDWORK (PR) - Social Influence (MR) Ready to dive into the importance of social media in building a successful digital presence for your business? With over 4.62 billion people across the world using social media, it’s clear that a strong social media strategy is crucial for any business looking to succeed in the digital age. As experts in the field, we share our knowledge about what it takes to build an authentic brand by showcasing your values, company history, and mission and getting your tone of voice right on social media. We share tangible ways to make your social media posts more personable to make your brand more accessible and create posts that better resonate with your most ideal audience. We address the importance of building an engaged community on social media. Just like at a cocktail party, you want to interact with your customers and have meaningful conversations that spark discussion and increase brand awareness. We also debunk the myths surrounding employe

Coffee and writers go together like plot twists and cliffhangers – they fuel the creative chaos and keep the words flowing! But here's a twist: When you grab your Starbucks, you're not just getting a caffeine fix, you're purchasing a story! And even if you prefer to shop locally, guess what? You're still buying into a narrative. In this episode, Little Bird Marketing CEO Priscilla McKinney is joined by Kristian Alomá, founder and CEO of Threadline, to discuss psychological research and the cross between a narrative economy and the building blocks of a brand. Don’t consider yourself an Instagram influencer when you post that photo snagging that Starbucks cup? Kristian discusses the popularity of Starbucks and how its logo is the most photographed on Instagram, demonstrating that people are not merely buying their coffee for the caffeine. They are incorporating Starbucks into their self-perception and the narratives they have constructed about themselves. On the other hand, individuals may choose not to purc

The A student’s worst nightmare… The teacher says, “Grab a partner, it's group project time!” Perhaps you think it a ruthless generalization to say the task of a group project often forces one student with the ability, drive, and support from home to do all the work. But this was Little Bird Marketing CEO Priscilla McKinney’s exact experience when her son came home from school one fateful day. News flash! The 5th grader group project setup doesn’t end with 5th grade. Turns out, it extends to the corporate world. When talking about collaborations in the corporate sphere, Priscilla was met with resistance. What business leaders THOUGHT was a collaboration was really just a Kumbaya moment. Sure, we could sing All Together Now if you’re more of a Beatles fan, but that doesn’t get the work done! Getting people next to each other doing similar things DOES NOT equate to collaboration. It's not a win-lose situation. True collaboration means bigger wins for everyone. THAT'S what pushed Priscilla to write a book. Ye

Whether you are a Sriracha, Tabasco or Cholula type of person— the secret sauce of great client relationships is guaranteed to be less spicy and less controversial. So what is the secret sauce? And who is the keeper of this said sauce? Mindset. Little Bird Marketing CEO Priscilla McKinney is joined by the President of Fieldwork Seattle, Adrien Whittemore, as they discuss the importance of client relationships and how the right perspective can change a client into a friend. Trust goes a long way, and the trick behind building trust is showing clients they are more than just another piece of a project. Good client relationships are centered around building friendships and partnerships with clients rather than just treating the relationship as a transaction. After all, there is a common goal that both sides are working towards. It’s a team effort. *Cues We're All in This Together* Adrien stresses the value of going the extra mile, having an attitude of helpfulness, and anticipating clients’ needs. This can

Calling all snackers! We love a good snack here at the Nest! But have you heard of social snacking? Your mom called and was worried your snacking might ruin your meal, but she should be worried that social snacking can lead to disconnection.  Today, our CEO and Momma Bird, Priscilla McKinney, talks with Ryan Jenkins to discuss breaking the connection barriers in the workplace. As Wall Street Journal best-selling leadership author of Connectable, Ryan has surveyed over 2,000 workers worldwide to discover the answers for quality connection and belonging and why sometimes technology that could enable connection actually thwarts it. Now don’t take this the wrong way. Sending a quick text to a friend is good. But as Ryan points out, it takes intentionality to visit that friend. As humans, we follow the path of least resistance, so we choose convenience over connection if we’re not intentional. We’re wired for connection, and social snacking may keep our loneliness at a manageable level and keep us from reaching

How does a global research company become the Obi-Wan Kenobi of the industry, providing a framework for the most difficult projects? What does a global research Jedi’s day-to-day reality look like? Today on Ponderings from the Perch, Stacey Weber, VP of Gazelle Global, shares her expert insight from over 20 years of experience in online and traditional research methods. Stacey’s expertise lies in uncovering which methodology will work best to reach the right respondents and produce the insights the client is seeking. As highlighted by Stacey, clients often come not knowing what is needed or how to reach the target they're looking for and get the insights required for their project. While anyone can make a quick online search for a research firm in another country, they don't necessarily know about that particular country or the companies that operate there. Stacey shares insight on insourcing versus outsourcing market research, managing human resources, and how to help clients navigate the complexities of

An SEO strategy for business success is a powerful investment. It can also be a daunting task. In this episode, we give insider information about what it takes to build a successful SEO strategy. The fundamentals are creating a list of core topics, assembling keywords based on topics, building web pages, maintaining a blog, creating a link-building plan, keeping up with SEO changes and measuring success. We get into some details about the importance of creating a targeted list of core topics, finding short and long-tail keywords, and building web pages that are optimized with keywords and links. We discuss how starting a blog and implementing content writing strategies can help keep the website fresh and relevant. We also talk about the importance of creating a link-building plan to increase the website's authority and drive traffic. We leave you with some great resources including Hubspot, Moz and The Orbit Blog by our lovely friend Andy Crestodina at Orbit Media Studios so you can keep current with SEO chan

Why does a $300 million business with almost 6 decades of name recognition choose to rebrand? In this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, we have the pleasure of hearing from Isaac Rogers, the President of SAGO, previously Schlesinger Group. Isaac is a seasoned leader who has brought his extensive experience to the company where he is focused on driving change and new growth within the corporation. Isaac shares the story behind the decision to rebrand Sago, a company that had been a staple of market research for six decades. He discusses the overall process of the rebrand and how they picked partners and the team to drive the initiative. Isaac also touches on a few mistakes or fumbles that occurred during the process. Isaac highlights how SAGO became the name for the rebrand and the industry response to the change. He also provides a glimpse into what's next for Sago and the euphoria of getting a rebrand right in all of the meaningful ways. If you’re considering a rebrand, Isaac emphasizes the importance of

Buyers, and their journeys, are rapidly changing. Before the pandemic, brands had more control over when consumers saw an ad or a product. Now, the script is flipped. The consumer carves a unique path to find a brand, product or service and they aren’t doing it like they have in the past.  The consumer is in control of WHERE they see your brand.  The consumer is in control of WHEN they see your brand.  The consumer is in control of HOW to see your brand.  Brands need to work harder to find their consumers and to ensure that they are in the right spaces and places at the right time, engaging with them in the right way.  Janeen Hazel, VP of Business Development and Marketing at Luth Research, joins Priscilla McKinney, CEO of Little Bird Marketing, to discuss how to drill down on when consumers want to hear from a brand and wants to see the brand. Innovation is the name of the game. With the digital landscape in a constant state of evolution, brands have to innovate to still keep a pulse on their ideal consum

It was a dark and stormy Thursday. The small office, normally peaceful, was a flurry of anxious murmurs and frantic typing. Tony the intern had brought donuts, but who could eat at a time like this? There had been a disappearance. On tonight's episode of Palm Springs from the Purge, we dig deep to discover what dastardly fate has befallen the online presence of a well-established business. Was it saboteurs? Spies? Walls of fire? Join us as we inspect the crime scene, talk with eyewitnesses, consult with experts, and dredge the lake before making a bone-chilling discovery. A word of forewarning - this episode is not for the faint of heart!

While Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman won’t be joining us, Little Bird Marketing CEO, Priscilla McKinney, rises to the challenge of being the official SEO MythBuster. People have pulled Priscilla aside on numerous occasions to ask her to confirm or deny SEO rumors and gossip. Enough people were asking. It was time for her to get talking. As always, she pulls back the curtain and starts from square one, eliminating jargon and outlining what all the acronyms actually mean.  The reason people have so many legitimate questions is that in this incredibly noisy market of tons of websites, it’s a struggle to be seen. How do we get your website to rank high and be optimized for search engines? It all starts with Google thumbs, and with knowing that Google wants to deliver a “wow” experience to their users.  Google Thumbs See, we left behind jargon and then created some ourselves. But this is an important acknowledgement that how anyone (your 13 yo son, or your 83 yo mom and even your most ideal client buyer) is usin

Hi, I’m Priscilla McKinney, CEO and Momma Bird here at Little Bird Marketing and I’m a St. Patrick’s Day birthday! Everyone wants to party on my birthday and have fun. I am a fun person - very outgoing and funny (if you agree, please call one of my kids and let them know). But people often think I am a people person. I’m really not. I’m a “my kind of people” person. What I mean by that is I like people who are overtly helpful, bring energy into the room, give without thinking of getting and don’t take themselves too seriously. I love this industry and have met so many colleagues who have become friends - like really good friends. I had a lot of friends before I got into this industry, but I made room for more. Do you see how much fun I’m having and want to be a part of it? Good news! In this episode I scrap the rules, call my bestie, Sarah Kotva and gossip about people in the industry. It’s all good and you’ll have a great time. So grab a glass of wine with us and let us introduce you to people you HAVE TO

It’s time to talk about the D-word.  Disruption. Angel Bellon, Senior Director of Insights and Cultural Intelligence at Paramount, joins Little Bird Marketing’s CEO, Priscilla McKinney, and divulges a deluge of facts, hacks, and insights around disruption and trend forecasting. It’s a drenching downpour of mindset-shifting expertise that will change YOUR game. The truth is that business cannot go on as usual. The ever-changing digital landscape and especially *cough cough* Gen Z are disrupting the role of marketing altogether. It’s the role of generations to disrupt, but we’re now living in constant disruption with generational disruption on top of a fast pace of technological disruption and it’s a lot to make sense of at once. It’s even harder for brands to move forward in a meaningful way.  To operationalize disruption, we first need to get clear on the definition. While innovation and disruption are often used interchangeably, they are not the same. Innovation is something new. Disruption is a shift in th

Reality is reality and finances are finances. There’s a cost and a loss for not finding the right company or the right candidate at the right time. While there is a pendulum swing between when it is a company’s market or a candidate’s market, the pendulum's rate is accelerating— faster than it ever has oscillated before and if you’re not careful it can give you whiplash! Bob Ferro, Founder of the executive recruiting firm Trusted Talent, joins Priscilla McKinney, Little Bird Marketing’s CEO, to discuss the current job market from a company and candidate perspective, as well as the pros and cons of delaying hiring. From Bob’s perch, he’s seeing a huge slowing down in hiring. In fact, he describes it as a pause. However, it’s vital to understand that “if you don't hire a salesperson for a quarter, you've lost two quarters' worth of revenue - minimum.” They also discuss retaining talent. As Bob says, “My number one asset isn't my product and my market and my customers, it's my talent. It's the people that make t

Uncomfortable, squirmy and guilty? Those are the common side effects when thinking about fundraising. But, fundraising isn’t a dirty word. Like any other business or entity right now, non-profits are facing a dilemma:  How do you break through the noise? How do you keep up your own resilience around messaging when it feels like it’s falling on deaf ears? We’re in an attention economy and translating your mission and message into bite-sized pieces is more important than ever. That being said, non-profits’ marketing and fundraising marketing efforts are held to a different standard. No one might complain about getting thirty emails from Lululemon about holiday sales, but getting a half-dozen messages from a non-profit about end-of-year fundraising goals can make people huff and puff and blow your email right until the dreaded trash can. Executive coach and fundraising consultant, Mallory Erickson, joins CEO and Little Bird Momma, Priscilla McKinney, on the podcast to discuss strategy work at the intersecti

So you want to be the top dog, or rather the top bird? How do you do that? It starts with breaking down the journey from Point A to Point B. Join Little Bird Marketing CEO, Priscilla McKinney as she guides you through organizing your marketing, proactive planning and mindset shifting needed to put your goals together T Since organized marketers are 674% more likely to report success and proactive planners are 3x more likely to report success, the proof is in the pudding. Success means planning your marketing strategy in advance. Yet you can’t start planning without understanding your current marketing efforts. This is where clarity comes in. What is your “Point A”? Welcome to the Order of the Phoenix. While Little Bird Marketing won’t be offering anyone a train ticket to Hogwarts, Priscilla shares tons of free resources, including the Order of the Phoenix Marketing Assessment Quiz to evaluate your brand’s marketing strategy and the best way to push your efforts forward. Everyone loves a good quiz! Once you