Shows
SidetrekkedWhat happens to my marketing video after it's produced?In this episode of Sidetrekked, Emilee and Shayne are joined by Trekk Social Media Strategist Sean Burke to discuss what happens after a marketing video is produced. The three of them discuss their favorite examples of marketing videos (1:39), how Trekk approaches producing original video content (13:18), and how to use a single video for multiple marketing purposes (22:00). They also discuss best practices for distributing video (30:00) and some strategies for repurposing marketing videos (39:00). In Problem Solved, they talk about creating long-form video content with multiple interviews that told a complete and compelling story. Finally, in Mics at the Bar, Trekk Senior Graphic...2025-07-3154 min
SidetrekkedHow do I know if my SEO program is working?In this edition of Sidetrekked, Emilee and Shayne are joined by Trekk Account Manager Jake Sellers to discuss all things SEO. They first talk about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on search (1:20), followed by Trekk's approach to helping clients with SEO (7:00). Later, after discussing the infancy of AI search optimization (22:47), they elaborate on how the agency measures the success of its SEO campaigns (30:25). In Problem Solved (36:53), the three review how Trekk helped a client refine their SEO strategy through a technical audit. Finally, in Mics at the Bar (42:44), Art Director Chris Brown recounts getting put on the spot at...2025-07-1546 minSidetrekkedHow can I turn my email newsletter into a revenue generator?In this episode of Sidetrekked, Emilee and Shayne welcome Trekk Content Strategist Nick Ostdick to discuss how you can turn your email newsletter into a revenue generator. First, they discuss some of their favorite newsletters (2:22) and the difference between a newsletter and other types of marketing emails (8:10). Then, they hit on what to look for when evaluating newsletter performance (14:00) and how you can increase the value subscribers get from your newsletter. In Problem Solved, they discuss Trekk’s approach to newsletters (35:00) Finally, in Mics at the Bar, Trekk Senior Motion Designer Nick Grobe reminisces about a magic show at HQ (39:00).2025-07-0346 minSidetrekkedShould I hire an in-house CRM Administrator?In this episode of Sidetrekked, Shayne and Emilee are joined by Trekk’s HubSpot Administrator Jillian Hazy to discuss CRMs and the importance of having a CRM administrator who deeply understands your data. They review the fundamentals on CRMs (1:20) and compare the pros and cons of going in-house for CRM administration (9:05) versus partnering with an agency or taking a hybrid approach (18:10). In Problem Solved (28:34), the three talk about how Trekk helped a client clean up their CRM, maximizing it for lead generation. Finally, in Mics at the Bar, Mike recalls helping a client construct an elaborate traffic driver for a tr...2025-06-1738 minSidetrekkedHow can I make it easier to achieve brand consistency?In this episode of Sidetrekked, Shayne and Emilee are joined by Trekk Senior Graphic Designer Alyssa Watkins to discuss all things branding. The three of them dive into the importance of brand consistency (11:27), best practices for ensuring brand consistency across your organization (17:30), the tools and processes we use to ensure brand consistency for our clients (24:00), and more. Then, in Problem Solved, they discuss the challenges and opportunities of updating event branding for an annual professional conference. Finally, in Mics at the Bar, they reminisce about the beginnings of Mustache Day, a beloved Trekk tradition.2025-05-3038 minSidetrekkedHow can I use webAR to make my marketing more interactive?In this episode of Sidetrekked, Emilee and Shayne are joined by Trekk’s Senior Motion Designer Nick Grobe to talk about how B2B companies can use web-based augmented reality (WebAR) to create more engaging online experiences. They discuss their own experiences with AR (2:30), how AR has evolved during the last 10 years (10:20), how brands can blend purpose and fun in AR to create value (22:00), and more. In Problem Solved, they look at how we used AR in print to enhance the story and experience in a children’s book (35:00). Finally, in Mics at the Bar, they reminisce about a poker-themed Trek...2025-05-1443 minSidetrekkedWhy work with an agency on your e-commerce experience?We’re back! In the season 2 opener of Sidetrekked, Emilee and Shayne welcome back Trekk’s Technical Director Sam Basile to discuss why you should work with an agency to build an e-commerce experience. They start by talking about their personal best and worst e-commerce experiences of late (1:08), why B2B companies are looking to incorporate an e-commerce experience (10:45), what goes into a quality e-commerce website (19:17), and more. Then, in Problem Solved, they discuss how we helped an industrial client engineer their own e-commerce website (25:00). Finally, in Mics at the Bar, the three of them share their favorite Trekk memories, some...2025-05-0634 minSidetrekkedAsk Us Anything!In the season one finale of Sidetrekked, Emilee and Shayne pull back the curtain with a fun AMA that covers quite a bit of ground. First, they introduce Trekk Senior Motion Designer Nick Grobe, who produces all Sidetrekked episodes. Then, they answer listener questions, including our hosts’ official titles and average day-to-day (2:03), what is a realistic timeline to evaluate a marketing strategy (13:27), three things you can do without a marketing team or big marketing budget (26:00), and which — if any — of the cocktails they actually liked this season (33:00). In Mics at the Bar, they sample a Negroni (40:00). Thank you for listening to sea...2025-02-2843 minSidetrekkedDoes my B2B brand need paid social?In this episode of Sidetrekked, Shayne and Emilee are joined by Trekk’s Social Media Strategist Sean Burke for a lively discussion about when and why to use paid social advertising. They discuss the various platforms for paid social (2:04), the difference between boosted posts and paid ads on platforms like LinkedIn (15:55), the importance of understanding and defining your audience with paid social (21:56), and the varied costs of paid social (31:00). In Problem Solved, they discuss growing the audience for a new client using LinkedIn ads (39:00). Finally, in Mics at the Bar, they try a Cherry Libre (43:00)...It’s all about the Coke2025-02-1445 minSidetrekkedWhat happens in a brand workshop?In this episode of Sidetrekked, Emilee and Shayne are joined by Trekk Senior Account Manager Madison Brudi to discuss brand workshops and why they’re so important. They dive into what actually goes into creating a brand (2:11), the challenges and growing pains of going through a rebrand (10:51), how Trekk’s approach to brand workshops makes the process interactive and fun (15:00), and the important deliverables from a brand workshop (23:00). In Problem Solved, they discuss how our brand workshop helped a client position themselves as a true industry disruptor (31:54). Finally, in Mics at the Bar, they sample The New York Sour (37:00)...it may...2025-01-3040 minSidetrekkedWhat does a good agency partnership look like?In this episode of Sidetrekked, Emilee and Shayne are joined by Trekk Account Manager Jake Sellers to discuss what makes a good partnership with a marketing agency. The three of them discuss expectations for a productive partnership from the brand and agency perspective (2:00), the challenges brands can face by keeping all marketing operations in-house (15:00), scenarios where brands might benefit from not partnering with an agency (23:00), and the importance of setting goals and objectives when building a relationship with an agency (29:00). In Problem Solved, they discuss building a long-term relationship with an industrial B2B company out of an ad hoc...2025-01-1545 minSidetrekkedWhat is a website for?In this episode of Sidetrekked, Emilee and Shayne are joined by Trekk Content Strategist Nick Ostdick to discuss whether B2B companies still need websites, and what purpose a website serves in 2025 (4:04). They also discuss the changing search landscape (19:23), the importance of staying on top of changes to Google’s search algorithms (26:30), and the kind of website experiences companies can and should be creating. In Problem Solved(ish), they discuss two very different custom website projects (30:00) and, in Mics at the Bar, they sample a Canadian Mountie (37:10).
Resources:
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content
https://www.catherinelacey.com/2025-01-0340 minSidetrekkedHow do I succeed with print marketing?In this episode of Sidetrekked, Emilee and Shayne are joined by Trekk Art Director Chris Brown. The three of them discuss why print still connects with people (6:00), the difference between designing for print and digital (12:20), and how to pair print and digital marketing to create a powerful, cohesive message (20:12). In Problem Solved, they look at how variable data and imagery demonstrated the power of high-quality, personalized print for the meal delivery industry (28:04). Finally, in Mics at the Bar, they sample an Addington (34:20).
Resources:
https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/small-business/direct-mail-statistics
https://sg360.com/study-highlights-direct-mails-ability-to-convert-abandoned-carts/
https://trekk.com/work/demonstrating-power-personalized-digital-print
https...2024-12-1437 minSidetrekkedWhich of these 2025 marketing trends will stick?In this episode of Sidetrekked, Emilee and Shayne are joined by Trekk Creative Director Mike Wilson to discuss 2025 marketing and design trend predictions (0:40). They cover retrofuturism (3:25), increasing data privacy regulations (16:40), and short-form video (24:40). Mike shares one of his favorite design principles (5:30) and Emilee outs herself as an art deco hater (14:40). In Problem Solved, they discuss the wide range of video work we've been doing for one client (31:50). Finally, in Mics at the Bar, Mike mixes up a cocktail called The Bronx (36:30). Spoiler: this one leaves the ladies speechless... in a bad way. p.s. Be sure to stick around for...2024-11-2740 minSidetrekkedWhat are you doing about AI?In this episode of Sidetrekked, Emilee and Shayne are joined by Trekk Technical Director Sam Basile to discuss how Trekk is navigating AI usage for ourselves and for our clients (1:06). They also discuss why some companies are still skeptical about AI (10:00), how we developed and adopted our own policy on best practices for AI usage (16:00), and their current favorite AI tools. In Problem Solved, they discuss how we used AI to create a product selector that streamlines the customer experience (27:00). Finally, in Mics at the Bar, they sample a cocktail called The Commodore (41:00).
Additional resources:
Perplexity: perplexity.ai
Chat GPT...2024-11-1545 minSidetrekkedHow do I get more leads?In this episode of Sidetrekked, Emilee and Shayne are joined by Trekk founder and CEO Laura Bennett. The three tackle that age-old question: How do I get more leads?! (3:41). They go into the discovery questions they ask with new lead gen clients (11:22), as well as some traditional marketing tactics that are surprisingly successful in a digital world (20:55). In Problem Solved, they discuss a recent Trekk lumpy that saw a 30% meetings booked rate (25:02). Finally, in Mics at the Bar, they sample The Barbara (33:47).
Resources:
https://trekk.com/insights/think-old-school-3-classic-marketing-channels-should-be-part-every-brand-loyalty-strategy
https://trekk.com/insights/craft-lead-nurturing-program-works2024-10-3037 minSidetrekkedWhy are my email open rates going down and what should I do about it?In this episode of Sidetrekked, Emilee and Shayne are joined by Trekk HubSpot Administrator Jillian Hazy. The three discuss their personal process for organizing their email inboxes (2:00), what to do about lackluster email open rates (8:00), deliverability best practices (15:20), and the most important email metrics to measure (20:00). In Problem Solved, they dig into how one client achieved a major internal comms win by having fun with email (24:12). Finally, in Mics at the Bar, they sample La Tuna (30:33).
Resources:
https://trekk.com/insights/why-your-email-open-rates-are-going-down-and-what-to-do-about-it
https://trekk.com/insights/how-simplify-your-email-marketing-automation-hubspots-workflows-tool2024-10-3034 min