My New Favorite Marketing Question
What content marketing initiative has worked the best over the past year?
(i’ve found this is the most efficient way to stay on top of marketing trends)
When I talked to Marianne Hickman, she had 1 answer.
*Tripwires on social media*
(tripwires are anything you give away to get people interested. My tripwire is a free video session.)
Here’s the strategy:
✅ She created value-packed lead magnets. Short, 12–18 page eBooks on topics she knows inside and out (She wrote 17 of them last year!).
✅ She tested them across different social channels.
✅ She gave them away for free. No email wall. No funnel. No bait and switch. Just instant access.
And it had insane success.
She started pulling in ~150 new email subscribers per week.
Totally organically.
Give people what they need. Start the conversation. Build the relationship.
That’s content marketing that actually works.
Thanks so much to Marianne for hopping on the podcast.
About Justin
Justin is a marketing nerd. His gateway drug was in middle school when he and his buddies would make up brand names and draw logos for fun. He graduated with a B.A. in Graphic Design from UW Eau Claire. He then cut his teeth leading the marketing for a $4 million non-profit, moving them into the digital age with new channels and systems. He joined a $60M healthcare manufacturer as marketing team of 1, helping grow them to $90M in three years. Justin became a full-time marketing entrepreneur in 2018. He now enables founders to grow their pipeline and thought leadership through social media videos. Follow him on Linkedin here.
