The SDM Show

Rob Cairns, founder of Stunning Digital Marketing, shares ten lessons learned from creating over 500 episodes of his podcast, "The SDM Show." Key takeaways include the importance of consistency, incorporating emotion, utilizing video, and efficient pre-recording techniques. He emphasizes the value of continuous learning, collaboration with other podcasters, and pre-recording advertisements and dedications. Finally, Cairns highlights the unexpected…

This podcast features Rob Cairns interviewing Zachery Mimbs, a social media manager, about his career and insights into the field. Mimbs discusses his career path, the challenges of navigating ever-changing social media algorithms, and the importance of authenticity and engagement over follower counts. He also recommends specific tools like Publer and shares his strategies for…

This podcast episode features a discussion with Warren Laine-Naida about the impact of website platforms, such as WordPress, Wix, and Drupal, on search engine optimization (SEO). Laine-Naida argues that while the platform itself is a factor, technical aspects, like website speed and accessibility, are paramount for successful SEO. He emphasizes the importance of core SEO…

This podcast episode features an interview with Taco, who recently joined the Progress Planner team. Progress Planner is a WordPress plugin designed to gamify website maintenance tasks, helping users stay on top of updates and content review. The interview discusses the plugin's features, including a free version and a forthcoming pro version with additional challenges and expert consultations. Taco…

This podcast episode discusses alternatives to WordPress as a content management system (CMS). The hosts, Rob Cairns and Ryan Waterbury, explore various options, including open-source CMSs like Drupal and newer platforms such as Astro and Ghost, as well as Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions such as Shopify and Squarespace. They consider factors like ease…

This podcast features an interview with Marcus Burnette, who recently transitioned from a field marketing role at GoDaddy to a position at BlueHost. Burnette discusses his career change, emphasizing the importance of considering family needs and pursuing opportunities that align with personal goals. He highlights the challenges and rewards of working in support, and the…

This podcast episode features a discussion between Rob Cairns and Todd Jones on differentiation for service-based businesses. Jones emphasizes identifying a unique value proposition by asking key questions about one’s services and target audience. He proposes several differentiation strategies, including leveraging one’s story, refining one’s processes, providing exceptional service, establishing expertise and reputation, implementing strategic…

This Episode is deciated to Tiz Marrone for how she inspires me. This podcast episode celebrates the 500th episode of the SDM show, featuring an interview with Mark Westgard of WS Forms. The conversation centers on the growth of WS Forms, including new features like a CSS styler and numerous integrations. They also discuss challenges…

This podcast features a conversation between Rob Cairns and Marketing Expert Bridget Willard about the value of using X (formerly Twitter) for marketing. Willard and Cairns discuss the platform’s SEO benefits, emphasizing the importance of consistent posting and engagement. They also highlight X’s role in networking and building professional relationships, contrasting it with other social…

This podcast episode features Rob Cairns interviewing Ross Brand about his “100 Live Stream and Digital Media Predictions” book. They discuss the evolving digital media landscape, highlighting the significant impact of AI and the shift towards short-form video content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. The conversation also touches upon the changing dynamics of social…

Rob Cairns, host of the SDM podcast, celebrates approaching its 500th episode. He expresses gratitude to guests, listeners, and his co-hosts, highlighting the podcast’s growth despite personal and health challenges. Robs dedicates the milestone to his late father, Bruce Cairns and Tiz Marrone, emphasizing her enduring inspiration. The podcast focuses on business, digital marketing, and…

This podcast features a discussion between Rob Cairns and Todd Jones on building a strong core message for a business. Todd emphasizes the importance of a solid foundation, using the biblical parable of houses built on sand versus rock as an analogy. He outlines eleven key elements for a core message platform, including value proposition,…

This podcast features Rob Cairns and Ryan Waterbury discussing year-end business planning for 2025. They emphasize the importance of long-term goal setting over resolutions, reviewing past performance, and improving processes such as client communication and standard operating procedures (SOPs). The conversation also covers financial evaluation, including software subscriptions and billing strategies, and the value of…

This podcast episode features an SEO expert discussing Search Experience Optimization (SXO), a new approach to SEO that prioritizes user experience across multiple platforms, not just Google. SXO emphasizes brand building and creating memorable user moments to improve discoverability. The speaker contrasts traditional SEO’s focus on keywords and rankings with SXO’s holistic approach, advocating for authenticity and content discoverability where the…

This podcast features a discussion between Rob Cairns and Tim Nash about cybersecurity predictions for 2025. **AI’s increasing role in both offensive and defensive cybersecurity** is a major topic, with concerns raised about AI-powered phishing scams and the accelerated exploitation of vulnerabilities. The conversation also **addresses the challenges in the WordPress plugin ecosystem**, including abandoned…