#24: Content Marketing Magic for Business Growth with Brian Clark of Copyblogger & Rainmaker Digital

Brian Clark is a serial entrepreneur of several seven-figure online businesses, including Rainmaker Digital (which is actually now an eight-figure software company), where he currently serves as CEO. And guess what? He did it all without moving to Silicon Valley OR raising any venture funding. He did it with content marketing! Brian and I recorded this interview at an interesting time, just before he launched his Unemployable podcast, which now reaches more than tens of thousands of subscribers. And you’ll see why after this interview... Brian Clark is a pioneer in the $44 billion content marketing industry. He’s been building businesses with online content marketing since 1998, before anyone used that term. He’s amassed a massive following and you can find him on social @brianclark or even @copyblogger, which is the publication Brian launched in 2006. Copyblogger started as a simple one-man blog at Copyblogger.com. Today they're known as Rainmaker Digital — a digital commerce company with more than 200,000 unique customers — and they've grown using useful content, smart copywriting, and exceptional products and services. Taking an unusual path for a software company, Rainmaker Digital didn’t look for venture capital to fund the development of its new platform. Instead, the company grew to $12 million in annual revenue and more than 200,000 unique customers — without advertising — thanks to the power of content marketing that builds and serves an audience. Since 2010, they’ve grown from a small team to 65 smart, passionate people across the globe. The company is based in Boulder, Colorado, but everyone at Rainmaker Digital is free to live and work wherever they want. As I mentioned, this is an old recording, but I’ve never released it…. I’ve been sitting on it. Waiting for the right moment, until we had a big enough audience to really soak in the value and get the biggest impact of this episode. Since this recording, Brian launched Unemployable, a KILLER podcast with an incredible audience. You can check all of it out at unemployable.com. You’ll want to subscribe after listening to this episode because Brian’s a super-smart tell-it-like-is guy. Totally unconventional and if you’re anything like me... you’re going to love him. In this episode with Brian Clark, you’ll learn: — The unexpected benefits of being “unemployable” — Why you need to build an audience (using content marketing) before doing anything else — How big “level-up” moments can change your career — Tips for building a business with agile development principles — The importance of creating robust processes — Why you can’t let new technology distract you from the fundamentals Please enjoy! ---- Download show notes and transcripts at www.powderkeg.com This episode of Powder Keg is brought to you by DeveloperTown. If you’re a business leader trying to turn a great idea into a product with traction, this is for you. DeveloperTown works with clients ranging from entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 companies who want to build and launch an app or digital product. They’re able to take the process they use with early stage companies to help big companies move like a startup. So if you have an idea for a web or mobile app, or need help identifying the great ideas within your company, go to developertown.com/powderkeg. Thanks again to everyone who has shared an episode of Powderkeg, subscribed to us on iTunes, or left us a review. It’s the only way we’re going to spread this message and reach new people and we could do it without you. We’re coming out with new episodes every Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe on iTunes or at powderkeg.co/itunes