Hank's Business and Marketing Tips

Hank Hoffmeier
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Marketing and business tips

  1. FEB 24

    From CMO to CRO

    Joshua Harrell, Chief Revenue Officer at WorldVia Travel Network, joins me for a conversation that starts with travel—but quickly becomes a masterclass in modern marketing strategy. The episode explores how travel has shifted from a luxury to a priority for many families, why experiences now matter more than possessions, and how travel advisors are making a comeback in a DIY world. Joshua shares his journey from retail cosmetics to leading revenue growth in the travel industry, highlighting what marketing really means today: driving revenue, not just producing content. From Disney overwhelm to European river cruises, from email marketing ROI to TikTok Live authenticity, the conversation connects travel lessons to real-world marketing principles. The core message? Stop chasing shiny tactics. Focus on strategy, storytelling, and measurable revenue impact. Key Takeaways 1️⃣ ✈️ Experiences Are the New Currency Families are prioritizing travel over material gifts. Exposure to different cultures and perspectives creates long-term value—personally and professionally. For marketers, this reinforces a bigger truth: people buy transformation and experience, not just products. 2️⃣ 🧭 Travel Advisors = Strategic Guides (Not Order Takers) The pandemic revealed how complex travel can be. Consumers increasingly value expert guidance—especially for premium or complicated trips. The business lesson? Your customers don’t just want access. They want insight, strategy, and protection from mistakes. 3️⃣ 🎯 Strategy Beats Shiny Objects Joshua emphasizes that marketers often get distracted by the newest tools, acronyms, or platforms. Whether it’s AI discoverability or the latest algorithm change, the fundamentals haven’t changed: Know your audience Tell a compelling story Build a system that drives revenue Measure what matters Marketing tasks without strategy lead nowhere. 4️⃣ 💰 Marketers Are Revenue Drivers The shift from CMO to CRO isn’t just a title change—it’s a mindset shift. Marketing is not about colors, fonts, or tweets. It’s about: Generating leads Supporting sales Increasing revenue Finding overlooked opportunities Every marketer today carries revenue responsibility. 5️⃣ 📧 Email Marketing Still Wins on ROI Despite new platforms and AI tools, email marketing remains the strongest ROI channel. Why? You own the audience. It’s measurable. It drives conversions. It builds long-term relationships. Consistency matters more than complexity. 6️⃣ 🎥 Authentic Video Is a Massive Opportunity TikTok Live and short-form video are changing how audiences connect with brands. The barrier to entry is low, and authenticity outperforms polished perfection. People buy from people. If you can explain your product in a room, you can go live. 7️⃣ 🌍 Travel Expands Perspective — So Does Marketing Exposure to new cultures builds empathy and awareness. That perspective makes better marketers because marketing is about understanding human behavior. Travel teaches: Cultural nuance Storytelling depth Emotional drivers Comparative thinking The broader your worldview, the better your marketing. 🎯 Final Thoughts This episode blends business strategy with life perspective. Travel broadens your thinking. Strategy strengthens your marketing. And revenue is the ultimate scoreboard. If you’re stuck in tactical mode, this conversation is your reminder to zoom out, clarify your strategy, and focus on what actually drives growth. And maybe… book that trip while you’re at it. Check out Joshua’s Book: Travel Marketeering on Amazon. Find Joshua on Linkedin Get 5,000 free Kickbox credits with the code HMBT https://youtu.be/r5INfN4lCpw Audio:

    35 min

  2. FEB 5

    One Kiss Only

    In this lively and insightful episode, I sat down with Victor Julio Coupe, Head of Business Development at Kensho Media and host of The Squared Table podcast. We talked about how email outreach and sales strategies are evolving in 2026—especially in the world of iGaming—and how personal branding and authenticity are now more critical than ever. From cringe-worthy cold calls to genius video messages, Victor brought stories, strategies, and a whole lot of heart. We also unpacked how AI, oversaturation, and poor targeting are damaging trust in sales outreach—and what to do instead. Spoiler: it involves showing up, being human, and yes, sometimes asking for “one kiss only.” 💋 💡 Key Takeaways ✉️ Email is Still King—But Only If You Respect It Email remains the most controllable and reliable outreach channel—but it’s often undervalued or misused. Victor stressed the importance of list quality over quantity, personalization, and relevance. 🧠 Stop Spray-and-Pray Outreach Don’t mass-email conference lists if people don’t know your name or brand. It’s lazy, and it hurts your sender reputation. “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.” Targeting starts with thoughtful list building. 📹 Use Video to Humanize Your Brand One of Victor’s best-performing tactics: short, energetic video messages on LinkedIn before conferences. Video builds connection, familiarity, and breaks through inbox noise. Tools like Bonjoro and BHuman make this easy. 🧍‍♂️ Build Your Personal Brand, Not Just Your Business People trust people more than faceless brands. In 2026, personal branding is a non-negotiable for sales pros. Even if you’re not camera-ready, start small: write, comment, share thoughts. Consistency beats perfection. 🔥 Conferences Need to Catch Up Conference organizers should allow speakers/sponsors to submit short intro videos pre-event. This helps with brand recognition and warms up leads in a human, value-driven way. 🧠 Know Your Audience (and Yourself) Cold calling may work in the U.S., but not everywhere. Know what fits your region and your style. Victor’s superpower? Being authentic, upbeat, and approachable. Figure out what your brand voice is and lean into it. 🤖 AI Isn’t the Enemy, Sloppy Outreach Is With AI-generated spam on the rise, real, human-crafted messages stand out more than ever. Personalized, relevant outreach = higher response rates. The “Dear Sir/Madam” era is dead. 🎯 Final Thoughts The episode wrapped with a challenge: Start building your personal brand today. Whether it’s posting on LinkedIn, recording a short video, or simply replying with heart, taking small, consistent actions builds trust—and trust leads to conversations (and conversions 💰). Victor said it best: “If you don’t ask for the kiss, you can’t get the conversion.” 💋 👀 Don’t Miss It: Listen to his podcast: The Squared Table Find Victor on LinkedIn Get 5,000 free Kickbox credits with the code HMBT https://youtu.be/Iz7byCBwZcQ Audio:

    39 min

  3. JAN 20

    Your List Needs Therapy

    📬 In this episode, I speak with email deliverability expert Matthew Vernhout of Email Industries to break down what really determines whether your emails reach the inbox—or land in the spam folder. The conversation kicks off with the most critical factor: your data quality. 🧹 If you’re using clean, first-party, permission-based email lists, you’re already ahead. But if you’re purchasing lists or using scraped data, expect problems. They discuss express vs. implied consent, global email regulations like CASL, GDPR, and the consequences of bad data—including poor reputation, spam traps, and honey pots. 📉 The golden rule? “Do good things, good things happen. Do bad things, bad things happen.” 💡 🔐 The second half digs into technical must-haves like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC—which are now mandatory for bulk email senders thanks to new standards from Google and Yahoo. They also unpack BIMI, which lets brands display their logo in the inbox (✅ a trust booster) and why subject lines still matter for engagement (❌ avoid “Your Weekly Update” or overusing emojis). The episode wraps with practical advice: don’t rely on AI or guesswork to fix deliverability problems. Instead, work with professionals who can perform audits, diagnose issues, and rebuild your sender reputation 💪. As Matthew says, think of it like digital physiotherapy for your email program—sometimes you just need a wellness checkup to keep everything healthy. 🧠📈 Key Takeaways: ✉️ Start with clean, first-party, opt-in data. 🔍 Always authenticate your email with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. 📛 BIMI can boost brand trust—but only if your reputation is solid. 🤖 Be cautious of AI-generated email summaries—they can mislead recipients. 🧪 Test, monitor, and don’t DIY your deliverability when things go sideways. Final Thoughts: Email is hard. But it doesn’t have to be impossible. With the right practices and guidance, your emails can reach the inbox and convert. Avoid shortcuts, respect the rules, and if you’re in doubt—get expert help before your emails vanish into the void. ✅ Connect with Matthew on Linkedin Check out Email Industries here Get 5,000 free Kickbox credits with the code HMBT https://youtu.be/awbu0mMQ4x4 Audio:

    38 min

  4. JAN 5

    The Netflix Effect

    For episode 300, I am joined by email marketing legend Dela Quist for a no-holds-barred conversation about the misconceptions surrounding email frequency, deliverability, and value. Dela, known for challenging conventional wisdom, makes a compelling case for why email is a branding tool, not just a sales mechanism, and how marketers often misunderstand frequency and engagement. From comparing the inbox to Netflix 🎬 to debunking deliverability myths tied to inactive subscribers, Dela shares decades’ worth of strategic insights with real-world examples and humor. His key message? Sending more email isn’t bad, sending irrelevant or inconsistent email is. This episode is a masterclass for email marketers who want to build stronger email strategies backed by logic, not just best practices. 💡 Key Takeaways: 📬 Frequency is not the enemy: Most brands under-mail their subscribers. The belief that you can “send too many emails” is rarely backed by data—it’s mostly based on fear or outdated thinking. 📈 Engagement doesn’t mean open rate alone: People might ignore an email for months and then search for it when they’re ready to act. Gmail knows this and doesn’t necessarily penalize you for low open rates. 🧠 The inbox is like Netflix: People save, revisit, and search for emails the same way they binge their favorite shows. Don’t assume an unopened email is a failed one. 👻 Inactives are misunderstood: Brands often waste money reacquiring lapsed customers through paid channels when they could simply continue emailing them—at a fraction of the cost. ✅ Every subscriber should get at least one email a week: This provides a baseline for performance metrics and ensures you’re in the inbox when the subscriber is ready to act. 📉 Gmail isn’t stupid: Their algorithms consider behavior across the Google ecosystem (search, maps, store visits) to determine deliverability—not just whether someone opened your last email. 🚫 Never email addresses you didn’t collect directly: This is the fastest path to getting flagged. Confirmed opt-in remains the gold standard. ⚙️ Your ESP’s shared IP reputation matters—big time: For small senders, a solid ESP with a strong deliverability track record can make or break your email success. 🧮 Focus on long-term brand building, not just short-term conversions: Email is a powerful branding channel, but marketers often underutilize it because it’s “too cheap” to be taken seriously. 🙌 Final Thought: Dela’s approach is refreshingly pragmatic, ditch the myths, focus on value, and treat email as the most cost-effective branding channel in your arsenal. Whether you’re a startup or an enterprise brand, there’s something in this episode that will challenge the way you think about email marketing. 🔗 Want more from Dela? Connect with him on LinkedIn or visit delaquist.com. Get 5,000 free Kickbox credits with the code HMBT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx1cE2Zcun8 Audio:

    39 min

  5. 12/15/2025

    Just Jack

    Former “Kickboxer” Jack Wrigley joined me on this episode to talk about staying focused and developing real relationships. I’ve always admired Jack’s blend of sharp business insight and genuine relationship-building skills. He’s currently the President of Omnivery, a secure, high-deliverability transactional email platform, and in this episode, we tackled something a lot of people are thinking about right now: how to stay focused and thrive in a noisy, uncertain business climate. We started by talking about how businesses can get pulled in a million directions with AI, remote work, shifting budgets, and all the other distractions out there. Jack emphasized the need to double down on your core values and mission, not just writing them out, but making sure they’re baked into how everyone shows up to work every day. I added a few tips on how to keep those values top-of-mind, like automating monthly Slack reminders, adding them to your workspace, or even incorporating them into your custom GPTs if you’re using AI tools. One thing I loved about our conversation is that we both believe good leadership doesn’t just flow top-down. Jack pointed out how powerful it is when people are empowered to articulate how their work contributes to the company’s mission. I completely agree, leadership happens at every level. Whether you’re a founder or an entry-level team member, your ideas matter. We also got into the nitty-gritty of email marketing and cold outreach. Jack didn’t hold back, he’s not a fan of cold email, and I get it. Deliverability is harder than ever, inboxes are tighter, and honestly, most cold emails just don’t land. Instead, he encourages brands to build trust through content, storytelling, and relationships. I shared some of my thoughts too, if you’re going to do cold email, make it thoughtful, personal, and extremely targeted. But more importantly, find ways to make people come to you. And we couldn’t have an episode without touching on networking, one of Jack’s superpowers. He broke down his no-pressure approach to connecting with people: walk into a room, be curious, and lead with genuine interest rather than an agenda. It’s a refreshing reminder that real relationships still matter more than flashy pitches. 🔑 Key Takeaways 🌟 Stick to your mission and values Don’t just write them—live them. Print them out, set up reminders, and make sure they guide every decision. 💬 Leadership isn’t just top-down Empower your team to connect their work to the bigger mission. That kind of buy-in is how great cultures are built. 📧 Cold email is getting harder to do well Focus more on building relationships through valuable content and let potential customers come to you. 📖 Storytelling still works (and always will) People connect with stories, not features. Make storytelling a consistent part of your brand voice. 🤝 Great networking isn’t about angles Approach every interaction without expecting something in return. Ask questions. Be interested, not just interesting. 🎯 Email with purpose Whether it’s for marketing or transactional, make sure your email strategy is secure, relevant, and aligned with your brand. Connect with Jack on Linkedin. Make sure to check out Omnivery for your transactional email needs! Get 5,000 free Kickbox credits with the code HMBT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5siRnJ2X3tk Audio:

    34 min

  6. 12/01/2025

    Your Preference Center is a Closet

    In this episode, I sat down with Tricia Babischkin, a true expert in email strategy, to talk about how to stop wasting time with broad, generic email campaigns and start getting serious about segmentation, deliverability, and using data that actually means something. We cut through the fluff and got real about what makes email marketing work today, treating people like people, not just entries on a list. We talked about how most businesses are still too focused on vanity metrics and not nearly focused enough on behavior, engagement, and actual value. It’s not just about sending more email. It’s about sending better email to the right people. ✅ Top 5 Takeaways Stop Sending to Everyone Treating your entire list the same is lazy. Segment by behavior, lifecycle stage, or value. If someone hasn’t opened in a year, stop pretending they’re engaged. Use Real Data, Not What People Say Forget preference centers. What people do (clicks, purchases, site behavior) is far more reliable than what they saythey want. Build profiles from real actions. Deliverability Isn’t Just a Tech Problem It’s not just about SPF or DKIM. If your content sucks or you’re blasting disengaged users, your inbox placement suffers. Good strategy = better inboxing. Personalization Is Anticipation It’s not “Hi, [First Name]”, it’s knowing what I need before I realize it. Use behavior and purchase patterns to anticipate what someone wants next. Respect Your Non-Email People Some subscribers just don’t want emails. That’s fine. Reach them through SMS, paid ads, or DMs. Email isn’t the only channel, and for some, it’s not even the best one. Final Thoughts If you want better results, you need better strategy. That starts with listening to your data and building campaigns that respect your audience. And if you want a real strategy session, Tricia’s offering an hour of free consulting. Seriously, take her up on it. Get a FREE hour of consulting here Connect with Tricia on Linkedin. Get 5,000 free Kickbox credits with the code HMBT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbKnSJIb_Jc Audio:

    36 min

  7. 11/17/2025

    The Henk and Hank Show

    In this episode of the HMBT podcast, I sit down with strategy and marketing consultant Henk Wolff for a no-fluff, high-value conversation that bridges the worlds of iGaming and email marketing. We dive into Henk’s background in turning around struggling online casinos and scaling growth using smart retention and acquisition strategies. He brings a sharp, operator-first mindset that’s not just valuable for gaming companies, it’s relevant for any business trying to build loyal customers and optimize marketing channels. We covered a lot, from retention tactics and lifecycle marketing to some of the wild creative strategies Henk uses interesting strategies to revive dead email lists (yes, a fake password reset email that actually works). It was refreshing to swap email marketing strategies with someone who’s seen the front lines of an industry where attention spans are short and margins are thin. We even joked our way into a new business idea: the Henk & Hank toothpaste, powered by bluetooth chips and behavioral data. Whether you’re in gaming, retail, SaaS, or running your own ecommerce site, you’ll walk away from this episode with fresh perspective on how to think differently about retention, lifecycle campaigns, and segmentation. ✅ Key Takeaways: 🧲 Retention is everything. In high-churn industries like iGaming, Hank looks at 30-day cohort data to spot leaks in customer retention. Smart segmentation and onboarding automation make or break performance. 📩 Creative reactivation campaigns work. Hank’s “Did you forget your password?” email trick sounds simple but drives real logins and engagement. Especially useful for aging or dormant lists. 🧠 Segmentation isn’t optional. You can’t send the same email to a VIP player and a casual user. Tailor content based on behavior, balance, and lifecycle stage. Lazy email blasts are a waste. 🔁 Marketers forget the middle of the funnel. Everyone obsesses over top-of-funnel growth, but neglecting the middle leads to leaks and lost revenue. Onboarding and lifecycle content need more love. 🤖 Use AI and voice like a tool, not a toy. We talked about the rise of voice interaction and local LLMs for research, productivity, and daily insights. Ignore these tools at your own risk. Connect with Henk on Linkedin. Get 5,000 free Kickbox credits with the code HMBT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54ARR60Smww Audio:

    37 min

  8. 11/04/2025

    Are You Credible?

    I sat down with Dan Nottingham—founder and CEO of Plan C, and the brains behind Am I Credible, an AI platform that evaluates the credibility of content in real time. We had a great conversation about what credibility really means in today’s digital world, especially for those of us in marketing, content creation, and business leadership. With so much information (and misinformation) flying around online, how can we make sure our content is trustworthy? Dan shared why credibility isn’t just about fact-checking, it’s about context, perception, and responsibility. Right out of the gate, Dan and I got into why credibility matters more now than ever. With so many people relying on social media and AI tools to consume, and create, content, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s actually true. We talked about how Am I Credible helps solve this problem by giving content a score from 1 to 10 based on a variety of factors like factual accuracy, context, and delivery. It’s like a spellcheck, but for your reputation. One thing Dan said that stuck with me: just being technically right isn’t enough. If your content is misleading or overhyped, even unintentionally, it chips away at trust. That’s a big deal for marketers, especially when we’re using AI to create blog posts, emails, or video scripts. You don’t want to hit “publish” on something that sounds great but is factually off, or worse, feels like a bluff. What made this episode really fun was how practical it got. Dan’s tool can give instant feedback before you publish a post or hit send on that campaign. It even helped him revise one of his own blog posts from a 3 out of 10 to a 9 out of 10 just by changing a single sentence. Little things like that make a big difference in how your audience perceives you—and whether they trust you enough to engage or buy. ✅ Key Takeaways: Credibility isn’t just about accuracy—it’s about how your content feels to your audience. Overstatements and missing context can tank your trust factor. AI is a great tool, but it still needs oversight. Don’t assume everything ChatGPT spits out is ready to go. Check it. Verify it. Then publish. Trust drives engagement. Whether you’re sending emails, posting on social, or writing blog content, people are more likely to stick with you if they trust what you’re saying. Consider making credibility part of your marketing metrics. You can actually track credibility scores over time and see how it correlates with growth in things like email open rates, website traffic, or conversions. Try it for yourself. Dan built Am I Credible with both casual users and businesses in mind. You can use it as a guest or go deeper with pro features, APIs, and integrations. Check out Am I Credible here Connect with Dan on Linkedin. Get 5,000 free Kickbox credits with the code HMBT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpWt9WWHF_o Audio:

    25 min
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