Marketing by Design

Andy Milligan
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Marketing
  • Weekly

Marketing by Design is a narrative spotlight show for high-performing marketers and founders on how to drive real business results with design, branding, and strategy. Powered by the Columbus Chapter of the American Marketing Association, we explore how smart design and intentional strategy helps businesses stand out, earn trust, and convert the right customers.

  1. 2d ago

    Why Original Research is Taking B2B By Storm | Becky Lawlor, Redpoint Insights

    ⚡️ Join a community of high-performing marketers: https://columbusmarketing.org🧩 We are web experts: https://www.mmg.studio What's the strongest trust signal a B2B company can send? According to Becky Lawlor's research, 70% of tech buyers say it's original research, ranked above case studies, testimonials, and expert opinions. Becky is the founder of Redpoint Insights, where she builds survey-based research that B2B tech brands turn into reports, press, and pipeline. She breaks down how to design a survey that produces a real story instead of a pile of stats, why her core process barely changed with AI, and the one prompt she uses to make sure a report never spins the data. If you want content that earns trust instead of asking for it, start here. CONNECT WITH BECKY 🌐 Website: https://www.redpointinsights.com💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckylawlor/ CONNECT WITH ANDY 🌐 Website: https://www.mmg.studio💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmgdesign/📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulmilligan/ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro01:04 - From freelance writer to research agency owner03:09 - The high school friend who landed her first tech client06:47 - "I don't do customer research"09:17 - Why her process barely changed with AI11:55 - The AI "insight" built on 20 people13:25 - How to keep bias out of your survey14:00 - The prompt that catches spin in every report15:48 - Why every survey needs multiple storylines19:44 - 70% of buyers trust this signal most22:02 - Why one-way door decisions need data25:10 - The climbing term behind the name Redpoint TEAM 🎙 Host // Andy Milligan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmgdesign/ 🎥 Production // MMG Design: https://www.mmgdesign.net/

    Why Original Research is Taking B2B By Storm | Becky Lawlor, Redpoint Insights

  2. Oct 27

    Hot Takes on Marketing, The ROI of in-person events, & underused growth strategies in 2027 (Listener Mailbag Episode)

    ⚡️ Ask Columbus Marketing Leaders a Question: www.Columbusmarketing.org/ask In this Q&A episode of Marketing by Design, Andy Milligan answers real questions from marketers, fractional CMOs, and agency owners about what's actually driving growth right now. He breaks down why warm email beats AI-generated cold outreach, which LinkedIn content turns into client conversations, and the underused growth plays he's testing, from strategic podcasting to small, repeatable in-person gatherings. You'll also get his take on partner referral programs, how to stretch a $3,000 software and events budget, and two unpopular opinions about the marketing job market and freelancing that most people won't say out loud. CONNECT WITH ANDY 🌐 Website: https://www.mmgdesign.net/ 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmgdesign/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulmilligan/ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Cold Email vs. Warm Email 03:39 LinkedIn Content Strategy 06:14 Fringe Growth Strategies 08:54 Partner Referral Programs 11:51 Software and Events Budget 15:59 Controversial Marketing Takes TEAM 🎙 Host // Andy Milligan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmgdesign/ 🎥 Production // MMG Design: https://www.mmgdesign.net/

  3. Oct 20

    Solving The ‘Attribution’ Problem in Healthcare Marketing | Matt Lee, Strategy Collective

    ⚡️ Join a community of high-performing marketers: https://columbusmarketing.org 🔵 Our Healthcare Web Agency: MMG Studio: https://www.mmg.studio Put your hand over the logo on most healthcare websites and you can't tell one practice from another. Matt Lee, managing director and co-founder of Strategy Collective, works with more than 30 private equity-backed healthcare platforms, and he says that sameness is about to get expensive. He breaks down why healthcare brands play it so safe, how to measure marketing against the schedule instead of the ad platform, and why phone number matching only gets you part of the way to real attribution. He also shares how Strategy Collective grew from two partners managing freelancers to a 55-person in-house team, and how they use AI as the brain of the agency without replacing people. CONNECT WITH MATT🌐 Website: https://www.strategyco.com💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewtlee/ CONNECT WITH ANDY🌐 Website: https://www.mmg.studio💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmgdesign/📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulmilligan/ TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:41 - From agency partner to CMO to founder01:33 - The board member who opened the door to PE healthcare05:09 - Why they started as a collective of freelancers06:00 - Scaling a vet group from 75 to 1,000+ locations07:57 - Getting burned, then building a 55-person team in-house10:10 - "It's not saving us people"12:48 - Building the brain of the agency with AI16:46 - Be the conductor, not the instrument18:07 - How AI changed the way he answers RFPs20:07 - Why every healthcare brand looks the same21:45 - Outcompeting the doctor across the street24:46 - The hardest problem in healthcare attribution25:55 - Why phone number matching fails27:37 - Booked, showed, paid: staging attribution32:45 - Measure the schedule, not the ad platform34:00 - "Physician-led" isn't a differentiator anymore34:25 - How to use humor in healthcare marketing TEAM 🎙 Host // Andy Milligan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmgdesign/ 🎥 Production // MMG Design: https://www.mmgdesign.net/

    Solving The ‘Attribution’ Problem in Healthcare Marketing | Matt Lee, Strategy Collective

  4. Oct 13

    What Marketers are Getting Wrong About AI Search (And How To Actually Win)

    ⚡️ High-Converting Websites Visual Swipe File: https://www.mmg.studio/visualswipefile Is SEO dead now that AI search has arrived? Sophie Brannon, co-founder of StudioHawk US, says no, and she explains why the "SEO is dead" crowd has it backwards. She breaks down how AI search builds on the same foundations as traditional SEO, why those inflated AI traffic stats are misleading, and the SOURCE framework her team uses to get brands cited in ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and beyond. She also shares how she went from journalist to SEO leader to co-founder, and why StudioHawk only hires "wholesome nerds." CONNECT WITH SOPHIE🌐 Website: https://studiohawk.com🎓 Hawk Academy (free SEO and AI search training): https://hawkacademy.co💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-brannon-081bb294/𝕏 X: https://x.com/SophieBrannon CONNECT WITH ANDY🌐 Website: https://www.mmgdesign.net/💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmgdesign/📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulmilligan/ TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro03:00 - From journalist to head of SEO04:15 - She quit her job to live in a tent06:35 - The phone call that made her a co-founder08:23 - Why StudioHawk only hires "wholesome nerds"13:37 - The biggest myth about AI search14:55 - Ignore the 2000% AI traffic stats15:40 - The SOURCE framework for getting cited by AI19:37 - Voice search, featured snippets, and the shiny-object trap28:11 - Why Americans buy SEO differently32:32 - Why they'll never be a full-service agency TEAM🎙 Host // Andy Milligan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmgdesign/🎥 Production // MMG Design: https://www.mmgdesign.net/

  5. Oct 6

    Using a Personal Brand To Get Marketing Job Interviews, Best Ways to Generate Referrals, and More (Marketer Q&A Listener Mailbag)

    Got a question about job search, careers, or marketing? Submit it for a future Q&A: https://tally.so/r/A7ZYql In this solo Q&A episode, Andy Milligan answers the questions marketers have been sending him about building a personal brand, getting referrals, and landing jobs before they're posted. He breaks down why posting your work isn't enough, how to keep your voice in a sea of templated LinkedIn content, and how to make your resume, LinkedIn, and portfolio tell one consistent story. Then he builds and strategizes in public, sharing real cold outreach conversion numbers, a sales call that didn't close, and the brand stats he tracks to grow his business. CONNECT WITH ANDY 🌐 Website: https://www.mmgdesign.net/ 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmgdesign/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulmilligan/ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 02:17 - I did $26K last month as a solo marketer 04:14 - Nobody cares about your first post (and that's fine) 05:37 - The two-step move that built my entire business 07:28 - The post type that makes people trust you faster 08:05 - $350K from a channel with almost no subscribers 08:25 - Every LinkedIn post sounds the same. Here's the fix. 10:53 - Never gotten a job through someone you know? 14:13 - How to find jobs before they're posted 16:40 - Why I'd never use the Open to Work banner 17:02 - Your resume, LinkedIn, and portfolio are telling 3 different stories 20:25 - What happens when someone Googles you 24:17 - 30 cold videos, 2 sales calls, 0 closes (yet) 27:41 - Every brand stat I track, live TEAM 🎙 Host // Andy Milligan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmgdesign/ 🎥 Production // MMG Design: https://www.mmgdesign.net/

  6. Sep 29

    How to Hire a VA as a Marketer: Step By Step

    📥 Get the full VA playbook and slide deck: https://www.columbusmarketing.org/va-workshop Recorded live for the 10x Solo community, this workshop breaks down how I built a lean remote team from the Philippines, starting for less than $200 a month. I walk through where I found each team member, what I pay and why, and the exact tasks I delegate, from LinkedIn outreach and newsletter production to podcast editing and inbox triage. You'll also get my biggest delegation mistakes, how to vet candidates, how to pay international contractors, and why your assistant should be using AI. If you've been on the fence about hiring a VA, this is your roadmap. CONNECT WITH 10X SOLO 🌐 Community: https://10xsolo.com 📰 Newsletter: https://10xsolo.substack.com 💼 Garrett Jestice: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garrettjestice CONNECT WITH ANDY 🌐 Website: https://www.mmg.studio/ 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmgdesign/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulmilligan/ ⚡️ High-Converting Websites Visual Swipe File: https://www.mmg.studio/visualswipefile TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro 01:54 The workshop begins 05:30 Solo to a team of three 10:30 Agency vs. going direct 15:30 Why $8 an hour is 7x minimum wage 18:00 Start for $200 a month 22:00 The outreach system my VA runs daily 26:00 I edited 100 episodes alone. Never again. 29:00 The mistakes I wish I hadn't made 34:30 How to spot a high performer fast 37:00 My assistant texts my mom 41:00 Live Q&A TEAM 🎙 Host // Andy Milligan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmgdesign/ 🎥 Production // MMG Studio: https://www.mmg.studio/

  7. Sep 22

    The Most Impressive Marketer I’ve Ever Met: Hans Skillrud on Agency Acquisition, Website Lawsuits, and Building a SAAS

    The best community for marketers on the internet: https://www.columbusmarketing.org Hans Skillrud went from Groupon employee #100 to agency owner to acquiring a competitor to co-founding Termageddon, a privacy compliance SaaS he runs with his wife Donata. In this episode, Hans breaks down how niching down and buying out struggling competitors built his agency's growth, why he sold it to focus on Termageddon full-time, and why most website owners have no idea how much data their site is quietly collecting and sharing. He also lays out exactly what he'd do if he were starting a web agency today, from acquisitions to one-day builds. CONNECT WITH HANS🌐 Website: https://termageddon.com/💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hans-skillrud/ CONNECT WITH ANDY🌐 Website: https://www.mmgdesign.net/💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmgdesign/📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulmilligan/ TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:00 - The Groupon job that started it all02:19 - The cold call that accidentally launched a web design career04:30 - 37 services down to one: the niche that changed everything06:24 - How buying a struggling competitor fell into his lap08:04 - Turning an acquisition into a six-figure pipeline with cold calls12:26 - How he met his wife and co-founder, Donata15:28 - Why he sold his agency to go all-in on Termageddon18:50 - The data your website is sharing without you knowing it21:15 - Inside the $30,000 SIPA demand letters hitting site owners27:15 - His playbook to buy agencies with zero money down33:10 - Why your current customers are your best growth channel35:51 - What's next for Hans, and the move to Lithuania TEAM🎙 Host // Andy Milligan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmgdesign/🎥 Production // MMG Design: https://www.mmgdesign.net/

    The Most Impressive Marketer I’ve Ever Met: Hans Skillrud on Agency Acquisition, Website Lawsuits, and Building a SAAS

  8. Sep 15

    Exactly How My Business Performed This Month: Finances, Content, Leads, and More

    ⚡️ Join the Columbus Marketing Organization: https://www.columbusmarketing.org In this solo episode, Andy Milligan opens the books on MMG Studio's August 2026 performance — $26K in revenue, a growing enterprise client concentration problem, the studio's first-ever in-person networking event, and the exact subscriptions he's cutting to trim $700 a month in software spend. This is Andy's monthly retro format, run with full transparency on profit, loss, wins, and losses. CONNECT WITH ANDY 🌐 Website: https://www.mmgdesign.net/ 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmgdesign/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulmilligan/ TOOLS I USE 💰 Monarch Money: https://monarch.com/referral/z41ilq6s8l?r_source=copy 📇 Folk CRM: https://try.folk.app/17t000urnxbb TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - The August retro nobody asked for (but you needed) 01:14 - Why I run these every month 02:30 - Opening the books: Monarch Money walkthrough 03:21 - $26K revenue, $378K lifetime, and where it's going 06:14 - The client concentration problem I created 12:14 - The $700 software bill I'm finally cutting 19:34 - My first in-person event: 21 people, 0 regrets 26:33 - The mistake costing me the most: mornings 30:27 - Goals for September and what's next TEAM 🎙 Host // Andy Milligan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmgdesign/ 🎥 Production // MMG Design: https://www.mmgdesign.net/

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Marketing by Design is a narrative spotlight show for high-performing marketers and founders on how to drive real business results with design, branding, and strategy. Powered by the Columbus Chapter of the American Marketing Association, we explore how smart design and intentional strategy helps businesses stand out, earn trust, and convert the right customers.

Information

  • Creator
    Andy Milligan
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    186
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Andy Milligan
  • Show Website
    Marketing by Design