Podcast 20: Light-harvesting helmets, lead gen, and Lord of the Rings

Listen to episode 20

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Show notes

News

• The UK has one of the most extreme forms of capitalism in the world
• A report by Professor Colin Mayer, published by the British academy
• The report claims we need to rethink how business operates in the UK
• In the UK, shareholders are usually institutional investors which removes vested interests and create a profit driven environment
• The interests of the business are driven by a small number of individuals
• Is it acceptable to start a business solely to make money or should there be more to it than that?

Innovations

• Light-harvesting helmets promise to deliver 'endless power'
• Solar panels are adapted to fit onto clothing and clothing
• It's a carbon positive material that converts light to electricity
• Jamie and Mat discuss whether or not this is a great invention... Jamie isn't convinced

Marketing explained

• In the final marketing explained section, Mat quizzes Jamie on lead gen.

What is lead gen?

• Lead gen is converting someone who isn't yet a customer to becoming one
• You usually come across lead gen in B2B environments
• The aim is to capture as much information as you can to close the deal or make a sale

What are the key elements of lead gen?

• You want to offer potential customers something of value in exchange for their data
• Quality of content: The thing you are offering needs to be interesting and relevant to your business
• Data gateway: You have to be careful with how you present your content to your potential lead
• Sales process: Once you've captured your data, you need to come up with a follow-up strategy. Some people do recommend calling customers within the first hour

What's A-B testing?

• A-B testing is when you send half your users to a control page, and the other half to a page with one variation
• For example, you could send half your users to a page where your call to action button is red, and the other half to a version where it is green
• This allows you to monitor whether one version is more or less effective in terms of conversion
• You then keep adapting characteristics to develop a form or website that is optimised for your user

Brilliant or bonkers?

'All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes, a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king.'

– Bilbo Baggins from JR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings