Marketing Around the World With AI

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Vladimer Botsvadze – Marketing Expert

Podcast Overview:

04:10 Advisory board member, mentor, global speaker, recognized.
09:12 Brands use AI to reduce costs, jobs. Elon Musk’s personal brand drives Tesla’s success.
11:30 Consumers prioritize storytelling; brands must listen online.
14:54 Rejecting societal norms, pursuing personal and self-education.
17:31 Work hard, bypass formal education for success.
23:11 Taking the first step is the key.
25:10 AI is essential for business success.
28:41 AI can replace copywriters, but not all.
33:06 Earning Google’s trust led to top ranking.
35:22 Recognized as top influencer in VR, marketing.
39:53 Humanize your brand, connect with consumers digitally.
41:02 James, respond to complaints, build strong community.
44:41 Inspired by Elon Musk, building personal brand.
48:10 Digital connectivity amplifies human potential, impacting billions.
51:24 Listen to consumers to succeed in marketing.
55:39 Business program featuring owner success stories, marketing tips.

Podcast Transcription:

James [00:00:01]:
You have found authentic business adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumph and successes of business owners across the land. We are locally underwritten by the Bank of Sun Prairie. If you’re listening or watching this on a web, please share it with all your friends. And, of course, if you want a audio episode for free, you can download it at the podcast link found at draw in customers.com. Today, we are welcoming slash preparing to learn from Vladimir Botsvadze. I probably destroyed that name, Vladimir, so I apologize. This is the Midwest Accent here. Vladimir’s got a lot going on.

James [00:00:35]:
We got, on the board for United States AI Institute, which that alone we could probably talk for hours about. Mentor at Techstars, another great thing we could talk for hours about, and judge at the Webby Awards, which again, we could talk hours about. So we’re gonna try to Compact this into 1 podcast for now, but if we have to meet again, Vladimir, I’m happy too. So let’s start, Vladimir, with you being on the board of the United states, AI Institute. Because if ever there was a growing topic, I feel like AI is probably at the cusp of it right now.

Vladimir [00:01:07]:
Yeah. Hi, James. It is a delight to be on your podcast. Many thanks for, inviting me. I’m excited to share my actionable high impact and future proof insights with you today. And, you know, what sets me apart is that my a lot of james thinking, my patience, my storytelling, And caring about my community, caring about my end users. You know? Otherwise, I would not be a guest, on your amazing podcast because, I believe that, my social media community, has put me on the global map because I was sharing great content. I was educating them.

Vladimir [00:01:48]:
I instead of, sending sales pitches. I was listening to them, so I have been a is a listening business. I started, I come from Georgia, actually, from the country. I moved to the United States. It’s the age of, 18 in 2006. I got work permit from the state department. I worked in Washington DC area, then I moved to London. Then I moved to New York City where I lived for, For Tomas, in 2009, I moved to London where, I started business, marketing.

Vladimir [00:02:22]:
I worked in Business development, I built, outstanding skills. Then, I attended some conferences in Dubai. I was, little I have been, in the right place at the right time with the right people. Then I started building my social media communities, across, 10, 15 social media channels, and I, I was working 16 hours a day. I built my, following from, 0 followers to a 170,000 followers, And, I was very patient. I was, very curious. I was thinking in the long term, I hope built my website at latinearbroswaj.com. I won, more than 200 global awards.

Vladimir [00:03:03]:
I have been recognized as number 1 global marketing software by Syncastro 60. I I have started, judging awards. I started, I started, advising board in the United States. I started advising, Entrepreneurs, and start ups at Techstars. So nowadays, I wear so many hats. I take so much responsibility. I always be believe in giving back, inspiring audiences, galvanizing them into taking action. And, so also what sets me apart is that, I I don’t arrest on my laurels.

Vladimir [00:03:41]:
I always look to my laurels. I’m, I’m curious to the core. You know? And, so when you are curious, when you are lifelong learner, When you show more patience in business, in marketing, you truly, produce, world class and outstanding results. You know?

James [00:04:00]:
Yeah. So tell me, you I’m looking on your website. It’s got a lot of marketing stuff. Are there typical size companies that you work with?

Vladimir [00:04:10]:
Yeah. Because, you know, I work I currently set on the advisory board of the United States AI Institute, United States Data Science Institute, United States Cybersecurity Institute. I’m also a member or an associate member of International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences In New York City and which is part of Webby Awards, which is the best probably the best, award ceremony in the world Because we celebrate and recognize excellence in, in in marketing and social media. I also I’m also a mentor at Techstars, and we are building unicorns literally in Saudi Arabia. And, I work with 25 Because bureaus throughout the world, I hope my expertise is, recognized Entrusted by the American Marketing Association. And, so in 2022, I I spoke at the global marketing summit, where I no. Where I’m listed as a speaker, actually, it looks like Philip Cutler. And, due to my consistent and strong performance, I have been recognized, James, as a And Mark top 10 inspiring businesses by Inside Success Magazine.

Vladimir [00:05:28]:
And, this is magazine Inside Success, and it featured me. You know?

James [00:05:33]:
Oh, nice. Look at that.

Vladimir [00:05:35]:
And and and other and other magazine that, recognize me as a leader of the year, is magazine in Delaware, United States that, that interviewed me, in in a magazine. You know? And I’m very honored. I’m I’m very honored that, my practical, practical personal brand building story has been put on a pedestal by this business world. So I have had, I I have a great privilege to work as a speaker with speakers bureaus throughout the world. I work with Las Vegas speakers bureau, MSP talent, Kruger Cone, champion speakers, Speakers Academy International, Speakers Bureau’s in Australia throughout the world, in Finland. So I’m very honored that, I’m invited to to to conferences, master classes, workshops, so I can deliver my Insightful, impactful, and, actionable insights with global brands. You know?

James [00:06:40]:
Yeah. That’s incredible. Let’s Yeah. Talk about when you first got started, what led you to marketing?

Vladimir [00:06:48]:
Well, it’s just curiosity. You know? Just curiosity. And, of course, I hope pursue I pursued my bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, My master’s degree in, international economics relations and my PhD degree in supply chain management and logistics. At the same time, I pursued my certificate, certificate, program in business planning, analysis, and administration. And also, I studied, I, I also studied in London. I worked in business development. So This, this degrees, truly inspired me to to choose marketing because I believe that marketing is all about winning attention. So what is marketing nowadays? Marketing is all about creating customers and retaining retaining customers.

Vladimir [00:07:36]:
You know? So what I see is that, Brands, do a lot of do a great job when it comes to, getting customers. But when it when it comes to retaining customers, they are not as active as it say should be. Why? Right? Because you need to care about your consumers. You need to, keep your consumers. So you need to tell your story. You need to, Show empathy. You you you need to show gratitude. You need to come communicate with your consumers directly on social media.

Vladimir [00:08:06]:
You know? And I believe that, in the age of AI, where 85,000,000 Jobs will disappear according to World Economic Forum. I mean, the entry level jobs entry level jobs will disappear. You know? So marketers are going to have a tough time in the future because, as, for example, AI AI will replace copywriters, I believe, because, what what copywriters are doing nowadays Will be will be done by generative AI in the foreseeable future. So in 2009, when I embarked on my Amazing journey in London. I had an entry level job in business development in London because, you know, a great company opened the door. I had great Colleagues, I developed my skills. So, AI was not dominant in 2009, but nowadays, AI, we we work In the age of AI. So as you can see, a AI, has become alpha and omega of business, and AI is every A brand’s competitive advantage.

Vladimir [00:09:12]:
So, so, brands brands will reduce costs. They will deploy, AI, in daily operations, which means that, which means that so many jobs So, millions of jobs are going to go away because of AI, because of this force industrial revolution. So, Brands that’s truly capitalize on AI, stay ahead of the car, and win in the long term. You know? And and what is, what is, What is our, competitive advantage in the age of AI? Personal brand. You know? And I think that, the best example of personal brand is Elon Musk Who has built a robust personal brand, who directly communicates with Tesla’s owners on Twitter. And, as you know, that Tesla, does not have an advertising department, and, so Tesla James advantage of word-of-mouth marketing and, Elon Musk’s personal brand to drive and power its success, Whereas, for example, its competitor, Mercedes Benz spends more than $945 per car on the advertising. And if you so as a result, Tesla has a higher market value than other automotive brands Because of Elon Musk’s personal brand who directly communicates with Tesla’s owners, so, because of Elon Musk’s curiosity, he Has built a huge community on Twitter. That’s why he has become dominant.

Vladimir [00:10:46]:
He has be become the number 1 billionaire in the world. He’s at the forefront. He’s at the of entrepreneurship and business excellence because of his curiosity, because of his communication skills, because of his, Long term sinking and, you you you don’t know anybody from, all traditional automakers where their executives directly communicate with their consumers On social media. You know? They think that, theory advertising works, and they they waste their 1,000,000,000 of dollars on backward looking advertising. And as you know that, trust trust in businesses, brands, and advertising has de has declined of 15 years in a row. 15 years in a row. You know? Wow. Yes.

Vladimir [00:11:30]:
And, and the consumption of advertising is down is down by 95%. 95%. Just imagine that, I’m an award judge throughout the world at Top at, at elite and prestigious award ceremonies, and I can see that it is a battle for attention Between among the brands battle for attention. So the the brands that tell, compelling stories, they are at the forefront and they, like, win consumers’ attention, but but the brands said disregard personal branding, said they disregard Social media, they disregard, content creation, storytelling. They, they go out of business. They lose market share, And, nobody, remembers, nobody remembers, Blockbuster and the the the rest of the brands because because they disregarded, Internet and, consumer. So so we need to put consumers at the heart of everything we do, And we need to list we need to be in the listening business, James. It’s a listening business because of so many so many brands pushing their message On social media, like broadcasters, you know, like on TV, on billboards, on, like, in magazines because and social media is all about Humanizing your brand.

Vladimir [00:12:49]:
You need to connect with your consumers. You know? So social media is a first platform in the history of marketing and communication where Consumers have a voice and a reaction. Unfortunately, majority of brands are transactional, short, that of building, communicating with their consumer directly, you know, on social media. Great also a great example is Brian Chesky who cofounded Airbnb, and he built a great community on Twitter because he directly communicates with Airbnb’s users to Improve Airbnb’s product. You know? So the market is a market is a decision maker. Market decides what is good and bad. So market decided that Tesla is good. Airbnb is good.

Vladimir [00:13:37]:
Netflix is good. Spotify is good, and the rest of the brands are goods that truly solve consumers’ problems. You know?

James [00:13:44]:
Tell me let’s dig into the Elon Mustang just because from a marketing standpoint, that’s very interesting. I didn’t even know that Tesla didn’t have an advertising department. That’s interesting, but let’s say so Tesla’s worth I mean, it’s valued 4 times what GM is, I think. It’s just Crazy.

Vladimir [00:14:02]:
Yeah. So so as I mentioned, James, Tesla has higher market value than the rest of the automakers because of the personal brand. You know? And you know why I work with, speakers bureaus? Because first of all, I have been ranked as number 1 global marketing thought leader by 360, which is the 1st open platform for global thought leaders. I have been very consistent because I communicated with my audience, because because, I I did not have 1,000,000 of dollars to invest In my personal brand, really, but but I was on a short swing budget. I I just built my website. I just built With hunger, determination, perseverance, I have built my communities across 15 social media channels, and I have reinvested every Penny into my growth. You know? Every penny into my growth because I’m a sure I’m a long term sinker. I don’t care about keeping keeping up with journalists.

Vladimir [00:14:54]:
And the majority of people around me, people they they do care about keeping up with Jonas, but I don’t care because I create my past. I build my dreams, and, no, I’m at the forefront nowadays at, of marketing because of my vision and because, I I believe in what I’m doing. You know? So when I started, when I embarked on my journey on Twitter in 2014, I I was, convinced that I was going to build huge communities, that the building huge communities, would open so many doors, so I would explore exciting opportunity in business. So as as a result, all my efforts paid off because I I rarely, No. I have rarely depended on my formal degrees even I pursued my PhD. But but formal, as Jim Rohn said, formal education will make you living, and self education will make a fortune. So self education is everyone’s responsibility In, this decade, as Warren Buffett advises that to read 500 pages a day in order to be dominant. I’m not saying that you need to be competitive.

Vladimir [00:16:05]:
You need to be dominant in business. You know? You need to work to be number 1, not number 5, not number 15, not Number 25, you need to be dominant because, Apple, it is a a a domination or competition. Domination. Right? Coca Cola, it is a domination or competition. Domination. You know? Tesla, it is a domination or competition. Domination. You know? So we need to push self education in order to Be dominant, not competitive because so many people are obsessed with being competitive being competitive, but it’s all about domination.

Vladimir [00:16:37]:
Only Only 1% dominate. Right, James? Like Tesla, like Elon Musk, like Warren Buffett, like Apple because Because they listen to their consumers. You know? So customer centricity is a be all and end all nowadays, James. You know?

James [00:16:54]:
So tell me the danger that I see in that when you’re talking, I guess, Airbnb, not so much, but Tesla, I always worry. What happens if Elon Musk gets hit by a bus? What does that do to the Tesla brand?

Vladimir [00:17:08]:
Well, well, I’m sure that, Elon Musk is, careful enough in his life to He’s

James [00:17:17]:
got a private jet. All this I’m just I’m not expecting a bus driver to

Vladimir [00:17:21]:
hit the road. But, you know, you know, I admire. James, I admire I admire Elon Musk, Elon Musk’s, work at you because Elon Musk sets

James [00:17:30]:
up Absolutely.

Vladimir [00:17:31]:
If if other people if other people work 40 hour work weeks and you work Eighty 100 hour work with you know that in 4 months, you will achieve what it takes for them a year to achieve. You know? So I was working hours a day is the last 20 years. You know? I was working. You know why I worked? Because of curiosity. Because to build my dreams. Because to pay my pass Instead of following the crowd and to depend on formal degree because formal degree no longer provides a positive ROI because Because, for example, because it formal education does not keep up with the with the innovation of this technology world. It’s Hard to keep up, you know, because this, world is faster because of the Internet. This world is faster.

Vladimir [00:18:13]:
You know? So we we need to we need to One of the top skills by the world according to the World Economic Forum is active daily learning. So we need to be, we need to learn daily, Tilly, in order to be number 1, in order to stay ahead of the car and to win in the long term. You know?

James [00:18:31]:
Right. So I’m just saying Elon Musk’s marketing machine, If he goes away, is that similar to when Apple got rid of Steve Jobs in

Vladimir [00:18:42]:
Absolutely. Absolutely, James. Absolutely. Because because Elon Musk is a face of Tesla face of Tesla. You know? So Yeah. When Steve Jobs When Steve Jobs returned to, Apple. Right? Mhmm. Apple kademan comeback.

Vladimir [00:18:57]:
Right? They did. They did. Yeah. So so so, so nowadays nowadays, Tesla heavily depends On the robust personal brand of Elon Musk because he is active on Twitter. Right. He’s active on Twitter, so he directly communicates with, Tesla’s, Tesla’s owners. You know? Because Elon Musk has emotional connection with, his community. Emotional connection is decisive.

Vladimir [00:19:26]:
James, emotional connection. For example, Harley Davidson has community. Harley Owners Group. You know? Because Mhmm. More than 700,000 riders go to Sturgis in South Dakota to attend festivals. You know? So, Harley Davidson brings community together. It’s not about sales. It’s about branding.

Vladimir [00:19:45]:
It’s all about caring about your, Community. You know? So so, so tell so, So Harley Davidson’s consumers have emotional connection with the brand. You know? It’s all about and Harley and Harley Davidson’s mission is to to make their consumer’s dreams come true through motorcycle lifestyle. You know?

James [00:20:12]:
Yeah. I’m a big, big motorcyclist. Not necessarily a Harley guy, but, yeah, definitely motorcyclist. The curiosity that I have is the separation of a person from a business because for that for the person can go away. Right? No one lives forever. Nobody lasts forever. And sometimes people can say things that they don’t necessarily that the world may take a different way. Right? There’s people that are certainly polarized over Elon for whatever reason.

James [00:20:37]:
Where Coca Cola is Coca Cola I don’t know the CEO of Coca Cola. I couldn’t tell you any one of the board members. I don’t know if

Vladimir [00:20:44]:
it’s good. No. It is, we we work in a digital age nowadays, James. So it is very important for every Entrepreneur, every, president of the company and director to connect with their consumers directly on social media because social media It’s the ultimate competitive advantage nowadays. So if you communicate, if you humanize your brand, then, you can win in a long term. But if you Still, in, depend on the backward looking advertising, you will go out of business like like Blockbuster. You know?

James [00:21:19]:
Yeah. I think Blockbuster was essentially in the typewriter repair business. So just technology evolved into the product that they were offering, and they

Vladimir [00:21:28]:
So so Nokia, Nokia was a market leader in 2007 was when, Steve Jobs introduced iPhone, right, in 2007. But Nokia is no longer dominant and market leader. Apple is dominant market leader. You know? It’s because Yeah.

James [00:21:46]:
Currently. Currently.

Vladimir [00:21:47]:
Yeah. So so everything everything changes like with lighting. You know?

James [00:21:52]:
Yeah. I see ebbs and flows. I mean, for all I know in 10 years, BlackBerry is gonna be back on top. I kinda hope they have

Vladimir [00:21:57]:
So so Who knows? I remember that, some people were, were complaining that I’ve iPhone did not have buttons on the screen. So so they were reluctant to use iPhone from the outset. You know? So but, eventually, everyone Started using, iPhone because it it was, the hottest ticket. Right? Because it was the best thing to buy. Right? So so I think I think, I think, Apple Apple is is very consumer centric, and also its design is outstanding. Know? Mhmm. Mhmm.

James [00:22:38]:
Tell me so for small business, let’s say small business, you’re a plumber or something like that. You got a few guys, a few vans running around. You maybe still have a flip phone, or if you have a smartphone, you don’t have a whole lot on it. Yeah. What is a a company like that that’s definitely more local? What would you recommend they do as far as the marketing landscape? Because they may not necessarily even have social media accounts. Is the idea to have them hire people? Like, what do you what do you suggest for them as far as marketing goes?

Vladimir [00:23:11]:
Oh, well, well, it is, the first step is always the hardest, James. You know? But I believe that if they take the 1st step, it will be a smooth, move forward, you know, because anyone can Can, can, create their social media accounts. It’s free. Right? Because if you wanted to reach audiences, set years ago, You had to pay 1,000,000 of dollars, traditional media to reach global audiences. You had to buy billboards. You had to advertise. You if you wanted to advertise in newspapers, you had to buy a full page ad. So at no cost, you can reach millions of people through Twitter, through LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok.

Vladimir [00:23:55]:
You know? So so I believe that, Anyone should start creating content that is, followers, consumers’ best interest, you know, because Salespeople, rarely manage to build their personal brand because they are sending sales pitches all the time. For example, When when someone connects with me on LinkedIn, they send me sales pitches. I am selling this. I am selling that. Visit our website. We have 20% sales. So I I believe that Our world is, tired and sick of this, of this sales sales pitches. You know? So We need to, find new ways to tell our stories.

Vladimir [00:24:35]:
You know? And I believe that, anyone should position themselves as a media company, So we need to start publishing information. You know? We need to start creating, start sharing our success stories with our with The with this world, with consumers, with subscribers, you know, because your your 2 videos on YouTube, on TikTok can change your business, you know. So anyone should start showing more curiosity on a daily basis.

James [00:25:05]:
Yeah. Tell me how you believe AI is gonna change the landscape of marketing.

Vladimir [00:25:10]:
Well, AI has become, every brand’s competitive advantage, and I believe that, In more than 80% of brands that, don’t integrate, AI into daily operations, they will disappear, you know, because, you are doing you are doing your business Faster because of the AI, you know, because of AI. And it is, you are you will be in a catbird seat in the long term because you you depend on AI. So, I use AI. Anyone, any marketer should use AI to tell their stories, to create better content. And, so it, helps you move forward. So anyone should strike while the iron is hot and make hay While the sun shines, to use, these tools, this, generative AI because it’s free, because it helps you, to solve your pro problems. It helps you create content. So so why should why shouldn’t people use, this AI On a daily basis because it can help you to succeed.

Vladimir [00:26:16]:
You know?

James [00:26:17]:
Mhmm. Tell me, so the United States AI Institute, what is that?

Vladimir [00:26:24]:
Well, United States AI Institute provides certification programs throughout the world. And, nowadays, the institute collaborates with MIT, And they provide dual programs, you know, in artificial intelligence. It, our institute has instructors from MIT, world renowned experts and, So, they win, they they work on win win projects to, provide, certificate programs throughout the world. You know?

James [00:26:54]:
Certification programs for marketers or for developers?

Vladimir [00:26:57]:
For everyone for everyone who wants So who who wants to stay competitive in the age of AI. You know?

James [00:27:03]:
Okay. Interesting. And so on the board with that, Are you hoping to define what those certifications are or how hard it is to get them?

Vladimir [00:27:12]:
Or Well, I I help I help boards boards in terms of How they how they should, how they can, position themselves as a market leader. You know? What kind of content they can create? How to win attention? How to connect how to connect with consumers. You know? So I, I I share my best tips with with my colleagues how they can drive their success forward. You know?

James [00:27:40]:
Alright. And how do you use AI in your business?

Vladimir [00:27:44]:
Well, as I mentioned, you know, I create content. You know? It helps me just to find better ideas, to create better content, more compelling content. You know? And, so, I I I I I have been very impressed by AI and generative AI, you know, on a daily basis. And I’m I’m. You know? I’m still I’m still shocked. You know? What what transformative power it has. You know?

James [00:28:09]:
So is this so you are creating content, or are you using AI and the AIs creating content?

Vladimir [00:28:14]:
No. No. I mean, AI gives me ideas what what content to create in in a faster, better way. You know? So I save time. You know? I save time. I save time, and I think, AI can be your best assistant nowadays If you use, smart in a smart way. You know?

James [00:28:33]:
Yeah. Yeah. I’ve I’ve used AI for a lot of things. I wouldn’t consider it the end all be all currently, though I’m certain it’s evolving faster than

Vladimir [00:28:41]:
Yeah. So as I mentioned, James, you you will not need to Or to hire copywriters because AI can help you create better content and, literally, copyright A copyright the world the world that doesn’t know copywriters’ names, they they will not get any job in the future. This, this job will disappear in the future, but marketers who help build their personal brands and who have an emotional attachment to the world. Some areas still be in high demand. They will still be sought after because they have emotional connection with the world. I I will still be I will be speaking at Global Universe because I have my who built my personal brand. You know? I’m known. You know, I’m in a convert seat.

Vladimir [00:29:27]:
People know me. People are aware of my qualities. You know? It’s because I was working 16 hours a day when this world was Was denigrating and barely telling social media, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram. I was working 16 hours a day, you know, 16 hours a day. So In in 2024, I have well deserved success because I have put my heart and soul into building my personal brand. And, building a solid personal brand is what sets you apart in this day and age. You know?

James [00:29:57]:
Alright. I was just gonna ask if you’re gonna be out of a job soon, but it Sounds like you’re okay.

Vladimir [00:30:03]:
Yeah. So so, James, James, you know I mean, I’m I am very sorry That people are are losing jobs nowadays, but anyone should show more curiosity. I I I I I turned My side hustle into a profitable business because I was curious, because I was renewing every penny to my growth, because I was showing more patience patience. You know? So consistency has been the bedrock of my growth Because if you are not consistent, you can’t win in social media. So consistent action creates consistent results. You know?

James [00:30:40]:
Fair. Totally fair. Tell me about Techstars and being a mentor with them.

Vladimir [00:30:44]:
Yeah. It’s truly amazing. You know? I, I was contacted by amazing, colleague, from Techstars who notified me that, I I became a mentor at Techstars, so I started, sharing my marketing tips with entrepreneurs In Saudi Arabia, it is a, Techstars has a a specific program. Techstars, Founder KTellist. You know? So, so it is amazing program. You know? It is amazing program. I I already mentored I already mentored a few entrepreneurs, a few startups, and I I, inspired them, to Discovered practicality in marketing, how they can use social media to tell their stories. You know? Because as you know, I love this quote of Steve Jobs who said that, the most powerful person in the world is a storyteller.

Vladimir [00:31:46]:
You know? So we need to tell our stories. There are still so many brands that don’t tell their stories. They they don’t win, you know, Because they don’t connect with consumers. Because Elon Musk tells his stories on a daily basis. That’s why he communicates with Tesla’s owners on On Twitter, and Tesla is a market leader. Market leader. Market leader because because of curiosity, because of long term thinking, because of patience, because Because, even when Elon has a crisis in his, care in in in in in in, in business, He shares everything. He does not have any skeleton in the closet.

Vladimir [00:32:26]:
You know?

James [00:32:28]:
Oh, he shares Oh, yeah. I don’t know.

Vladimir [00:32:30]:
And, you know, And, James, James, consumers love entrepreneurs who put a human face on their brands. You know? So that’s true. Elon Elon Elon shares everything with, consumers, with audiences, with followers. That’s why He has built his whole community. That’s why he has built trust. So so earning trust Earning trust is one of the, the best achievements in marketing. You know? Because when you earn trust for example, I have earned your trust. That’s why I’m a I’m a guest on your podcast.

Vladimir [00:33:06]:
I I’m also earning Google’s trust. You know? So So I don’t need to I don’t need to work on SEO nowadays because I have earned your trust because I have a world class expertise and Career highlights, it’s that allowed me to be a guest on your podcast and to share my story with you because I was working 16 hours a day, to care about my audience and to I was inspiring people, you know, because because you know? For example, James, when you Google, for example, Digital marketing, digital transformation. You know, it’s a top. It’s a top. Google shows you 20, Maybe 12 experts. You know? So Mhmm. I’m rank I’m I’m ranked at the top nowadays because of my strong personal brand. Yes.

Vladimir [00:33:57]:
So, Google picks me as the leading digital transformation software. For example, when you Google digital marketing keynote speaker, My website is ranked number 1 in the world among all keynote speakers in the world. You know why? Because because, Yes. Because of my strong personal brand, I am not only as a keynote speaker. I’m also a guest on podcast. I’m an award judge. I advise boards. You know? I’m I have been featured in in magazines as I showed you.

Vladimir [00:34:29]:
You know? I have built my personal brand. I have my presence Across all social media channels because every little bit helps to build your personal brand. You know?

James [00:34:39]:
So what did it take for you to get there time wise? So we talking years, months, weeks? What are we talking?

Vladimir [00:34:45]:
Yeah. I it took me 10 years.

James [00:34:48]:
10 years. Okay. We got a decade kademan.

Vladimir [00:34:50]:
To build my brand from scratch. You know? Because jay because, James, you know, I had 0 followers in 2014, 0 followers. You know? So In 2014, I gained, no no more over 7,000 followers on Twitter. 7000. 7000. And in 2015, I was recognized as number 65 Global b to b marketing influencer by London. Because I was active on Twitter. I was sharing content.

Vladimir [00:35:22]:
In 2017 In 2017, I was recognized as a month top 100 virtual reality influencers By Onalitica in 2017. In 2018 in 2018, I was recognized among top 100, digital transformation influencers by Analytica. Just imagine that Analytica has been, sets it, Analytica, laid strong foundation for my success because Analytica were the 1st organization in London that recognized me worldwide, you know, because of my Because of my curiosity, because I was active on Twitter. You know? So so so I set the stage for my global success that I won 3 3 awards, in 3 years from 2015 to 2018. So In 2020, Syncast 360, which was founded in Texas, recognized me as number 5. Number 1 number 1, mark marketing, a solitaire in the world. Number 1. You know? So just imagine that that, from nothing, I hope I I I hope become an influencer.

Vladimir [00:36:38]:
I hope become number 1 in the world. I won awards. I started I started, judging awards. I have become a, I advise or report member at the top institutes in the United States. I shall become a mentor at Techstars. I I, built my website. So it’s curiosity that led me that, that allowed me to open so many doors in business. You know?

James [00:37:06]:
So let’s break this down to a recipe for the people that don’t know, I guess, or or aren’t sure where to start. If I’m a I’m a marketer or I have a business and I wanna market that, where do I start? What is the first thing that I do?

Vladimir [00:37:21]:
Networking is everything these days, James. You know? Because In person

James [00:37:24]:
1 on 1.

Vladimir [00:37:25]:
Yes. Networking is everything. So, Twitter allows you to communicate To communicate with people on 1 to 1 level, you know, 1 to 1 level. So so just imagine that Twitter is like a cocktail party. You know? So you are invited to this party. You jump into conversations. You introduce yourself. You break the ice with amazing people.

Vladimir [00:37:46]:
You start networking. Some people are hiring marketers. Some people are building u next unicorns. Some people, are looking for business development managers. Some people are are investing in startups. So, social media is a like a Swiss army knife for business nowadays. You know? You can build your personal brand. You can become a keynote speaker.

Vladimir [00:38:09]:
You can, get a job at top company. You can, let you can achieve your goals because of networking. You know? So people become investors because of networking. You know? And, so it’s just of curiosity. You know? You need to allow people. If you don’t allow people, you should never build your personal brand. You should never, create your Twitter account. You know?

James [00:38:34]:
So it’s interesting you say that. So we I have a call answering service. We answer phones for a fair number of businesses that are in the service industry. We’re talking construction, veterinary, IT. And a lot of these people, I would not consider necessarily people people. They don’t like communicating, or They do better not communicating with people. They do, well, let’s just take veterinarian specifically. They became veterinarian typically because they like communicating with animals more than they do with people.

James [00:39:07]:
So do you have them hire someone to be the face of the company? Or how do you how do you teach them? Or what would you tell them to do or suggest for them to do from a marketing standpoint, getting on social media, if they’re not the greatest at communicating.

Vladimir [00:39:23]:
The worst the worst mistake business owners make is that they outsource Communication and, social media. You know? They outsource. You know? Okay. So this is a worst mistake people make nowadays. So I I I I I I have to address the elephant in the room that people make mistakes when they outsource communication, social media, content creation. You know? If you are hiring someone who is going to communicate instead of you, you should not be in business. You know?

James [00:39:52]:
Alright. Tell me why.

Vladimir [00:39:53]:
Tell me why. So you need to You need to when you when you when you when you run your business, you need to humanize your brand. You need to put a human face on your business and directly communicate With consumers in a digital aid because it costs $0 to download social media channels and to set up your accounts and to to start creating content and To start communicating with your subscriber followers, you know, to start showing gratitude, to start showing empathy, you know. So you need to respond to everyone’s tweet, everyone’s question. You know? Because word-of-mouth marketing is what builds your business in this day and age. You know? We’re top out marketing. You know?

James [00:40:33]:
So I wanna challenge that a little bit. I don’t disagree with you with the right person, but there though the direct Dollar cost isn’t there. There is certainly a time cost. I mean, that’s a rabbit hole you could spend 24 hours a day on social media if you want. Right? You’ll never scroll to the end. And, some of the people that I’m thinking of, if somebody were to post a negative comment in response to a post that they made, they would get in a battle with someone

Vladimir [00:41:02]:
Oh, so, James, 60 per 60% of our consumers back to be recognized by brand 60%. That’s why they complain, and they leave negative comments on social media posts. You know? They depend we need to build this community, strong community. You know? We need to build a strong community. So we need to we need to, Respond to everyone’s question even to those who are not satisfied with our product and services. You know? Because because if we don’t respond, they will go around, And they will tell other people, and it will have a snowball effect. It will be distract distractive for your brand. You know? So we need to respond We need to respond to everyone’s question to solve their problems and to list we need to be the listening business.

Vladimir [00:41:45]:
You know? Why Amazon became Amazon? Because Amazon listens to consumers. You know? Amazon Amazon is not, Amazon is not consumer competitor centric, Whereas the rest of retailers are competitor centric, and they focus on what Amazon is doing. At the same time, Amazon is listening to its consumers. You know? Mhmm.

James [00:42:09]:
Yeah. I mean, you can

Vladimir [00:42:10]:
Oh, so you need to you need to you need to improve your your product based on the Feedback of your consumers. You know?

James [00:42:17]:
Sure. In the case of Amazon adding ads to their Prime Video of this product.

Vladimir [00:42:23]:
So feedback. We need to consumers. We need to we need to drive our success, our results based on the feedback of our consumers, you know, Based on our feedback. So we should expect we should expect this, feedback from every corner, you know, on Twitter, On Instagram, on LinkedIn, on YouTube, on, I mean, Snapchat. You know? So brands what are the brand’s excuses that they don’t want to Be on social media and to tell your story and to tell their stories and to listen to their consumers and humanize their brands. It’s no longer traditional marketing. Traditional marketing was one way communication, but social media is a two way communication. You need to communicate.

Vladimir [00:43:06]:
You need to put a human face. Well, there there was madness there was a method, e Elon in Elon Musk madness when he was building this, They have, giant companies from scratch, and, Elon Musk was borrowing money for rent in 2008 in San Francisco. You know?

James [00:43:25]:
But he didn’t start Tesla from scratch.

Vladimir [00:43:28]:
Yeah. I mean, Elon Musk was borrowing money for rent Right. Because he reinvested every penny into the his ventures, into new companies. He did not have money. He did not have money For rent to to pay for rent.

James [00:43:42]:
Expensive. Right?

Vladimir [00:43:44]:
Yeah. So so, this is, this is this is why Elon Elon was passionate about building his ventures from scratch. You know?

James [00:43:54]:
What do you think woulda happened to Tesla if that That SpaceX launch, I think, was number 7 that he was kinda all in, make it or break it. It was successful. What would have happened? What do you believe would have happened to Tesla if that launch would have failed?

Vladimir [00:44:10]:
Well, as I mentioned, why why we love Elon Musk? Because he shares everything with us. You know? He does not have any skeleton in the closet. You know? Whereas whereas it would be Unacceptable for many entrepreneurs and cofounders to share everything with their followers, consumers in the digital age because Whatever you share affect your market share. You know? Right? It affects. You know? But but Elon is very daring, Intrepid. Forward thinker. You

James [00:44:39]:
know? Absolutely.

Vladimir [00:44:41]:
Yeah. So that’s why that’s why I was inspired. I was inspired by his vision, his, Long term thinking he’s a, entrepreneurial spirit, you know, to also to build my personal brand because If Elon Musk communicates with Tesla owners and he’s a he he has become a mark the market leader, anyone can become successful in 2020 In 2024, in their different sectors, if they start using social media for professional purposes, but so many people still use social media For personal purposes, and they don’t care about building their personal brands. You know?

James [00:45:19]:
Tell me so the interesting thing I find with, guess going down the Elon Musk hole on social media. How does that guy have time to post all the time on social media? He’s got all these companies, all these ploys at any given moment, something’s gonna be on fire, yet he’s still posting all this stuff or commenting on Twitter.

Vladimir [00:45:40]:
Well, he he loves what he does. You know? That’s why, that’s why we admire him. And, you know, I I believe that, it was not a straight road for Elon, that

James [00:45:52]:
he has become

Vladimir [00:45:53]:
he yeah. So it’s never so we resilience is very important, James, resilience. You know? And if you check if you check out World Economic Forum’s top skills in the world in 2023, 2024, resilience is number number 3rd skill top skill, 3rd skill, you know, in the world because because, you know, We need, we need to take the bull by the horse and to move forward. You know?

James [00:46:19]:
Tell what are number 1 and 2 for those skills?

Vladimir [00:46:22]:
Analytical thinking and creative thinking.

James [00:46:25]:
Oh, interesting. The curiosity there

Vladimir [00:46:28]:
is creative thinking. Number 5. Number 5.

James [00:46:32]:
That the interesting thing is creative thinking when I feel like AI is gonna be taking a lot of that away.

Vladimir [00:46:39]:
So the first, So the the 4th skill is motivation and self awareness. 6 is a technological literacy. 7 7 skill is Dependability and attention to detail. It’s very important. Attention to detail. And number 8, empathy and active listening. Number 9, leadership and social influence, and last but not least, quality control.

James [00:47:04]:
Oh, interesting. Who decides that? Who decides those 10? Does that some bore?

Vladimir [00:47:10]:
Well, you know, the World Economic Forum in Switzerland has Well well renowned experts all say gather to, to choose top skills each year, to show the world what matters the most. You know?

James [00:47:24]:
Interesting. That would have been a fun meeting to listen to. Me.

Vladimir [00:47:27]:
So so number 3 number 3 skill is resilience, Flexibility and agility. Number 3.

James [00:47:36]:
Alright. Interesting. That is very cool. So, Vladimir, if I’m building a small business, my plumber business, I gotta get on social media. I gotta be the face of my company. I gotta be

Vladimir [00:47:49]:
on there.

James [00:47:50]:
Communicating. Respond. Besides social media, what’s step 2?

Vladimir [00:47:56]:
Besides social media great question. You know? I I because, Ethernet, life has become the real life. Right?

James [00:48:06]:
Perceived. Right? I don’t know about real.

Vladimir [00:48:10]:
They so how So, real life is secondary, I believe, because it no longer provides. So we there are 8,000,000,000 there are 8,000,000,000 people in the world And 5 5,600,000,000 mobile users, 5,200,000,000, Internet users, and 4,900,000,000 social media users. Almost 5,000,000,000 people use social media. Just imagine. 5,000,000,000 people. You can achieve so much if you start, telling your story story and, humanize your brand, show more curiosity. Of course, you know, it’s not a Trade road, I can say from my experience. Oh, that, you know, of course, but I I loved everything along the way, James, you know, every you and Twitter is not is not a straight road, but you should, be very You need to have a 6 kin 6 kin to navigate business.

James [00:49:06]:
Yeah. In business, that’s a must.

Vladimir [00:49:07]:
You need to have a 6 kin. You know? Mhmm.

James [00:49:10]:
Yeah. So beyond social media, or is that it? Social media is it.

Vladimir [00:49:14]:
Well It’s the endgame. Well, you know, I we no longer read We no longer read newspapers. You know? We are in a streaming economy. You know? We we watch Netflix. We watch no ads. We listen to Spotify. We hear no ads. Right? So Amazon Prime, no ads.

Vladimir [00:49:32]:
Disney plus, no ads. You know? We are in a streaming economy nowadays. Consumers, pay extra not to consume ads. You know? So Consumption of ads is down by 95%, and trust the trust in businesses, brands, and advertising has declined 15 years in a row. 15 years in a row. You know? More than measure that. More than 750,000,000 consumers have ad blockers on mobile devices. 750,000,000 consumers have ad blockers on mobile devices.

Vladimir [00:50:08]:
You know? Just imagine that That the brands brands waste their 1,000,000,000 of dollars on backward looking advertising, And, nobody wants to tell their stories on social media. Nobody wants to put human face on their brands. No. And instead, They still depend on tried and true backward looking advertising, and they’re getting nothing in return. They lose market share. They go out of business. Consumers no longer trust them. And, well, if if it’s their choice, then they are out of business.

James [00:50:42]:
Gotcha. Fair enough. So get on social media and be the face of your brand is

Vladimir [00:50:46]:
Absolutely. Absolutely.

James [00:50:47]:
The sum up of what we got here.

Vladimir [00:50:49]:
Golden Age. It is a golden age social media. So if people don’t create content, they will regret. 15 years later, not creating content, Not humanizing their brands, not connecting with their consumers in the digital age. You know? So Yeah. So we need to Everyone is a media company nowadays. Everyone is a media company. Everyone.

Vladimir [00:51:11]:
Everyone. Everyone. Yeah. Everyone has power at their fingertip nowadays. You know? So we need to care about our consumers. We need to listen to our consumer. Many brands are broadcaster nowadays, James. Broadcasters.

Vladimir [00:51:24]:
You know? But we need to be in the listening business. You know, before I start speaking at Global Events, I, listen to my, followers, my subscribers, my, con consumers. You know? So I learned everything through through through them, and, I know, I know consumer behavior quite well because I’m very close to my consumers. You know? So Brands need to get closer to their consumers in order to win in the long term. Otherwise, it it would be tough because still so many Big organizations and big brands are very far from their consumers. They depend on this, I mean, marketing The strategies that were setting set years ago, say market say market, like, it is, they market like 99 to 5 in 2024 world, and they, consumers no longer trust them. You know?

James [00:52:23]:
Tell me, where do you see social media going in the next 3 to 5 years with AI and all the changes and all that jazz?

Vladimir [00:52:30]:
I believe that, we are in a web 2.5 experience because I don’t believe that every social media is built on blockchain. You know? So I don’t think but but we are moving to Web 3. We are moving to Web 3. You know? Okay. Yeah.

James [00:52:45]:
What does that look like?

Vladimir [00:52:46]:
Oh, So Web 3 is everything will be transparent nowadays. Everything. You know? Everything. So so, people need to start showing more curiosity. They need to Adapt to the reality of this 4th industrial revolution and to get closer to their consumers, you know, and to tell their stories And to position themselves as a media company and to start publishing information. Otherwise, they will be replaced by AI because AI, as I mentioned, Copywriters will be replaced by AI because I will not need copywriters. I will not be I will not be hiring copywriters because AI helps me. You know? So So we if we we need to reinvent ourselves every single day.

Vladimir [00:53:28]:
So, James, what are the 5 lessons from Amazon? You know? 1st is building building a great experience. 2nd, being consumer centric. 3rd, reinventing yourself. The said, of course, is, being experimental because, Joe Bezos said that if you double the number of Experiments you do per year. You are going to double your inventiveness. And 5th is, sinking in the long term Thinking is a long term. You know? Because still so many brands, think about what happens in the next 5, 6, 7 months, but Amazon thinks about what happens in 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, 15 years. You know? That’s why that’s why, Joe Bezos is a long term thinker to the core.

Vladimir [00:54:15]:
That’s why he has built this, Amazing, I’m a company Amazon because Amazon was the biggest advertiser on Google AdWords 2,000, 2005. So Amazon and Geoprazos capitalize on Google at words under price attention To build what Amazon is nowadays. You know?

James [00:54:35]:
Mhmm. Interesting. Yeah. Vladimir, I appreciate your time. How can people find you?

Vladimir [00:54:43]:
People can visit me at Vladimir Botswade.com Okay. Where I provide services, then they can connect with me on LinkedIn. I’m open to new connections. They can follow me on Twitter, at Lado Bozzuate. Also, I am also available on Instagram at Latime Bozzuate. Last but not the least, They can like my Facebook page, Vladimir. So let’s connect and build great things in the future. You know?

James [00:55:08]:
Yeah. That sounds great. Vladimir, I really appreciate you being on the show.

Vladimir [00:55:12]:
Thank you so much, James. I truly

James [00:55:15]:
Yeah. Go ahead. Go ahead.

Vladimir [00:55:17]:
Thank you so much for this opportunity. I truly shared my best expertise with you nowadays. I’m sure that my actionable and practical insights, we’ll have so many, colleagues, and business owners throughout the world to discover practicality in business and How they can position themselves as a media company and to get closer to the consumers to tell their stories. You know?

James [00:55:39]:
Absolutely. That’s the name of the game. This has been Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumphant successes of business owners across the land. We are locally underwritten by the Bank of Sun Prairie. If you’re listening or watching this on the web, if you could do us a huge favor, give us a big old thumbs up, subscribe, And, of course, share it with your entrepreneurial friends, especially those that are in the marketing game or those that don’t understand that they’re in the marketing game. And let’s be honest, we’re all in the marketing game. My name is James Kademan, and Authentic Business Adventures is brought to you by Callsoncallcom, offering call answering and receptionist services For service businesses across the country, on the web at callsoncallcom. And, of course, the bold business book, a book the entrepreneur, and all of us available wherever fine books are sold.

James [00:56:25]:
We’d like to thank you, our wonderful listeners, as well as our guest, Vladimir Botsvat. Can you tell us that website it one more time, Vladimir.

Vladimir [00:56:32]:
Bozvazze.

James [00:56:34]:
Oh, Bozvazze. Okay. The z is pronounced. Interesting. Okay. I love it. I love it. Can you tell us the website one more time?

Vladimir [00:56:43]:
Vladimir Bozoaze .com.

James [00:56:45]:
Awesome. I love it. Past episodes can be found morning, noon, and night podcast link found at drawincustomerscom. Thank you for listening. We will see you next week. I want you to stay awesome. And if you do nothing else, enjoy your business.