In this episode of the Discussing Digital podcast, Rob Osborne sits down with Miles Phillips, the owner of MilesMarketing, to discuss the intricacies of digital marketing. Miles brings a unique perspective to the table, with a blend of traditional and digital marketing expertise. He explains his two main offerings - an outsourced marketing department service for larger businesses and a suite of "Bite Size" products for solopreneurs and small businesses.

The conversation delves into Miles' digital marketing approach, with a particular focus on LinkedIn as the primary platform for his target audience. Miles emphasizes the importance of being active on a select few channels rather than spreading yourself thin across multiple platforms. He also shares his tips for leveraging YouTube to host videos and benefit from SEO advantages.

One of the highlights of the episode is Miles' advice on video content creation. He addresses common fears and provides practical tips for overcoming them. His mantra of "just do it" encourages listeners to practice, prepare, and not worry about natural speech patterns such as "ums" and "errs."

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around Miles' views on brand awareness as a marketing strategy. He argues that for small businesses, purely focusing on brand awareness is a waste of time and money. Instead, he advocates for meaningful engagement and interactions with potential customers, highlighting the importance of mapping out the customer journey and finding genuine ways to connect with the audience.

Miles also shares his thoughts on automation tools and mass connection requests on LinkedIn, strongly advising against these tactics. According to him, building genuine relationships through thoughtful engagement, commenting, and providing value to connections is far more effective.