Brandon Anderson
Hey and welcome to today’s show where we have Brandon Anderson. Brandon is the Digital Marketing and Analytics Program Manager at Mountainland Technical College. He has over 10 years of experience in the industry and brings a ton of knowledge and strategy to the world of digital marketing.
He loves using data and real world testing to find what works best to grow businesses online. Then he teaches those results in the classroom to the next generation of digital marketers to shape the future of this digital world.
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Who is Brandon Anderson?
Brandon Anderson grew up in Lehi, Utah – a small town that was once a quiet rural community. As a kid Brandon never thought he would be in the digital marketing field. In fact his original career aspirations were totally different.
From Engineer to Digital Marketer
“Growing up I wanted to be an engineer,” Brandon says. He went to engineering camps during the summers and was all set to pursue that path. But life had other plans for him.
Brandon’s journey took a unexpected turn when he started his higher education:
- Planned to study engineering at Utah State University
- Started at Utah Valley University (UVU) to save money
- Met with a counselor who suggested he look into computer programming
- Found programming wasn’t his thing
- Graduated with a business management degree
After graduation Brandon’s career path continued to evolve:
- Started in sales but it wasn’t a good fit
- Discovered he had a talent for email marketing
- Joined a startup as a marketing specialist
- Worked in the financial industry for 5 years
- Applied at Mountainland Technical College
The Unexpected Turn to Teaching
When Brandon applied at Mountainland Technical College he thought he was applying for a director of digital marketing position. To his surprise the interview was for a teaching position.
“I was like I’m out. Not interested at all,” Brandon says. But after some encouragement from a mentor he decided to take the job. “It’s the best and hardest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life,” he says.
This unexpected turn into teaching has become Brandon’s passion. He loves building curriculum and helping students learn the ins and outs of digital marketing.
Current Projects I’m Working On
3D Printing and Product Design
I’ve recently gotten back into product design through 3D printing. “I’ve come full circle to this point where I’ve gotten into 3D printing,” he says. This is exciting and fun for him.
He gets up every morning at 4am to work on CAD designs and experiment with his 3D printer. “My wife hates it. I get up at 4am and I go in ‘cause that’s when I’m most productive and jump on my CAD or my software and design and try to tweak stuff,” Brandon says.
3D Printing Social Media Channel
Brandon has also started a social media channel for 3D printing. He’s applying his digital marketing skills to grow this channel and uses it as a real-world example for his students.
“I started a 3D printing channel and like, oh, I started it a week ago. I have 180 followers in one week and I’ve been posting once a day,” he says. This is helping him stay sharp in his digital marketing skills while he’s pursuing a personal interest.
Tactical and Strategic Digital Marketing Advice from Brandon
Brandon offers valuable insights for businesses looking to improve their digital marketing efforts. He emphasizes three key areas:
1. Know Your Audience
Understanding your target audience is crucial for effective digital marketing. Brandon suggests:
- Directly contacting customers to gather insights
- Asking specific questions about what they like and dislike about your product or service
- Using customer feedback to generate content ideas
“Once you have that information, like I’ve done this many times where I’ll just call somebody I. Hey, I know you, you have been a client of this company for five years. Tell me what you like about them. And then I just write it down and start writing down things. And all of a sudden you have ad copy, you have social media copy, you have blog posts to write,” Brandon explains.
2. Embrace Social Media
Even if you’re not personally fond of social media, it’s crucial for businesses to have a presence on these platforms. Brandon advises:
- Identify which platforms your audience uses most
- Start with one platform and master it before expanding to others
- Treat social media like a search engine
- Study competitors’ social media strategies for insights
“If you treat it like a search engine, it’s, you’re gonna be rewarded in the end for sure,” Brandon states.
3. Develop Processes and Systems
Having established processes can significantly improve efficiency and consistency in your digital marketing efforts. Brandon recommends:
- Creating content calendars
- Developing templates for social media posts
- Using AI tools to assist in content creation
- Pre-planning content to reduce daily decision-making
“If I’m committing to writing a blog post every single day, before I ever commit to that, I’m gonna come up with the keywords and I’m gonna go to this spreadsheet that I have, and I’m gonna say, here’s my primary keyword. Here’s my secondary three to four keywords. Here’s my tone of voice. Here’s how long this blog post is gonna be. Here’s the target audience. Here’s the problem we solve for the target audience,” Brandon explains.
Leveraging AI in Content Creation
Brandon discusses how AI can be a powerful tool in content creation:
- Use AI to generate initial drafts based on specific prompts
- Edit and humanize the AI-generated content (usually about 20% of the content needs human touch)
- Ensure the content answers user questions and provides value
- Use plagiarism checkers to ensure originality
“I would say most of them are about 80% AI, 20% human edits to them,” Brandon notes about his content creation process.
Consistency is Key
Brandon emphasizes the importance of consistency in digital marketing efforts:
- Post regularly on social media platforms
- Maintain a consistent blogging schedule
- Stick to your processes and strategies for at least a month before making changes
“Even though you’re going to feel like you’re failing over and over and over and over again as you’re getting started, you just have to keep going,” Brandon encourages.
Where Does Brandon See the Future Going in Digital Marketing and Education?
Brandon sees several trends in the future of digital marketing and education:
1. Short, Specialized Courses
Brandon thinks there will be more short, specialized courses training people in specific skills:
- More affordable than traditional degrees
- Faster path to employment
- ROI can be realized quickly, often within the first paycheck in a new job
“When I have students come in and say, Hey, I can learn digital marketing in 9 months for less than $3,000 if I take this class. And then they realize, oh, the ROI of this course is my first. Like once I get paid one time working full time, I made my money back,” Brandon says.
2. Technical Colleges
Brandon says technical colleges like Mountainland Technical College are booming:
- MTech is going to double in size in the next 3 years
- New campuses are being built to accommodate this growth
- More state funding for these institutions
3. Vocational Education
Brandon sees a trend towards more hands on, vocational education:
- Students are choosing programs that get them employed quickly
- These programs attract driven people who want to start their career fast
- Employers love the practical skills and motivation of graduates from these programs
4. Digital Marketing is Changing Fast
Brandon says digital marketing will continue to change rapidly:
- New platforms and technologies pop up all the time (e.g. Threads just launched)
- Marketing strategies need to adapt to these changes
- Four year degrees in digital marketing may not be able to keep up with the industry
“Marketing, it’s like, oh, threads just came out last week. What do we do about this? And we have to learn an entirely new channel. And so it’s, it’s so fast paced,” Brandon says.
Get in Touch with Brandon
If you want to get in touch with Brandon or find out more about his work, he suggests you connect with him on LinkedIn. He’s on there daily so that’s the best way to reach him.
You can find Brandon Anderson on LinkedIn but there are many Brandon Andersons so a link in the podcast description would be helpful for listeners.
To His Younger Self
What advice would he give to his younger self?
“Start a business, dude.”
Brandon talks about his natural frugality and risk aversion and wishes he had pushed himself out of his comfort zone more often in his younger years.
Books and Influences
What books or leaders inspire him? A fiction book that impacted him:
I actually read a good book. It has nothing to do with leadership. It’s called ‘Carrie Soto Is Back’ by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It’s about a tennis player that retires. Somebody breaks her record and she comes out of retirement to take on her record to like, to get her record back after five years of not playing tennis.
Brandon likes how the book approaches overcoming adversity and hard work from a different angle than leadership books.
Conclusion
Brandon Anderson’s journey from engineer to digital marketing educator is proof that life can be full of surprises. His advice on digital marketing from AI in content creation to knowing your audience is useful for businesses and aspiring marketers.
As the digital world keeps changing Brandon’s emphasis on adaptability, continuous learning and hands on experience is the changing face of education in this space. His work at Mountainland Technical College is helping shape the next generation of digital marketers and giving them the practical skills and knowledge to succeed in this fast paced industry.
Business owner looking to improve your digital marketing, student looking to get into the field or professional wanting to stay current, Brandon’s advice will guide you through the digital future. By knowing your audience, using social media, creating efficient processes and being adaptable you can get yourself or your business ready for the digital world.
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