About Marketing Speak

Funnel vision. Overdelivering. Geometric growth. Eliminating average. Unleashing idea viruses! It’s commonly asked: is marketing an art or is it a science? According to Stephan Spencer, host of Marketing Speak, when you combine two parts psychology, two parts creative inspiration, shaken with a vision to create value, you’ve got the perfect marketing cocktail.

Because Stephan’s passion is also his life’s work, he is able to curate a who’s who of marketing stars, as well as up-and-coming trailblazers in 2020’s new normal. He has interviewed marketing godfather Jay Abraham, direct mail legend Dan Kennedy, human behavior scientist BJ Fogg, 4-hour-workweek guru Tim Ferriss, WordPress inventor Matt Mullenweg, and the man in the iconic yellow glasses, Seth Godin, to name a few.

Because Stephan has honed in on his audience creating compelling programming with world-class production and so much value for the listener, Apple selected Marketing Speak as one of iTunes’ “new & noteworthy” podcasts. Tune in for deep dives into all things marketing and check out exclusive extras like downloads, checklists, and links after every episode.

1981

About Your Host
Stephan Spencer

Early Beginnings

I was a true geek right from the beginning, as you can see here.

1984

A Coder is Born

Computers may have been new, but that didn’t stop childhood me from teaching myself how to code. By 1984, I had already refined my computer skills enough to code assembly language and machine language. I wrote my own BBS (Bulletin Board System) from scratch and ran it on our only family home phone line (which annoyed my mother to no end).

1994

Built And Launched Innsite
And Writers.net

While still in graduate school, I helped launch two user-generated content (UGC) sites. Innsite was an award-winning pioneer in the online bed and breakfast directory space. WritersNet was not only the definitive directory of published authors, editors, publishers and literary agents, it was also a thriving online forum with tens of thousands of posts.

My First Internet Conference

I submitted my first paper and it got accepted to my first ever Internet conference. It was a nerd’s dream come true. I was star struck, meeting the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, and the inventor of Apache and Netscape Server, Rob McCool. Yes, I’ve been around the block a few times!

1994

Dropped Out Of Phd To Pursue
Nternet Marketing

I dropped out of my PhD but was still able to acquire a Master’s in Biochemistry while working on biological viruses. One of my specialties while being a grad student was 3D rendering and visualisation of these viruses, like the picture you see here. The promise of untold riches as a startup founder was too alluring to pass up.

I bootstrapped my small web design agency in Madison, Wisconsin. It later evolved into a full-scale SEO consulting firm.

1996

Getting Recognition

I had the only multi-page case study in Special Edition: Using CGI due to the fact that my two websites, Writers.Net and InnSite, were real time updatable with CGI scripts.m.

1997

Landed The Cover Image For The Journal Of Structural Biology

I co-authored an academic journal article that also got published in this issue.

1998

My First Magazine Cover!

It was exciting enough to have landed a feature story about me and Netconcepts in a print magazine. But being the cover photo for that issue — that sent me over the moon! The staff writer shadowed me and my client Food Concepts for weeks, chronicling the evolution of their web presence, from inception to launch.

1999

Moved Entire Family To
New Zealand

My move allowed me to simultaneously embrace my wanderlust and expand Netconcepts overseas. Thanks in large part to our Auckland branch and the stellar team there, Netconcepts was able to expand to eventually crack $6 million in revenue.

2000

Started Writing As A
Contributor To Magazines
And Websites

I first shared my expertise as a columnist to Building Online Business magazine. I later went on to write a column for Unlimited Magazine, one of the top business magazines in New Zealand. This opened me up to a number of new opportunities writing for various magazines and websites.

2001

Landed Target.com As
An Seo Audit Client

Other big name clients included REI, Verizon, Home Shopping Network and more!

2003

Invented The Pay-for-performance
Seo Technology Platform
Gravitystream

GravityStream was a landmark invention that bypassed the need for IT resources when implementing technical SEO changes. This optimization platform saved businesses time and resources by automatically optimizing large-scale, dynamic websites. I later applied for a GravityStream patent in 2007.

2004

Stephan Starts Blogging

I became a proponent of blogging and influenced many of my clients to start utilizing this medium. Steve Spangler, inventor of the viral Diet Coke-Mentos experiment, became an early blogger per my advice. I also played a role in convincing President Jimmy Carter to blog his travel experiences for his non-profit The Carter Center.

2006

Encouraged Daughter Chloe
To Launch Neopetsfanatic.com

The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. I encouraged my daughter, Chloe, to launch a site of her own: neopetsfanatic.com. She launched the Neopets fan site and some months was even exceeding $1000 in adsense when she was just 14.

2007

Moved Back To The Us

The move allowed me to be more accessible
for prominent speaking gigs in the U.S. My illustrious speaking career has brought me to over 100 events and conferences across the globe. The move also helped my daughter, Chloe, launch her speaking career.

2008

Landed another magazine cover

BusinessWatch did an in-depth feature on my rise in the SEO industry.

2009

Published The Art Of Seo

I co-authored The Art of SEO, now in its third edition. The book has become a go-to roadmap for anyone looking for tactics, tools, and ranking methods for SEO. It was a huge honor to be an O’Reilly author. I’ve been a huge fan ever since I taught myself Perl in 1993 from an O’Reilly book.

Attended My First
Tony Robbins Event

Three different people encouraged me to attend Unleash the Power Within. Little did I know it would be the catalyst to completely reboot my life.

2010

Total Transformation

I began a total physical and mental transformation. By September 2010, my physical transformation was pretty much complete. People could hardly recognize me afterward!

Became A Platinum Partner

As soon as I left Covario not only did I start up my own SEO business, I also embarked on a 3 year journey as a Tony Robbins’ Platinum Partner, which means you globe-trot with Tony and other billionaires to such places as India, Africa, and Fiji, learning from some of the best luminaries in the world on wealth building and other topics. It was quite a peer group, to say the least!

Netconcepts Sold To Covario

This was one of the pivotal moments in my business life. It always helps having two bidders competing with each other to buy your business. The earn out timeframe I negotiated was six months, which allowed me to jump right into my second business the same year.

Published Google Power Search

I used my first solo book to cover the full range of Google’s powerful search-refinement features. Google Power Search keys readers into finding anything on Google using advanced tools and techniques. This was my second book published by O’Reilly.

2014

Published Social Ecommerce

I co-authored my third O’Reilly published book. Social eCommerce details how to extend brand reach and increase online sales using social media.

Covario Acquisition

Covario, which included my Netconcepts team and
IP, was acquired by the multi-billion dollar
advertising agency conglomerate Dentsu Aegis,
which also owns iProspect

2015

Launched Marketing Speak

After launching my personal development podcast several months earlier, I realize I needed a marketing-specific podcast since that’s the industry I spend most of my working life in. Marketing Speak reflects my both passion for the discipline of marketing and my technical bent.

Launched The
Optimized Geek

The Optimized Geek podcast, which I later rebranded to Get Yourself Optimized, reflects my passions for personal development, biohacking, spiritual growth, and intimacy. I help my listeners take control of their health, business, career, relationships, mindset, and life.

2016

Launched My Tv Media Tour

I did 11 TV appearances as a guest on local news programs. I stopped by sets from Sacramento to Phoenix to share my insights on SEO, giving back, geeking out, and more!.

Got Married

I married the love of my life, Orion, in a beautiful ceremony in Costa Rica. Orion, a love/dating coach, inspires and challenges me every day.