Little Talks
Sam Littlefield and Steve Roop chat agency and client happenings as well as cover digital marketing trends and news every Wednesday, live from Littlefield Studios in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Episodes
Only three episodes left for 2025, and as we head toward the end of the year, Sam and Roop chat about something that may at first seem like a major problem (but is really just another opportunity to get your content in front of your customers) ... zero-click search.
What is it? Zero-click is when someone searches on Google (or another engine) and gets what they need right on the results page (shopping results, sports scores, answers...
It’s a short but sweet episode of Little Talks this week as Sam and Roop reflect on the year and all they’re thankful for.
It’s a short but sweet write up, too! : )
Have a great holiday weekend and we’ll see you next week.
— Sam, Roop, Chelsea and Claudia
This week on the podcast, Sam, Roop and Claudia discuss when the appropriate time to put up Christmas decorations is. Before Thanksgiving? After? Never? There are opinions, but of course whatever you have planned works.
Speaking of planning, that's the real topic on this episode of Little Talks! Planning season (September through November-ish) isn’t just filling out calendars, it’s aligning business goals with media, content, a...
Sam and Roop fire up the mics for another episode of Little Talks to talk (what else?), AI. This week, they discuss OpenAI and PayPal's new partnership that could change how people shop online, turning ChatGPT into an AI-powered shopping mall.
Starting next year, products from PayPal merchants will appear in ChatGPT’s search results across categories like fashion, home improvement, and electronics. Shoppers will be able to brow...
We're back with another AI-driven topic this week, agentic browsers. Specifically, after two weeks of using it, we give our thoughts on OpenAI's new Atlas browser.
Agentic browsers (browsers with integrated AI agents that can autonomously perform tasks by navigating and interacting with websites on a user's behalf) are here, and Roop says they have the potential to change the way we interact with the interne...
This week, Sam and Roop dive back into a hot topic, AI and SEO, to answer the question, “Is SEO for AI engines really something new?”
Spoiler alert: AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) aren’t entirely new strategies, they’re really evolutions of SEO. Google has confirmed that traditional SEO principles are still the foundation for gaining visibility in AI-driven answer engines. When us...
Sam and Roop are back this week with a quick look ahead to 2026, where it’s pretty clear that the biggest marketing shifts will build on what defined 2025, AI-assisted tools becoming more sophisticated and in more widespread use. The difference now? We’re moving from experimentation to execution. The future is here.
If 2025 was about learning to use AI, 2026 will be about proving it can actually deliver.
So join the gang as they disc...
It's been a busy few weeks for the agency, that included client visits in Pennsylvania and Kentucky. This week, the gang is back together and recording for the first time in nearly a month! The topic? Why working with an independent marketing agency can be a smart move for brands. Bigger isn't always better, and the group discusses what that means for your business.
For one, direct access to senior talent means there’s no ...
Wrapping up their learnings from HubSpot's INBOUND marketing conference in San Francisco earlier this month, Sam takes a breather while Claudia joins Roop on the mics once again to chat about email marketing. What's working? What's changing? What's new? Claudia and Roop recap three email marketing sessions they attended with friend of the podcast, Jay Schwedelson.
From subject lines that work to formatting hacks,...
Sam is back from his MAGNET (Marketing & Advertising Global Network) retreat in Paris, as fired up as he's ever been! He compares AI notes with Roop (still high from his INBOUND trip in San Francisco), specifically around AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and of course SEO (Search Engine Optimization) in the age of AI. What's new? What's still the same? What's next?
So gra...
Sam's in Paris (France, not Texas) this week, so Claudia steps in to join Roop at the table for a "Claudcast" continuing to cover their recent trip to HubSpot's INBOUND marketing conference in San Francisco. This week's topic: HubSpot's newly announced AI-powered products and upgrades. The duo has been able to get hands on with these in the past week and a half, and are have the 411 for you here.
Market...
On this week's episode of Little Talks, Roop and Claudia are back from HubSpot's INBOUND 25 marketing conference in San Fransisco, and boy oh boy do they have updates! Everything from new HubSpot products to a new marketing playbook for the AI age called Loop Marketing, it's a LOT. Plus their favorite speakers, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and friend of the podcast, Jay Schwedelson (who had a special message ...
On this week's Little Talks we talk search. What it is, where it's going and how your brand can stay relevant in the age of AI SEO. AI is definitely changing the SEO playbook, but fortunately some of the same old tricks that have worked in traditional SEO still work for AI search as well.
We chat strategy, measurement and everything in between as AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini and Preplexity start to slowly chip away at...
It’s Roop’s favorite time of year—HubSpot’s INBOUND marketing conference is here! This year, the event moves from Boston to San Francisco, but the awesomeness remains the same. On this week’s episode of Little Talks, the gang shares some favorite INBOUND memories and the sessions they’re most excited about for 2025.
AI and new HubSpot platform announcements are set to take center stage again, but INBOUND isn’t just about the technic...
On this episode of Little Talks, we tackle four common B2B marketing myths and set the record straight.
First up is the idea that gated content is the only way to generate leads. While putting valuable resources behind a form can work, the hosts explain that leaning on it too heavily can actually shrink your audience and hurt your brand authority. Mixing in ungated assets—like blog posts, videos, and podcasts—helps build trust, posi...
On this week's episode of Little Talks we welcome back a frequent guest and friend, Mike Simmon from Grasshopper Mowers. Mike was in town from Kansas for his monthly HubSpot and CRM meeting with Roop, Chelsea, Claudia and Kendall and was kind enough to join Sam and Roop on the mics. The topic? What in marketing is still as true now as it was 10-20 years ago?
We discuss timeless marketing truths like brand consistency ...
From catchy podcast intros to snappy TikTok snippets, this week the gang explores why sound design is still a hidden gem in the B2B world. Roop and Sam break down what makes a memorable sonic brand—like a signature melody or audio logo—and explains how these cues can be just as powerful as a company’s visual identity, instantly setting the mood and signaling who you are, sometimes before a single word is spoken
They also discuss a c...
Sam is back this week to chat about being a marketing agency in the midwest. Is there a perceived bias for Midwest agencies compared to their larger city or costal counterparts? We discuss, as well as celebrate the strengths of Midwestern values—loyalty, authenticity, grit—and how they shape our marketing and client relationships.
We believe the bias is bunk, and the perception is changing. Sam shares some stories of wins and loses ...
This week on Little Talks, Roop is joined by a surprise duo—Grasshopper Trent (VP of Marketing at Grasshopper Mowers) and his son Andrew. Trent usually pops in at the end of the year for Trent-a-palooza, but a quick trip to Tulsa to handle some car trouble turned into a bonus Trent podcast episode this year!
Coming off last week’s Gen Z episode, it felt like perfect timing to bring Andrew into the conversation. As a younger Gen Z-er...
On this week’s Little Talks we’re talkin’ about Gen Z, with some insight from one of our resident Gen Z voices in the office, Claudia!
Claudia tells Sam and Roop about how purpose at work matters. A paycheck is great, sure, but waking up every day to do work that actually makes an impact? That’s where it’s at. She reminds the gang that fulfillment can outweigh dollars—and for many members of Gen Z, that’s non-negotiable.
We also dive...
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