“People are so allergic to commercials. They want to see something real.” 📣
At DMIEXPO 2019 in Israel, where we were both speakers, I talked with Dennis Yu, founder of BlitzMetrics and one of the first people to run Facebook ads. 🎙️
📊 In this episode, we unpacked:
- 📊 Thirty years as a data guy
- 👤 Personal branding is storytelling
- 🤝 People buy from people like them
- 📣 Boost what doesn’t look like an ad
- 🔗 Shiny networks vs the basics
🎥 Watch the full episode:
📊 Thirty Years as a Data Guy
Dennis called himself a data guy for 30 years: building websites before the true internet, then building analytics at Yahoo about 20 years earlier. When Facebook arrived, he was one of the first to run ads on it. 📊
Now he teaches people how to tune their Facebook ads, build systems and build their brands. For another Facebook ads expert, read Tim Burd’s interview. 🔗
👤 Personal Branding Is Storytelling
His 2020 trend: people building personal brands. But it’s not about Ferraris and lifestyle. It’s about telling stories, interviewing others, educating and providing value. 👤
Give value up front, then sell at the back end. BlitzMetrics did a lot in health and fitness and with entrepreneurs who start with their “why”. When someone truly believes in something, sharing their story doesn’t read like a testimonial or a pitch. For more on personal branding, read Jeff Bullas’s interview. 🔗
🤝 People Buy From People Like Them
His favorite marketers do the thing they sell. His friend Ali Awad, a top personal injury attorney in Georgia, teaches other injury attorneys marketing. Another friend built an orthodontist-focused agency around one orthodontist client. 🤝
A car repair shop will buy from a marketer who’s a car repair guy, speaks their language and attends their conferences, not a generic “I help anybody” marketer.
📣 Boost What Doesn’t Look Like an Ad
The best way to sell with Facebook: collect testimonials and knowledge, everything that doesn’t look like an ad, and boost it from public figure pages. Then remarket from video views (ThruPlays, 15-second views) to leads, store visits or conversions. 📣
Organic reach is down, but short, entertaining, story-driven videos still do fine. Boost the winners to custom audiences, video viewers or people in your town, which is especially effective for local marketing. For newbies: it depends on your goal. Start by interviewing existing customers (not as testimonials) and push those videos across YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. For an ad network’s view, read Emanuele Pezzulla’s interview. 🔗
🔗 Shiny Networks vs the Basics
TikTok was great but didn’t yet have the tools you’d expect. Give it two or three years. Get there first if you can, but don’t neglect Google and Facebook. People who keep chasing shiny things end up confused five years later without a business. 🔗
He gets about five times more reach on LinkedIn than Facebook, and drives more business overall from LinkedIn, though speaking gigs come from all channels together. His big events included Social Media Marketing World and Traffic & Conversion Summit, both in San Diego. For more on paid traffic, read Kirill Radionov on direct traffic. 🔗
📝 Key Takeaways From the Dennis Yu Interview
- 👤 Personal branding is storytelling, not flexing
- 🤝 Niche marketers who know the industry win
- 📣 Boost content that doesn’t look like an ad
- 🎥 Start by interviewing existing customers
- 🔗 Master the basics before chasing shiny networks
❓ FAQs About Dennis Yu
Who is Dennis Yu?
The founder of BlitzMetrics, a data-driven marketer who built analytics at Yahoo and was among the first to run Facebook ads.
What is Dennis Yu’s top Facebook ads tip?
Boost testimonials and educational content that doesn’t look like an ad, then remarket to video viewers.
Is LinkedIn better than Facebook for reach?
For Dennis, LinkedIn gave about five times the reach and drove more business overall.
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Which platform gives your content the best reach? Tell me in the comments. 💬
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Jitendra Vaswani is a well-known expert in SEO and AI-driven digital marketing. He has spoken at international events and founded Digiexe, a digital marketing agency, and AffiliateBooster, WordPress plugin designed specifically for affiliate marketers. With over 10 years of experience, Jitendra has helped many businesses succeed online. His bestselling book, Inside A Hustler’s Brain: In Pursuit of Financial Freedom, with over 20,000 copies sold globally, underscores his influence and commitment to empowering digital marketers.