Marketing School - Digital Marketing and Online Marketing Tips

In Episode #211, Eric and Neil discuss the 7 key elements of a high converting homepage. Your homepage should be the star as this is the page that generates the most traffic. Tune in to find out how you can convert your traffic to sales making these important changes to your homepage—creating that successful funnel.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: 7 Key Elements of a High Converting Homepage
• 00:35 – Make sure you have a great headline that emphasizes what you do
• 00:49 – Have a call-to-action that goes with the headline
• 01:08 – Answer objections:
  • 01:20 – People are more likely to buy and be more comfortable if you will answer their objections
  • 01:30 – Talk to people and ask about their hesitations in buying a product
  • 01:39 – Use Qualaroo to put up a quick survey
• 01:52 – Use testimonials and case studies
• 02:14 – Fourth is to add a benefit-driven headline
  • 02:21 – Talk to your paying customers and ask them why they bought your product
• 03:17 – Fifth is page load speed
• 03:46 – Think of your homepage as a funnel
  • 04:39 – “Whatever your funnel is, make sure all flows together”
• 04:54 – Don’t forget about your pixels
  • 05:05 – Start collecting data when people visit your site
  • 05:18 – You can’t advertise effectively to your target audience without your pixels
• 05:24 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. A benefit driven headline can attract a greater audience and this can turn into sales.
2. Consider your homepage as a funnel as this is what gets the most traffic.
3. Know your pixels to reach your targeted audience effectively.

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In Episode #210, Eric and Neil discuss what a private blog network (PBN) is and its usefulness. Tune in to learn why you should avoid PBNs as well as the alternatives that you can use in the SEO space to grow your following.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: What Is a PBN?
• 00:35 – A PBN is a private blog network that can be used to make your SEO more effective
• 01:16 – Build My Rank is one of the most popular blog networks
  • 01:27 – People thought blog networks wouldn’t leave a footprint on their website, but Google found them
• 01:42 – PBN still works, but is not recommended
• 01:58 – PBN is not a good viable solution for the long-term
• 02:08 – Focus on creating amazing sites with amazing content
• 02:36 – ViperChill has a blog regarding the effectivity of PBNs
• 03:21 – The typical PBNs price
• 04:25 – Use a blog network, like SitePoint
• 05:03 – “Try avoiding PBNs at all cost”
• 05:24 – Instead, think about black hat and white hat SEO
• 05:35 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. PBN used to be effective, but Google can track websites using PBN and “de-index” them.
2. PBN is not a good viable solution for long-term – it’s best to avoid it.
3. Create your own blog network with valuable content that will gradually attract and build an audience.

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In Episode #209, Eric and Neil discuss how to recruit great marketers. Tune in to learn how you can recruit someone who is the BEST in the marketing field and why going to local marketing meetups or conferences are fantastic places to find that next hire.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Recruit Great Marketers
• 00:45 – Use your website as a source of referrals or ask friends
• 01:09 – Force the hiring concept from Hubstaff
• 01:47 – Reach out to other sites which can help guide you
• 02:10 – Some of the best hires are from local meetups that are marketing related
• 03:15 – Recruiters are also an option
  • 03:33 – They bring results because of their network
• 03:40 – Use Workable—it allows job postings to seed into different sites
  • 04:00 – Eric’s job site is SingleGrain.com/jobs
  • 04:10 – Eric can retarget the people who have visited his website
  • 04:37 – People will then go to Eric’s interview video using Spark Hire
• 05:04 – Look at performance
  • 05:10 – Check marketers’ blogs or websites and see how they work
  • 05:26 – They don’t have to be marketers—just pay attention to what they are good at and see if it fits your needs
  • 05:58 – Hire people based on tangible points
• 06:20 – Test someone, first, by giving them part-time work to see if things will work out
• 06:35 – There should be consistency in their work
• 07:00 – They should go through a test or trial
  • 07:58 – Give them specific scenarios of what you will require of them
• 08:10 – Eric and Neil are always hiring people so reach out to them
• 08:20 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Getting referrals is one of the easiest ways to look for an addition for your team – you can get feedback, too.
2. Hire people based on tangible points and see if their skillsets will fit your needs.
3. By giving applicants a trial, you get to check how they work and their consistency, as well, before making that commitment to hire them.

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In Episode #208, Eric and Neil discuss how effective 301 redirects are. Tune in to know how 301 and 302 redirects work, when you would use either of them, and what Eric and Neil did to boost their website traffic.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: How Effective Are 301 Redirects?
• 00:35 – A 301 redirect is you signaling that links have been moved
• 01:03 – 2 ways to do a 301 redirect is through direct links
• 01:26 – Eric bought a gun website and a site that was inactive
  • 01:55 – The inactive site had a hundred backlinks
  • 02:00 – The number of visitors from Google per day
  • 02:10 – Eric’s backlinks number
  • 02:36 – Eric’s site is now getting a thousand visitors a month
  • 02:50 – Took him two weeks before he started seeing the traffic
  • 03:00 – After 3 months, traffic went up to 40K a month
  • 03:10 – Eric spent $2500 for the domain
  • 03:27 – It is helpful, depending on your niche
• 04:00 – Neil did a 301 redirect recently
  • 04:20 – The traffic is changing
  • 04:41 – Neil submitted the website to webmaster in order to crawl it
  • 04:56 – Neil changed all his internal links
  • 05:10 – Neil got a 40% boost in traffic
• 05:20 – Use 301 for more permanent redirects and 302 for temporary
• 05:34 – Use a redirect checker and redirect the right way
• 05:44 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Use a redirect checker to make sure you are redirecting the right way.
2. Spending some money for the right domain can help you boost your traffic.
3. Research before buying a website – make sure you are not wasting your money.

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In Episode #207, Eric and Neil discuss how you can build a sellable website. Tune in to learn how to create a sellable website, why you should think long-term in regards to what you build, and how to choose a niche big enough to leave room for growth.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Build a Sellable Website
• 00:35 – “Don’t think about trying to make a cookbook and sell it off the bat”
• 00:41 – Create value
• 00:53 – Check FEInternational for resources on how to value your website
• 01:06 – Look for something with repeatable and scalable traffic sources
  • 01:32 – Check acquisitions, all your traffic, and your channels
• 01:45 – Make sure your website has clean code
  • 01:52 – Neil doesn’t buy websites with messy code
• 02:25 – Have a clean layout and design
  • 02:35 – “Nicely designed websites convert better”
• 02:55 – Have a clean backlink profile
  • 03:01 – Use Ahrefs or SEMrush
  • 03:12 – Check for the bad links coming in
• 03:34 – Think long-term
  • 03:45 – Don’t do shady stuff or use shady content
  • 04:20 – Doing unethical things will it make it more difficult to sell your website
• 04:38 – Stability of income
  • 04:45 – People check your website if there’s a potential for growth
• 05:30 – Make sure you have a big enough market for your website
  • 05:48 – Don’t pick a niche that is too small, making you dominant, but not profitable
• 06:28 – Check FEInternational on how they value websites
  • 06:55 – Flippa and Empire Flipper
• 07:10 – Put a process in place
  • 07:47 – Sweet Process can help you document your process
• 08:00 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Create a website that is valuable and nicely designed.
2. Be in a larger niche—there’s more room for growth and increase of sales.
3. Document your process making it easier for future buyers to work around your website.

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In Episode #206, Eric and Neil discuss the 7 key strategies that you must learn from Apple’s marketing. Apple stresses the importance of keeping things simple—from their written copy to how they display their products. Tune in to find out how Apple’s products reach a vast audience with ease and how you can adopt their marketing principles.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: 7 Key Strategies You Can Learn from Apple’s Marketing
• 00:35 – First is simplicity
  • 00:43 – Great design is invisible
• 00:57 – Second, rethink how you do product placing
  • 01:16 – Get influencers to have product placements
• 01:42 – Third, don’t be afraid to stand-out
  • 02:00 – Apple’s Airpods is getting good reviews
• 02:26 – Fourth, avoid price wars
  • 02:34 – If you have a great product, price it as is
  • 03:06 – Apple emphasizes why their products are amazing
• 03:09 – Fifth, have a different ecosystem
  • 03:27 – “When iTunes came out, it changed everything”
• 04:00 – Sixth, know your audience and talk to them in their language
  • 04:08 – Apple’s ads are simplistic
  • 04:46 – Connect with the audience in a language that they can understand
• 04:55 – Seventh, hire people to explore the best opportunities
  • 05:10 – Have the best people in your team
• 05:45 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Simplicity is everything – don’t over-decorate things.
2. Know your product’s worth and don’t get into price wars.
3. Have the crème de la crème in your team – do NOT settle for less.

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In Episode #205, Eric and Neil discuss how to get 300 real targeted followers in Instagram per day. Tune in to learn how you can grow your following on Instagram from zero to 300K. Also find out how Neil Patel's powerful campaign made his presence known to people outside of his field.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Get 300 Real Targeted Followers in Instagram per Day
• 00:46 – Eric interviewed Nathan Chan of Foundr Magazine
  • 00:57 – Nathan got his Instagram following from 0 to 300K
  • 01:10 – Nathan used the tool, Crowdstrike
  • 01:42 – Crowdstrike looks “spammy”, but it works
  • 02:02 – After establishing legitimacy, do shout for shout
• 02:40 – Use hashtags
• 03:10 – Pay powerful influencers to like your photos
  • 03:23 – Your photos will start spreading
• 03:50 – Neil Patel’s Instagram campaign explained
  • 04:30 – The campaign worked really well
• 05:08 – It is a lot of work to get to your first 300 followers
• 05:28 – Follow and unfollow people
• 05:34 – Every time you upload a photo, use 30 hashtags
• 05:53 – Post consistently
  • 06:08 – Post Instagram stories and live videos daily
• 06:50 – Use hashtags in the comment
• 07:07 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Growing your following from zero to hundreds of thousands is possible by using the right tools and strategies.
2. Increasing your Instagram presence demands time and consistency.
3. Leveraging hashtags and spending some money for key influencers to “like” your photos is proven to work.

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In Episode #204, Eric and Neil discuss how you can get actionable data with Google analytics for 10 minutes. Tune in to learn how tracking and assessing your data from Google analytics can help you optimize your website’s performance.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Get Actionable Data from Google Analytics in 10 Minutes
• 00:40 – Look at your reports
  • 00:50 – Avinash Kaushik has different reports on Google Analytics
  • 01:40 – You can optimize things from the results of your reports
• 02:00 – “If you don’t have goals setup, analytics is useless”
  • 02:20 – Analytics can help you look at the reasons why your data is spiking and if you’re hitting your goal
  • 02:30 – Neil’s goal tracking
• 03:20 – Hook your Google Analytics to your Google Search Console
  • 03:30 – It can save you time
  • 03:40 – You can cross check the goals that you have
  • 04:00 – It is also good for campaigns
• 05:00 – There’s a lot of decisions that you can make by just looking at your data
• 05:10 – “Track your bounce rate religiously”
  • 05:55 – Once you know the reason for your bounce rate, you can search for how to lessen them
• 06:10 – Do advance segments
  • 06:20 – Segment people that behave differently in your website
  • 06:55 – Segmentation is very important
• 07:16 – Do advance segments based on your traffic levels
• 08:01 – Have your e-commerce tracking set up correctly
• 08:23 – Look at multi-channels attribution
• 08:58 – “Have the plumbing setup correctly before you move forward”
• 00:00 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Make sure you have goals you’d like to hit—analytics is useless without them.
2. It’s not about the number of traffic or fans, it’s about having the right fans at the right source of traffic that will convert.
3. Have the plumbing setup correctly before you move forward.

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In Episode #203, Eric and Neil discuss how to get your content into Google’s featured snippets. Tune in to learn how your content can land on Google’s 1st page, search results by optimizing your paragraphs, lists and tables.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Get Your Content into Google’s Featured Snippets
• 00:35 – The Snippet is also called ranking zero
• 01:21 – Optimize the paragraph after headline 1 for search engines to read them
• 02:11 – Google featured the snippets that answer questions with the proper keywords
  • 02:47 – Think about what people type that is related to your field
  • 02:50 – Use keyword tools like Google Keyword Planner
  • 03:15 – You should be answering questions that can drive more organic traffic
• 03:56 – There are 3 key points to look at when you’re targeting featured snippets:
  • 04:00 – First is the paragraph
  • 04:15 – Next is a list and last is table
  • 04:50 – For paragraph, the maximum number of words is 97 and average is 45
  • 04:58 – For a list, maximum of 8 items and average of 4.2
  • 05:04 – For a table, 3.6 average and maximum of 9
• 05:23 – From WordStream, snippets are most likely pulled from the results ranked on the 1st page of Google
  • 05:51 – Look up the ranking of the pages in your niche using Google Search Console and type the keywords in the position box
• 06:11 – SEMrush and Ahrefs show which snippets are ranking
• 06:29 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. The Google Snippet is one of the best ways to increase organic traffic.
2. Google features the snippets that answer questions with the proper keywords.
3. Look up the keywords that is commonly used in your niche and utilize them.

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In Episode #202, Eric and Neil discuss how to grow your business with YouTube in 2017. Tune in to learn what type of videos attract a larger audience and how to get the most out of your videos through collaborating with others and repurposing your content across many different platforms.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Grow Your Business with YouTube in 2017
• 00:35 – YouTube is the number 2 search engine in the world and is owned by Google
• 00:50 – First, go live on YouTube
  • 01:05 – Use Wirecast or ScreenFlow for Mac to stream simultaneously on other platforms
• 01:39 – Second, create educational videos
  • 01:51 – Neil shares what he does when goes to the studio and records
  • 02:09 – The video clips pop out in Facebook and encourages a following
  • 02:14 – Educational or tutorial videos work for corporate brands as well
  • 02:50 – You can convert people into customers
• 03:00 – Repurpose your video
  • 03:11 – Chop up your video and add catchy titles and captions
  • 03:35 – Ryan Moran of Freedom Fast Lane is a good example of this
• 03:56 – If you’re doing ads, re-target them
  • 04:28 – Make sure you connect your YouTube with AdWords account and Google Analytics account
  • 04:43 – Retargeting has been effective for Neil
  • 05:15 – The videos must answer all the objections the people have
  • 05:37 – Create a pre-roll video that you can put in front of your other YouTube videos
• 06:04 – TubeBuddy and VidIQ will allow you to peek at your competitors’ statistics
  • 06:29 – There’s also suggested tags that help your videos rank
  • 06:47 – Check Appsumo for the price
• 06:57 – Collaborating with people in your niche can grow your network
  • 07:09 – You can cross-promote each other
• 07:20 – Leverage YouTube by promoting it through your other platforms
  • 07:41 – This will give you more subscribers leading to more revenue
• 07:50 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Educational videos or tutorials attract more subscribers which can further generate more revenue.
2. Repurposing is a good way to take your content even further.
3. Leverage Youtube by promoting it across your other platforms.

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In Episode #201, Eric and Neil discuss how to rank for head terms. Tune in to know if the head terms and long-tail terms you are using are ranking well. Also, find out how easy it is for Google to read and rank your head terms.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Rank for Head Terms
• 00:35 – Head terms are 1 or 2 keywords or a phrase like: shoes, basketball shoes, running shoes
• 01:18 – Long-tail terms are three or more keyword phrases like “gray Nike running shoes”
• 01:36 – To rank for head terms, first look at your external links; the more that people link to you, the better
  • 01:45 – “The sites with the highest domain authority tend to do well in ranking head terms”
  • 01:53 – Second is brand queries; the more people type in your brand name, the more likely you are to rank
• 02:04 – If your term is the head term itself, it is easier to rank
• 02:30 – Read the case study of Glen Allsopp of ViperChill
  • 02:36 – Glen studied a group of companies who linked to each other internally
  • 02:50 – Glen called out Condé Nast
• 04:17 – Your content page should be in-depth and thorough
• 04:42 – Use the software, Market Muse
• 04:58 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. The sites with the highest domain authority tend to do well in ranking head terms.
2. If your term is the head term itself, it is easier to rank.
3. Make sure your content page is thorough and in-depth, making it easier for Google to rank the head terms.

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In Episode #200, Eric and Neil discuss how you should approach SEO for a 10,000-page website. Internal linking, SEO audits, and long-term brand campaigns are all key strategies that will optimize your ranking on Google. Eric and Neil break down these strategies geared towards your large website so that you can optimize your topical relevancy for Google.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Approach SEO for a 10,000-Page Website
• 00:40 – Use Google Search Console to spot areas on your site such as crawl issues and specific penalties
  • 00:54 – Combine Google Search Console with Screaming Frog SEO Spider
• 01:07 – Read Neil’s post on Quicksprout on how to perform an SEO audit the right way
• 01:27 – Make sure your website is set for the right URL hierarchy—this will help your Google relevance
• 01:59 – Reasons why you’re creating a website
• 02:20 – When you have tons of pages, your content might overlap
• 02:44 – Your biggest ROI bank should be on-page SEO
• 03:10 – Combining posts is good
• 03:21 – If you have a lot of different pages, create a resource page
  • 03:32 – The “hub and spoke” content strategy explained
  • 03:43 – It is an internal link wheel
• 03:54 – Check Pat Flynn’s deleting content post that explains how deleting a post can boost your ranking
• 04:30 – If you have some good performing posts, you can use Ahrefs to check which are ranking
  • 05:08 – Check the top performing keywords that are used
• 05:18 – Internal linking is really important
  • 05:30 – Have sub signals pointing to the pages
  • 05:41 – Related links also build internal links
• 05:33 – Most big sites do internal links
  • 06:00 – Most travel links are doing internal linking
• 06:25 – Using off-page SEO
  • 06:45 – One problem with big sites is getting ranked for random terms
• 07:14 – Use branding campaigns
  • 07:34 – Short-term brand raising may die down once your campaign ends
  • 07:50 – Make sure you have long-term brand campaigns to build your brand and presence with your audience
• 08:15 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Topical relevancy is crucial for a big website, so make sure your website is set for the right URL hierarchy.
2. Push to have long-term campaigns so that people can resonate with your material and increase presence and ranking on Google.
3. Internal linking is a necessity for a big website.

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In Episode #199, Eric and Neil discuss how to get your first thousand email subscribers. What can be a tedious process is broken down into proven strategies that Eric and Neil have used in the past to grow their own email lists. Tune in to find the best way to improve your blog in order to grow your list and the many online tools you can access that will help you draw people in.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Get Your First Thousand Email Subscribers
• 00:35 – Email still performs really well because you get to control the message and audience
• 01:15 – Upgrade your content
  • 01:26 – Providing resources that relate to your topic is going to increase your conversion rate
• 02:06 – Neil’s first blog didn’t do okay at first
  • 02:24 – Quicksprout, which is Neil’s second blog, performed better
• 02:33 – Neil’s simple tactic is to improve your blog
  • 02:43 – Find similar blog posts in your space that are ranking and check their comments
  • 03:03 – Check the number of comments per blog post
  • 03:18 – “The more comments they get, the more engaged viewers they have”
  • 03:28 – Check the 10 most popular blogs per comment
  • 03:40 – Pay each of them a few dollars and ask them to write and link to your new blog, ask their audience to subscribe
• 04:25 – Use KingSumo contests
  • 04:28 – This is a plugin from WordPress where you can set a contest
  • 04:50 – The more people who share this contest, the more entries they’re going to get—so they’re incentivized to participate
• 05:22 – LeadQuizzes can create quizzes and get people to opt-in
• 05:59 – Facebook ads and Lead ads are good tools too
• 06:08 – LinkedIn ads where people can do one-click lead form fills
• 06:16 – Use MeetEdgar to schedule your social media posts at $49 a month
• 00:51 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Email is still one of the best platform because you can control the message and choose the audience.
2. It doesn’t hurt to pay a little to improve your email list.
3. Contests, quizzes, and ads are great tools to find leads.

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In Episode #198, Eric and Neil discuss whether you should syndicate your content. Syndication simply means reposting content that you have onto other sites. Eric and Neil discuss how to best syndicate your content and why it is important to know where you post. They also address people’s hesitations in, essentially, duplicating their posts and discuss the advantages of doing just that.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: Should You Be Syndicating Your Content?
• 00:35 – Syndication is reposting content in another website
• 00:50 – You don’t need to worry if you’re syndicating only a couple of times
• 01:23 – If you’re syndicating with a higher authority website and your website is brand new, the high-authority website might take over
• 02:01 – If you want to reuse and repurpose your content on different medium platforms—do it!
• 02:38 – There are different audiences who prefer different audio and video formats
• 02:40 – Try to resyndicate
• 03:10 – Medium allows you to add a canonical tag to your content
• 03:25 – Search for sites that allow syndication; LinkedIn is another example
• 03:41 – If you’re syndicating to another blog, write at the top of the blog post where you originally posted this material so people can get context
• 03:52 – Syndication is an element of repurposing
• 04:15 – Syndication and repurposing is a good way to maximize your earning power because your content is getting double the play
• 04:39 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Syndication should be done in a timely manner while using your best content.
2. Search and understand the websites that allow you to syndicate.
3. Syndication is an element of repurposing that helps you maximize the earning potential of your best content.

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In Episode #197, Eric and Neil discuss the 7-point Facebook advertising checklist. Tune in to find out how you can best leverage Facebook advertising for your marketing campaign. Eric and Neil discuss 7 key tips that will get you on track to increasing your sales and click-through rates.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: 7-Point Facebook Advertising Checklist
• 00:35 – First, have a good image
  • 00:48 – Use tools like Canva
  • 00:53 – A good image drive means a good click-through rate
• 01:06 – Second, have a lot of text
  • 01:18 – The more persuasive the text and the more stories you have, the better the conversion
• 01:37 – Third, try different objectives and see the results
  • 02:21 – If you need people to register for something, go with the website conversion objective if that’s what you need if you want conversion in your website
  • 02:28 – If that isn’t working or you want to try something new, try clicks and see what works better for you
• 02:42 – Fourth, make sure that ad frequency is less than 2
  • 02:48 – More than 2 is a waste of money
• 03:03 – Fifth, be mindful of your “ad scent”
  • 03:08 – Make sure that your images or videos are congruent to your landing page
• 03:35 – Sixth, have a new ad account and duplicate your campaign
• 04:06 – Seventh, don’t be afraid to explore new ad ideas
  • 04:10 – AdEspresso has a gallery of ads for inspiration
  • 04:28 – Swiped has different long form landing page copy
  • 04:41 – G-star has a good ad that is catchy video
  • 05:03 – Rev has s caption service for your videos
• 05:17 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Facebook is one of the most effective platforms to have an advertisement.
2. Congruent images to your message and a good amount of persuasive text increase click-through rate and conversions.
3. Experiment and learn—you need to try different advertisement ideas to see what will work best for you.

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In Episode #196, Eric and Neil discuss the 7-point content promotion checklist. Many people focus too much of their energy on the creating side of content, when really, their energy needs to be spent on promoting it. Tune in to see whether you’re hitting these 7 strategies that help in promoting your content.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: 7-Point Content Promotion Checklist
• 00:35 – 20% of your time should be spent creating the content and the 80% should be spent promoting it
• 00:59 – 1: Hit your social media channels
  • 01:00 – Use Meet Edgar to schedule your posts
• 01:36 – 2: Think of websites you can link to
• 02:09 – 3: The paid channels can boost your post for only $1/day
  • 02:33 – Facebook Insights can be used to boost your post
• 03:30 – 4: Look for who shares similar content
  • 03:54 – Send them an email asking if they’d be willing to share it
• 04:23 – 5: Make sure you’re repurposing the content
• 04:58 – 6: Make your headline appealing
  • 05:05 – Test your headline ideas on your friends or people in your network
• 05:30 – 7: Continue to build and push out your email list
• 06:10 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Spend the majority of your time promoting the content you’ve written—this is especially important if you’re starting out.
2. Boost your social media channels and leverage it.
3. A good headline attracts traffic, so make it appealing and compelling!

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In Episode #195, Eric and Neil discuss the 7 interview questions you should ask before hiring a marketer. There is a lot you can assess about a potential hire from interview questions alone. How do they respond when they’re put on the spot? What is their best achievement to date? Tune in to find out the questions you should be asking your future marketer and the reasons why it is important to find someone with similar work ethic and values.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: 7 Interview Questions You Should Ask Before You Hire a Marketer
• 00:35 – Tell me about the most impressive win in your career
  • 01:00 – This is the question that Elon Musk uses
  • 01:20 – What do you consider the most impressive win in your life so far, is an alternative question for juniors
  • 01:50 – The answers should match where they are in life at the moment
• 01:55 – What would you change with my business from my website? How would you fix it?
  • 02:20 – “In business, people have to come up with solutions at the most inconvenient moment”
• 02:38 – Use a video interviewing tool called Spark Hire
• 03:43 – Ask, what is the most creative marketing tactic you’ve ever implemented?
  • 03:55 – What’s the most creative marketing tactic you’ve ever seen on the web?
• 04:48 – Come up with situational questions and see their thought process
• 05:23 – Ask questions to see how aggressive the marketer is
  • 05:45 – For example, have you ever bought paid links?
  • 05:56 – What’s the shadiest marketing tactic you’ve seen or that you’ve leveraged?
• 06:35 – Give people a homework assignment as a paid trial
• 07:26 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. The answers your interviewee gives should match where they are at in life, at the moment.
2. Ask aggressive questions and if they answer aggressively—that’s what you’re looking for! Then, just go for it.
3. Give a paid trial assignment – this will give you a clear picture of their capability.

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In Episode #194, Eric and Neil discuss how to attract 9,000 visitors a month from Quora. Quora is a fantastic platform to increase your visibility and boost traffic to your site—all you have to do is answer some questions. Tune in to find out how Jason Lemkin leveraged Quora and how you can do it, too!

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Attract 9,000 Visitors a Month from Quora
• 00:40 – You can definitely generate traffic from Quora
• 00:54 – Jason Lemkin is leveraging out of Quora
• 01:11 – Respond to popular questions in your page and link relevant articles to your website to get traffic
• 01:47 – Quora is ranked 122nd for most popular website in the world
  • 01:50 – Quora is 67th in USA
• 02:00 – Answer a new question on Quora that is gaining traction
  • 02:32 – Add a “call to action” that links to your website at the end of your answer
• 02:40 – Eric was answering random questions on Quora
• 03:00 – Jason Lemkin built an entire conference and community
• 03:25 – Answers need to be concise
  • 03:43 – There can be repurposing answers
• 03:53 – Jason Lemkin has received 10M views from Quora
• 04:07 – You can get business partners through Quora
  • 04:32 – The more helpful you are, the more they’ll take to working with you
• 05:02 – Blocking out a time to just answer questions can enrich your business development
• 05:40 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Quora has its merits for increasing traffic to your website and you need to be leveraging it.
2. The more helpful you are to others on Quora, the more they see your value and will consider working with you.
3. Make your answers concise and include a “call to action” that links back to your website.

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In Episode #193, Eric and Neil discuss why your SEO sucks and how to fix it. Your SEO isn’t something you just figure out once and then drop it. It needs to be maintained and deserves your attention in order to stay ahead of your competitors. Tune in to find out why your SEO is NOT working and the tips that will keep your SEO operating at its best.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: Why Your SEO Sucks and How to Fix It
• 00:35 – The biggest reason is that everyone believes that they can install a plug-in, and that’s it
  • 00:58 – People focus on off-page SEO and no one focuses on on-page
• 01:20 – For on-page SEO, do keyword research
  • 01:26 – Check Google Trends to see how keywords are trending
  • 01:32 – Use Keyword.io and Google Keyword Planner
• 01:46 – Have a goal that you want to achieve
• 02:00 – Content and links are what matters in SEO
• 02:09 – Another problem is people not checking their extra links, especially the ones that are irrelevant
  • 02:16 – “The last thing you want to do is be seen as a directory”
• 03:00 – Most people think that SEO in a one-time deal, but it is an ongoing deal
  • 03:58 – You have to be willing to spend for a technical audit
  • 04:10 – Be patient
• 04:37 – Take your most popular pages and link them in your sidebar
• 05:03 – Google “how to rank zero in SEO”
  • 05:10 – Check if your snippets are working
  • 05:39 – You can use SEMrush and Ahrefs
• 05:48 – Continue finding your title tags and meta-description tags
  • 06:06 – Optimize and make them persuasive
  • 06:10 – Google “copyblogger headline formula” or “how to write magnetic headlines”
  • 06:27 – Read books from David Ogilvy, one of the best copywriters
  • 06:36 – David said that every dollar spent on copywriting, 80 cents go to the headlines
• 06:40 – Make sure you have the alt tags for the videos
• 07:04 – Start combining your pages
• 07:32 – The “hub and spoke” strategy
  • 07:39 – You’ll find Jimmy Daly's Hub & Spoke strategy
  • 08:23 – Google wants to see your intro page and the links that are backing it up
  • 08:36 – Google “conversion rate optimization”
• 08:47 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. SEO is not just a one-time deal, but an ongoing deal that needs your attention in order to stay ahead of the pack in your niche.
2. All good things come to those who wait—SEO takes time to see the results, so be patient.
3. Spend your time, energy, and money or your headlines—optimize them and make sure they’re persuasive!

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In Episode #192, Eric and Neil discuss 7 neat SEO tricks for 2017. There are smarter ways to increase your search engine traffic and Eric and Neil have the know-how. Tune in to find out how removing the dates on your Wordpress URL or building links to posts that are ranking high can be just the quick tip you need to boost your traffic.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: 7 Neat SEO Tricks for 2017
• 00:35 – First is to upgrade your post that is already doing well
  • 00:49 – Check Ahrefs and Google Search Console
  • 01:30 – Google “online marketing” and Eric is probably Top 5
• 01:50 – Second, when you add the year on the title tag, it can generate new click throughs
• 02:26 – Third is to buy a website
  • 02:38 – Look for keywords you’re trying to link
  • 02:40 – Reach out to the top 20 websites see who wants to sell
• 03:55 – Fourth, remove dates on the WordPress URL title to boost search traffic
• 04:19 – Fifth, focus on link building to posts that are ranking 5 to 25
  • 04:39 – Build 10 links to your post to signal Google
• 05:00 – Sixth, “Google ranks site based on how thorough and in-depth they think the web page is”
  • 05:10 – MarketMuse has a software for all the key phrases you’re trying to look for
• 05:36 – Seventh: Tier 2 link building
  • 05:43 – Black hat tools explained
  • 07:07 – “Doing the black hat stuff in a white hat way—that’s going to help you”
• 07:20 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Buying a website that has aged and ranked high is a cheaper way to increase organic traffic and sales.
2. Make your post relevant to signal Google and increase search traffic.
3. Do black hat SEO in a white hat way—it’s proven to work better.

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In Episode #191, Eric and Neil discuss how to hire an SEO agency. What questions should you ask? What are great signs that prove the agency is and will be successful? Tune in to learn how to investigate a great SEO agency and why it’s worth doing your due diligence before you make that hire. 

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Hire an SEO Agency
• 00:46 – Always look at referrals
  • 01:11 – A referral is the first line of offense and defense
• 01:25 – Look at the previous work of the SEO agency
• 01:50 – Before hiring an agency, ask them the changes they’d make to your website
  • 02:02 – You can also ask what’s wrong with your website and how much traffic they can generate for you
• 02:40 – Ask the agency their process:
  • 02:48 – Each agency is different
  • 03:35 – Look at organic traffic and organic conversion
  • 04:00 – There should be alignment from the get go
• 04:07 – Ask the agency to explain their expertise
• 04:50 – See what tools the agency uses internally
  • 05:00 – Ahrefs and Keyword.io are good examples
• 05:35 – Check for references
• 06:15 – Ask the agency for their rankings and results for their own website
  • 06:30 – Some agencies don’t rank well
  • 07:06 – If they can rank their own website, there’s a greater chance that they can rank you
• 07:15 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Referrals are a great way to see how the SEO agency has performed in the past.
2. If an SEO agency can rank their own website well, chances are they can do it for you, too.
3. Do your due diligence with the agency you’re about to hire – you’ll be working with them for quite some time.

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In Episode #190, Eric and Neil discuss the 7 cost effective ways to rank in a competitive niche. From building your community on Facebook to repurposing your content—there are some cost effective ways that keep you competitive. Find out the tips and strategies that help you stand out among your competitors and, at the same time, keep your money in your pocket.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: 7 Cost Effective Ways to Rank in a Competitive Niche
• 00:35 – One way is to look for people who rank on the first six pages of Google, but who are not doing anything with their websites—then, buy their websites
  • 00:51 – Redirect all their pages to your website
• 01:12 – Second, use the Skyscraper Technique
  • 01:19 – This was created by Brian Dean
  • 01:58 – Use BuzzSumo to find people linking to the top 3 results
  • 02:03 – Ahrefs is also useful
  • 02:23 – The Skyscraper technique takes time, but definitely works
• 02:39 – Third, look at your on-page SEO and topical relevancy
  • 03:00 – Change your URL structure so Google can read it
• 03:42 – Fourth, build a community
  • 03:52 – Some 6-figure earners started by building a Facebook group
  • 04:00 – Podcasts are also a good option
• 04:49 – Fifth, use a tool like Market Muse which tells you what keywords are missing to better your searches
• 05:06 – Sixth, repurpose your content which is inspired by Russell Brunson of ClickFunnels
  • 06:12 – Thinking about what you can repurpose allows you to stand out from your competitors
• 06:32 – Seventh, optimize your title tags for click through rates
  • 06:35 – Go to Google search, “search analytics”
  • 06:49 – Make your title tags more appealing
  • 06:52 – Copyblogger headline formula can give you ideas
• 07:52 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Try to make a deal with people who are not monetizing their high-ranking websites.
2. Be patient, these strategies will take time, but they are worth the wait and will be effective.
3. Leverage your website search console.

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In Episode #189, Eric and Neil discuss how to increase your e-commerce conversion rate. Tune it to learn valuable tips and strategies to make the online buying experience as positive and streamlined as possible. From ensuring that there are product reviews to offering free shipping, Eric and Neil disclose the tricks of the trade that are easy to implement and will increase your sales.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Increase Your E-commerce Conversion Rate
• 00:41 – First, add live chat to your web pages
• 01:03 – Use a 2-step check-out
  • 01:12 – Name and email on the first page, then credit card details on the second
• 01:25 – Have a countdown timer on the checkout page
  • 01:34 – Learn more about it in Conversion Excel
• 01:47 – Offer FREE shipping
  • 02:12 – Increase the product cost to cover the free shipping fee
• 02:26 – Your page speed matters a lot
  • 02:47 – Site speed means better user experience
• 02:57 – Make sure your site is mobile compatible
• 03:20 – Have reviews
  • 03:41 – Using default product descriptions will not establish your page as unique
  • 03:51 – Interlink other products to draw people to these other pages
• 04:15 – Your conversion rate is not just about the number of visitors, it is the revenue you get per customer
• 04:37 – Check people’s behavior on your pages
• 05:18 – Make sure images are of high quality and videos are showing the product well
• 05:39 – Utilize retargeting to those who consistently check you out
• 06:18 – Run promotions
• 06:50 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Think about up selling—every product should have an upsell opportunity.
2. The conversion rate is not just about the number of visitors, it is the revenue you get per customer.
3. The better the customer experience, the higher the sales.

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In Episode #188, Eric and Neil discuss the 7 copywriting hacks that will double your conversions. What makes great copy? How do you fine tune your text to get people to convert? Tune in to learn some quick hacks that are tested and proven to boost your conversion rates this year.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: 7 Copywriting Hacks that Will Double Your Conversions
• 00:35 – First, within your headlines, consider integrating the city
  • 00:40 – Use MaxMind which is an IP service that’ll integrate the person’s city
• 01:13 – Second, use specific statistics and numbers
  • 01:07 – Check Quick Sprout or Neil Patel in BuzzSumo
• 02:08 – Third, copywriting is about answering objections
  • 02:29 – Find out people’s objections by asking pointed questions and answer their objections in your copy
• 02:50 – Fourth, include the person’s name inside the copy when it’s relevant
• 03:14 – Fifth is to show vulnerability
  • 03:20 – Neil showed how he made mistakes and how he fixed them
• 04:20 – Include all examples and calls-to-action
• 04:50 – Seventh is storytelling
  • 04:59 – Don’t forget to innovate stories in your copy
• 05:13 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Use a person’s name and city in the title and in the copy to personalize their experience.
2. Vulnerability helps people to relate to you and this can develop trust with your customers.
3. Storytelling is a great way to hook people and draw them in.

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In Episode #187, Eric and Neil discuss the 7 unconventional marketing tactics that you can use for 2017. Tune in to hear what tactics are trending today and the online resources that can get you to speed.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: 7 Unconventional Marketing Tactics that You Can Use for 2017
• 00:35 – First, check out Russell Brunson’s ClickFunnels
  • 00:56 – Soon, more and more businesses are going to do funnels
• 01:19 – Second, website personalization
  • 01:21 – Hubspot provides you these options to personalize
• 01:53 – Third, try micro-retargeting
  • 02:41 – Connect Leads can help you segment your Facebook retargeting
• 03:30 – Fourth, branding
  • 04:05 – Gary Vaynerchuk is really gaining traffic
  • 04:43 – Branding creates more business opportunities in the long run
  • 04:53 – Google Trends can tell you a brand’s information
• 05:13 – Fifth, chat is becoming a great marketing tool
  • 06:00 – Intercom and Drift are good tools to look up
• 06:14 – Sixth, work on your notifications
• 07:08 – Seventh is content upgrading
  • 07:27 – Find a piece where a tweak is needed and upgrade it
• 08:08 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. More and more businesses are turning to sales funnels.
2. For a long term solution—working on your branding to create more business opportunities in the future.
3. Marketing strategies are continuously improving—FIND the easiest way to get your product to the people.

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In Episode #186, Eric and Neil discuss if Twitter is still worth using. Tune in to find out if Twitter is really dead and what alternatives you can use to effectively increase your traffic.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: Is Twitter Still Worth Using?
• 00:35 – Eric doesn’t use Twitter to engage with people
• 00:46 – Eric searches Twitter to find out what people are looking for on this platform
• 01:00 – Eric follows venture capitalists, founders, and SEOs
• 01:11 – Twitbot’s integration is useful for Eric to read news later
• 02:00 – “I wouldn’t use Twitter. It’s dead.”
• 02:27 – Neil’s number of followers is much bigger than the traffic he’s getting
• 02:47 – Neil’s Facebook traffic is 244K from his fan page
• 03:10 – Neil’s Twitter traffic is just 2% of his followers while he gets 38% traffic from Facebook
• 04:43 – Twitter is a waste of time to generate traffic
• 04:51 – Twitter is still relevant for content ideas
• 05:00 – You can now livestream for your Twitter app
• 05:28 – “Facebook is crushing everyone now with Instagram and Facebook live”
• 05:39 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Twitter still has its benefits and one of them is their search feature.
2. Twitter is NOT the most advantageous platform to generate traffic—Facebook is.
3. Facebook is crushing everyone with Instagram and Facebook live.

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In Episode #185, Eric and Neil discuss the 7 ways you can get more engagement on social media. Tune in to learn some tips and tricks to grow your audience as well as some useful online tools that you can use to optimize engagement. It’s not just about growing your audience, but getting the RIGHT people to your website to boost that engagement.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: 7 Ways to Get More Engagement on Social Media
• 00:35 – First, go LIVE
  • 00:47 – Instagram and Facebook are giving more priority to those who are live
• 00:55 – Second, repost content that did well after a month of posting
  • 01:12 – Neil just reposted content and is doing well
• 01:30 – Third, Tag the people in your post
  • 01:49 – Hashtagify can help you find the top hashtags on Instagram
• 02:05 – Fourth, build a community
  • 02:18 – Interact and engage with people
• 02:35 – Fifth, make sure you’re scheduling at the right time
• 02:52 – Sixth, target the right audience
  • 03:20 – Create a fan page in Facebook to know where your audience is coming from
  • 04:16 – If you have a specific type of audience, adjust your settings to that specific interest/audience
• 04:20 – Lastly, have a great headline
  • 04:43 – Go to Copyblogger and check their headlines’ post
  • 04:48 – Check your competitors' headlines on BuzzSumo
• 05:18 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Optimize your posts for a maximum reach.
2. Interact and engage with people—frequently check your messages and reply to them.
3. Targeting the right audience can increase your engagement.

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In Episode #184, Eric and Neil discuss what you should do when your business stops growing. There are many different solutions and options you can explore before deciding to throw the towel. Tune in to find out what Eric and Neil used as solutions when their own businesses were struggling and how an outsider’s perspective can make all the difference in saving your business.

• 00:30 – Today’s topic: What Should You Do When Your Business Stops Growing?
• 00:45 – First, look at your analytics and numbers and see what’s going on
  • 00:53 – Are you losing traffic? Assess, then look at the actions you should take
  • 02:00 – Do your due diligence, don’t necessarily give up
• 02:20 – Look at other businesses and see how they are growing, learn from them
• 03:37 – Sometimes you’re too close minded about your processes
  • 04:00 – Neil shares an example from his own personal experience
  • 04:14 – One small change like changing URL structure, does make the difference to growing your traffic
  • 05:17 – The solution isn’t necessarily in your head, step back, and try to look at it form an objective perspective
• 05:30 – Network with others, be transparent with what’s happening, and you might get the RIGHT feedback and ideas that are worth trying out and will HIT that problem
• 06:14 – Just because you’re an expert in your space, doesn’t mean you know how to grow your own business
• 06:36 – Sometimes you’re too close to your own business to see what needs changing
• 06:45 – Pay contractors and find consultants, or go to networking events
• 07:40 – Eric shares his struggle with finding lead sources; check out Nathan Latka's podcast He Bought a $150k/mo Agency for $2 with Eric Siu
  • 08:21 – Joining Entrepreneurs' Organization helped Eric find out what he needed to do to save his company—the peer group helped him learn from their experiences
  • 09:16 – If he didn’t have help from this particular peer group, he’d be left Googling for solutions
• 09:45 – Network at conferences!
• 09:55 – At the end of the day, you’re dealing with humans and you need that connection
• 10:30 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. If you feel like your business is struggling, ASSESS your analytics and numbers to find out what’s going on BEFORE you take action.
2. Get an outsider’s perspective and help even IF you’re an expert at what you do—sometimes you’re just too close to the situation.
3. ENGAGE and NETWORK—at the end of the day, you’re dealing with humans and you need that community to help you out.

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In Episode #183, Eric and Neil discuss when you should give up on a marketing campaign. Tune in to find out if it is the right time to give up your current marketing campaign or whether it’s time to just pause it. Neil also shares from his own personal experience with spending on branding and how his return on investment didn’t come until years later.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: When Is It Time to Give Up on a Marketing Campaign?
• 00:58 – Have specific goals, objectives, and have a timeline
• 01:05 – Set your smart goal, initially
• 01:18 – Have the right mindset
• 01:36 – If a marketing campaign doesn’t work at first, you can pause it and not shut it down
  • 02:06 – Neil had spent on branding, but it wasn’t generating money
  • 02:30 – After 6 years, Neil is now getting a big ROI from branding
  • 03:15 – Paid acquisition is a short term campaign where you should get a ROI in just a few months
• 04:05 – Marketing requires reiteration
• 04:30 – The traction of YouTube ads
• 05:25 – Always put a timeline on whatever you’re doing
• 06:00 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Just because something isn’t working right now, doesn’t mean it won’t work in the future.
2. Setting a timeline for your marketing campaign makes you more productive and can save you some money.
3. Have specific goals and objectives to guide you.

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In Episode #182, Eric and Neil discuss how you can effectively integrate design into your marketing collateral. Tune in to discover just how important design is in your marketing campaign and why you need to be more careful in picking the right design.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Effectively Integrate Design Into Your Marketing Collateral
• 01:00 – “Design shouldn’t just be used to make things look pretty, it should have a purpose. The purpose should be to help emphasize the message you’re trying to make and drive sales and conversion.”
• 01:15 – Having a styling guide will help you to be consistent
  • 01:47 – Check Dribbble to get ideas from different portfolios
  • 01:58 – Intercom is consistent in having a good-looking design
• 02:26 – “Make your designs very simplistic. Designs that are too overwhelming tend to not convert well”
• 02:35 – Make sure the text is legible and dark in color for easier reading
  • 02:49 – “Text impacts conversion more than anything else”
• 02:58 – “Make the design fall with the message you’re trying to create”
• 03:38 – Use call-to-actions throughout the design
• 03:53 – Make sure you are also answering objections
• 04:46 – “Your landing page should be one cohesive story”
• 05:05 – When you’re designing a page, your website should be responsive
  • 05:25 – Make sure that it works on different browsers and devices
• 05:38 – Land-book has good examples of different landing pages
• 06:05 – Swiped has different ideas worth checking out
• 06:13 – Great design should be invisible and should be sitting in the background
• 06:31 – “Make sure the design elements you use on different device types are more relevant”
• 07:27 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. A simple and great design is invisible and therefore, converts into sales.
2. Make sure the design is not hurting or taking away from the message.
3. The design should be tailored specifically to each device for the users to have that unique experience.

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In Episode #181, Eric and Neil discuss what kind of videos you should be creating when doing live streaming. They also delve into what interests viewers in terms of content and how you should carry yourself in your videos. Tune in to get some practical advice on how to connect with your viewers and make those conversions—in other words, how to make a successful video.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: Live Streaming 101: What Kind of Videos Should You Be Creating?
• 00:40 – “Behind the scenes” videos are always a way to get people watching
• 01:03 – Second, do a Q&A as it builds relationship and interaction with the viewers
• 01:20 – Third, try to do an interview—perhaps an impromptu interview
• 01:30 – With Facebook live, you can also invite others to join your live stream
• 01:40 – Fourth, check Gary Vaynerchuk and his short clips of advice and try to mimic him
  • 01:52 – Make sure it is general advice related to your audience, that will really help them
• 02:15 – Fifth, do a product or service demo
  • 02:35 – Think of the value first
• 02:45 – Sixth, share personal stuff that isn’t always positive
  • 03:21 – People can relate to it and learn from it
• 03:42 – Seventh, treat your live stream as a webinar
  • 03:48 – Use Wirecast to simultaneously be online on several online platforms
  • 04:43 – Just be careful in showing recorded videos live because some people may not like that
• 05:03 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Be more open and transparent – it builds trust and goodwill with your viewers.
2. People love “behind the scenes” videos and appreciate seeing the whole picture of your experience.
3. Always plan and prepare, in advance, what you will share on live streaming – be sure it is valuable and helpful to your viewers.

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In Episode #180, Eric and Neil discuss how you can get started with affiliate marketing. What is affiliate marketing and how can this benefit your brand and company? Tune in to find out how to be successful in affiliate marketing and the essential guidelines for setting it up. 

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Get Started with Affiliate Marketing
• 00:35 – Affiliate marketing is performance marketing
• 01:10 – The commission will depend on the industry and products
• 01:39 – Affiliate marketing is getting other marketers to push your product
• 01:47 – Affiliate Marketing One Hour a Day by Evgenii Prussakov
• 02:06 – It’s about the traffic you can get and what you can promote that is relevant to the offer
  • 02:52 – You can also do paid advertising
  • 03:05 – Cheap traffic sources are Facebook and Pinterest
• 03:26 – LeadDyno and Getambassador are great tools
• 04:07 – Have specific guidelines set up so your brand won’t get destroyed by the affiliate
• 04:25 – Go to any popular affiliate network and see what offers convert the best
• 04:52 – If your conversions are not done right, you’re not going to have any revenue
• 05:24 – In Clickbanks,their metrics helps you guide your conversion
• 05:48 – Credit Karma tells you the credit score
• 06:00 – TPG or The Points Guy is doing affiliate marketing really well
• 06:27 – Make sure that whatever you do in affiliate marketing, it’s for the long term
  • 06:34 – Look for long-term legitimate companies and not shady ones
• 06:56 – Use Pretty Link which is a Wordpress plugin to cloak your links
• 07:20 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Affiliate marketing is performance marketing.
2. Look for companies you can work with for the long term—don’t fall for shady affiliates that can possibly ruin your brand.
3. Get your conversions right—do the work to understand everything you can about affiliate marketing.

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In Episode #179, Eric and Neil discuss the type of content you should be creating when you can only blog one time a week. Tune in to learn how to make a blog that strikes its audience—and not just to read the blog—but compelling enough to share it, too!

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: What Type of Content Should You Create When You Can Only Blog 1x a Week?
• 00:39 – Neil was using Quick Sprout, just once a week
• 01:38 – You want to produce something that stands out and makes people want to link
• 01:49 – First, figure out who are you targeting and how you can help them
  • 02:00 – Kissmetrics targets marketers
• 02:10 – Second, who are your ideal customers?
• 02:55 – Your content should be very specific
• 03:25 – Companies are looking at more detailed metrics
• 03:42 – Blogs should be actionable and thorough
• 04:00 – Groove HQ is a good example of a growing blog
• 05:08 – Help Scout blog posts are in-depth and well done, ranking 1 and 2 on Google
• 05:56 – Be specific and don’t go for volume; go for relevancy and helpfulness
• 06:10 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Produce a blog post that stands out and that people want to share through linking.
2. Know your target and ideal customers and provide content that is helpful to them.
3. The KEY is to be relevant towards the right people.

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In Episode #178, Eric and Neil discuss how you can get sales and marketing to work together. Sales and marketing are a vital part of your company whose roles/tasks are mutually dependent on one another. Therefore, it’s wise to get these teams collaborating. Tune in to find out the benefits of having these two teams work together and how to streamline the communication process.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Get Sales and Marketing to Work Together
• 00:48 – Get both teams together to brainstorm great content and blog post ideas
• 01:07 – Objections can also be answered and conversion rates can go up
• 01:14 – Collaboration is key and people like to work together
• 01:35 – “Most sales organizations are data driven”
• 02:15 – Automate as much as possible
• 02:19 – Improve and keep adjusting the funnel
• 02:40 – Analyze the presentation and be analytical
• 03:16 – Marketing can have a clear understanding of how they can help sales and sales should start closing more
• 03:25 – Use Amplemarket on Slack to see the individuals or leads that are coming in
• 03:43 – Use Clearbit to plug in all your leads and have your sales team crystalize your leads
  • 03:54 – Consider this as your Inbound SDR (Sales Development Rep)
• 04:08 – You can use InsideSales that integrates with Salesforce so that you can call people back within 5 minutes
• 04:27 – Have a monthly talk or evaluation about which platform works best
• 04:50 – Have a marketing automation tool like InfusionSoft, Marketo and HubSpot to understand your customer’s experience
• 05:33 – Teams working together gets easier as you do it
• 05:40 – Have a process that works long-term
• 05:45 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Make room for your teams to collaborate—that exchange of ideas can lead to great content.
2. Take advantage of the online tools that help create a smoother workflow.
3. Working together gets easier the more you do it, so integrate a process that works long-term.

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In Episode #177, Eric and Neil discuss the ideal URL structure for SEO. People often overlook the importance of their URL address and end up losing out on organic traffic. Tune in as Eric and Neil discuss how to clean up your URL and share their own experiences about how they improved their own URLs.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: The Ideal URL Structure for SEO
• 01:00 – Usual structure of a webpage explained
• 01:40 – Having a lot of categories on your URL makes it difficult for Google to crawl it
• 01:55 – For example: NeilPatel.com/makeup/allthemakeup
• 02:10 – The categories tell Google the topical relevancy
• 02:30 – Neil’s current URL structure
  • 02:45 – There are a lot of titles and categories—this confuses Google, making it difficult to discern what category it should fall under
• 02:56 – Neil’s blog posts don’t rank as well as his guide
• 03:30 – URL should NOT be taken for granted
• 03:45 – Neil shares what he learned from his searches
• 03:52 – Less than 6% of results on page one of results have a messy URL
• 04:20 – Cut out sub folders if they’re not necessary
• 05:05 – Keep URL structures clean and use subfolders—subdomains don’t rank as well as subfolders
• 05:16 – The debate SEOs are having about Quora
• 05:39 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. URLs should NOT be taken for granted—It plays a big role with your organic traffic.
2. The more titles and categories, the more difficult for Google to crawl your URL and website.
3. Keep URL structures clean and use subfolders. Subdomains don’t rank as well as subfolders.

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In Episode #176, Eric and Neil discuss how topical relevancy can boost your ranking. It’s important to know how your keywords and content work against and for you through Google’s ranking systems. Tune in to know how to master topical relevancy and how checking your competitors’ work can help you climb to a better rank.

• 00:27 - Today’s topic: How Topical Relevancy Can Boost Your Ranking
• 00:34 – Topical relevancy allows the small guys to compete with the big guys
  • 00:49 – Neil explains how Google ranks websites according to SEO relevancy
• 01:16 – SingleGrain ranks for marketing related keywords
  • 01:43 – Google can’t seem to find the right keywords for Growth Everywhere which describes the stories of entrepreneurs
• 02:20 – It is important to have strong topical relevancy when starting your website
• 03:03 – Focus on a specific topic
• 03:35 – Being the best on one topic is what topical relevancy is about
• 04:20 – Marketmuse suggests all the phrases and terms that you should be using with your website if you want to be topically relevant
• 04:39 – Check similar websites in your space using SEMrush and Ahrefs Tool
• 04:55 – FamousBirthdays.com is about celebrity birthdays, is focused on just one topic, and drives millions of visitors
• 05:10 – “Always look at your competition”
• 05:25 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Google will most likely rank a website that is SEO focused higher than the one that is marketing focused.
2. Focus on a specific topic—being the best on one topic is what topical relevancy is all about.
3. Always look at your competition—check the topics they are using and monitor their ranking.

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In Episode #175, Eric and Neil discuss how to reduce your bounce rate. A bounce rate is the percentage of visitors to a particular website who navigate away after viewing only one page. Simply put—if your page is boring, people leave, and the higher your bounce rate. Tune in to learn practical ways to reduce your bounce rate so you can keep your visitors sticking around long enough to make that sale.

• 00:27 - Today’s topic: How to Reduce Your Bounce Rate
• 00:33 – Bounce rate is when someone leaves your site right away
• 00:42 – The textbook definition of bounce rate: “the percentage of visitors to a particular website who navigate away after viewing only one page”
• 00:47 – A rising bounce rate is a sign that you have a boring homepage
• 01:16 – First, have a good design that keep people in your website
• 02:03 – Removing your pop-ups can decrease your bounce rate
  • 02:26 – People are more likely to stay if your website doesn’t have loads of pop-ups
  • 02:48 – You might need to check if it works for you
• 03:10 – A slow website can’t keep people
  • 03:27 – Check the page speed using Google Page Speed tool, Pingdom and Google Analytics
• 03:38 – Create a journey for people
  • 03:55 – An example of a journey
• 04:37 – Have the RIGHT offers
  • 04:51 – Use ConvertFlow to show different offers when your visitor comes back
• 05:28 – Simple readability is also very important
  • 05:32 – Eric’s blog Single Grain is a good example of this
• 05:52 – “Good user experience means less bounce rate, people sticking on your site, going through multiple pages”
  • 06:00 – If visitors go through multiple pages, it increases sales and they convert to customers
• 06:18 - That’s it for today’s episode!

1. A great design creates that experience for viewers, causing them to stick around.
2. Create a journey for your visitors—engaging them throughout and around your website.
3. The more engaged people are with your website, the lower the bounce rate and a greater chance of conversion to sales.

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In Episode #174, Eric and Neil discuss the two social media metrics that actually matter. These metrics are THE indicators that show whether or not your marketing strategy is working. Tune in to find out what they are and how to improve upon your ratings.

• 00:27 – Today’s topic: Which Social Media Metrics Actually Matter?
• 00:44 – First metric is the engagement rate—the number of reach of your post divided by those who shared, commented, or liked your post
  • 1:03 – Engagement rate is how effective your post is in social media
  • 1:15 – You can check the engagement rate in Facebook insights or to some extent, in Youtube
• 1:38 – Neil shares that in social media, the more people are engaged, the more likely they will buy
  • 1:40 – Engagement is not about the number of fans, but how they respond to your posts
  • 1:53 – For example, HubSpot’s fan page in Facebook has over a million fans but they are not engaged
• 2:15 – Another tracking metric is the ROI
  • 2:22 – Social media marketing costs Eric 100,000/month, but he makes more than that from social media marketing
• 2:31 – Funding campaigns in social media marketing for ROI can really be profitable
• 2:40 – For people struggling with the engagement rate portion, they should look up Avinash Kaushik
  • 3:07 – Avinash has posts about the engagement rate and how to measure it
• 3:26 – Neil also likes ROI as a metric—their Pinterest conversion rate is 2.31% and potential customers are staying longer
• 4:03 – Social media marketing metrics is different in different times of your business
• 4:35 – Set a target growth rate week over week, then adjust targets quarterly
• 4:54 – You may not be able to maintain that growth rate, but it can be a good measuring stick for you
• 5:14 – Engagement and ROI are the two main metrics
• 5:18 – That’s it for today’s episode

1. The two main metrics to focus on in social media is the engagement rate and ROI.
2. Social media marketing can really be profitable, as long you do it right.
3. Set your own growth rate and work to achieve it—adjust the rate as your business changes over time.

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In Episode #173, Eric and Neil discuss how you can write a killer blog post. Many people can slap a string of coherent sentences together and call it a blog—but, can they capture their readers' attention? Tune in as Eric and Neil reveal solid suggestions for creating a blog that will entice and hook an audience. From your title to the images place amidst your text, all these details count. 

• 00:27 - Today’s topic: How to Write a Killer Blog Post
• 00:35 – Write a great headline and continue the thought in the first few sentences to hook the readers
  • 00:59 – Go to Copyblogger for the headline formula
• 01:15 – Think of blogging as a presentation or a classroom lecture
  • 01:33 – Engage with your readers
  • 01:46 – Start with a conversation
  • 01:57 – Neil shares a sample conversation in a blogpost
• 03:08 – Use sub-headers or bullets to keep things organized
  • 03:45 – Eric shares an example that can get readers hooked
• 04:08 – Add media to your blog post
  • 04:32 – Eric uses DesignPickle for his images
• 04:50 – Have a conclusion heading
• 05:22 – All claims should be backed up by case study or research links
  • 06:00 – If you have data that can separate you, the better, because it can’t be replicated easily
• 07:07 – Make your blog readable
  • 07:17 – Design should be responsive and text should be clear
  • 08:20 – Neil Patel’s Quicksprout
  • 08:30 – Neil reads Tech Crunch, TMZ, CNN and other sites to give him creative ideas that he can leverage on his own website
  • 09:00 – Eric checks Wallstreet Journal, copyblogger, and problogger
• 09:20 - That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Blog posts are not just about the text—a catchy photo or video can entice people to read it.
2. Simple, but powerful—overly decorated posts can easily turn off the reader.
3. Read a lot and a variety or written work as this feeds your creative inspiration.

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In Episode #172, Eric and Neil discuss how you can keep your users engaged with your video. Videos are becoming a more common way in which we share content, so how do you know if you’re doing it right? Tune in to find out some practical tips and online applications that help make your videos more engaging—and the more engaging the video, the more viewers and conversions!

• 00:27 - Today’s topic: How to Keep Your Users Engaged with Your Video
• 00:39 – In 2020, most content will be in video
• 00:46 – Live videos have become popular and the number of viewers have doubled
• 01:10 – Keeping your videos short can help you have a high view count, but lower conversion rate
• 01:28 – First, try to make your video like a story
  • 01:45 – Think about yourself watching a movie
  • 02:13 – “The more storytelling you do—the more emotions you leverage, the more hooks you create, the more sales you end up generating from those videos”
• 02:30 – Start with a video transcription or caption
  • 02:43 – Rev has the ability to create video captions for you
• 03:15 – Have an engaging introduction
  • 03:45 – You can try to check which image or intro works through Facebook ads at a cheaper price
  • 04:03 – People switch camera angles to keep people engaged
  • 04:29 – Ask people questions
  • 04:54 – In Facebook video, you can check the number of people that are engaging
• 05:18 – You need good editing!
  • 05:29 – Casey Neistat built a brand and sold it for $25M to CNN—CNN didn’t buy his brand but hired him and his team to be an influencer
• 06:15 – Talk slowly in your videos
• 06:48 – During live videos, use Telestream Wirecast so that you’re live on more than 1 application
• 07:30 - That’s it for today’s episode!

1. In 2020, most content will be in video form—therefore, familiarize yourself with this tool.
2. Telling a story with an engaging intro and transcript in your video will help your audience connect with you.
3. Use as many social media platforms as you can to BOOST your engagement and conversion rate.

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In Episode #171, Eric and Neil discuss the 7 age-old advertising principles that are still relevant and effective to this day. Tune in to learn how the big companies like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and AT&T are still winning in the advertising world because of these key principles that you can start using today.

• 00:27 - Today’s topic: 7 Age-Old Advertising Principles that Are Still Relevant Today
• 00:36 – First, write a great headline
• 01:08 – Warren Buffett tells his CEOs to always protect their brand
  • 01:22 – Branding is everything and just one mistake could ruin everything
• 01:43 – Third, tell a story
  • 01:45 – Stories or advertorials drive people and evokes their emotions
• 02:21 – Fourth, consistency in advertising, regardless of how large your company is or how well-known
  • 02:48 – The Rule of Seven explained
• 03:10 – Fifth is from 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, by Al Ries and Jack Trout:
  • 03:41 – The “first mover advantage”
• 04:18 – Sixth is from Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug:
  • 04:27 – “Think about the user—simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”
  • 05:00 – Keep marketing campaigns simple
  • 05:10 – “The simpler your pitch, the better off you are”
• 05:16 – Seventh, urgency plays a big role
  • 05:51 – The sense of urgency compels people to take action
• 06:15 - That’s it for today’s episode!

1. In whatever decision you make, you MUST protect your brand.
2. Be consistent in advertising and remember the rule of seven.
3. RELY on these age-old advertising principles that have been proven—no need to reinvent the wheel.

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In Episode #170, Eric and Neil discuss 7 advanced marketing automation tactics for your blog. Marketing automation allows you to know your subscribers better and respond to their behavior. Tune in to learn how advanced marketing automation can be very helpful for your blog and what to do with those unopened emails.

• 00:27 - Today’s topic: 7 Advanced Marketing Automation Tactics for Your Blog
• 00:36 – Marketing automation is how you market and send messages to people according to their behavior on your site
• 01:05 – First, on your thank you or intro email, add three different links for people to see what kind of people they are (ex. are you a beginner, intermediate, or advanced online marketer?)
• 01:52 – Neil shares what he learns through automation if people are opening your email, your open rate goes up
  • 02:21 – If someone isn’t opening for 5 times on a paid email, take the person off the list
• 02:55 – Third, make sure you have a list or campaign that specifically targets your customers
  • 03:34 – Map out the life cycle of your customers
• 03:44 – Fourth, when someone joins your email list, try buying them in or signing them up
• 04:25 – Fifth is lead scoring
  • 04:35 – You can do this with HubSpot, Drip, and InfusionSoft
• 05:33 – Sixth, make your opt-in relevant to your service
  • 05:47 – An example with Kissmetrics
• 06:47 – Lastly, if you can survey your audience, do it to create a word cloud using a tool like TagCrowd
• 07:40 - That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Marketing automation is how you market and send messages to people according to their behavior on your site
2. Map out the life cycle of your subscribers.
3. Make your opt-in relevant to your service to increase traffic and sales.

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In Episode #169, Eric and Neil discuss the 7 steps for running a successful webinar. Using webinars is one of the best ways to drive people to your website. Half the battle is in the preparation—and, yes, there are right ways to set yourself up for success. Tune in to learn 7 easy steps that will help you and your viewers get the most out of your webinar.

• 00:27 - Today’s topic: 7 Steps for Running a Successful Webinar
• 00:45 – Masterminds and enterprise companies use webinars to try and convert people
• 00:55 – In a webinar, you are educating and building a relationship with your viewers
• 01:12 – First, have an email reminder
  • 01:25 – “Just because someone registered for it, doesn’t mean that they’re going to remember”
  • 01:30 – Set email reminders ahead of time
• 01:45 – Second, make sure you have an option for someone to register and watch the webinar within the next 15 minutes
  • 02:28 – Because people are waiting, they are most likely to attend the webinar and the attendance rate can go up to 60%
  • 02:38 – Neil uses EverWebinar
• 02:45 – Third, use paid traffic to drive more people
  • 03:19 – Use it to amplify what you’re doing in your webinar
  • 03:35 – Neil records his webinar ahead of time and it’s a high value production
• 03:50 – Fourth, use a software called TurboDial which can connect to a lot of webinar solutions
  • 04:10 – For the people who don’t take action, TurboDial will send them a text message the next day
• 04:57 – Have some kind of marketing automation set up
• 05:28 – If people don’t show up, it means no conversion
• 05:45 – Sixth, integrate webinar software with Twilio
• 06:22 – Seventh, add value to the individual before your pitch
  • 06:55 – Check out Russell Brunson’s book DotCom Secrets and video The Perfect Webinar Sequence
• 07:24 - That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Masterminds and enterprise companies use webinar to try and convert people to buy.
2. Just because someone registered does NOT mean that they are going to show up—use texts and emails as reminders.
3. First and foremost, ADD VALUE to people—remember that they dedicated a part of day for you.

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In Episode #168, Eric and Neil discuss how to create content that people actually search for. Creating content that grabs an audience and attracts visitors requires some effort on your part, but where do you start? Tune in to find out what drives people to keep reading and how you can create content that is worth the search.

• 00:27 - Today’s topic: How to Create Content that People Actually Search For
• 00:43 – Shawn Ellis mentions that SaaStr gets 3M visitors per month
  • 01:10 – Jason gets asked on Quora and he answers the questions in his blog
  • 01:30 – Check Saastr/Quora to know how Jason does it
• 02:04 – Use Google Keyword Planner, KeywordTool, UberSuggest, and AnswerThePublic.com for keyword research
• 02:47 – If you have a team, grab them and ask to brainstorm on a certain topic
  • 03:15 – You hire a team for a reason
• 03:30 – Neil shares information from Jason Lemkin’s Quora Q and A blog
  • 04:29 – Neil checks Jason Lemkin’s website visitor count
  • 05:08 – Use Market Muse to upgrade your content
• 05:29 – Google is looking for topic relevance
• 05:40 – Look at your search feature
  • 05:55 – A chat feature like Intercom helps you to see what people are searching
  • 06:05 – Survey your audience and check your top performing posts
• 06:30 – “Creating cornerstone pieces of content is what generates the most traffic”
  • 07:12 – Wikipedia is a good example
  • 07:40 – Don’t just create content, creates amazing cornerstone pieces of content
• 08:05 – Eric shares why OkCupid's blog stands out
  • 08:28 – Think about a unique spin that can make you stand out
• 08:38 – SaaStr is getting more than 1 million viewers, but maybe not 3M
• 09:52 - That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Use your TEAM – brainstorm how to make great content that attracts viewers.
2. Creating cornerstone pieces of content is what generates the most traffic.
3. Think about a unique spin that can make you stand out.

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In Episode #167, Eric and Neil discuss the 7 unconventional ways to learn marketing. You can learn in more ways than just reading a Dummies Guide or checking in at the next university. 

• 00:27 - Today’s topic: 7 Unconventional Ways to Learn Marketing
• 00:33 – First is by watching conference videos on Youtube like Inbound 2016 by Hubspot
  • 01:14 – There’s a lot of marketing content on Youtube
• 01:35 - Second is by networking with individuals
  • 01:40 – Sharing a drink is a good way to do it
  • 02:40 – Individual marketers from other companies share their tactics
• 03:00 – Third, strategize how to get the most out of conferences
  • 03:19 – Check who’s attending and the influencers that will attend
• 04:00 – Fourth, practice on your own website
  • 04:25 – The plugins on Wordpress can help you execute what you’ve learned
  • 04:50 – “You have to test it on your own site to be very good”
• 04:55 – Fifth, access a mastermind
  • 05:03 – There are digital marketers you can pay for about $25/month
  • 05:09 – “There’s a lot of great masterminds out there and they do provide value”
  • 05:34 – You can host a dinner at your house or a zoom meeting to talk about marketing/business issues
• 06:20 – Sixth, people have more perceived value over information when they pay for it
  • 06:30 – There are free marketing materials, but if you really want to learn, paid information IS better
• 07:21 – Lastly, start a podcast
  • 07:35 – You learn a lot from the people or from guests
  • 08:08 – Pat Flynn has great information on starting a podcast
• 08:18 - That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Youtube is probably one of the best sources now for everything, including marketing.
2. Grow your network by inviting people to dinner or for a drink—you’re not only learning something new but you’re also building a relationship.
3. People tend to value what they learn more when they pay for it.

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In Episode #166, Eric and Neil discuss the reasons why no one reads your content. Writing content may be easy for you, but are people actually reading it? Is it reaching the right audience? Tune in to find out how posting daily is just as important as knowing how to share your posts.

• 00:27 - Today’s topic: Why No One Is Reading Your Content
• 00:36 – You’re not doing anything to stand out and people are getting bored with the content
• 01:17 – 8 out of 10 people will read your headline, but only 2 out of 10 will continue to read the article
  • 01:50 - Search for Copyblogger headline formula and find formulas that help you create attractive headlines
  • 01:58 – Portent headline generator will help you craft awesome headlines
  • 02:10 – Blogger Jon Morrow manages Kissmetrics blog
  • 02:43 – If you can get a drunk person’s attention, you can get the normal ones’
• 02:58 – Look at Growth Everywhere’s episode with Derek Halpern
  • 03:10 – Spend time promoting your content
  • 03:51 – “Everybody is looking for something from somebody else”
• 03:59 – Look at Email Hunter and Mix Max for email marketing tools
• 04:45 – Go to BuzzSumo, find your competitor, and find who’s tweeting their articles on Twitter
  • 05:10 – Neil shares a sample email
  • 06:00 – People are more likely to share your content if they know that you will reciprocate
• 06;11 – Find the top players in your space and see what they’re doing
• 07:30 – Don’t write mediocre content and use old posts to maintain traffic
• 09:00 – Use a tool like Meet Edgar to schedule your post
• 09:29 – Use Facebook to share posts too
• 09:48 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Writing content alone is not enough—you have to get it to the RIGHT audience through sharing.
2. Get help from people who will most likely share your content and reciprocate that help.
3. Utilize different online tools that will make content sharing easier and less time consuming for you.

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In Episode #165, Eric and Neil discuss how they got their podcast to 1 million downloads in just 4 months. Starting a podcast requires a knowledge base. You need to know how to keep your listeners engaged! Tune in as Eric and Neil tell you just how you can rapidly grow those downloads with a few invaluable tips. 

• 00:27 - Today’s topic: How We Got Our Podcast to One Million Downloads in Just 4 Months
• 01:05 – The first 3 years of “Growth Everywhere” were really tough
• 01:27 – Eric made a lot of mistakes at the start
• 01:33 – You have to be consistent with your podcast to hold your audience
• 02:10 – The people who produce the most amount of episodes, get the most number of listeners
  • 02:30 – It’s not about producing really long episodes
  • 02:44 – Neil shares the idea of “The Marketing School”
• 03:44 – “Information in, information out”—Eric wants valuable information that will make him ACT
• 04:28 – Eric shares his experience listening to Tim Ferris’ podcast
• 04:45 – Keep things concise and do it in a unique way
• 05:34 – Neil shares how email blasts helped them get more listeners
• 05:41 – Interview people in your podcast and promote it
  • 06:50 – The guest should promote it, as well
• 07:20 – Batch your episodes
  • 07:56 – There’s a team behind the podcast — from shownotes to audio editing — that make it work
• 08:30 – Doing everything on your own takes a lot of time
• 08:52 - That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Mistakes are an opportunity to hone your skills and should not be repeated.
2. Be concise and consistent with your podcast—encourage your listeners to add your podcast release schedule to their calendars.
3. Every podcast should have a production team behind it to save you time.

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In Episode #164, Eric and Neil discuss what account-based marketing is and how to leverage it. Account-based marketing is a new term for an old, tried and true practice for marketers. Tune in to find out more about account-based marketing and the leads that deserve your attention.

• 00:27 - Today’s topic: What Account-Based Marketing Is and How You Can Leverage It
• 00:36 – Account-based marketing makes you identify ideal prospects ahead of time
• 01:15 – Have an inbound SDR to look at the exact leads
• 01:33 – Infer is a software solution that can help determine which leads are your most valuable leads
  • 02:54 – You can spend your marketing effort towards responding and entertaining leads
  • 03:16 – The cost of Infer depends on your size
• 03:24 – Lead forms work with 15-16 questions spread over a few pages
• 04:06 – Apple Market Fetch works for people who use Slack and it can scrape the web to find qualified leads
• 04:44 – Clearbit will show you information of people in your list
• 05:12 – Funnelholic’s experience with account-based marketing
• 05:44 – You don’t need quantity to make money—you need qualified leads
• 06:24 - That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Account-based marketing is becoming more common, even though it’s been around for years.
2. Start with 2 questions on your lead form, then gradually ask more detailed questions to get people to respond.
3. Focus on QUALITY leads—not the number of leads.

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In Episode #163, Eric and Neil teach us how to build a brand using live video. In 2016, live videos became the new trend in business. From SnapChat to Facebook Live, almost every platform has their own channel to facilitate this service—so, why not use it? Listen as Eric and Neil explain the benefits of live video and give us effective strategies to get the most out of this marketing strategy.  

• 00:28 – Today’s topic: How to Build a Brand Using Live Video
• 00:34 – Videos are getting bigger
• 01:11 – Live videos are the “behind the scenes” of people’s lives
• 01:53 – Gary Vaynerchuk leverages videos in his own terms, hiring D’Rock to follow him around and record his videos
• 02:26 – Gary V is ahead 10x because he does more live videos than anyone else
• 03:08 – Doing exciting stuff that relates to people equates to higher conversion rates
• 03:26 – Live videos are like your own TV channel
• 04:13 – People like doing business with PEOPLE
• 04:37 – Neil and Eric are both investing in live videos
• 04:50 – Wirecast is a tool to help you re-broadcast your videos
• 05:34 – Article by Leonard Kim on How to Get Facebook Verified
• 06:23 – Live videos on Facebook are getting priority
• 06:40 – Don’t just do live content on your videos – engage with your audience
• 07:03 – Respond to your fans
• 08:16 – Whale allows people to ask questions to each other
• 08:52 – That’s it for today’s episode! 

1. Live videos are becoming very popular, as there are NO limits to the ways you can use them for your business.
2. Videos that have relatable and exciting content WILL give your business traction.
3. Broadcast your videos across all different channels to GROW your reach; then, INTERACT with your audience.

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In Episode #162, Eric and Neil discuss how to outrank your competition when you have fewer links. Link building is an essential part of ranking your website; however, Neil and Eric teach us that it is possible to outrank your competitors thanks to Google Hummingbird. Tune in to find out how to maximize on Hummingbird’s new update to increase search engine traffic to your website.

• 00:28 – Today’s topic: How to Outrank Your Competition When You Have Less Links
• 00:42 – Links have a lot of impact in Google ranking
• 00:50 – The “Hummingbird Update” had the biggest impact on search engine listings
  • 01:02 – Hummingbird looks at everything in a topical sense
  • 01:27 – The new update looks at topics and themes
  • 01:29 – “Websites with the strongest themes tend to rank the best”
  • 01:49 – The new algorithm looks for depth and detail
• 02:25 – Look at these blogs to learn more about Hummingbird: GetRichSlowly, MyMoneyBlog, PennyHoarder, and MagnifiedMoney
• 02:40 – GetRichSlowly is the oldest website among the 4, but PennyHoarder gets more traffic because of their thorough content
• 02:57 – More links does NOT mean a better website
• 03:32 – Hummingbird looks at the overall relevancy of a post, not just keywords like before
• 03:45 – Use tools like MarketMuse to tell you how topically relevant you are for phrases in that space
• 05:04 – UberSuggest will give you suggestions of what to incorporate into your content
• 05:17 – Don’t forget about The Skyscraper Technique!
• 05:58 – Linking out too much can make your website look like a directory
• 06:15 – Neil shares what his team did for his website to get another 10% in traffic
• 07:28 – Remove default URL date structures
• 08:16 – That’s it for today’s episode!

1. Google’s Hummingbird update looks at the whole meaning of sentences as opposed to keywords.
2. Having more links does NOT guarantee you a top spot – RELEVANCY is key.
3. Use tools to help you plan and strategize your content for overall relevance.

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