Marketing Speak

Christian Mickelsen joins me to teach you all about speaking the language of your potential clients. Christian is a #1 bestselling author and self-made multi-millionaire who has shared the stage with luminaries including Tony Robbins. He also manages to charge $100,000 for a full day of coaching. Find Out More About Christian Here: Christian Mickelsen Christian Mickelsen on Facebook Christian Mickelsen on LinkedIn Christian Mickelsen on YouTube @ClientRush on Twitter In This Episode: [01:30] - Christian starts off by talking about his book Get Clients Today: How To Get A Surge Of New, High Paying Coaching Clients Today & Every Day, and explores some of his previous frustration in trying to get clients. [04:20] - We hear more about Christian’s path after the breakthrough and mindset shift that he has previously mentioned. [07:00] - For the last twelve years, Christian has been focusing on helping coaches get clients. He also reveals how quickly he has helped clients go from zero to six figures, and offers listeners a free gift! [08:26] - Christian talks about ways to add more clients and some of the best recommendations in his book. [10:25] - Stephan uses himself as an example to clarify what Christian has been explaining. [13:54] - We return to the example of a dating coach, with Christian offering feedback on an idea that Stephan suggests. [16:33] - After the steps that Christian has already described, what happens next in the process? [20:27] - Christian’s business has now reached a point where he has team members do the intro sessions for potential new members. [22:01] - What was Christian’s conversion rate when he started out, and what is it now that he’s established this process? [24:26] - Stephan takes a moment to clarify what Christian has been explaining about his free sessions. [27:10] - How long should a free session be? As long as it takes to go through the whole process, Christian answers. [31:01] - Christian talks about the next iteration of his business, as he went from month-to-month to 90 days to six months. [33:07] - When he was at the $9,700 price point, how many sessions a month was he offering, and how long were they? [35:54] - Christian talks about how much he spends on Facebook advertising to get people into his funnel. [36:35] - We hear a little bit of what Christian offers in his free coaching session. [40:07] - People do want to hear about what you have to offer, Christian points out. [41:22] - Stephan clarifies for listeners that Christian’s intro session isn’t a regular coaching session sample, and points out what it is instead. [42:09] - Christian and Stephan roleplay a scenario in which a potential customer objects to the price. [44:59] - We hear another roleplayed scenario, this time with the potential customer wanting to talk to his wife before signing up. Christian offers some words of wisdom on how to deal with situations like this. [49:11] - Christian is unattached to the outcome of whether people sign up or not, and emphasizes the importance of wanting it for your clients more than for yourself. [50:07] - Stephan takes a moment to talk about meeting Christian, and recommends listening to an episode featuring Christian on his other podcast, the Optimized Geek. [52:37] - How can listeners who are interested in working with Christian get in touch with him or learn more? Links and Resources: Christian Mickelsen Christian Mickelsen on Facebook Christian Mickelsen on LinkedIn Christian Mickelsen on YouTube @ClientRush on Twitter Tony Robbins Eben Pagan Dan Millman Get Clients Today: How To Get A Surge Of New, High Paying Coaching Clients Today & Every Day by Christian Mickelsen Free copy of Christian’s book Free Sessions That Sell: The Client Sign Up System Tony Robbins Platinum Partnership The Peace Process The Instant Miracle Christian Mickelsen on the Optimized Geek The Optimized Geek  

It’s easy to get so caught up in the world of online marketing that we forget about its connection to physical, brick-and-mortar reality. Today’s guest, Greg Gifford, gave a fantastic keynote speech at UnGagged and I just knew that I had to share his wisdom and expertise with you! In this conversation, you’ll learn how to get your businesses highly ranked in Google’s various search results, why it’s so important to keep your name, address, and phone number consistent, and which tools you should use to reach the top. Find Out More About Greg Here: ggifford@dealeron.com Greg Gifford on Twitter Greg Gifford on LinkedIn Greg Gifford on Facebook In This Episode: [01:24] - Greg talks about some of the most important signals that people need to be aware of and work into their strategy when it comes to local SEO. [02:47] - Any links will be beneficial, Greg explains, and goes into more depth about getting local links. [04:17] - What are some of counterintuitive or surprising opportunities to get great local links? One example he offers involves working with ethnic communities; another is websites for local neighborhood watch organizations. [08:20] - Greg shares his thoughts on being listed on sites like Nextdoor, where links don’t necessarily offer SEO value. [10:00] - We hear about an example of how participating in a community can dramatically help your business. [11:57] - Stephan points out that in traditional SEO (as opposed to local SEO), directory links are usually frowned on as being low quality. Greg then talks about how they function in local SEO. [13:55] - Greg discusses the role of Meetup in local strategy. [16:25] - Will it be a detriment to you if most of your links aren’t local links? There’s no hard and fast rule, Greg answers. [17:45] - Greg dives into localized content and internal link structure. He and Stephan then discuss anchor text in terms of internal linking structure. [22:08] - Stephan clarifies that Greg is using Google Analytics to assess which pages are at the top of page 2 and could get onto page 1 with a little push. He then gives an example of a related phenomenon involving REI. [24:10] - What rank checkers is Greg using? [26:04] - Greg talks about what Places Scout does and why he likes it so much. [29:19] - Stephan clarifies for listeners that it’s important to monitor reviews on an ongoing basis and stay on top of incoming reviews. He and Greg then dig deeper into the topic of reviews and review sites. [34:04] - Is it possible to simulate hyper-local mobile search results without actually going to the city or location in question? [35:15] - Greg talks about what Possum is, and why it’s so important for listeners to know about it. [37:44] - Google has explicitly said that you can’t use a virtual office, PO box, etc. to create a location for your business. [39:01] - Greg talks about another Google update, Pigeon. [42:57] - You can learn more about local content silos and Greg’s strategy from an article he wrote, which you can find at this link. [43:40] - Any business that serves customers in a brick and mortar location is typically going to pull a map pack on searches related on that business, Greg explains. [45:21] - Greg emphasizes how important it is to claim your business listing on Google. [48:30] - We hear Greg’s thoughts on using review site content on your own site. He also elaborates on what he mentioned about Google+. [51:54] - NAP (name, address, phone number) consistency is a huge part of the algorithm, Greg explains. [54:37] - Is there a tool that will help you keep your NAP consistent across various sites and citation sources? [57:14] - Greg talks about structured versus unstructured citations. [60:04] - In general at his day job, Greg works with car dealerships, but he does freelance work on the side for other industries. If people want to reach him, the best way is to email him at ggifford@dealeron.com or to follow him on Twitter. Links and Resources: ggifford@dealeron.com Greg Gifford on Twitter Greg Gifford on LinkedIn Greg Gifford on Facebook UnGagged DealerOn Nextdoor Meetup Google Analytics REI Rank Ranger Whitespark Local Rank Tracker Places Scout MobileMoxie Possum Pigeon Local Content Silos Google+ Moz Local  

Perry Marshall joins me today to explain how you can do better in your online marketing. He’ll explain the tactics and strategies behind high-performing ads on Google and Facebook. In today’s world, and particularly online, it’s increasingly important to be excellent at what you do. Being “good enough” simply isn’t good enough anymore. You need to have a unique selling proposition and be the absolute best in your market. Listen as we dig into various tips and tricks for optimizing your AdWords performance. Find Out More About Perry Here: Perry Marshall @PerryMarshall on Twitter Perry Marshall on Wikipedia Perry Marshall on Facebook Perry Marshall on LinkedIn In This Episode: [02:11] - What would be something that would be a big epiphany for a listener who isn’t super into AdWords but is interested in the process? [06:07] - AdWords has been around for almost 16 years, and Perry started using it almost as soon as it came out. [07:19] - Perry points out that you need to pick your battles when it comes to AdWords. He also recommends that you start with remarketing/retargeting with any new thing you do on AdWords. [11:09] - Stephan clarifies: by buying warm traffic first, you’re lowering the price of the cold traffic that you will be buying later. [12:37] -  Perry discusses Quality Scores, and what Google looks for when calculating them. [18:09] - Stephan and Perry discuss tactics versus strategy, and then Perry returns to discussing the early days of AdWords. [21:17] - Everybody makes money easily in a growing market, leading people to think that they were smart when in fact they were lucky, Perry explains. [24:08] - Perry gives an example using Coke and Pepsi to illustrate what he means about being the #1 person in a specific market. [26:50] - The most important decision in any of this is picking your battles. [28:48] - What’s an example of a shrinking market that you should stay away from? Perry’s first reaction is bookstores. He then talks about the signs that indicate that a particular industry is growing. [32:09] - We go back to AdWords specifically, with Perry discussing tactics and strategy around getting your click-through rate higher than it currently is. [36:52] - Perry recommends using the additional space within the ad for a specific purpose. [38:55] - Stephan gives an example to clarify what Perry has been saying. [39:17] - Everything you do in 2018 needs to have a unique selling proposition and say things that nobody else is saying. [42:03] - Stephan relates Perry’s point to something that Tony Robbins has said about the importance of having an outstanding product. [42:43] - We live in a winner-take-all world, Perry explains, and points out just how extreme this is on the internet. [44:48] - What would be an example of a 95-5 strategy or activity that would be in the 5% that generates 95% of the value? [51:00] - Now that Perry has illustrated the incredible value of having a unique selling proposition, he explains what his own USP is. [54:15] - What’s the next step for listeners who want to get in touch with Perry and possibly work with him? Links and Resources: Perry Marshall @PerryMarshall on Twitter Perry Marshall on Wikipedia Perry Marshall on Facebook Perry Marshall on LinkedIn perrymarshall.com/8020 80/20 Sales and Marketing Ultimate Guide to Google Adwords Google AdWords Negative keywords Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt by Harvey Mackay Nassim Nicholas Taleb Quality Scores The Art of War by Sun Tzu Bitcoin Google Display Network Ship a Car Direct  

Today's guest, Chris Goward, is here with valuable strategies and tips for optimizing your website’s conversion rate. His advice will help you get more people to sign up for your newsletter, buy your products, make inquiries, and more. Chris is an expert on conversion rate optimization and is the author of the best-selling book You Should Test That. He’s also the founder of WiderFunnel. Find Out More About Chris Here: Chris Goward on WiderFunnel Chris Goward on LinkedIn @chrisgoward on Twitter Widerfunnel.com WiderFunnel Blog   In This Episode: [01:16] - Chris begins by taking a moment to explain his framework, called the LIFT Model. [04:04] - Stephan points out BOB (the “big orange button”) as an example of what Chris has been talking about. [04:56] - What does Chris mean when he says that “context matters”? [06:48] - Chris talks about some things that are more important to test than the color of the button. One example is the copy on the button. [08:44] - What are some things one could do to eliminate or alleviate people’s anxiety on your page? [11:12] - Chris explains why analysis is important both before and after an experiment. [14:01] - Stephan talks about a specific set of seals, from SafeSiteCertified. He and Chris talk about the effectiveness of having this kind of seal on your page. [15:27] - We learn about distractibility and how to reduce people’s distractions. Stephan links this to the paradox of choice. [19:25] - Stephan circles back to the idea of optimizing and testing button copy, specifically addressing the choice of first-person or second-person language on the button. [24:30] - Can the use of urgency and scarcity on your page work against you instead of to your benefit? [26:17] - Chris returns to the topic of curiosity in marketing and conversions. Stephan gives a specific example of a headline that evokes curiosity. [28:23] - People act in ways that are predictable, yet are often counterintuitive and don’t make sense rationally. Chris explains that we make decisions emotionally and then defend them rationally. [31:41] - What would be an example of the experiments that Chris has mentioned running? [34:21] - We move from the LIFT Model to the Infinity Optimization Process. [38:21] - Stephan talks about Bill Donius, an expert on right-brain thinking, and explains some techniques of Bill’s that he has used. [41:25] - We learn more about the structure and format of Chris’s LIFT Zone meetings. [42:27] - What are the values in Chris’ meetings and company? [44:51] - Chris shares some of his favorite tools with listeners. These include, for example, Optimizely and Hotjar. [47:25] - Chris describes the difference between A/B testing and multivariate testing and discusses the uses of each. [52:54] - Where can interested listeners find Chris or get in touch with him?   Links and Resources: Chris Goward on WiderFunnel Chris Goward on LinkedIn @chrisgoward on Twitter widerfunnel.com WiderFunnel Blog You Should Test That by Chris Goward LIFT Model SafeSiteCertified The paradox of choice Predictably Irrational by Dr. Dan Ariely Cognitive dissonance Influence by Robert B. Cialdini Infinity Optimization Process Bill Donius on the Optimized Geek Thought Revolution by Bill Donius Optimizely Visual Website Optimizer Hotjar A/B testing Multivariate testing  

Bill Hartzer joins me today to talk about the nitty gritty of SEO audits. A good audit is a deep dive into the SEO of your site that results in a roadmap for success. It can give you insights into all the changes you need to make and the opportunities you’ve missed. We explore various SEO topics in a way that is sure to bring value whether you’re a beginner  or expert. Find Out More About Bill Here: Bill Hartzer on LinkedIn Bill Hartzer @bhartzer on Twitter In This Episode: [01:35] - Bill talks about some of the big gotchas and lessons from the topic of SEO auditing. He discusses how he starts the process of his audits. [03:38] - There are certain types of information you need to gather when assessing why traffic might have dropped off. [04:09] - Does Bill bother with Bing Webmaster Tools? [04:52] - Bill walks us through more of his process. Stephan then clarifies what Screaming Frog and DeepCrawl are for listeners who may not be familiar with the tools, and Bill discusses the differences between DeepCrawl and OnCrawl. [08:06] - Bill recommends using Google’s tools for daily issues, but the other tools he’s been describing for more complex cases, such as when traffic is going down or you have an issue that you want to diagnose. [09:24] - We hear what Bill does next after using spidering tools. [11:36] - Duplicate content is the bane of the SEO practitioner’s existence, Stephan explains. He and Bill then discuss DMCA issues. [16:38] - Bill talks about his favorite page speed analysis tools. [19:11] - We move on to analyzing HTML coding. A lot of what Bill does in this regard is manual, he explains. [21:44] - Are there other favorite tools that will do HTML analysis? Bill can’t think of any, but lists a couple other potential issues that webmasters should be aware of. [24:51] - What does Bill use for heatmap analysis? He answers, then walks people through how to use Google Analytics for this purpose. [26:59] - Bill talks about some of the work that he does within the developer tools in Chrome. [29:12] - We move onto another aspect of the audit process: external link analysis. Bill discusses how he handles this. [32:47] - Are there any other tools that Bill is incorporating into his link audit? [35:20] - Stephan recommends looking for lack of diversity when you’re doing a link audit. [38:30] - Bill differentiates between manual and algorithmic penalties for listeners who may not understand why they’re so different. [40:06] - Are there any other algorithmic penalties that Bill wants to mention other than Panda, Penguin, and Fred? [43:58] - We hear about how big Bill’s reports tend to be, and how long it takes for him to complete the audits he does. He then talks about pricing, which typically runs from $500 to $1,500 for small business websites. Links and Resources: Bill Hartzer on LinkedIn Bill Hartzer @bhartzer on Twitter DFWSEM PubCon Google Analytics Google Search Console Bing Webmaster Tools Screaming Frog DeepCrawl OnCrawl Siteliner Blasty DMCA PageSpeed Insights GTmetrix webpagetest.org Cloudflare W3 Edge W3 Total Cache Schema Structured Data Testing Tool Ryte Crazy Egg Hotjar Page Analytics (by Google) Browsershots Majestic (for trust flow and citation flow) Link Research Tools Open Site Explorer from Moz Ahrefs Christoph Kemper on Marketing Speak  

Cliff Ravenscraft joins me in this episode to talk about something all of us have in common: podcasts!  There’s an incredible amount to learn from podcasts whether you’re a host or a listener. We talk about podcast creation, consumption, and much, much more. Cliff has been an invaluable mentor to many of today’s biggest names in podcasting. In fact, his clients created over half of the top 100 business podcasts on iTunes. So sit back and listen to my chat with the "Podcast Answer Man"! Find Out More About Cliff Here: Podcast Answer Man Cliff Ravenscraft on YouTube @cliffeotc on Twitter cliffeotc on Instagram Cliff Ravenscraft on Facebook In This Episode: [01:30] - How can somebody take their podcast to the next level? Cliff begins answering by explaining how he got started in the podcasting world. [05:12] - Storytelling is the cornerstone of podcasting, Stephan explains. Cliff then shares his thoughts on storytelling and why it’s so important to be yourself in podcasting. [09:17] - Cliff explains why he think an audio podcast is the most powerful form of communication available today. [11:16] - Stephan agrees that podcasting is the superior platform for sharing your authentic self. Cliff digs into why audio airpods are more powerful than video podcasts. [14:33] - Cliff agrees that you need an angle in order to have an effective podcast. He also talks about some of the podcasts that he and his wife have done. [18:03] - Cliff describes his very specific target audience, which is someone who has been an employee for most of their career but has now decided to become self-employed. He then shares his own experience in transitioning to self-employment. [21:26] - We hear about a recent mentoring call that Cliff had with someone who has been self-employed for five years. [23:40] - Stephan shares his thoughts on responsibility. Cliff then points out a connection that Stephan has just made for him. [27:42] - Cliff shares his thoughts on Landmark Worldwide, as well as his aspirations for his own future. [31:09] - Cliff mentions that he, like Stephan, has gone to Unleash the Power Within. [34:36] - We learn about Benjamin Franklin’s mastermind, The Junto. [38:07] - Cliff no longer talks about the TV shows he watches on his podcasts, but still watches a lot of TV. He explains why he still finds TV to be a productive use of his time. [41:39] - Stephan reveals that he’s a big fan of Star Trek. He and Cliff then debate the merits of Deep Space Nine. [44:32] - Cliff has picked up a great deal into insight as a result of watching Deep Space Nine, and loves the idea of learning this way. [47:22] - Another thing that Cliff has internalized from watching TV is how much of his own childhood conditioning was American-egocentric. [50:16] - Stephan appreciates this perspective more after having lived in another country for eight years, he explains. [54:34] - Cliff shares the top three things that he wants listeners to get from the episode in terms of their personal brand. 1. Be true to who you are and be your authentic self. 2. Understand that no matter what you believe about yourself, you’re still playing it small and safe. 3. Find yourself a mastermind group. Links and Resources: Podcast Answer Man Cliff Ravenscraft on YouTube @cliffeotc on Twitter cliffeotc on Instagram Cliff Ravenscraft on Facebook Brendon Burchard MacBreak Weekly podcast This Week in Tech podcast Werner Erhard Landmark Worldwide The Americans Tony Robbins Jim Rohn Zig Ziglar The Optimized Geek podcast Unleash the Power Within John Lee Dumas Amy Porterfield Smart Passive Income with Pat Flynn Michael Hyatt The Junto Abraham Hicks Dan Miller Ephraim Olschewski on Marketing Speak Ephraim Olschewski on the Optimized Geek Byron Katie on the Optimized Geek Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill  

Jeff Martin, the Senior Vice President of Search and Social at Touchstorm, joins me today. In this super tactical episode, we talk about all things YouTube including keyword tools, search ranking trackers, optimizing your thumbnails, the importance of descriptions, and whether having your YouTube content translated is worth the extra effort. Hit the play button, and listen now! Find Out More About Jeff Here: Touchstorm Jeff Martin on LinkedIn @Jeff_Martin on Twitter In This Episode: [01:16] - Jeff talks about the single most important thing to do on YouTube, which is also the hardest thing: consistently getting content out there. [04:47] - Stephan points out that with his podcasts, he has to publish each episode at specific times each week, which is in accordance with what Jeff has been saying. [06:01] - Would Jeff say that subscriber count is a more important metric than view count? [09:10] - Anybody can use Jeff’s tool, Voot, now (compared to the beta, which required an application). [11:22] - Stephan takes a moment to clarify a couple of things for listeners, offering a specific example from his career to explain why it’s so important to choose the right keywords. [14:17] - We learn why Stephan isn’t a fan of using Google Adwords Keyword Planner data for YouTube. He then offers some tools that work for keyword research for YouTube. [19:55] - Jeff talks about whether there is anything inside of VideoAmigo that’s keyword related and hasn’t been discussed yet. [21:22] - Which metric does Jeff think is the most important for a marketer to pay attention to? [25:46] - Jeff points out that you need to keep an eye on your competitors on YouTube, meaning any other channel that puts out content similar to yours. [29:25] - Jeff gives a specific example to clarify what he has been saying about watch time on YouTube. [31:45] - Stephan clarifies that YouTube is looking not only at the watch time of our own videos, but also the session watch time. [33:28] - We hear more about the importance of playlists, which Stephan has described as a “secret weapon.” [38:59] - Does it help you to create playlists of other people’s content when you’re just starting out and don’t have much content of your own? [38:45] - Jeff talks about whether thumbnails are more important than the title of the video. [42:53] - Stephan mentions a few more things about thumbnails that Jeff hasn’t covered. He points out, for example, that the thumbnail doesn’t need to be a still from the video. [44:41] - We learn more about the text-based aspects of YouTube, including the title, description, tags, and closed caption file or transcript. [48:47] - Jeff explains that the description is a great place to put your call to action. [50:59] - Jeff discusses the strategy of translating your YouTube content into other languages to show up in more searches. [55:03] - Stephan and Jeff offer some easy and fast tips for YouTube. Links and Resources: Touchstorm Jeff Martin on LinkedIn @Jeff_Martin on Twitter VideoAmigo Voot Keyword Tool Soovle Uber Suggest vidIQ VideoAmigo - YouTube Performance Stats

Today's guest, Patrick Stox, is the technical SEO for IBM and the organizer of the Raleigh SEO Meetup. He’s also a frequent writer for many search blogs and an accomplished speaker. You might not know the difference between HTTP, HTTPS, and HTTP2. But understanding the difference is more important than ever. Chrome users will soon be warned that sites using HTTP are no longer secure. How can you protect your site? You can make the switch to HTTPS. Join us to learn about SEO and development to keep your site running smoothly. Find Out More About Patrick Here: Patrick Stox@patrickstox on TwitterPatrick Stox on FacebookPatrick Stox on LinkedIn In This Episode: [02:32] - Patrick talks about the massive size of the IBM website. He then discusses some of the big issues in maintaining a site that big from an SEO perspective. [04:58] - We hear why one should use hreflang tags on their website. [07:05] - What are Patrick’s preferred tools for crawling? [07:44] - Stephan compares building a website without an SEO involved to building a house and then realizing you didn’t specify that you needed electrical wiring. [09:34] - What sorts of documents does Patrick use to get everyone on the same page? He and Stephan talk about the problems with having extensive documentation. [14:26] - Patrick talks about the potential issues with HTTP, and explains why seeing ads on a site that doesn’t normally have them is potentially really scary. [17:09] - What are the reasons you need to go from HTTP to HTTPS even on your personal blogs? [19:13] - HTTPS is a small ranking factor in SEO, Patrick explains, which is basically a tiebreaker between equal sites. He isn’t sure whether its importance as a ranking factor will be increased. [20:50] - What are some of the biggest mistakes that Patrick sees with HTTPS migrations? [23:43] - Patrick talks about what content delivery networks (CDNs) he comes across most frequently, and which are his favorites. [26:23] - Patrick defines service workers for marketers who are listening and may be unfamiliar with some of the geekier SEO terms. He then explains the benefits of minifying JavaScript. [28:49] - What are some of Patrick’s favorite features within the Chrome Developer Tools? [33:05] - Stephan talks about the painful procedure that was involved in removing an SEO CDN, and talks about his invention, GravityStream. [34:47] - Now that we’ve covered HTTPS, Patrick moves on to talking about HTTP2. Its main benefit is that it makes things a lot faster. [37:28] - Patrick and Stephan talk about server response headers, and Patrick offers some tips and tricks. [42:58] - We hear about Patrick’s use of Ryte. [44:04] - Patrick elaborates on frameworks in SEO, discussing specifically React and AngularJS. [46:57] - Stephan asks Patrick a question: what would be his SEO advice and best practice suggestions to a listener who is using infinite scrolling? [48:12] - Are there any other server response header or redirect tips that Patrick wants to share with listeners? [49:54] - Patrick and Stephan talk about Google’s SEO best practice document, and discuss whether H1 tags have an effect. [52:57] - Stephan explains that he is very outcome-focused rather than activity-focused like most other SEOs. [54:56] - What’s an example of one of the scripts and tools that Patrick uses to automate and scale across the 50 million pages at IBM? [57:25] - Patrick is pretty picky about side projects, but if you have a difficult problem that you can’t quite figure out, he may be able to help. He directs listeners on where to find him. Links and Resources: Patrick Stox @patrickstox on Twitter Patrick Stox on Facebook Patrick Stox on LinkedIn IBM Raleigh SEO Meetup Pubcon Hreflang tags Screaming Frog Botify React Meteor Bill Hunt on Marketing Speak Mike Moran “HTTP to HTTPS: An SEO’s guide to securing a website” by Patrick Stox on Search Engine Land “What is HTTP2 and How Will it Affect Your SEO?” by Patrick Stox on Search Engine Journal Akamai Cloudflare Fastly Service workers Chrome Developer Tools RankSense GravityStream Alex Bertram Jon Henshaw Rank Ranger Search Analytics for Sheets Google Data Studio Ryte Marcus Tandler on Marketing Speak React AngularJS Dan Sharp  

If you like recurring revenue, you’ll love this conversation with Mike Morrison. Mike is co-founder of Membership Guys and host of the Membership Guys podcast. He helps membership site owners master their craft and get more recurring revenue on his site and the Membership Mastermind Facebook group. There’s one goal to many customer interactions: to make a sale. Mike's here to help us understand the ins-and-outs of doing just that through site sign-ups! Find Out More About Mike Here: Membership Mastermind The Membership Guys The Membership Guys podcast Member Site Academy @MikeMIMO on Twitter In This Episode: [01:11] - Mike talks about why someone should have a membership site and what some of the benefits are. [02:58] - Is having a membership site beneficial even if you aren’t an authority or expert on something, and your business is based on e-commerce instead? [06:39] - Mike discusses a subscription-based product based on podcasts and discusses the value that it provides. He and Stephan then dig more deeply into providing value on a membership site in the podcast sphere. [08:52] - Stephan talks about Mike Vardy of Productivityist and how they got to know each other. [12:29] - Mike isn’t a big fan of opening and closing the door to membership sites repeatedly, he explains. He relates this to the New Year's experience of swarms of new people going to the gym every January and driving away the regulars. [17:28] - It makes sense to do a launch if, for example, you have a live event that goes with the program that only takes place once a year. Mike then relates this perspective to what he has been saying. [20:38] - Mike offers some brilliant words of wisdom: if there’s anything in your marketing that would make your audience unhappy if they found it out, don’t do it. [23:40] - Stephan talks about WP Elevation and Troy Dean, who was on Marketing Speak recently, and touches on why opening and closing membership works in some cases. [25:24] - What are Mike’s thoughts on third-party hosted membership sites as opposed to hosting your own? [27:52] - Other than Memberium, are there other tools that Mike recommends? In his answer, Mike discusses the limitations of these tools as well as offering some great recommendations. [32:56] - Mike discusses where people should go to get help building things out once they’ve settled on their tools and plugins. [36:42] - What does Mike think of WishList Member, aMember, and OptimizePress? In his answer, Mike explores a problem with the WordPress world and the issues with licensing. [41:14] - Mike offers a free plugin comparison chart. You can find that at this link! [42:37] - We hear some of Mike’s best practice tips for a membership site. He emphasizes the importance of a retention strategy. [45:51] - One of Mike’s tips is to implement a Dunning process for handling failed subscription payments. [49:48] - What does Mike recommend for cases when emails your aren’t getting through to customers and members? [52:08] - Mike is using ManyChat for his messenger bot software. [52:56] - We hear Mike’s thoughts on using text messaging as part of his marketing and communication strategy. [55:51] - What are Mike’s favorite episodes of the Membership Guys podcast, and why? [57:22] - Where can listeners go to work with Mike or join his community? Links and Resources: Membership Mastermind The Membership Guys The Membership Guys podcast Member Site Academy @MikeMIMO on Twitter AppleCare Mark Asquith John Lee Dumas Podcast Websites Patreon Mike Vardy on the Optimized Geek Productivityist Jeff Walker WP Elevation Troy Dean on Marketing Speak Memberium LearnDash Thinkific Infusionsoft Active Campaign Invision Community vBulletin XenForo MemberPress WishList Member aMember OptimizePress Free download: Guide to Choosing a Membership Plugin Dunning process Stunning ManyChat The Membership Guys episode: Why I Dislike Closed Door Membership Marketing The Membership Guys episode: How to Build a Global Brand with Chris Ducker The Membership Guys episode: Using Webinars to Grow Your Membership with Amy Porterfield The Membership Guys episode: How to Use Live Video to Market Your Membership with Luria Petrucci Intercom bbPress BuddyPress