The Agents of Change Digital Marketing Podcast

How many times have you hit that fork in the road when trying to solve a business decision? Are you worried you're not reaching the precise audience that's right for your business? Have you ever envisioned what your one, ideal audience member would look like if you put a face and backstory to them? Creating an avatar of your one, perfect listener allows you to narrow your niche to the most precise audience member that you're trying to reach. Your avatar is your targeted demographic that allows you to focus exactly on the people that benefit most from your message. Once you know who that person is, it allows your business to find its direction and become a magnet that people are drawn to. John Lee Dumas is the Entrepreneur On Fire, whose podcast was recognized as Best Of iTunes in 2013. John's podcasts aim to teach upcoming entrepreneurs to take their leap towards success by hearing the stories of failures and lessons learned from other well-known entrepreneurs. www.agentsofchangecon.com/170

It's fair to say that the marketing goal of most businesses is to attract, nurture and convert their leads all the way down through the sales funnel. But what's the most efficient way to do that? When you send the right messages to the right people you peak their interest, and marketing automation allows organizations to more effectively streamline their marketing efforts on multiple channels - such as email, websites, social media - and to automate repetitive tasks. If your goal is to increase your organization's operational efficiency and grow revenue faster, then look no further than marketing automation. With over 17 years of experience in business development and strategic sales, Charles Chadwick uses his expertise at SharpSpring to develop effective and streamlined marketing solutions that drive business growth and bring immediate value to organizations. www.agentsofchangecon.com/169

I can't believe we're TWO DAYS from the Agents of Change conference. There's STILL so much to get done it's crazy! So, I hope you can forgive me that instead of a typical interview, or me reading a chapter of my upcoming book, I'm instead sharing with you my presentation from last year, Digital Marketing in an Hour a Day. I've also posted the full video from last year's presentation at the show notes if you'd prefer to watch this week instead of listen. www.agentsofchangecon.com/168

There are certain things that every business website needs. In this podcast I want to talk about a few things that you just can't do without… www.agentsofchangecon.com/167

With the population's growing addiction to their mobile devices these days, you want to make sure you reach your audience where they're hanging out. And with a community of over 500 million, Instagram is one of the world's largest mobile ad platforms and a perfect place to reach your ideal customer. Small businesses are especially ideal candidates for Instagram advertising, as it allows users to dip into Facebook's enormous data and target specific audiences, as well as nurture audience engagement. So as long as you know your target audience and how to reach them - when done right - Instagram ads have almost unparalleled potential to increase brand awareness and conversion rates for your business. Morgan Sutton loves helping small businesses meet their business goals by assisting them with their operations logistics, including educating them on social media automation systems and how to effectively advertise on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. www.agentsofchangecon.com/166

All good business decisions are based on crucial data. Knowing exactly what data will help you make the best business decisions is the key. But that sounds like a lot of work developing time consuming reports, right? Wrong. Google Analytics takes the guesswork out of it and can actually save you time and advertising dollars. Google Analytics can easily tell you who is visiting your site, how they're getting to your site, what they're doing on your site, and if they are actually converting. By simply setting up your Analytics with a few key bits of information, you can find out all of this crucial data, and more. In essence, Google does the math for you, ensuring you more successful marketing campaigns and accurate measurability of what's working and what's not. Andy Crestodina is a content marketing and Google Analytics savant. His knowledge, tips and advice on the topics of content strategy, search and analytics have made him one of the most passionate and sought after teachers in the marketing industry. www.agentsofchangecon.com/164

By now everyone knows that your email list is gold, as far as your business is concerned. Unlike social media sites such as Facebook, where you're basically just "renting space", your email list is your very own property, as well as an invaluable business commodity. But in this ever changing and evolving world of mobile marketing, finding a way to mesh the two together is key. . In order to stay on top in the mobile marketing era, you need to balance keeping your email marketing efforts relevant in this age of social media. Keeping in mind how much time the average person spends on their smartphones these days - and reaching out to them there - will help to keep your business front of mind, authentic, and open up other creative opportunities for your business to engage with your audience. Heather Jackson has more than 20 years experience helping businesses with their online and offline marketing strategies. She loves speaking and presenting at seminars and conferences on the topics of digital, social and email marketing, as well as best practices to help businesses grow using available online tools. http://www.agentsofchangecon.com/164

With all of the live streaming platform options out there, Facebook decided to throw their hat in the ring, too. And the result is pretty impressive. If you're a small business and you aren't currently taking advantage of this shiny new toy, then you need to check it out. Because if you're not using it, your competition surely is. Facebook Live allows users to share their experiences and content with their followers via real-time video on their timeline. It's also pretty versatile, allowing access from both a smartphone and a computer. And as of now, Facebook's algorithm is currently set to be extremely favorable to those going Live. So without much in the way of expensive equipment needed, Facebook Live is a great way to connect and interact with your audience, as well as create evergreen content that you can then share to other platforms. Ian Anderson Gray is a social media coach, trainer and consultant who loves to teach business owners how to leverage Facebook Live to engage and connect with their audience, all while creating valuable content to attract and retain viewers and customers. www.agentsofchangecon.com/163

One of the first things I do when sitting down with a client for SEO, is to ask them two questions: What do you think are some of the phrases that your ideal customer would search for to find a product, service, or company like yours? What do you want to rank well for? These questions might start a brainstorming session, but really they're not enough. Too many of us have spent too much time in our own industry. We're not thinking about the questions that a brand new customer--someone not familiar with our industry--might ask. One of the exercises I recommend is to try and brainstorm keywords using five perspectives. www.agentsofchangecon.com/162

With so many social platforms to choose from, how do you know which ones work best for your business? And once you find those two or three that let you really engage with your audience, what kind of content do you need to put out there to keep them interested and engaged? The key is to find your audience where they hang out, get them to trust you and find value in what you have to offer, and then keep them entertained so they'll come back time and time again. Knowing early on that different platforms afford us different opportunities to amplify your brand, your voice and your content is what will translate to business success in the long run. Sue B. Zimmerman has a true passion for Instagram, and through her success there, has created proven tactics and strategies for business growth on other social channels as well. www.agentsofchangecon.com/161