Marketing School - Digital Marketing and Online Marketing Tips

In episode #723, Eric and Neil count out the 7 lessons they learned from running software companies. Tune in to hear what lessons apply to your business. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: 7 Marketing Lessons We Learned From Running Software Companies [00:43] A lot of the lessons Eric and Neil learned, could work for ecommerce and other internet-based businesses. [01:05] #1: It’s not all about the conversion plan. Optimize for lifetime value. [01:25] People typically pay for software on a month-to-month or annual basis and people often have to renew plans; this is a consistent revenue stream. [02:17] #2: It’s all about on-boarding. [02:40] First impressions matter and that applies to software, as well. [02:53] #3: You end up losing about 5% of your revenue because user’s credit card numbers expire. [03:08] To fix this, companies like GoDaddy sign up for a service called Visa and Mastercard Updater; Visa and Mastercard will automatically update user’s credit card details for a small fee. [03:50] #4: Use the “Jobs to be done” framework. [04:40] Set aside time for customer development. [04:48] #5: You only have one shot with customers. If someone uses your product and doesn’t like it, they will never come back. [05:07] First opinions tend to stick in the software world. [05:42] BuzzSumo and AHREFS did well because they created exceptional products. [06:30] #6: Get your pricing right! [07:03] Everyone is going upmarket. Charge for the value you think you are delivering. [07:23] #7: Pay attention to market trends and conditions. [07:30] KissMetrics was getting trounced by a competitor and didn’t adapt quickly enough. [08:01] That’s it for today! [08:03] If you could take two minutes out of your day, we are trying to improve the listening experience for you, so go to Singlegrain.com/survey and help us gain some insight into what matters to our listeners. Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #722, Eric and Neil discuss what you should do when a social network stops driving traffic to your site. Tune in to hear what your options are. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: What You Ought to Do When a Social Network Stops Driving You Traffic [00:40] Neil has close to a million Facebook followers. When he had a few hundred thousand, he spent $400,000 on Facebook ads to gain a “shitload” of new followers. [01:10] Neil thinks of Facebook like a well. You want to have your own well, so you can keep getting water without spending money. [01:40] Neil’s strategy worked for a very long time, then Facebook changed their algorithm. [02:55] Twitter was better in the past, but overall the user growth hasn’t been great lately. [03:16] If you are able to build your own email list, you control that at the end of the day. [03:40] The cool part about Google is that they have learned not to penalize links, they just don’t count bad ones. [04:15] The possibilities are endless and you should leverage more than just one channel. [04:44] Eric went from 4000 Twitter followers to 10,000, but traffic coming to his site has gone down. [05:07] Just because you are on these channels and your follower count is growing, doesn’t mean that you are going to do well. [05:20] Look for the social network or channel this is starving for your content. [05:49] That’s it for today! [05:58] If you could take two minutes out of your day, we are trying to improve the listening experience for you, so go to Singlegrain.com/survey and help us gain some insight into what matters to our listeners. [06:33] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveaway for a special marketing tool giveaway! Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #721, Eric and Neil count out 7 simple SEO tactics. Tune in to hear what you should be doing on your site. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: 7 Dead Simple SEO Tactics That Still Work Today [00:33] #1: Upgrade your content. [00:40] Look at Wikipedia and Trip Advisor: there is constantly updated user content. [01:01] #2: Google Correlate. [01:04] It’s a great tool for keyword research. [02:06] #3: The Skyscraper Technique. [02:15] Go out and look for top five posts about a certain keyword. [02:30] Make content that improves upon the original resource. [02:41] #4: Infographics. [02:50] KissMetrics was popular because of their use of this visual content. [03:07] Go to BuzzSumo and look at the popular articles in your field and create infographics about the material. [03:43] #5: Use Google Search Console. [03:50] Look at top pages and top keywords that are ranking. [04:00] Add any keywords you don’t have. [04:08] #6: Use Google Search Console to search for top keywords. Integrate the most popular keywords. [04:50] #7: Go out and look at what content you can delete. [05:25] You can drive traffic this way or possible even lose traffic. [05:40] Neil thinks you should keep old content and just add updated versions. [05:46] That’s it for today! [05:49] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveaway for a special marketing tool giveaway! Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #720, Eric and Neil discuss why marketers overspend. Tune in to hear why you are spending too much money. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: You're Spending Too Much Money! [00:40] In marketing, everyone is about spending money. [01:15] When people hit Eric up, they are looking for advertising and SEO, but rarely conversion rate optimization. [01:40] SEO and content marketing are the best or most popular services. [01:57] If you're spending all this money on marketing, why wouldn’t you hire someone to reduce your expense by cutting the fat? [02:12] Hire someone full-time to just do conversion rate optimization. [03:00] Consider ways your office space can produce revenue. [03:22] AWS did $12 Billion in revenue. [03:35] Take the expense you have and figure out creative ways to make them profit-generating machines. [03:50] Example: your office could be an event space. [04:10] Optimize to get more out of your resources. [04:20] Be more creative with how you spend your money, [04:50] Eric and Neil love marketing so much because there is so much room for creativity. [05:25] That’s it for today! [05:28] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveaway for a special marketing tool giveaway! Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #719, Eric and Neil discuss the efficacy of midrolls. Tune in to hear whether you should drop the midrolls or keep them. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: Do Midroll Ads Really Work? [00:40] In podcasts, there are always ads in the middle of the show. [00:50] Most podcasters use this format, where they run ads in the beginning, middle, and the end. [01:35] Eric was looking at their Apple Podcast retention rates. [01:50] Because Growth Everywhere has a midroll, he checked the retention rates. [02:09] He lost 50% of people at the midroll, but it increased after the ad. [02:30] So, keep your midrolls, because people will just skip them, but will continue to listen and stay engaged. [03:20] Perhaps create a customized landing page to increase ROI. [03:50] Andrew Warner integrates his ads into the podcast episode, which increases sign-ups. [04:22] If you auto-insert ads, people will skip them. If you pay people for custom plugs, that will generate more revenue. [05:12] What Warner does is “native advertising”. [05:30] This way makes it less predictable. [05:50] That’s it for today! [05:56] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveaway for a special marketing tool giveaway! Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #718, Eric and Neil discuss the reason people don’t buy from your site. Tune in to hear what could be blocking your conversions. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: The Number 1 Reason People Don't Buy From Your Site [00:52] 95-99% of visitors will not convert and this happens because your website is pitching too much and you are not answering objections. [01:23] If you don’t answer people’s objections, you are not going to increase your conversion rate. [01:36] Google Russell Brunson/Grant Cardone 10X speech. [01:45] As they pitch, they talk through objections. [02:32] This pitch created a buying frenzy. [02:48] Pamphlets were also put under people’s seats. [02:57] At Crazy Egg, they ended up hiring a company called Conversion Rate Experts. [03:06] They had an amazing consultant, John Jack. [03:22] John suggested they answer objections on their site; they followed his advice and conversion rates went up. [03:35] If you are not sure how to answer objections, survey your customers. [03:52] Look for the most common responses. [04:10] Crazy Egg has objection handling on their pricing page, checkout page, etc. [04:40] That’s it for today! [04:42] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveaway for a special marketing tool giveaway! Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #717, Eric and Neil discuss how much you should spend on marketing software. Tune in to hear why you might be over-spending. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How Much Should You Spend on Marketing Software Per Month [00:40] Eric probably spends $2000/month, while Neil spends $500/month and still thinks that’s too much. [01:10] Everyone pays for more and more software solutions. [01:33] Neil was speaking at a conference and his coworker suggested they get Google Analytics 360; Neil balked because it would cost $100,000. [01:51] Most people who pay for software solutions don’t take action with the data. [02:00] If you want to buy something, make sure you need it and will use it. [02:35] Eric uses a ton of software. [03:00] Marketing software has a lot of the same features. [03:15] So many enterprises are using marketing tools. [03:30] It is so easy to get software/marketing ADD. [03:53] Pare down your costs every quarter. [04:14] Neil tracks his daily expenses. [04:30] A lot of the free tools offer solutions that are just as helpful. [04:57] That’s it for today! [05:02] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveaway for a special marketing tool giveaway! Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #716, Eric and Neil discuss why you shouldn’t copy the strategies of billion dollar companies. Tune in to hear why corporations don’t have all the answers. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: Why You Shouldn't Copy Billion Dollar Companies [00:42] A lot of the things big companies do, don’t make sense. [00:55] Companies like Slack have the high valuation. [01:13] They ran a commercial, but the commercial didn’t completely explain what Slack actually is. [01:50] If you are in marketing, you have to have good messaging and a good story. [02:15] Your product is not a consumer-based product and is probably more complex. [02:45] Eric watches The Man in the High Castle and he recommends it. [03:00] However, the recent marketing campaign for this show involved covering the inside of subway cars with full Swastikas. It was a confusing ad campaign. [03:30] If you don’t know the show, this campaign was probably jarring. [03:50] You have to be smart with your branding and think of long-term repercussions. [04:43] You want to answer objections. [05:00] That’s all for today! [05:02] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveaway for a special marketing tool giveaway! Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #715, Eric and Neil discuss repetition in marketing. Tune in to hear why it’s important to repeat yourself! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: Why You Should Repeat Your Message Over and Over Again [00:48] They repeat messages over and over, because people won’t absorb your message the first time they read it. [01:07] Tony Robbins uses the same technique. [01:45] If you keep putting your message out there, people are more likely to convert, and you will become the authority in your field. [02:25] Eric and Neil talk about marketing and SEO so often, that they often come up in marketing and SEO conversations. [02:45] They know how to stay top-of-mind. [02:51] Check out the book Top of Mind. [04:01] When repeating, you must do it across multiple channels. [04:35] Think about creative ways you can repeat your message. [05:25] Even though Neil has written blog posts about other topics, he often posts about the same thing, to make sure his point gets across. However, you can repeat yourself via a citation. [06:29] That’s all for today! [06:33] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveaway for a special marketing tool giveaway! Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #714, Eric and Neil discuss the response to Neil’s SEO strategy. Tune in to hear why people think Neil’s strategy will fail. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: A Response: Neil's Response to Critics On His New SEO Strategy [00:55] Neil had a concept where most of the marketing tools out there have tons of features that no one uses. [01:25] He figured he could build more usable versions and give them away for free. [01:40] Eric subscribed to a marketing podcast and the Marketing Director for AHREFS was on the show. [01:52] He and the two hosts ended up critiquing Neil’s strategy. [02:29] Most people don’t do anything with the “history”. [02:58] Neil believes his strategy is obvious. [03:25] Neil is unaware of the public response to his actions. [03:50] People think Neil is underestimating server costs and other expenses. [04:02] Critics also believe he is building up towards a paid tool. [04:20] Neil has no such plans. [04:54] The first version of Neil’s free tools will not have any link data. [05:55] Neil wants to add BuzzSumo-like reporting. [06:25] There are already basic capabilities in his free tools. [06:47] If no login is required for the tools, will someone create scrapers and destroy Neil’s server costs? [07:10] Neil thinks it is possible, but that it wouldn’t hurt him. [07:31] That is all for today! [07:59] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveaway for a special marketing tool giveaway! Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.