Marketing School - Digital Marketing and Online Marketing Tips

In Episode #514, Eric and Neil discuss marketing funnels to convert visitors into customers. Contrary to what you may believe, you don’t need to have a complex funnel, so when you’re just starting off, keep it simple. Tune in to hear specific examples of simple funnels. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:28] - Today's topic: How We Convert Visitors into Customers [00:55] - Everyone thinks you’ve got to have these complex marketing funnels, but when you’re starting off, complex funnels are a disaster. [01:18] - Start simple. Neil just launched a new website that pitches agency services and his flow is really simple: you put in a URL, they analyze your site, and before they give you the results, you enter in your contact details. That’s it. [02:04] – They key, espeically for lead generation, is to give some sort of value before you ask for their information. [02:20] - Eric has talked about the use of live chat on your site before, and now it’s even easier. Recently Facebook added the ability for you to add live chat that points directly into Facebook Messenger – and it’s free right now. [02:40] - And then you can drive people into a simple, many-chat chat funnel. [03:00] - If you visit the Single Grain website and give them your email, they use Clearbit to enrich the lead to figure out what your company is about, what the employee size is, what the revenue count is, and how much money your company has raised. [03:35] - Again, give the site visitor something of value, like helping them analyze something, or give them a great piece of content. [04:15] - There are so many types of lead funnels you can do, like give away a free book. [05:06] - Or offer a free hour-long educational webinar, and then get people to sign up and provide their email. Works for B2B and B2C. [05:30] - Check out Russell Brunson’s (co-founder of ClickFunnels) book DotCom Secrets: The Underground Paybook for Growing Your Company Online [06:13] - That's it for today! [06:15] - Go to SingleGrain.com/giveaway for a special 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 #513, Eric and Neil discuss how important it is to find places where you can buy back your time so you can focus on what’s important to your business and making money. They also share some apps that will prove helpful in showing you how to become more efficient with your time. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:28] - Today's topic: How to Buy Back Your Time so You Can Make More Money [00:52] - Hiring people for certain jobs doesn’t mean you think you’re better than somebody else. [01:10] - Hiring others can allow you to focus on the high-leverage things you can be doing. [02:04] - Eating at restaurants and ridesharing services are examples of ways you can buy back your time. [02:17] - Hiring people to help you do things gets you the leverage to have the maximum impact. [02:24] - It is easier to buy back your time now than ever before. [03:12] - Focus on your efficiencies. [03:35] - Use the RescueTime app to show you the places where you are inefficient. [04:07] - Applying the Pareto Principle to relate to how time relates to making money. [04:28] - Use the Moment app to see how much time you are spending on your phone. [05:11] - Google a task prioritization chart and use that to see where you are spending your time and on what tasks. [06:34] - That's it for today! [06:45] - Go to SingleGrain.com/giveaway for a special 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 #512, Eric and Neil talk about how marketing is where all the attention is and today that attention is split in many different ways. Tune in to learn how marketing has evolved from just content marketing to much more, the need to be omnipresent, and how audiences differ not just on channels but also on devices. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] - Today's topic: The Biggest Thing that Will Change in Marketing in 2018 and Beyond [00:45] - Years ago most marketing being done was strictly content marketing. [01:19] - Attention is so very split now and because of that a marketing plan needs to use all available channels. [02:33] - Some examples of people, such as Tai Lopez, who are making the most of all channels. [03:10] - Make sure you are omnipresent. When people start telling you that they are seeing you everywhere, you’re doing something right. [04:19] - People are seeing what’s happening in the world through social media and it often serves as a major new source. [05:20] - In the beginning focus on one channel and then develop a plan on how to branch off and build your omnipresence. [06:00] - The audience is different not just from channel to channel, but also on devices, as in mobile vs desktop. [07:20] - What it means to be a T-shaped marketer. [08:12] - That's it for today! [08:14] - Go to SingleGrain.com/giveaway for a special 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 #511, Eric and Neil discuss how it's possible to turn a failing company around. Tune in to hear their advice for turning shit into sugar. Time-Stamped Show Notes:  [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Turn Shit into Sugar [00:32] Before Eric worked for Single Grain, they were an SEO agency. When Google made adjustments, Single Grain turned to shit, because what they were doing no longer worked. [01:00] When Eric took over, the balance was negative. [01:31] In the first year, his podcast was only getting nine downloads per day, but he kept going because he knew something great was beginning to happen. [01:49] He knew he would make things happen if he stuck to his goals. [02:04] Eric was afraid to lay people off, but when things are shitty, you have to make quick decisions in order to turn things around. [02:22] Getting help from his peers was extremely helpful. [02:39] Neil has learned that anytime you think you can turn shit into sugar, it doesn’t happen overnight. [03:02] Analyze your business and its problems. Set goals to attack the issues. [03:32] It typically takes well over a year to turn a company around. [03:49] When things are really bad, you can fix it if you don’t give up and have a good team around you. [04:11] The numbers should start improving once you have goals and people in place. [04:21] When Eric was leading the marketing team at another company, they only had funding for another five months. [04:42] He decided to cut everything on the marketing side and focus on the one thing that had the potential to be effective. [04:54] He bet the entire company on one marketing channel. [05:03] Sometimes, you have to have to the guts and focus to bet it all on one channel. Once it works, you can expand your approach. [05:24] Eric recommends learning how to play poker; it may help you learn how to deal with ups and downs. [05:40] Neil recommends you read Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business, because it will help you turn your shit into sugar; it will help you organize your plan of attack. [06:15] That’s it for today! [06:17] Eric and Neil recommend the Problem Solvers podcast, because there is a great episode about the Hello Fresh CEO. To listen go to singlegrain.com/solve. 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.

On episode #510, Eric and Neil discuss how logical conclusions are not always the best marketing techniques. Tune in to hear how they flip the script and explain why common sense is no longer common. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How We Live in a World Where Common Sense Is No Longer Common [00:40] Even ignoring the current political climate, the world is crazy right now. [01:00] E-commerce checkout pages: does it convert better to have all the form fields on one page or does it make sense to break it down into two steps and force people to click through? [01:14] Most people would break it down into two steps, because it converts better than the first option. [01:40] You get people to micro-commit by breaking it down into two steps. [02:00] Most people would assume it would be common sense to put it all on one page. [02:20] Mike Chang (fitness expert) would ask you to fill out a quiz to see if you qualify to buy his product. [02:44] This converted into greater sales. [02:52] Instant Checkmate has a similar tactic: they make you wait to see the information. [03:20] It goes against logic and common sense, but this method converts to more sales. [03:40] It also goes against logic to have a long-form landing page, but it converts better. [04:35] Common sense is not common all the time. 50% of the info they give you is true, but the other 50% is based on your knowledge and experience. [04:50] Just because something seems logical, doesn’t mean it is going to convert to greater sales. [05:15] When you switch things up and think outside the box, you get better results. [05:49] That’s it for today! [05:53] Eric and Neil recommend the Problem Solvers podcast, because there is a great episode about the Hello Fresh CEO. To listen go to singlegrain.com/solve. 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 #509, Eric and Neil give 5 tips on how to become the best marketer. Tune in to hear their insightful list and why retaining new information is an important facet.  Time-Stamped Show Notes:  [00:27] Today’s Topic: 5 Tips to Become the Best Marketer [00:34] Tip #1: Run an experiment every single week. [00:49] At Crazy Egg, they used to have people sign up using Google Authentication, which increase conversions by 30% because it was so much easier. [01:14] Because people are now worried about privacy, just asking for name, email, and password is more effective. [01:29] Tip #2: Create your own Mastermind (a group of like-minded people who come together to learn what they don’t know) [01:51] Find a few people in your area and meet up about once a month. [02:28] Tip #3: Learn from other podcasts. [02:37] Podcasts with founders usually reveal growth numbers and how they got there. [03:45] Tip #4: Create content! Creating content helps you articulate your thoughts. [04:20] Tip #5: Pay for information. [04:35] If you pay for information, it forces you to actually retain and appreciate the info. Because you have absorbed this information, you are then able to go implement it. [05:05] That’s all for today! [05:07] Eric and Neil recommend the Problem Solvers podcast, because there is a great episode about the Hello Fresh CEO. To listen go to singlegrain.com/solve. 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.

On episode #508, Eric and Neil explain how you can make money without having to speak. Tune in to hear the steps to making this possible and other great silent marketing tips. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Sell Millions Without Ever Opening Your Mouth [00:34] Start with blogs: you start to build an audience this way. [00:59] After building an audience, you can then sell them something. [01:15] Neil believes blogging is one of the most powerful tools out there. [01:43] Eventually, through following free advice or info from a blogger, you’ll end up digging deeper into their resources and buying something. [02:25] A woman who worked for Blackberry was following Neil’s advice and if he'd had an option to offer marketing services, she most likely would have spent money on him. [03:30] By building and audience, you are building a relationship. [03:51] Eventually, you will have to open your mouth, but at the beginning you can build a relationship with written content. [04:17] Go to BuzzSumo, type in your industry’s keywords, and it will show you the most popular articles based on those keywords. Go write better versions of that content! [04:30] Once you have written the better article, go back to BuzzSumo and find the original article. Click on the “view shares” button, which will show you everyone who has shared that content. [04:41] Hit up everyone who shared that content with a simple email that lets them know you wrote a similar article which will most likely interest them. [05:28] A tried and true SEO tactic is guest posting on larger blogs. [05:55] Link building is still important. [06:10] Singlegrain didn’t have a strong link profile, so they did a lot of guest posting, which got them a higher domain authority. They piggybacked off that and starting building a strong foundations. [06:41] Dr. Axe went to SEMRush, put in competitor URL’s, and they wrote better versions of the most popular articles. [06:54] Take the most popular competing articles and put them into Ahrefs and see which pages have the most backlinks. The ones with the most views, but the fewest backlinks are the articles you want to re-write. [07:27] That’s it for today! [07:29] Eric and Neil recommend the Problem Solvers podcast, because there is a great episode about the Hello Fresh CEO. To listen go to singlegrain.com/solve. 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.

On episode #507, Eric and Neil explain why they believe that marketing is the best education you can get. Tune in to hear how being good at marketing is not just a business maneuver, but an important life skill. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: Why Marketing Is Your Most Important Education [00:44] Learning to be good at marketing, gets you what you need in business and in life. [00:57] Neil loves marketing because, no matter what you’re doing in life, you’re pitching, selling, building relationships. [01:20] If you don’t know how to talk to people or communicate effectively, you are not going to do well in life. [01:30] If you ask your boss for a promotion, beyond doing a good job, you also have to market yourself in order to get that promotion. [02:07] You must figure out how to relate to people, communicate effectively, and position yourself so that you’re looked upon positively. [02:50] Neil did an experiment where he updated his wardrobe in order to look stylish and professional. He ended up closing more deals. [03:30] The reality is that your physical appearance is part of how people perceive you and is just as important as being good at your job, as it’s part of how you are marketing yourself. [04:05] That’s it for today! [04:07] Eric and Neil recommend the Problem Solvers podcast, because there is a great episode about the Hello Fresh CEO. To listen go to singlegrain.com/solve. 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 #506, Eric and Neil explain why they believe college is an outdated process that isn’t necessary for everyone. They believe you can learn everything you need to know about marketing through Internet research, online courses, and real-world experience. Tune in to hear more about their thoughts on why college may be an expensive waste of time.  Time-Stamped Show Notes:  [00:27] Today’s Topic: Why You'll Lose Money by Going to College [00:59] Neil believes the advice and information you’re going to learn in college is outdated. [01:14] The internet has the most recent and updated information about your field. [01:56] Eric says that if you are motivated enough, you can learn just as quickly. [02:00] Eric always disliked school, because it was a process or system he didn’t enjoy. [02:45] Eric learned everything about marketing that he uses after college on his own time. [03:15] The only time you need college is if you’re going to be an engineer or a doctor. [03:28] Education is not a waste of money, but you will lose money, because what you learn is outdated and you can learn more updated, useful info learning in the real world. [04:35] Udemy and Udacity are great places to learn what you need a la carte and it will cost significantly less. [05:05] The traditional college process is broken and there are better ways to learn nowadays. [05:15] That’s it for today! [05:17] Eric and Neil recommend the Problem Solvers podcast, because there is a great episode about the Hello Fresh CEO. To listen go to singlegrain.com/solve. 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.

On Episode #505, Eric and Neil discuss the best financial advice for getting rich as an entrepreneur. Tune in to hear what Eric and Neil say is the best possible thing to do in order to achieve financial and professional success. Time-Stamped Show Notes:  [00:27] Today’s Topic: The Best Financial Advice for Getting Rich as an Entrepreneur [00:35] Eric poses the question: When you’re starting out and you make money, what are you going to do with said money? [00:50] Eric’s best advice is to re-invest your profits in your company. [01:02] Elon Musk has said that the best investment is in yourself; it’s something you can control. [01:21] Neil’s advice is to focus on one thing in terms of your investments. [01:45] If you want to get rich and do well, focus on one thing and become an expert at it. [02:43] Figure out what you’re the best at and monetize it. [03:03] Neil attempts to monetize being a great digital marketer. [03:30] Eric says to think of being successful as a circle. Think of the edge of the circle as achieving success and you will never reach the edge of the circle if you aren’t focused on one point along the edge. [04:18] Warren Buffett only invests in things he completely understands, which is why he doesn’t invest in Microsoft. [04:45] That’s it for today! [04:47] Eric and Neil recommend the Problem Solvers podcast, because there is a great episode about the Hello Fresh CEO. To listen go to singlegrain.com/solve. 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.