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In Episode #405, Eric and Neil discuss whether should you consider sponsoring conferences or not. Tune in to learn the ROI that you can get from sponsoring a conference and why Eric prefers to invest in small events. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: Should You Sponsor Conferences or Not? 00:38 – There’s an ROI from sponsoring events 00:43 – You have to find the right events 00:48 – Sponsoring an event is great for branding 00:51 – You will know who attended the conference and the event’s marketing team will send an email blast to the audience dedicated to you 01:22 – If you sponsor a conference, make sure you have a speaking slot 01:35 – What matters to Eric during conferences is the people that he meets 02:00 – Eric just got an invitation to a conference 02:27 – If you have $12K, Eric suggests spending it on a dinner or small event rather than a conference 02:45 – Marketing School is giving away a free 1 year subscription to Crazy Egg which is a visual analytics tool 03:39 – Go to SingleGrain.com/giveaway for multiple entries 03:41 – That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: In sponsoring a conference, find the right event for your brand. When you sponsor a conference, make sure you get a speaking slot and a list of all the attendees. If you have the money to invest, maybe you should consider holding your own small event rather than sponsoring a conference. 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 #404, Eric and Neil discuss whether or not you should throw live events. Live events are excellent opportunities to expand your network. Tune in to learn why Eric throws his live events and dinners monthly and the reason he does them for FREE. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: Should You Throw Live Events? 00:39 – Live events can serve a broad audience and can be a lot cheaper 00:51 – Eric throws live events in LA 01:06 – Eric has a “happy hour” event once a month with his small group of marketers and entrepreneurs 01:13 – The purpose is just to get people together 01:32 – Eric has generated revenue from his live events which are free for the attendees 01:41 – Eric received a $120K deal from one of his events where he only spent around $12K to organize it 02:03 – Eric has done two live events every month for the past seven months 02:16 – Eric has learned a lot from his live events 02:26 – The invited guests are targeted 03:10 – Jayson Gaignard of Mastermind Talks will give you a template for how to throw live events and a mastermind dinner 03:26 – “When you’re inviting people, you want to make sure that everyone’s on the same level” 03:47 – You can use revenue as part of the criteria for who are invited; that’s what EO (Entrepreneurs' Organization) and YEC (Young Entrepreneur Council) do 04:02 – Eric has two sets of dinners: one for marketers and one for entrepreneurs 04:19 – The main reason Eric has live events is NOT to generate customers 04:45 – The highest ROI Eric made was from these dinners 05:00 – You can consider charging people because they tend to take it more seriously if they spend money on it 05:25 – Eric usually has maximum of 9 people during the dinners to make it really intimate and 25-30 for happy hour 05:55 – Marketing School is giving away a free 1 year subscription of Crazy Egg which is a visual analytics tool 06:35 – Go to SingleGrain.com/giveaway for multiple entries 06:45 – That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: Target your guests for your live events—make sure people are on the same level so everyone can benefit from one another. You can offer free live events, but consider charging so people will take the event more seriously. Don’t focus on the money that you can generate from your events, focus on the value that you can get from it. 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 #403, Eric and Neil discuss how to build a personal brand. Tune in to learn the difference between a corporate and personal brand. You’ll also hear how Eric and Neil built their own personal brands up to where they are now.  Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How To Build A Personal Brand 00:41 – Building a personal brand opens up a lot of opportunities 01:00 – Neil had met various billionaires while building his personal brand 01:25 – Neil learned that you’re not going to build your personal brand unless you’re marketing yourself daily 01:44 – There’s a difference between a corporate brand and personal brand 01:54 – Corporate brands can be sold 02:05 – Michael Jordan, which is already a personal brand, cost millions and there’s just one of him 02:23 – If Michael Jordan passes away, his personal brand will be gone too 02:31 – Corporate brands will just continue to increase their market price 02:47 – Eric started his personal brand by way of his podcast which had single digit downloads 02:59 – When you put your content online, you constantly get better and can see what is getting the attention 03:20 – Gary Vaynerchuk has all the attention now and he’s all over social media 03:36 – He has 8 people in his personal marketing team 03:48 – He’s always trying new things 03:56 – Start slow, be consistent and gradually expand 04:03 – Marketing School is giving away a free 1 year subscription to Crazy Egg which is a visual analytics tool 04:45 – Go to SingleGrain.com/giveaway for multiple entries 05:00 – That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: Consistency in marketing yourself is what builds a personal brand. While you can’t really sell your personal brand, it opens a lot of opportunities for you. Update your online channels everyday and continuously grow your online presence. 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 #402, Eric and Neil discuss how to build a strong corporate brand using social media. Tune in to learn how you can strengthen your brand through social media and how you can fast track the growth process by using strategies that have worked for some key companies today! Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Build A Strong Corporate Brand Using Social Media 00:42 – Some of the brands that have built a strong brand using social media are Fit Tea, Dolce Swimwear and other swimwear companies 01:05 – Eric has interviewed SkinnyMe Tea founder, Gretta van Riel, who has 16M Instagram followers 01:28 – Gretta started by reaching out to micro-influencers on Instagram to build her brand 01:40 – She eventually grew her following to millions 01:50 – Gretta has also coined the term “teatox” which is detoxing using tea which also has a movement behind it 02:00 – You can create a movement to make people stick with your brand and connect with different micro-influencers 02:20 – Sunny Co Clothing has created a funnel through social media 02:30 – You’ll get a free swimsuit if the post is re-posted and tagged appropriately 02:53 – It can be a profitable campaign 03:00 – There’s a huge spike for the keyword “Sunny Co Clothing” in Google because of their campaign 03:10 – It took Gretta months to grow her brand 03:43 – Consistency is crucial in social media branding 04:01 – Marketing School is giving away a free 1 year subscription to Crazy Egg is a visual analytics tool 04:56 – Go to SingleGrain.com/giveaway for multiple entries 05:05 – That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: Social media platforms are great for growing your brand for the mere volume of traffic you’ll encounter. Make your brand appealing to people so they’ll spread the word and grow your following. Tap into micro-influencers within your niche and strike a deal that will benefit both parties. 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 #401, Eric and Neil discuss how to get social media traffic when you have no followers and no money. Tune in to learn a few easy tactics that can get people sharing your content. You’ll also find out the importance of reaching out to the RIGHT people. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Get Social Media Traffic When You Have No Followers (And No Money) 00:38 – The easiest way to get traffic is to look at your content 00:44 – Google similar keywords that relate to your content and find other posts 00:51 – Get the most popular keywords and type them in the Twitter search box 00:55 – Email people who have tweets related to your keyword and check if they want to see your post 01:28 – Add a note: “If you like it, feel free to share it” 01:33 – You’ll get more social shares by doing this 01:45 – Growth Everywhere’s Instagram account now has 6400 followers 01:53 – Eric redoes the hashtags to engage with people more 02:26 – You can build pods with Instagram Direct Messaging where people share their posts with one another 02:54 – Join multiple pods, but make sure you’re adding value too 03:09 – Reach out to the right kind of people 03:22 – Marketing School is giving away a free 1 year subscription to Crazy Egg which is a visual analytics tool 04:26 – Go to SingleGrain.com/giveaway for multiple entries 04:35 – That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: Search your most popular keywords to find posts that are similar to yours—then, reach out to the audiences you find. Leverage Instagram, especially their direct message feature to find potential followers. Make sure you’re adding value to those you reach out to. 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 #400, Eric and Neil discuss the pros and cons of hosting your own conference, and why you need to accept the reality that you’re going to lose money at the front-end. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:28 – Today’s topic: Should You Host Your Own Conference? 00:36 – If you’re just starting out, the best option is to stay away from conferences 00:40 – The conference business is difficult and you’ll probably lose money 00:48 – Eric personally thinks that conferences aren’t that valuable 00:51 – Eric shares his experience with Treehouse 00:55 – Ryan Carson, CEO, is known for hosting conferences 01:08 – Conferences are a good way to build network 01:19 –Sean Ellis is known for hosting growth hacking conferences too 01:27 – Conferences are exceptionally valuable if—and only if—your business is already making money 01:34 – HubSpot has thousands of customers will benefit a lot from holding a conference where they can invite their customers 01:56 – Consider hosting a conference only if your business is established and getting $5-6M in ARR 02:25 – Alternatively to conferences, you can throw in a dinner or small events 03:04 – There are also virtual conferences where you don’t have to spend money on venue and can retail virtual tickets instead 03:22 – With a virtual event, the email list that you build can be repurposed 03:45 – When you’re starting out, you don’t necessarily have to pay people 04:11 – Marketing School is giving away a free 1 year subscription of Crazy Egg which is a visual analytics tool 04:57 – Go to SingleGrain.com/giveaway for multiple entries 05:07 – That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: If you’re just starting, instead of conferences, try to host dinners or small events. Conferences are beneficial if your business is stable and already earning at least $5M in ARR. Virtual conferences are also a thing – it’s cost efficient and you can use the leads for future use. 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 #399, Eric and Neil discuss how to rank a 10-page website. Tune in to learn how you can slowly gain traction in spite of only having a few pages by placing massive emphasis on the quality of those 10 pages.  Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:28 – Today’s topic: How to Rank a 10-Page Website 00:40 – Neil picked 10 pages because a lot of people have small websites 00:45 – A 500-page website is easier to rank 00:56 – The more text you have on the page, the more likely you are to rank 01:03 – A 10-page website can still rank but it will never get as much traffic as a Wikipedia 01:10 – A small website should focus on link building and outreach 01:14 – Make sure your content is detailed and thorough 01:18 – Brian Dean of Backlinko started with only a handful of pages website 01:33 – The quality of his content is high 02:00 – Review Skyscraper Technique 02:10 – Groove HQ and Help Scout both started at the bottom 02:19 – Look at linkable assets 02:48 – “Look for a spin that can work out there” 02:59 – Slowly expand when your website starts getting traffic 03:14 – Marketing School is giving away a free 1 year subscription of Crazy Egg which is a visual analytics tool 04:01 – Go to SingleGrain.com/giveaway for multiple entries 04:14 – That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: People who have small websites can still rank their websites, but their websites will never have the traffic of the big players. Create detailed, high-quality content that will solidify your website. As your website gains traffic, add more pages—grow it in a controlled, consistent way that you can manage. 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 #398, Eric and Neil discuss the art of scaling content for outreach. Tune in to learn exactly what you can do to not only develop great content, but promote it effectively. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Scale Your Content Outreach 00:35 – Content outreach is about reaching out to people to promote your content 00:48 – You don’t just write a content, you have to market it as well 01:05 – Content outreach starts with the foundation 01:19 – More than anything else, your content has to be GOOD 01:43 – The Skyscraper Technique by Brian Dean is a great strategy 01:48 – Create a list of website and social media users that you’re going to do outreach too 02:00 – You don’t want to keep hitting up the same people because they’ll get tired of hearing your song and dance 02:10 – Some will stop responding and some will flat out ignore you from day 1 02:35 – Eric uses Hunter and FindThatEmail in finding email 02:49 – JustReachOut is great in finding editors and publishers 03:02 – An outreach tool like Mixmax works well too 03:31 – You want to have your emails 10-15% customized 03:41 – Doing outreach is a time consuming game, but if you’re consistent it will pay off 04:03 – Marketing School is giving away a free 1 year subscription of Crazy Egg which is a visual analytics tool 04:49 – Go to SingleGrain.com/giveaway for multiple entries 03:50 – That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: Your content is useless if it never makes it in front of your target audience. Have a list of people who will consistently promote your content and then rotate your content between them. In writing emails to people, make sure things aren’t fully templated. 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 #397, Eric and Neil discuss what Seinfeld emails are and how you can leverage them to enhance your business. Tune in to learn how can writing about nothing (literally) can lead to increases in both your network and your sales. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: What Are Seinfeld Emails (And How to Leverage Them)? 00:53 – Eric thinks Seinfeld is just a show about nothing 00:59 – The Seinfeld email is like writing an email about nothing 01:07 – Eric shared a bad experience with American Airlines and wrote about the experience 01:24 – He got some great responses from the post 01:34 – “The good thing about writing about nothing is relating it to people” 01:45 – People are more likely to convert because they can connect with it and don’t feel like they’re being sold to 01:51 – You don’t want to write about nothing when you can’t connect it with your product and services 02:40 – For Neil, when someone writes for him, he still checks the end product to see if it matches his vision 03:11 – To be good with Seinfeld emails, you have to do it constantly 03:51 – “People love to hear about stories and Seinfeld emails are just one way to do it” 03:55 – Marketing School is giving away a free 1 year subscription of Crazy Egg which is a visual analytics tool 04:41 – Go to SingleGrain.com/giveaway for multiple entries 04:50 – That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: Seinfeld emails are basically emails about nothing—oddly enough, they’re effective. When writing a Seinfeld email, connect with people in your writing while subtly leading them to your products and services too. You have to write consistently to be good at Seinfeld’s email writing. 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 #396, Eric and Neil discuss whether or not you should invest in typical marketing swag. Tune in to learn why Eric and Neil won’t spend a cent on swag while Sujan, Single Grain’s founder, blogged that he made $500K from it. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: Should You Invest In Marketing Swag? 00:37 – Single Grain’s founder, Sujan Patel, had a lot of shirts and he made $500K out of it 00:50 – Personally, Eric won’t invest into swag 00:58 – Although, he has gotten useful swag from conferences before, and every time he uses the swag, he remembers the conference 01:18 – “You want to have stuff that people actually use” 01:37 – Neil believes that if you’re a big company, giving away swag is a good strategy in branding 01:45 – Swag can be too expensive for startups and it’s difficult to track your ROI from it 02:29 – If you want to try something, go to Startup Drugz instead 03:04 – Neil doesn’t create swag and would not even if he was a big company 03:30 – Marketing School is giving away a free 1 year subscription of Crazy Egg which is a visual analytics tool 04:25 – Go to SingleGrain.com/giveaway for multiple entries 04:38 – That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: Big companies with extra funds can spend on swag because it can be a good branding strategy—“can” is the keyword. If you are going to invest in swag, make it as usable as possible, and don’t go cheap—you want it to last for a while. Because of the associated costs with having quality swag most startups and small businesses shouldn’t consider it. 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.