The Amy Porterfield Show

On this episode of the Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast, I interview my good friend, copywriting expert, Ray Edwards. Ray and I go way back. I first met him when I was still working for Tony Robbins. At the time we were in need of a killer sales letter for a big product we had just created, and Frank Kern, a master at online marketing, suggested we reach out to Ray.As it turns out, hiring Ray to write the sales letter was one of the best decisions we ever made because he nailed it. The sales letter Ray wrote converted really well; every time we used it, our sales were through the roof!Copywriting is something that a lot of my clients have questions about, and I have to admit that it doesn't come naturally to me; I have to really work at it! But it's a super important skill to master because impact and revenue are directly tied your ability to write great copy, so I invited Ray on the show to share his wisdom in this area with all of you. I know you won't be disappointed!In this episode, here’s what we’ll cover: One of the first things you need to learn if you want to start a business or create a second income stream The gene you do NOT need to be born with in order to be a good copywriter Why you need to do more than just write great content What your value-add content should always have How to know if you're giving away too much How to create a lot of content in a short period of time 4 Rules of Writing Key Takeaways All the emails you send should have a "promotional" element to them Every email you send should include a link The brain doesn't differentiate between an actual experience, and a vividly imagined experience. Therefore, help your readers vividly imagine doing what you recommend, and the outcome Listening to what your audience tells you is the best way to know what questions in the emails you send The copy you write needs to be scanable. You can accomplish this by using bolded headers, bullet points, and so on

In this Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast episode, the second Ask Amy segment is introduced, where questions about online marketing, Facebook marketing, Facebook ads, webinars, and email marketing are answered. Listeners can submit questions by leaving a recorded message at amyporterfield.com/askamy.The featured question in this episode is about the new Facebook Page layout and how to leverage it for maximum impact and exposure on Facebook. Here are the key points discussed:1. **Stats on the Right:** In the new layout, to the right of the cover photo, you'll find weekly stats, including new Page likes, overall post reach, unread messages, and notifications. Amy suggests tracking these numbers weekly to measure your progress.2. **Tab Management:** Below the cover photo, there are tabs that function like the old layout's boxes. You can reorder them by clicking "More" and selecting "Manage Tabs." Amy emphasizes that tabs may not convert well unless you use Facebook ads to drive traffic to them.3. **Scheduled Posts:** If you schedule posts on your Facebook Page, the new layout displays a "Scheduled Posts" notification, showing the number of scheduled posts and the next publication time. This feature makes it easier to manage and edit scheduled posts.4. **About Section:** Amy advises being strategic with the "About" section, using it to promote lead magnets and important links. However, note that linking to your website may not be an option for local business Pages.5. **Pages to Watch:** The "Pages to Watch" feature in Insights allows you to monitor other Pages that attract your ideal audience. You can manually add Pages to observe. It's located in the Overview tab of Facebook Page Insights.6. **Top Posts from Pages You Watch:** After selecting Pages to watch, you can view the most engaging posts from the previous week in the Posts tab of Insights. This feature helps you gain insights and model engaging content strategies from similar Pages.Amy also mentions that when you add a Page to watch, the admin of that Page is notified but won't know who added it.This episode is part of the Ask Amy series, where online marketing questions from listeners are addressed. You can submit your questions for consideration in future episodes at amyporterfield.com/askamy.

On this episode of the Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast, I dive into launching your programs, your products, your services online. The great thing is that I dove into this extremely important conversation with the pioneer of all online marketing launches, Jeff Walker. Jeff is known for a system he created called The Product Launch Formula and is truly one of the top internet marketing experts and leaders.He tells a great story of how he got started, and to get the full scoop, you’ll need to listen to the interview because I wouldn’t be able to do his story justice, so for now I’ll just say that before he started his first online business, he had never ran a business before. He had absolutely zero sales training and no marketing skills.He jokes that he was always the kid that couldn't sell more than one bag of donuts for the Boy Scouts fundraiser every year and that one bag was usually purchased by his parents. So as you can see, sales and marketing didn't necessarily run in his blood from day one.  He was an average guy who made an extraordinary impact on many people's lives and continues to do so through his teachings.  That's why I am honored to have Jeff on the show today.Before you listen to the interview, I want to share one more thing with you and that is that Jeff just wrote a book called, Launch: An Internet Millionaire's Secret Formula To Sell Almost Anything Online, Build A Business You Love And Live The Life Of Your Dreams, and for a very limited time, you have an opportunity to get the book for free -- you just have to pay for shipping and handling -- and in addition to the free book, he’s throwing in a bunch of free bonuses. To get the free book and bonuses, go to amyporterfield.com/launch.In this episode, here’s what we’ll cover: How I met Jeff and how my life changed as a result of meeting him Tony Robbins’ response to the information Jeff shared with him Jeff’s failure in the corporate world, and his stint as a stay-at-home dad The day Jeff's wife's cry for help shook him to his core The amazing story of how Jeff went from being unemployed and desperate to making a million dollars in less than an hour Success stories from those who started small and grew big How dropping hints can build anticipation before a launch The launch that brought Jeff’s wife home How Jeff figured out how launches work for many different types of industries How to know what your customers need from you Jeff's view on your email list The decision I personally made that totally changed my business And so much more! Key Takeaways Dropping hints about something to come is a great way to build anticipation before a launch Successful product launches aren’t magic, but are based on how the mind works, and pull people in Done right, people will eagerly anticipate your next move and look forward to everything you do There are 3 core sequences in a launch: Pre Pre- Launch, when you agitate the market and get people interested Pre-Launch, when you build value through videos, blog post, and social media Open Cart, when you actually start taking orders It’s important to find out what people’s hot buttons are and then create products that meet those needs There are three types of launches that part of the Product Launch Formula: Seed launches, when you start with no product (and in some cases no list) and you get paid before you even create the product Internal launches, where you do a launch just to your list JV launches, which are more complex and therefore should not be your first launch You must focus on building assets in your business, and the most important asset you can build is your email list

This episode of the Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast, is extra special because it is the very first edition of the Ask Amy segment that I'm adding to the Online Marketing Made Easy podcast.Every other week I'm going to be answering your questions all about online marketing, Facebook marketing, Facebook ads, webinars and email marketing. If you've got a question, I likely am going to have an answer for you! All you need to do is go to amyporterfield.com/askamy and leave me a recorded message. Your question just might be the very next one I choose for the show!In this episode, here’s what we’ll cover: Something I've been struggling with lately Why my style hasn't always served my customers The push back I've gotten regarding how I teach Facebook marketing How overwhelming and scary creating a marketing plan can be when you're first starting your business The importance of pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone Why you should look at Facebook differently And so much more! Here's the question for this episode:I just launched my website officially at Easter. I took your advice, I put a Facebook sweepstakes on the right side bar, and the resort I work at allowed me to give out a fantastic package, they're really helping me out and it's going really well. In the first month, I've got about 130-something likes and I just love to see that, but I want to keep the momentum going. I want to know what the next step for me might be, whether it's Facebook ads or whatever you think would be the most efficient thing for me.Key Takeaways Anytime you get new leads from Facebook, it's important to be ready to nurture those leads. Follow up with your new leads with a weekly email, with the focus initially being on pure value, instead of selling. After 4-6 weeks of pure value, select one opportunity to promote. Send 3-4 emails that talk about this opportunity. Be sure to make those emails about them, rather than about you and your offer. Work on sharpening your copywriting skills. This is important even if you plan to hire someone to write them for you in the future. If people don't purchase, put them back into a value-add sequence, and when you're ready to promote again, go back to 3-4 emails about an opportunity. Use Facebook ads to drive traffic to a lead magnet rather than to a sales page. The goal of ads is to grow your email list. This is how to turn your efforts into profits. Even though it's hard to get organic reach on your Page, it's still important to provide good content for the people who see your posts. Email is more intimate than Facebook, when you really understand how to use email. It's useless to have a big email list if you never use it to promote.

On this episode of the Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast, we discussed Facebook ad targeting. However, before delving into that, there are some exciting changes to my podcast that I'd like to share with you.1. Weekly Episodes: Starting in June, I'll be releasing one episode per week instead of the previous bi-weekly schedule, so get ready for more podcast content.2. Ask Amy" Segment: I'm introducing a new segment called "Ask Amy," where you can send me your questions on online marketing, Facebook marketing, list building, content creation, webinars, or anything related to the podcast topics. This segment is inspired by my friend, Pat Flynn, who hosts "AskPat." He encouraged me to go for it, and I'm thrilled to bring this interactive feature to the show. You can submit your questions to Ask Amy on my website.Now, let's get back to our main topic for today: Facebook ad targeting. To explore this topic, I've invited my friend and Facebook advertising expert, Rick Mulready, to join me on the show. Rick is deeply involved in online marketing and helps entrepreneurs and small businesses with their Facebook advertising campaigns. He's actively experimenting with ad campaigns and achieving impressive results.We've had several fantastic discussions about Facebook ads at Starbucks here in San Diego, and our insights have been so valuable that I wanted to share them with you. In this episode, we cover the following aspects of Facebook ad targeting:- Valuable Facebook ad targeting options, including Interests, Custom Audiences, and Lookalike Audiences.- Choosing the right targeting option when you're just starting out.- Targeting website visitors with Facebook ads.- Expanding your targeting options if you're struggling to find a sufficiently large and effective audience.- Determining the optimal audience size for your ads.- Key ad metrics to monitor to ensure your ads are successful.Now, let's dive into some more detailed information on how to navigate your Facebook ad targeting using the Power Editor, a robust tool for managing Facebook ads.

On this episode of the Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast, I decided to do something a little bit different. I’m currently promoting my signature program, Facebook Marketing Profit Lab. When I create a new program, I always create a free, value-packed training around the promotion. In this case, the training is called, “How to Create an Easy-to-Implement Facebook Marketing Plan that REALLY Works.”I deliver the training through live webinars, and after the promotion is over in a few weeks, the free live webinar will no longer be available. I have worked SO HARD on this training that I want it to live on beyond my promotion, and I thought that the best way to accomplish that was to present the training in a podcast.I think you will find it extremely valuable, and at the end of this podcast you will have a really good understanding of how to create a Facebook marketing plan that is focused on both the needs of your business AND the needs of your customers. In addition to that, this plan will actually help you produce leads and revenue on a consistent basis on Facebook.People have a lot of concerns about Facebook: They aren’t sure what they’re doing and they feel stuck They are frustrated with their list building strategies; their list is growing painfully slow Or, they are just frustrated with Facebook in general, but are still holding out a little hope because they really want Facebook to work for them because they’ve put a lot of effort and in some cases a lot of money into it but just haven’t gotten the results they were hoping for. And some people are just looking for a plan so they get see more fans, leads or sales through Facebook. If you can relate to any of that, this podcast is perfect for you!Specifically, we covered the following 7 steps that you need to Create a Facebook marketing plan that really works.1. Create Your Lead Magnet2. Set Up Your Lead Capture Page3. Create a “Gotta Have It” Facebook Post and Turn It Into an Ad4. Only Show Your Ad To Your “Perfect Customer” Target List6. Always Know In Real-Time If Your Lead Magnet Is Working7. Create The “5 MUST EMAILS” To Perfectly Position Your OfferOne you have attracted your new lead from your Facebook efforts, it’s time to take things outside of Facebook. Create an email auto responder series to provide even more value to your new lead and when the time is right for you, begin to introduce them to your offer. Email marketing will move your new lead to become a customer.

On this episode of the Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast, we talked all about video creation and editing. I know a few of you instantly felt a little anxious when you read those words, because video is not usually at the top of anyone’s “favorite things to do” list - or at least that's the case for me!I’ve been creating videos ever since I started my online business, but it’s always been a tough thing for me. I don’t particularly like to see myself on video and let’s face it, video is a lot of work - from both the creation and editing sides.And yet video is very important for online marketers, which is why I invited my friend, Caleb Wojcik to be on the show. Caleb promised me that he would give some tips to make video easier, and he delivered on his promise!In this episode, here’s what we’ll cover: Caleb's progression from screencast videos to using multiple cameras The best type of video to start with How your audience determines how polished your videos need to be How to make videos using PowerPoint or Keynote How to make video editing faster and less painful The reason why 60% of the people that Caleb surveyed don't create video A trick for finding mistakes in the videos you create The benefits of editing backwards The sweet spot when it comes to video length Why you shouldn't put videos that people will pay to see on YouTube Where to host your videos And so much more! Key Takeaways If you're nervous about creating videos, screencasts are a great way to start. The best screen recording software is Screenflow for Mac and Camtasia for windows. It at all possible, when shooting video, sit facing a window. If natural light isn't available, position lighting directly in front of you, at a 30-45-degree angle. Light shining directly on you, you'll end up with a shadow from the camera on your face. When using your phone to shoot talking head videos, be sure to use a mic, such as Rode Smartlav to improve sound quality. DIY videos are fine, especially when they're not being used as part of a paid program. For paid programs, it's better to go pro if possible. Gear to Check OutMicrophones The Rode Smartlav mic Heil PR-40 Blue Microphones Software Screenflow Camtasia Plural Eyes iMovie Final Cut Pro X Adobe Premiere Teleprompter ikan teleprompterVideo Hosting Wistia Vimeo Turnstile DSLR Cameras Canon T5i Canon Rebel Digital Audio Recorders Tascam Zoom H49 Lavalier

On this episode of the Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast, I interviewed my good friend, Chris Ducker. This interview came at a perfect time, because the evening after completing the interview, I got on a plane to the Philippines to speak at Chris' event, Tropical Think Tank.This was an exciting trip for me because not only is this my first trip to the Philippines, I also had the opportunity to speak with some some really fantastic people, including Pat Flynn, John Dumas, Greg Hickman and Natalie Sisson, and of course Chris Ducker himself, so it was a lot of fun.On today’s show, we are talking about the power of virtual support and outsourcing. This is an important topic for me, because I recently learned a valuable lesson, something I did not believe for so long until I finally experienced it personally in my business.So many successful people I look up to have told me that it is possible to work less and make a bigger impact, which includes bigger profits. That was hard for me to believe because it went against everything I knew about hard work paying off.However, on episode 23, I talked about how I experienced this very thing in 2013. I tell you this because with the right support, you truly can do less and make more. That’s why I think the topic today is so valuable to anyone building a business online.I’ve actually had Chris on the show before and so today we are going to dive a bit deeper into this topic. For those of you who do not know Chris, Chris is a serial entrepreneur, virtual staffing expert, blogger, podcaster and author of the new book Virtual Freedom (which is a FANTASTIC book and one I highly recommend.)In this episode, right from the start, Chris gets personal about a recent experience he had with burnout - and how his burnout did not effect his business AT ALL.Also, Chris dives into the mindset and mechanics around expanding your team with virtual support. The mindset requires a different way of looking at your business and your role in your business, seeing the value of letting go of some of it, and leveraging it by entrusting certain aspects of it to someone else. The mechanics include specific strategies and tools you can use to maximize your outsourcing experience.In this episode, here’s what we’ll cover: Mindset and the mechanics of expanding your team The value of letting go and leveraging Chris' burnout, and what he did about it The importance of taking care of yourself and switching off regularly What entrepreneurs should do with the time they save by outsourcing How a virtual team kept Chris' business going in the midst of his burnout The importance of entrepreneurs going off the grid from time to time What super hero syndrome is, and how to overcome it The impact of ego on your business What will defeat the benefits of your outsourcing efforts How you can make more by working less How to counter the feeling that you can do things faster yourself than telling someone else to do it The biggest problem when training your virtual staff How to throw little curve balls to your VA, and why you should Why you need to take care of your team ahead of all else Whether you should outsource locally or overseas The 3 basic ways Chris communicates with his staff The point where a lot of businesses begin to fail and how to avoid it And so much more! When training your virtual staff, the biggest challenge you'll run into is yourself [Tweet This]

On this episode of the Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast, we talk all about Twitter.Since I am not a Twitter expert, I have invited my friend and mentor, Michael Stelzner, on the show to talk about some very specific strategies he uses to promote his live and online events with Twitter.Mike would say that he too is not a Twitter expert, but I would disagree because he is doing things on Twitter that are getting some serious results - and he’s been perfecting his Twitter strategy for many, many years, so in my book, he’s a pro.For those of you who might not know Mike, he is the founder of the best social media site around, Social Media Examiner, which he launched in October of 2009, which has exploded, to say the least. Last year more than 7.5 million people visited the site. He's the author of two books (Launch & Writing White Papers) and is host of the Social Media Marketing Podcast. He also founded the parenting blog MyKidsAdventures.com.5 Strategic Ways to Promote with Twitter1. Transactional TweetsThis type of tweet has a psychological component to it. When people have just made a purchase or signed up for a newsletter, they're poised to take action, and are more likely to do the next thing you ask them to do. Therefore, as soon as the transaction is complete, send them to a thank you page, and on the page, add a text link with a request.For instance, you may have a text link that says something like, "Click here to tweet your excitement about (coming to an event, a course they just purchased, etc.). When they click on the link, have it open up a pre-populated tweet that says something like, "I'm attending/just purchased. . ." Be sure to include a link to the event or item being tweeted about.2. Verbal TweetsPodcast listeners are often on the go. They may be listening from the gym, while they're driving, etc, so give them a URL that is easy to remember. Mike directs people to go to SocialMediaExaminer.com/love. I actually stole this idea from Mike, and on occasion in my podcast you'll hear me ask you to go to AmyPorterfield.com/love. If you click on that link, you'll see that it opens up a window with a pre-populated tweet about how much they love my podcast. This is a great way to get your podcast listeners to spread the word about your podcast!3. Shout-Out TweetsShout-out tweets are a great way to give love to someone! An example of how Mike uses this technique is that he lists all of the speakers for his events and asks people to click on the name of their favorite presenter. When they do, again, a pre-populated tweet opens up that says something like, "Hey [name], I'm really looking forward to meeting you at [event]."4. Affiliate TweetsWrite up 10-15 different tweets that promote your product or event, and put them on a blog page or in an email. All people have to do is add their affiliate link to the tweets you've crafted, and they can then easily be shared. The easier you make things, the more likely people are to share! You can use this same strategy even if you don't have affiliates, but have other offerings that you want your audience to help you promote.5. Custom TweetsSocial share buttons such as Digg Digg have been around for awhile, but when people use them, they promote only the specific page or post the person is on. But you may not want the person driving traffic to the page they are on, such as on the page with information on hotels for an event that is being promoted.The solution is to craft custom tweets, and then embed that code on any page. This enables you to include a link to the page you want people to go to, regardless of the page they tweeted from. This also gives great social proof because instead of having several Twitter buttons with smaller tweet counts, when you use the widget, the tweet count is aggregated.HashtagsIn the final third of the show, Michael dove deep into how to best use Hashtags on Twitter, as well as shared some of his favorite Twitter tools.

On this episode of the Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast, I share with you some insight I’ve recently discovered about myself. It’s something that I’ve always known on some level, but I’ve just recently really owned it and started to be actively aware of it. I decided to share it with you, because maybe you can relate.Here’s the deal. Sometimes my mind is a pretty scary place to live as a result of the stories that I create  about my experiences. When I’m in my head, these stories are completely true and real, but in reality, they are just perceptions.As an example, in the early years of my business if I promoted something and it didn’t go as well as I thought it should, the story that would play in my mind was that I’m just not as good as my peers, that I didn’t have what it takes to be a success, that I’m in over my head, and that I should have never left Tony Robbins. These stories crushed my confidence!Now that I’m more aware of these stories, I try to spend as much time as possible in the present moment, where life is actually happening, rather than focusing on these stories that I’ve made up. This approach has helped me quiet fears, doubts, and worries as they pop up as I’m building my business.I’m sharing this with you because these stories are something we all have to deal with from time to time. Because of that, I invited my good friend and mentor, Marie Forleo, founder of B-School, best selling author and the creator of the award-winning web show MarieTV.com, back to the show as my first repeat guest.I specifically asked Marie to come on the show to explore these mindset pitfalls, because Marie is not only a marketing pro, she also has a great way of pulling you out of your head and into the present moment where things tend to look very different than they do in our minds.Marie and I discuss the following three mindset pitfalls that entrepreneur’s tend to face as they’re building their business:#1: How Do I Deal with the Competition?#2: How Do I Deal with Criticism in My Business?#3: How Do I Deal with a Lack of Follow Through?If you’re struggling with perfectionism, focus more on the actual content, rather than the bells and whistles that are nice to have, but not 100% necessary.It also helps to get things started, knowing that everything is going to be an iteration. For example, when you initially release a course, it may not be just the way you want it to be, but you can keep making improvements.This is what Marie did when she first launched B-School, her online school for modern entrepreneurs. B-School has now been out for five years, and has grown into a comprehensive soup to nuts program that changes people’s lives.