Marketing School | Digital Marketing | Online Marketing

In Episode #428, Eric and Neil discuss how to correctly use live chat on your website. Tune in to learn how you can target the right people using live chat and convert them into sales. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Correctly Use Live Chat on Your Website 00:51 – Live chat isn’t just about talking to your website visitors, it can actually detect potential customers 01:34 – Segment your audience and only show the live chat option—it’s your best bet 01:50 – Intercom is doing well for live chat 02:00 – Eric just switched to Drift which has the ability to set appointments for people 02:47 – The appointment setting becomes a revenue generating tool 02:58 – Drift Enterprise costs $2K a month, but they have the another version 03:38 – Eric’s clients like Drift 03:50 – Just make sure you’re not showing your live chat to the wrong people or you’re wasting money 04:31 – “You can’t hit everyone” 04:35 – Marketing School is giving away a free 90-day FREE trial to Crazy Egg wh

In Episode #427, Eric and Neil discuss if should you hire an agency for link building. Tune in to learn if it’s worth it to hire a great agency to do link building for you OR if you’re better off doing it in-house. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: Should You Hire an Agency for Link Building? 00:33 – Neil ran an agency with link building in the past and Eric’s agency is currently handling link building 00:48 – Most people don’t have proper connections and use templates that don’t work 01:01 – “Links are a very dangerous thing” 01:12 – Link building is the same as doing outreach when it comes to sales 01:50 – Pitchbox is an SEO outreach tool; if you’re using it, it’s better to hire an agency 02:20 – If you’re looking for good links, find the right agency 02:24 – Ask for samples first to see if the links are good 02:32 – If you want to do it in-house, hire someone who knows the processes well 02:40 – If you decide to go with an agency, make sure that you’re not charged per link 02:

In Episode #426, Eric and Neil discuss how to spy on your competition. Tune in to discover the tools that will help you see what your competitors are up to, how you can compete, and ways you can replicate their strategies. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Spy on Your Competition 00:38 – Ahrefs is a great tool to use 01:22 – SEMrush will show you phrases your competitors are bidding on for pay-per-click 01:40 – It will give you an idea of whether you should also be bidding on those keywords 02:14 – Adbeat goes deeper on ads and spend trends over time 02:41 – BuiltWith will show you everything that your competitors are using 03:07 – SimilarWeb will show you top categories, traffic trends and the breakdown of the traffic of a website 03:45 – SpyFu and iSpionage are great tools 03:50 – iSpionage shows the keyword efficiency index 04:42 – Marketing School is giving away a free 1 year subscription to Crazy Egg which is a visual analytics tool 04:56 – Go to SingleGrain.com/gi

In Episode #425, Eric and Neil discuss how much you should spend on content promotion. Tune in to discover just how little you need to promote your content. And, if you prefer to spend nothing at all, the alternative methods you can employ to get your content out there! Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How Much Should You Spend on Content Promotion? 00:37 – Eric asked Larry Kim of Wordstream, who is well-versed in paid advertising 00:58 – Larry said that every time he publishes content, he’ll try to find unicorns that have high engagement 01:11 – He’s pushing $50 for every published piece of content 01:39 – For Neil, content promotion is 50% of the time spent writing the content and the other 50% of the time is for promotion 01:52 – At least half of the time should always be spent on content promotion 01:57 – You can spend time or spend money on promotion 02:00 – You can boost traffic from different social media sites 02:20 – If you don’t want to spend money, you can promote yo

In Episode #424, Eric and Neil discuss what part of your funnel you should focus on. Tune in to learn the different parts of a funnel, how to find your weakness, and the actions you can take to make sure your funnel is running (and converting) smoothly. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: What Part of Your Funnel Should You Focus On? 00:40 – Top of the Funnel (ToFu): the traffic that you’re trying to target; which is usually a much larger audience 00:48 – Middle of the Funnel (MoFu): people who have viewed your website or availed of your services 01:02 – Bottom of the Funnel (BoFu): returning customers or those who are close to purchasing 01:24 – If you don’t have a lot of visitors, focus on the top of the funnel 01:27 – If you have a lot of visitors but don’t have much conversion, work on your analytics to see where the drop off is—it’s either the middle or bottom of the funnel 01:43 – You can check it out using Mixpanel and/or Kissmetrics 01:50 – Focus on optimizing that part by doing

In Episode #423, Eric and Neil discuss the 7 point, website redesign checklist. Tune in to know what you need to consider before changing or redesigning your website. This way you can make the changes without any risk to your traffic. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: 7-Point Website Redesign Checklist 00:34 – First is to make sure that your website is designed with a strong SEO foundation 01:01 – For WordPress, build up your SEO first 01:12 – Second is to keep track of your existing URLs in a checklist 01:25 – Third is to NOT forget about your site speed 01:30 – Check GTmetrix to find out your site speed 01:41 – Fourth is to keep mobile in mind because a bigger percentage of website visitors are mobile users 01:50 – Use Google AMP framework 01:59 – Don’t forget about your pixels like the Google Analytics pixels and Facebook pixels 02:20 – Sixth is to figure out the copy for your content before redesigning it 02:35 – Last is to check your website’s resolution in different b

In Episode #422, Eric and Neil discuss how to market your business at a conference without sponsoring it. Tune in to learn what you need to do on the day of the conference to market your business tactfully and effectively. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Market Your Business at a Conference Without Sponsoring It 00:41 – It’s better to speak at conferences than be a sponsor at one 00:50 – Talk with people in the conference lounge 01:16 – Networking is also a good strategy to market your brand without spending 01:49 – Networking doesn’t mean passing your business card, it means getting to know people’s story and expressing how you can help them 02:55 – Prior to the conference event day, figure out your target market 03:13 – Eric shares how his friend bombarded the booths in an event they went to in order to market his service 03:55 – Marketing School is giving away a free 1 year subscription to Crazy Egg which is a visual analytics tool 04:00 – Go to SingleGrain.com/givea

In Episode #421, Eric and Neil discuss how to stay consistent with your content marketing. Tune in to learn the importance of following a routine, creating a content calendar and sticking to a 30-day timeframe. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Stay Consistent With Your Content Marketing 00:34 – Have a routine in place that you will follow 00:47 – Eric has his routine on his calendar 01:08 – Create a content calendar 01:24 – This works the best for Neil 01:34 – Neil uses Excel while Eric uses Smartsheet, which is almost the same tool 01:42 – Whatever you use, make sure to stick with it 01:57 – Content repurposing helps with consistency 02:28 – Your calendar works best with a 30-day timeframe; make updates on the content that you will create 02:46 – Marketing School is giving away a free 1 year subscription to Crazy Egg which is a visual analytics tool 02:55 – Go to SingleGrain.com/giveaway for multiple entries 03:00 – That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points

In Episode #420, Eric and Neil discuss what makes a brand stand out. Tune in to learn how a brand’s interaction with its customers only leads to customer loyalty and followers who will champion for your brand! Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: What Makes a Brand Stand Out? 00:40 – The popular brands are everywhere 00:52 – Their logos are subtle and reflects their vision and mission 00:58 – There’s always a story behind every brand 01:26 – “A brand tells a really good story” 01:33 – Emotion is another factor for a brand 02:12 – Brand’s way of interacting with their customers 02:25 – Some by events and some by social media 02:33 – Interaction is often taken for granted, but it is important 02:48 – Amazon is known for their great customer service 03:55 – There are brands that will also send out surveys for their services 04:19 – When a brand cares, it makes an immense difference 04:30 – Marketing School is giving away a free 1 year subscription to Crazy Egg which is a visual

In Episode #419, Eric and Neil discuss the lessons Neil learned from writing a New York Times best-selling book. Tune in to learn Neil’s rather large disappoint AFTER writing his book and why being on the bestseller list doesn’t actually guarantee you more sales leads. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: Lessons Learned From Writing A Bestselling Book 00:35 – Neil’s book, Hustle, hit the New York Times’ best-seller list 00:56 – Neil learned from writing his book that it was a waste of time and money—he assumed it would grow his brand but it didn’t 01:03 – “I think I did it wrong” 01:08 – Neil had amazing co-authors, but he also learned that he should’ve written the book by himself 01:15 – Hustle is for the general public, so it didn’t reached Neil’s target market 01:24 – Neil’s was on the bestseller list for three consecutive weeks but it didn’t get him any sales 01:45 – The topic was the biggest mistake for Neil, because it didn’t relate to what he does 02:30 – The hardest part of

In Episode #418, Eric and Neil discuss why you shouldn’t copy someone else’s marketing. Tune in to discover if replicating other’s marketing techniques actually works for you OR if you’re better off creating your own marketing strategy. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: Why You Shouldn't Copy Someone Else's Marketing 00:58 – When given a template, figure out how you can change it and make it your own 01:06 – Some marketing tactics that work for others does not mean it will work for you 01:27 – Eric has tried different techniques and not all of them have worked 01:45 – Learn from others, but don’t copy them 02:22 – Figure out what will work for you and your audience 02:30 – Neil was advised that if you’re doing something that moves away from your personality, the tactic won’t convert 02:50 – There’s NO best tactic for everyone, it will depend on your business and audience 03:34 – Learn everything that you can, but eventually you’ll have to create your own style 03:44 – Marketing Schoo

In Episode #417, Eric and Neil discuss how to identify evergreen content opportunities. Tune in to learn how you can gain new ideas regarding the evergreen content you should be writing about and why it will help you maintain (or GAIN) traffic for years to come. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Identify Evergreen Content Opportunities 00:40 – The easiest way to identify evergreen content is by looking at your competitors 00:44 – Use Ahrefs to know where your competitors’ search traffic is coming from 01:12 – You don’t want to publish news-oriented content 01:30 – Content in digital and online marketing is considered evergreen content 01:35 – HubSpot has a lot of evergreen content 01:45 – Evergreen is something that can stand the test of time 02:09 – BuzzSumo can help you see evergreen content 02:24 – Writing about evergreen topics is what gains traffic 02:33 – If your Google Analytics and Google Search Console are hitched together, go to the Search Console to see which key

In Episode #416, Eric and Neil discuss how to generate leads with free tools. Tune in to learn which tools you can create in order to generate more leads, and Neil shares his highly effective marketing tool that reels in an incredible amount of traffic for him per month.  Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Generate Leads With Free Tools 00:37 – If you want to get SEO leads, create an SEO grader or analyzer and when people have a bad score, ask them if they want to get better 00:56 – HubSpot did a campaign similar to this 01:15 – You can use Outgrow which will allow you to make different calculations to generate leads 01:42 – Check out “How much does it cost to make an app?” by Crew—which is a short quiz you can take 02:00 – You don’t need to create complicated tools 02:06 – Neil’s SEO analyzer continues to generate 70K in traffic/month 02:18 – It cost $20-30K maximum, but there are cheaper options 02:41 – Use it as a marketing expense 03:05 – Marketing School is giving away

In Episode #415, Eric and Neil discuss 7 AdWords tricks and tips that’ll boost your ROI. Tune in to learn why you need to pay attention to your keywords and geo-target your offers. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: 7 AdWords Tricks & Tips That'll Boost Your ROI 00:34 – Tip #1 is to add site links which will give you more opportunity to show up on search results 01:06 – #2: Leverage dayparting 01:13 – It is very useful and cost efficient, especially in B2B 01:49 – #3: Single keyword ad groups 01:51 – It will allow you to focus on one keyword and keep your ads tailored 02:16 – #4: Geo-targeting 02:28 – You can give people specific offers based on their location 03:25 – #5: Make sure you are hooking your AdWords in Google Analytics to have a specific retargeting list 04:01 – #6: Integrate the keywords that the users search for into your landing page 04:23 – Optimize landing pages for conversion 04:32 – Last is to use CPA bidding which works well and let Google do its work

In Episode #414, Eric and Neil discuss how to generate audience insights using Facebook. Tune in to learn why Facebook’s data is more accurate than Google Insights and how important Facebook Pixel can be for your website.  Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Generate Audience Insights Using Facebook 00:35 – Audience insights will show you who’s visiting your website 00:38 – Google Analytics isn’t as accurate as Facebook 01:00 – You can plug in a Facebook Pixel on your website for free 01:20 – There are tons of tutorials available on the web for how to start with Facebook Pixel 01:32 – Load up your audience 01:43 – It’s better if you have a business manager account 02:08 – With a custom audience, you can see people’s behaviour 02:34 – Marketing School is giving away a free 1 year subscription to Crazy Egg which is a visual analytics tool 03:46 – Go to SingleGrain.com/giveaway for multiple entries 04:00 – That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: Facebook’s data is

In Episode #413, Eric and Neil discuss how to get good photos and audio files for your content. Tune in to discover where you can get royalty-free photos and audio files and why it’s advantageous for you to add media to your content today! Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Get Good Photos and Audio Files for Your Content 00:40 – People want to see videos or other media formats aside from the usual text 00:52 – People can easily digest information from audio and video 00:59 – An audio file doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to have context, it can be a background sound that catches your audience’s attention 01:18 – You want to have visual images with your content to keep readers engaged 01:30 – There are new artists on YouTube who want their music out so maybe you can use them royalty-free and just add credits 01:47 – You can also find other audio files from AudioJungle 01:52 – For photos, you can check Twenty20 and Canva 02:28 – Neil pays for his photos from Fotolia 02:44

In Episode #412, Eric and Neil discuss how to build retargeting lists with outbound prospecting. Tune in to learn how you can retarget without breaking any terms or service agreements and why the rule of 7 is still effective in marketing today. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Build Retargeting Lists With Outbound Prospecting 00:36 – First, make sure you’re following the terms and services of Google and Facebook or other retargeting services 01:25 – Know your ideal customer 01:38 – Outbound prospecting is more for B2B 01:50 – You can reach the head of businesses directly through Outreach and Zen Prospect; use these tools to gather emails and reach businesses at scale 02:38 – Plug the outbound emails into a retargeting list on LinkedIn, Google and Facebook 03:14 – If you’re a sales person, make sure you add value and share insights to your customers 03:47 – Then you can retarget people by asking them to opt-in for more marketing insights 04:07 – When you remarket people,

In Episode #411, Eric and Neil discuss what they do for content promotion. Tune in to learn why your competitors in the same space are actually your allies. You’ll also find out the tools that Eric and Neil have leveraged to promote their content. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: What Neil and Eric Do for Content Promotion 00:35 – Neil isn’t currently doing any content promotion but he used to 00:47 – Neil suggests finding other bloggers in your space to ask them to promote your blog 01:00 – You can pay them and have them send traffic to a landing page that has an ebook, download or giveaway 01:14 – Add social sharing icons to your blog post page 01:21 – Neil also emails the people who shares his competitor’s article 01:25 – Go to BuzzSumo to find who shared your competitor’s post 02:17 – Eric uses Wavve to share audio clips on social media 02:54 – Eric and Neil promotes their content on LinkedIn by writing 2-3 sentences and adding a link to the actual post 03:20 – If you link

In Episode #410, Eric and Neil discuss the bones of an advertorial and how you can use them to grow your business. Tune in to learn the characteristics of an effective advertorial and the websites that will market your advertorial for you.  Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: What Is an Advertorial (And How Can You Use Them)? 00:38 – Affiliate marketers usually run advertorial from their microsites 00:45 – Microsites can be a new blog 00:50 – The blog post can be about a story 01:00 – An advertorial is like a story or editorial with an ad in it 01:13 – An advertorial piece should be well written and trigger people’s emotions 01:31 – Eric shares a bed bug example of an advertorial 01:53 – Affiliate marketers put domains right into their advertorial 02:20 – In an advertorial, you integrate the solution and explain why it is the best solution 02:38 – Most advertorials from Facebook drive the most traffic 02:50 – Taboola and Outbrain can be options, but be careful using these platforms

In Episode #409, Eric and Neil discuss why you ought to pay for celebrity endorsements. Tune in to find out how to make celebrity endorsements possible and the potential gains you can receive by investing in them. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: Why You Ought to Pay For Celebrity Endorsements 00:35 – “Anytime you have a celebrity on your landing page, your conversion rate will go through the roof” 01:02 – Celebrity endorsements work well 01:11 – Beats currently has Kylie and Kendall Jenner, Lebron James and other celebrities endorsing them 01:46 – They’ve increased their target market size 01:55 – The question is: if you’re already spending so much on paid ads, can you get a celebrity endorsement for $30-40K? 02:04 – The answer is “yes” 02:16 – There are micro influencers that you can connect with and help you promote your business 02:36 – Micro influencers have at least 20K followers 02:52 – In Shoe Dog, Phil Knight talked about using celebrities to endorse products 03:23 –