Marketing School | Digital Marketing | Online Marketing

In Episode #272, Eric and Neil discuss whether you still need to build links if your traffic is growing. Tune in to learn when it’s the RIGHT time to build your links and when it’s time to work on creating great content. This will help you save time and maximize your efforts. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: Do You Still Need to Build Links if Your Traffic Is Growing? 00:39 – “You don’t really need to build links if your traffic is growing” 00:48 – If you build links, you’ll only get results 6 months later 00:58 – Your traffic will grow from 3-6 months on, as soon as it starts flatlining, you will need to build links again 01:17 – When your links start declining on the upwards swing, then you have to build more and more 01:26 – You don’t have to build your links every month because it’s expensive and time consuming 01:35 – If you have a good base, it is better to build more traffic, like what Eric does 01:39 – Just write more content so you’ll have more words which will lead to mor

In Episode #271, Eric and Neil discuss how a small business can get started with public relations without hiring an agency. Tune in to learn the online tools that can help make your PR a breeze and other effective ways that do not cost you a single dollar. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How Small Businesses Can Get Started with PR Without Hiring an Agency 00:36 – Public relations is still relevant today 00:49 – Eric recommends HARO or Help a Reporter Out 00:54 – You can find reporters who are also looking for help 01:04 – They have all sorts of categories of stories that you don’t expect 01:16 – Monitor it and get daily alerts 01:28 – Neil, as a startup, loves using agencies and individual people 01:37 – Chris Barrett is a performance-based PR rep 01:47 – Traditional PR people don’t think that Chris’ model is healthy for the space 01:55 – Chris still continues with his model and has also worked with Eric 02:14 – Pay per performance is definitely an option 02:21 – PRLOG is

In Episode #270, Eric and Neil discuss how to make videos on a budget. Tune in to learn why videos are significant to you content strategy and why you should hire a videographer and video editor instead of doing everything on your own.  Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Make Videos on a Budget 00:50 – It is important to have videos as part of your content strategy 00:58 – Videos are easier to consume and can be seen everywhere 01:14 – If you’re just starting, do live videos with Facebook and YouTube 01:20 – Just take out your iPhone and talk into it 01:34 – Check Tai Lopez who spends millions on video 01:58 – Use Animoto to turn your simple videos into an ad 02:13 – Sean Duran’s explainer videos 02:24 – Explainer videos should have a script that answers objections 02:43 – Neil pitched some of his friends to be his videographer and editor 03:08 – Neil’s friend posted a videographer job listing for $3K a month 03:15 – The responses were crazy 03:40 – Eric had a job p

In Episode #269, Eric and Neil discuss how to find and work with influencers. Tune in to learn the ins and outs of influencer marketing including where and how to find them, why they’re cheaper than celebrities, and the importance of consistency in your influencer campaign. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Find and Work with Influencers 00:34 – Eric has a few friends who are working on their own influencer platform 00:50 – Influencer marketing has always been around 01:11 – “Anybody could become an influencer after putting in the work” 01:21 – The easiest way to search for an influencer, without spending, is going through social media sites 01:27 – In Instagram, use certain hashtags and look for people who are up and coming 01:32 – You can work with people who are starting to build their online presence—this way, it won’t be too pricey 01:50 – Eric has used influencer marketing for a previous client and they used FameBit 02:00 – Neil used influencer marketing on Facebook a

In Episode #268, Eric and Neil discuss how to track brand awareness. Tune in to learn just how important it is to be on top of your brand awareness, the tools that you will help you track your brand’s online presence, and the NEW giveaway from Marketing School. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Track Brand Awareness 00:37 – Neil firmly believes in branding 00:57 – There are few things you can do to track brand awareness 01:00 – One is to survey people in your industry asking how well they know your brand 01:10 – Second is to use Google Trends to scope out the businesses you want to check and compare with your brand 01:35 – What Eric learned from Brendon Burchard, a fellow marketer 01:43 – A brand isn’t just a logo, it’s a story 02:26 – When tracking brands, use Google Alerts or Mention to track keywords 02:41 – You can be updated in real time when someone mentions your brand 03:00 – You can then start a relationship with someone who mentions your brand and help them if n

In Episode #267, Eric and Neil discuss how to start a marketing agency. Tune in to learn how to scale yourself up from zero to a million as well as how to create an effective marketing tactic when you’re just starting out. It’ll get you those clients and perhaps a date on Tinder, too! Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Start a Marketing Agency 00:40 – Neil shares why he named his first agency ACS 00:44 – ACS stands for Advantage Consulting Services 00:47 – Neil and his co-founder thought of the name 01:07 – ACS was created 16 years ago 01:30 – Neil is starting a new marketing agency 02:03 – Neil wanted a website like iProspect’s, which is one of the biggest marketing agencies 02:14 – When starting a website, have your own unique angle 02:20 – Keep it simple 02:22 – Go on Crunchbase, find companies that are recently funded, email them their flaws in a full detailed document 02:49 – From there, you can get clients and start having your own agency 03:05 – If you want to st

In Episode #266, Eric and Neil discuss how to leverage Pinterest search ads. Tune in to learn why the best time to try Pinterest search ads is NOW and how you can leverage it efficiently to get the most success. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Leverage Pinterest Search Ads 00:34 – In 2017, Pinterest has released the ability to run ads where you can target specific keywords 01:03 – Pinterest is growing and becoming a serious business 01:21 – Pinterest users are almost equally divided by men and women in other countries 01:33 – Neil asks Eric to try selling digital products to men and women to see who converts better 01:40 – Women have a higher conversion rate and are less likely to refund 01:47 – Eric wouldn’t make a refund 01:53 – Guys always return Neil’s products 02:05 – When a woman buys your product, they are more likely to read it, implement it, and learn from it 02:19 – A guy buys it, but doesn’t do anything with it 02:37 – One of Eric’s friends says “people are buyin

In Episode #265, Eric and Neil discuss what Apple search ads are. Tune in to find out the benefits of investing in an app, whether it’s a fit for your business, and the ways you can boost your install rate via Apple apps. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: What Apple Search Ads Are 00:37 – If you’re searching on the App Store, you can actually bid on specific keywords that will trigger your app on a search 00:49 – You’ll have a sponsored ad on top of that and people can click through 00:57 – The goal is to get more installs 01:13 – Eric has been testing this for quite some time 01:17 – The average cost per install or CPI has been getting higher over the years 01:37 – If you have an app you want to push, this is one of the ways to do it 01:51 – Neil has also tried this and it works if your app has a decent rating 02:13 – The rating should be from a good number of people 02:47 – Apps are supplemental for businesses, but don’t try to bet everything on the apps you create 02:59 – I

In Episode #264, Eric and Neil discuss how you can master the art of upselling. Tune in to find out how YOU can master the art of upselling, the benefit of targeting your existing clients, and how offering more speed and more automation can be your ticket to doubling your revenue. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Master the Art of Upselling 00:36 – Eric went to San Francisco to meet existing and prospective clients 01:05 – Before going into the meetings, Eric had a talk with his team to discuss what they can offer their clients 01:25 – Eric showed them mind-blowing facts about their clients’ competitors 01:41 – Eric probably gained an additional $150K in contracts 01:54 – You need to add value, first, to master the art of upselling 01:56 – If the client is satisfied with your work, they want to meet you and this is an opportunity to upsell 02:02 – “It’s all about expansion” 02:15 – Upselling is about speed and automation 02:28 – Neil learned this from Ryan Deiss of Digi

In Episode #263, Eric and Neil discuss what boosting a Facebook post actually does. Tune in to learn the benefits of boosting a Facebook post, whether it’s right for your company, and how to bank off that increase of traffic and engagement. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: What Boosting a Facebook Post Actually Does 00:40 – Eric gets more emails when they boost a post 00:55 – Boosting a post makes it easier for Eric to test new content 01:13 – Eric is more interested in collecting more email addresses when he boosts a post 01:34 – Initially, boosting a post results in more engagement; then, you try to see if you can collect more emails from the CPA and from there, see if you can make an ad campaign from it 01:47 – Neil isn’t fond of the idea of boosting Facebook posts and would rather buy friends 01:55 – If you’re boosting a post, make sure your post has an email capture 02:21 – If you’re going to spend money on Facebook, spend it going to a landing page or getting more fans 02:36 –

In Episode #262, Eric and Neil discuss how to drive traffic with LinkedIn. Tune in to learn how LinkedIn can actually be cheaper, some tactics you can apply to increase your click-through rate, and how you can divert your LinkedIn traffic to your own website.  Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Drive Traffic with LinkedIn 00:41 – Make sure your targeting is tight and your offer is relevant to your target people 01:01 – You can possibly get a click-through rate of 1% if the target is right and the offer is good 01:07 – These are from the newsfeed ads you see on LinkedIn 01:12 – After seeing the 1% click-through rate, switch the advertising to CPM for cheaper clicks 01:28 – Eric’s click-through rates have gone up to 2-3% 01:39 – You think you can’t make LinkedIn cheap, but you can actually can 01:43 – Add everyone who adds you as friend on LinkedIn; the limit is 30K friends 01:53 – Take all your contacts from your website, post your blog posts on LinkedIn once a day, using t

In Episode #261, Eric and Neil discuss how to capture more email addresses at conferences. Tune in to learn the routers that you can bring to conferences that make acquiring new email addresses easier. Eric and Neil also discuss the right and most efficient way to network at these conferences. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Capture More Email Addresses at Conferences 00:40 – A startup called Zenreach has a router that allows you to collect emails and it behaves like an automation sequence as well 01:18 – Everybody needs wi-fi, especially in conferences 01:34 – Another way to collect email is to go to the conference’s bar or networking hall and have a chat with people 01:47 – See how you can help people, collect cards, and follow-up 02:02 – If you don’t want to drink, you don’t have to 02:30 – Neil doesn’t really drink at conferences 02:58 – Neil usually gets selfie requests at conferences 03:08 – Evernote Premium can scan a business card and add the email address au

In Episode #260, Eric and Neil discuss the 7 SEO tasks you can start automating today. They drop tried and true tools that will help you automate SEO tasks—eliminating the risk for human error and streamlining your workflow processes. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: 7 SEO Tasks You Can Start Automating Today 00:33 – First is to use Ahrefs for link alerts 00:47 – It shows the new links that have been acquired by your competitors 00:56 – The link alerts can be sent to you 01:15 – Eric shares an example of how to link build depending on your niche 01:36 – Buzzsumo is a tool that can be used for link building, too 01:43 – Second is to use IFTTT: If This Then That to automate social sharing 02:00 – You can also time it 02:15 – Zapier is quite similar to IFTTT 02:22 – You can hook your blog RSS feed to your Slack 02:47 – SEO is like Formula 1 racing where fine tuning is essential 03:03 – One of the best WordPress plugs is in Yoast 03:17 – If you have WordPress multi-channel,

In Episode #259, Eric and Neil discuss how to improve your conversion rate using images. Images can easily work for or against you—do they support your message or story? Do they evoke the right emotions? Tune in to learn why custom images convert better than stock photos and the importance of A/B testing your images to maximize on its performance. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Improve Your Conversion Rate Using Images 00:45 – Eric has custom images for his website and custom gifs for his homepage 01:06 – For custom images, you can repurpose them, unlike stock photos 01:14 – Eric’s conversion rates went up on their A/B testing 01:27 – Design is a priority for Eric 01:36 – KlientBoost is an agency focused on design 02:05 – A design that helps convey your message can increase conversion 02:16 – Neil added a heat map in the header 02:39 – Neil used animated gifs that was relevant to the product and service—that change showed a 15-16% increase in the conversion 03:12 – Desig

In Episode #258, Eric and Neil discuss the 7 ways to increase Facebook likes without spending a dollar. Increasing your Facebook likes doesn’t have to be an over-complicated process—sometimes all it takes is you asking and reaching out to the people you know. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: 7 Ways to Increase Facebook Likes Without Spending a Dollar 00:35 – First, add the Facebook Widget to your website 00:50 – Second is building up your fan page 01:03 – Use your personal profile to connect with other individuals 01:10 – Do shoutout for shoutout 01:33 – Third is to simply ask 01:44 – Send an intro email to your list asking them to like your page 01:50 – Look at your competitor's posts in BuzzSumo and type in the SEO keywords that are getting likes 02:08 – Share your competitor’s content and ask them to like or share your page, too 02:28 – Just create great content, in general 02:50 – Eric would write content and if people liked it, they would share it 03:07 – Sixth, focu

In Episode #257, Eric and Neil discuss whether it is a good time to start a marketing agency. Tune in to learn why starting a marketing agency today IS a great thing due to the internet. Also, Eric and Neil tell you how to keep yourself competitive against the other big guys in the marketing agency space. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: Is It a Good Time to Start a Marketing Agency? 00:39 – Neil just started an agency 01:09 – Neil generates an average of 300-500 leads 01:31 – It IS a great time because online marketing is trackable 01:58 – Facebook and Google’s market cap is so high 02:10 – The real question is: are you good enough to start an agency? 02:47 – Eric thought that their competition was going to eat them up 03:04 – When you’re trying to be a full-service agency and you’re trying to work with all types of clients, that’s when you set yourself up for failure 03:14 – You should focus on a certain area at the start 03:35 – As long as the platforms are out there and they hav

In Episode #256, Eric and Neil discuss how to convert your leads into paying clients. Tune in to learn the most effective ways to convert your leads, such as being mindful of your response time and how often you check in with your clients. Eric and Neil also explain why documenting your leads is essential in scaling your business. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Convert Your Leads into Paying Clients 00:40 – There was a study about calling your leads 01:04 – One of Eric’s clients was impressed by their speed 01:23 – If you don’t follow up on a deal quick enough, you will lose a lot of them 01:30 – Converting a lead happens through a lot of follow up 02:09 – Neil uses Yesware to keep track of the follow up 02:29 – Some people focus more on the content without tracking if the leads are opening up or not 03:03 – Track how often you touch base with your client 03:25 – Have a process so it’s easier to pass this onto another person, if needed 03:30 – Document your tracking

In Episode #255, Eric and Neil discuss how to keep track of emerging trends in your industry. Tune in to learn why networking is of the utmost importance when it comes to being up to date with the latest trends and tools. You’ll also find out what blogs and social media platforms Eric and Neil use to stay on top of their game. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: How to Keep Track of Emerging Trends in Your Industry 00:37 – Eric looks at Feedly to take their RSS feeds and segment them 00:52 – When Eric wakes up, he’s puts them into Pocket which is his “read later” tool 01:02 – Looking at the headlines in the morning gives Eric an idea on what is going on and gets his brain moving 01:23 – Neil uses Twitter 01:31 – It is still a great tool to know the latest in your industry 01:49 – Follow the people within your industry 01:59 – For Twitter, Eric uses Tweetbot 02:29 – Eric likes Twitter because when something big happens, it will trend easily 03:03 – Listen to different podcasts

In Episode #254, Eric and Neil discuss the 7 tools to help you with reputation management. Tune in to learn which tools will help you keep track of your reputation, respond to negative feedback, and also preempt any future, negative domain names that could tarnish your brand. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: 7 Tools to Help You With Reputation Management 00:36 – Use Mention or Google Alerts to track your brand mentions 00:51 – Second is to use Google Suggest 01:06 – Create articles that combat the negative feedback 01:21 – Use KnowEm to claim multiple social networks or multiple profiles 01:42 – Just do the work upfront 01:53 – Use a domain checker like Check Domain 02:07 – Type your name or company name, plus a negative remark or word attached to it—then register those domains 02:29 – Fifth is Imagerater which will allow you to look for people who are using your unique images in a negative way 03:02- Google Image search works, too 03:06 – Use SERP's rank checker 03:43

In Episode #253, Eric and Neil discuss what negative SEO is. Tune in to know how you can protect your site from negative SEO and the way Google works in regards to dishing out penalties and pushing one’s website ranking down. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: What Is Negative SEO? 00:32 – Negative SEO is when someone pushes your SEO down 00:43 – A good example of this is when someone builds porn or casino links to your site 00:56 – It becomes negative SEO when you begin to rank lower 01:03 – Negative SEO is when Google starts to filter you 01:13 – Eric thinks of SEO as an over-optimization cup 01:21 – Each size has a different cup size 01:23 – Big sites like Amazon have bigger cups and more room for errors 01:57 – Once you hit your cup limit, that’s when Google starts to hit you with penalties 02:37 – Neil sees this happening in the aggressive industries 02:46 – Some people are taking websites that have spammy links and they link them to their website 03:00 – Google is improv