Marketing School | Digital Marketing | Online Marketing

In episode #549 (a special episode for you!), Eric and Neil re-visit a live Marketing School show they did. Tune in to hear their number 1 SEO tip – as well as how they make their personal lives work in terms of being an entrepreneur.  Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: Marketing School Live: The #1 SEO Tip to Skyrocket Your Brand [00:32] Today is a re-broadcast of a previous live episode. [01:05] Content marketing has led both Eric and Neil to all their other marketing techniques. [01:30] Use content as the framework for building a strong link profile. [01:52] Quicksprout was getting 850,000 hits per month. [02:12] Now, NeilPatel.com is getting the same amount of hits using content marketing. [02:38] In Brazil, they are getting fewer visitors than their competitors because they are newer to that market. [03:00] Use Google Analytics to determine which one of your pages is the most successful. [04:12] Neil’s girlfriend doesn’t like him working all the time, but they try to work around

In episode #548, Eric and Neil discuss what Bitcoin has taught them about marketing. Tune in to hear how you can leverage trends for success. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: What Bitcoin Can Teach You about Marketing [00:45] Everyone is talking about bitcoin. [01:10] Bitcoin is an explosive trend right now. [01:44] If you can leverage a sexy topic and sell products around it, you can make a TON of money. [02:50] 3D printing stock exploded because it was trending for a time. [03:18] Ride the wave! Always take advantage of any product or technique’s popularity. [03:33] 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing is a great resource for understanding how to ride the wave. [04:15] Keep in mind, once everyone has caught onto the popular, buzzworthy, trend, it won’t last. What goes up, must come down. [04:55] Time it right and always be early to the trend. [05:40] Be patient and shoot for long-term goals. [06:15] If you believe in something, stay the course until you achieve success. [06:38] Bitc

In episode #547, Eric and Neil explain the best way to set and achieve your goals. Tune in to hear the easiest way to make sure your company succeeds.  Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Achieve Your Goals in 2018 [00:35] Eric recommends having a structure where you are operating off the Scaling Up Methodology or the Traction method. [01:20] Work backwards from your goal to determine the steps to success. [02:00] The main reason people don’t achieve their goals, is because they set their bar too high or their goal is too big. [02:30] Break your goal into smaller goals with small steps (“bite-sized, daily tasks”). [03:22] The ONE Thing is a great resource to help you set your goals. [04:26] IBM salespeople would crush quotas because their goals were set really low. [04:57] Neil finds that when he achieves small tasks, he can see how it will or won’t help him achieve his ultimate goal. [05:20] Better to waste a few hours than a whole month. [05:36] 15Five is a great tool that E

In episode #546, Eric and Neil talk about what shady marketers do and how you can succeed in spite of them. Tune in to hear how Eric and Neil earn good will with their marketing techniques.  Time-Stamped Show Notes:   [00:27] Today’s Topic: How You Can Compete with the Shady Marketers Without Breaking the Rules [01:05] Shady is: bending the rules, using unethical techniques, or avenues that aren’t on the up and up. [01:32] Facebook has always been big on skin care advertisers. Unfortunately, they offer free trials that aren’t actually free. [02:00] Blackhat SEO’ers would create link wheels, where they would take a web 2.0 properties and link them to each other. [02:34] Instead of making spammy articles, what if you linked all your guest posts together? [02:51] Thinking long term is key to your success, even when learning from shady techniques. [03:36] Yes, the shady marketers may be beating you right now, but they won’t be around forever. [03:53] Affiliate marketers will burn your brand if they hav

In episode #545, Eric and Neil discuss how to access influential people in your space. Tune in to hear some tips on reaching out to people, getting their attention, and building a relationship. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Get Access to Influential People [00:35] First and foremost, start a podcast! [00:50] Have a unique spin on what you’re doing. [01:32] When Eric started, he would spend six hours per week on the podcast only to get 9-30 downloads per day. [02:07] However, it helped Eric to build his network. [02:26] Interviewing people will make it a little harder to build a business relationship after the fact. [03:14] If you don’t get respect, you can’t call on people for favors. [03:30] Offer your services to people to gain respect. [04:28] People often offer to work for free just to make a connection. [05:28] Figure out a person’s interests to work a better angle to establish a relationship. [06:22] A YouTube marketer offered Neil a way to gain more viewers. [07:

In episode #544, Eric and Neil describe the best marketing campaigns they have seen. Tune in to hear some innovating marketing ideas!  Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: The Cleverest Marketing Campaigns that We Have Seen [01:00] A lot of the YouTube marketers are creating very emotional stories, using them as ads, and making millions of dollars per month. [01:22] Billy Gene used a “Wolf of Wall Street” parody that proved so effective, it reached people in Brazil. [02:06] Eric saw a very effective Lyft ad while watching YouTube videos. [02:25] Lyft was able to evoke emotion based on a true life story about a survivor of the Vegas hotel shooting. [02:55] They leveraged an emotional event to market their business. [03:52] Re-market videos on YouTube on Facebook: show people what their lives will be like if they use your product or services. [05:00] If you are pitching based on emotion and that doesn’t work, re-market them using logic. [05:21] Full Story shows people what they can do wit

In episode #543, Eric and Neil discuss what makes an entrepreneur tick. Tune in to hear how you can think like a successful entrepreneur.  Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How Successful Entrepreneurs Think [00:42] When Jeff Bezos started Amazon, he was 30 years old. [00:56] He was a stock trader before he quit to start Amazon. [01:12] He started with selling books and branched out from there. [02:00] People are always looking for profits, but he was unconcerned. [02:22] Jeff Bezos was able to think in the long term, which helped him achieve success. [03:06] All billionaire entrepreneurs are similar in that they are awkward, but believe they can do whatever they want. [03:55] Elon Musk made a $170 million exit from PayPal, but he still had to live with a friend, because he bet it all on his next venture. [05:02] The most common principle that you need to learn is that you’re going to make mistakes. [05:14] Successful entrepreneurs learn from mistakes. [06:52] If you can think like

In episode #542, Eric and Neil explain the reality of overnight success. Tune in to hear why being an overnight success may not be the key to long-term success.  Time-Stamped Show Notes:  [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Become an Overnight Success [00:36] There is no such thing as an overnight success. [01:37] Elon Musk just kept working on what he found interesting for years, but was still considered an overnight success. [02:06] Eric worked for years to get where he is. 2017 wasn’t a great year, but 2018 is looking better. [02:29] Jeremy Lin, the basketball player, was considered an overnight success, but he is not a household name. [03:12] He kept working until he began to overage 18 points per game. [03:27] The only overnight successes are people who have pulled off crazy stunts, but they are forgotten about fairly easily. [03:55] Gambit, right out the gate did 30 million in revenue and tanked the following year. [04:50] The results from hard work last longer than recognition from stunts. [05:3

In episode 541, Eric and Neil discuss how SEO, as we now know it, is slowly dying out. Tune in to hear how SEO is morphing and what you can do to continue successfully marketing your company.  Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How SEO Is Dying and What You Should Focus on Next [00:34] SEO the way you’re used to it, is changing. [00:56] Voice search is going to change the way we search and use SEO. Google is starting to focus heavily on voice commands. [01:30] The end result is that you will most likely be sent to the top paid result. [02:13] You have to focus on where your audience’s attention is. [02:45] How can you market to people and grab their attention? [02:57] You have a lot of different targeting options: Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc. [03:40] By experimenting, you will learn what is working for you. [04:17] Leverage paid ads, social media marketing, or business development. [04:35] Run one or more experiments per week. [05:38] When one channel tanks, you won’t be out of l

In episode #540, Eric and Neil discuss the very best advice for people who are just starting out. Tune in to hear what one piece of advice they wish they had heeded when they were in their twenties.  Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: The Ultimate Advice for Every 20 Year Old [00:33] At 20, Eric was unsure of his future. [00:59] You have to roll with the punches, stay the course, and be patient. [01:05] When Eric went to Japan, he met a number of business owners, including one who focused solely on marketing within Pachenko games. [01:30] 20-25 years into the business, he now has 20 offices around the world, a publicly traded marketing agency, and $200,000,000 in business. [01:58] The key is to be open-minded and to constantly be learning from others. [02:20] Stay with a project: good things will happen if you put in the work. [02:45] When Neil started out, he attempted to do too many things at once, instead of focusing on one project. If he had focused, he would probably be more finan

In episode #539 of Marketing School, Eric and Neil talk about some hard choices all marketers will have to make in the future. Tune in to hear about the future of marketing and what you can do to survive in the industry.  Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: The Marketing Advice You Need to Hear, But Don't Want To [00:37] Facebook Ad costs are on the rise. They had more advertisers than inventory in the US this last year. [01:05] SEO is changing because of voice searches. [01:25] Marketing is going to change so much over the next few years, that whatever you’re doing now will probably be defunct. [01:50] AI is going to affect the future of marketing. [02:15] In the next five to ten years, we will see more change than we saw in the last ten or fifteen. [02:42] Eric and Neil are aware of what is coming and are trying to plan ahead. [02:57] Build a micro-brand, stay connected, and adapt! [03:42] If you have a team, make sure people are experimenting with and testing methods. [04:12] The d

In episode #538 of Marketing School, Eric and Neil discuss what you should do when your revenue tanks. Tune in to hear why you should have a plan of action for this eventuality and tips on how to overcome this hurdle.  Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: What You Should Do When Your Revenue Tanks [00:37] Everyone has their ups and downs, no business keeps climbing forever. [00:53] Microsoft once invested in Apple, so that they wouldn’t go bankrupt and Microsoft wouldn’t end up facing antitrust lawsuits. [01:15] Revenue often tanks, because companies are distracted. You can’t lose focus on your main revenue source. [01:45] Revenue also drops, because companies stop innovating their core products. [02:15] Rocket Fuel is a great book about a visionary and an “integrator”. [02:45] You need to have preventative measures in place for when your revenue takes a dip. [02:55] Even consider short-term loans from places like Kabbage. [03:10] Someone from IBM once made a billion dollar mistake. Th

In episode #537, Eric and Neil discuss whether Tai Lopez and other Internet marketers are scammers. Tune in to hear some surprising thoughts on this issue and how others could even learn from supposed scammers. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: Do We Think Tai Lopez Is a Scammer? [00:36] Because they are in the marketing world, Eric and Neil are often asked this question. [00:43] Eric doesn’t think that Tai Lopez is a scammer and actually respects his hard work. [01:15] Neil knows Tai personally. [01:17] This conversation could also be about Sam Evans, Billy Gene, or Alex Becker. Neil sees all of these people as smart and creative marketers. [01:40] Tai is a very forthright person with no need to put up a front. [02:03] Instead of asking if someone is a scammer, try to learn from their techniques. [02:25] You don’t have to be in their world, but take the stuff that works for these marketers and apply it to your business. [02:37] Sam Evans is often considered a scammer, but he has ove

In episode #536, Eric and Neil discuss the one major marketing hack that professional marketers don’t want to share. Tune in to hear why “urgency” is key to making vital sales. Time-Stamped Show Notes:  [00:27] Today’s Topic: The Killer Conversion Hack that Marketers Don't Really Want to Share [00:37] The killer conversion hack is urgency. [00:48] Neil thinks that 50% of his sales came from urgency. [01:00] Eric was taken in by a limited-time sale on Bonobos, so he knows that urgency is effective. [01:45] It has to be true scarcity or urgency to convince people to buy. If you do it too often, it’s like crying wolf. [02:20] For people who don’t complete the purchase, you can remarket all of those people with a video ad on YouTube and Facebook [03:35] The urgency you are establishing could be based on rising price (limited time discount offer), instead of scarcity. [04:01] Put countdown clocks within your emails to your list. [04:39] A ton of traffic still comes in after the offer expires. Make sure

In episode #535, Eric and Neil discuss ways that YouTube ads can help you build a successful business. Tune in for their tips on how to create dynamic, long-form ad videos. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How You Can Build a 6-Figure Business in Under 90 Days with YouTube Ads [00:35] Billy Gene is one of the most creative YouTube marketers as of late. [01:12] The first step to building a 6-figure business with YouTube, is to make video ads. [01:39] The Bold Agency is targeting the viewers of Gary Vee videos. [02:10] Alex Becker is funny and informative, which is helpful to drawing in customers. [02:45] You must sell something information-related. [03:06] Alex Becker sells marketing information software and has an elaborate funnel. [03:40] Have a clear demographic in mind when creating your business and ads. [03:57] Create an ad that tells a story, a benefit, and educates people in some way. An example of this is Alex Becker’s style for his ads. [05:14] Run a webinar! The easiest w

In episode #534, Eric and Neil count out 7 productivity hacks that will help you run your business more efficiently. Tune in to hear these great time-and-energy-saving hacks. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: 7 Productivity Hacks that Will Make You a More Efficient Marketer [00:34] Hack 1: Use Rescue Time, it’s a tool that analyzes how much time you spend on social media sites. This will give you something to compare with your analytics and give you an idea of where to spend more of your time. [01:23] You have to optimize your time and spend it on the sites that are getting you the highest ROI. [01:49] Hack 2: For mobile, Moment is an app that shows you how much time you’re spending on the phone and different apps. [02:28] Hack 3: Use Trello. It has boards that help you track all of your projects and their various phases. [03:32] Hack 4: TubeBuddy helps with posting videos to YouTube (tagging, etc.) [04:10] Hack 5: Use Google Analytics to help track your best performing pages and see w

In episode #533, Eric and Neil discuss how to manage clients who are never satisfied and ask for work above and beyond their contract. Tune in for some great advice on how to satisfy clients and remain profitable. Time-Stamped Show Notes:  [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Handle Clients that Always Want More for Less [00:43] In the early days, Neil would give his clients whatever they asked for. [00:47] However, the moment you give in to unnecessarily demanding clients, you find that your margins decrease and it becomes a vicious cycle of rewarding complaints. [01:05] What he learned from this, was that it is of the utmost importance to structure your deal properly from the get-go. [01:18] When a company asks for something above and beyond the terms of the contract, tell them it won’t be possible, but that you can renegotiate/draw up a new proposal. It is important to set boundaries! [01:58] Once you do too much for free, you will lose money, and you will always have unhappy clients. [02:20] You have t

In episode #532, Eric and Neil discuss what to do once your business hits 7 figures. Ultimately, there are two paths you can take. Tune in to hear their advice about optimizing your business for growth or stability.  Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: What You Should Do After You Hit 7 Figures in Revenue [00:34] Eric believes that once you hit 7 figures, why not strive for even bigger numbers? [01:18] Look at what works and double down on that. [01:47] Invest in what you can control. [02:10] Neil thinks that what you do to get to 7 figures, isn’t necessarily what will get you to 8. [02:58] 7 figures are hungry to make money right away, while 8 figure businesses look more to long-term investments. [03:24] If you can spend more money on acquiring customers than your competitors, it’s much easier to grow your business. [03:37] Celebrate that your business has reached 7 figures, but then think about what else you can do to optimize your business. [04:29] Really good marketers consider “sc

In episode #531, Eric and Neil talk about how Google Intelligence can help you understand analytics and grow your business. Tune in to hear which analytics are key to interpreting content performance. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: Our Favorite Google Analytics Hacks That Actually Help You Grow [00:35] For mobile or desktop, there is a thing called Google Intelligence. It’s a program much like Siri or Alexa. [00:45] You can ask Google Intelligence questions about your website’s analytics and it will give you answer much like Siri or Alexa would. You do not actually have to know anything about analytics. [01:14] Neil likes to create segments for each different type of traffic source, which helps him to understand and parse the data. [02:23] Creating segments will help you fine-tune your marketing decisions. [02:28] Make sure that you are linking up Google Search Console and Adwords with Google Analytics. Combining the data will make your life easier. [02:48] Kaushik.net is a blog w

In episode #530, Eric and Neil tell you the real secret about how to raise your Google ranking. Tune in to hear the honest truth that other marketers won’t tell you. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: Learn the Real Secret to Ranking on Page 1 (and What Most Marketers Won't Tell You) [00:37] Eric and Neil rank for a number of keywords or terms. [01:08] When trying to rank for those terms, they did not create pages specifically for them. [01:25] Eric has created hundreds of pages for Single Grain, but the majority do not rank well; it’s a quantity game. [01:34] There was no difference between the pages that ranked and those that did not. [01:47] Neil and Eric create a massive amount of content, because it’s a hit or miss game.There is no guarantee that the content will be a hit. [02:31] For the posts that rank, they have a process that involves Google Search Console. [02:56] Step 1: Install Google Search Console. [03:08] Step 2: Go to the Search Analytics section. [03:17] Step 3: Clic