Marketing School | Digital Marketing | Online Marketing

In episode #509, Eric and Neil give 5 tips on how to become the best marketer. Tune in to hear their insightful list and why retaining new information is an important facet.  Time-Stamped Show Notes:  [00:27] Today’s Topic: 5 Tips to Become the Best Marketer [00:34] Tip #1: Run an experiment every single week. [00:49] At Crazy Egg, they used to have people sign up using Google Authentication, which increase conversions by 30% because it was so much easier. [01:14] Because people are now worried about privacy, just asking for name, email, and password is more effective. [01:29] Tip #2: Create your own Mastermind (a group of like-minded people who come together to learn what they don’t know) [01:51] Find a few people in your area and meet up about once a month. [02:28] Tip #3: Learn from other podcasts. [02:37] Podcasts with founders usually reveal growth numbers and how they got there. [03:45] Tip #4: Create content! Creating content helps you articulate your thoughts. [04:20] Tip #5: Pay for inf

On episode #508, Eric and Neil explain how you can make money without having to speak. Tune in to hear the steps to making this possible and other great silent marketing tips. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Sell Millions Without Ever Opening Your Mouth [00:34] Start with blogs: you start to build an audience this way. [00:59] After building an audience, you can then sell them something. [01:15] Neil believes blogging is one of the most powerful tools out there. [01:43] Eventually, through following free advice or info from a blogger, you’ll end up digging deeper into their resources and buying something. [02:25] A woman who worked for Blackberry was following Neil’s advice and if he'd had an option to offer marketing services, she most likely would have spent money on him. [03:30] By building and audience, you are building a relationship. [03:51] Eventually, you will have to open your mouth, but at the beginning you can build a relationship with written content. [04:17] Go

On episode #507, Eric and Neil explain why they believe that marketing is the best education you can get. Tune in to hear how being good at marketing is not just a business maneuver, but an important life skill. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: Why Marketing Is Your Most Important Education [00:44] Learning to be good at marketing, gets you what you need in business and in life. [00:57] Neil loves marketing because, no matter what you’re doing in life, you’re pitching, selling, building relationships. [01:20] If you don’t know how to talk to people or communicate effectively, you are not going to do well in life. [01:30] If you ask your boss for a promotion, beyond doing a good job, you also have to market yourself in order to get that promotion. [02:07] You must figure out how to relate to people, communicate effectively, and position yourself so that you’re looked upon positively. [02:50] Neil did an experiment where he updated his wardrobe in order to look stylish and professional.

In episode #506, Eric and Neil explain why they believe college is an outdated process that isn’t necessary for everyone. They believe you can learn everything you need to know about marketing through Internet research, online courses, and real-world experience. Tune in to hear more about their thoughts on why college may be an expensive waste of time.  Time-Stamped Show Notes:  [00:27] Today’s Topic: Why You'll Lose Money by Going to College [00:59] Neil believes the advice and information you’re going to learn in college is outdated. [01:14] The internet has the most recent and updated information about your field. [01:56] Eric says that if you are motivated enough, you can learn just as quickly. [02:00] Eric always disliked school, because it was a process or system he didn’t enjoy. [02:45] Eric learned everything about marketing that he uses after college on his own time. [03:15] The only time you need college is if you’re going to be an engineer or a doctor. [03:28] Education is not a waste of

On Episode #505, Eric and Neil discuss the best financial advice for getting rich as an entrepreneur. Tune in to hear what Eric and Neil say is the best possible thing to do in order to achieve financial and professional success. Time-Stamped Show Notes:  [00:27] Today’s Topic: The Best Financial Advice for Getting Rich as an Entrepreneur [00:35] Eric poses the question: When you’re starting out and you make money, what are you going to do with said money? [00:50] Eric’s best advice is to re-invest your profits in your company. [01:02] Elon Musk has said that the best investment is in yourself; it’s something you can control. [01:21] Neil’s advice is to focus on one thing in terms of your investments. [01:45] If you want to get rich and do well, focus on one thing and become an expert at it. [02:43] Figure out what you’re the best at and monetize it. [03:03] Neil attempts to monetize being a great digital marketer. [03:30] Eric says to think of being successful as a circle. Think of the edge of th

On episode #504, Eric and Neil discuss the four fundamental things you need to master in marketing. Tune in to hear what these four elements are and how they can massively improve your business. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: 4 Fundamental Things You Need to Master in Marketing [00:34] Element #1: Consistency when it comes to running tests. [01:10] Neil finds that what works in marketing today, won’t necessarily work tomorrow. By running tests, you figure out what is working and what is not. [01:35] For instance, Neil decided to use Google Authentication as a method of signing up for his email list, which produced better results than asking for names and addresses. [02:05] Element #2: Having a growth mindset. Looking at your peers, assessing new options, and not being closed-off. [02:46] Element #3: Be data driven. Numbers are all that matter! [03:21] When Neil spoke with his team recently, they listed changes they wanted to make, but the changes weren’t based on data. [04:00] Ele

On episode #503, Eric and Neil talk about the quickest ways to make a 6-figure salary. Tune in for great tips on how to build your customer and financial base! Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: The Quickest Way to Make a 6-Figure Income as a Marketer [00:48] The best way to start building up your salary is to start consulting. [00:55] If you charge $1,000/client, you only need about 8 clients per month to get you to your goal. [01:15] Even if you don’t have traffic or good sales, there’s a simple strategy you can use to build your foundation (see following points) [01:32] Go to CrunchBase, because they list all the recent venture-funded startups. Look for companies that were started on $5-10 million. Find the investors, founder, and CEO. [02:15] Email the lead investor with the subject line of the company name in which they just invested. [02:45] Neil emailed a lead investor and broke down how he was going to lose money on this particular investment. [03:23] If you follow Neil’s step

On episode #502, Eric and Neil talk about what makes billionaires different from millionaires. Tune in to hear about the attitude and outlook that drive these successful people. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s topic: How Billionaires Are Different From Millionaires [00:35] Eric shares his experience speaking with billionaire, Naveen Jain. [00:59] Based on his encounter, he believes billionaires are more hands-on, think bigger, and respond more quickly to calls and emails. [01:38] Neil thinks billionaires are really big on solving problems. [02:31] Eric uses AirBnb as an example of being a company based on problem solving. [02:54] Uber is another example of a company that made money solving a basic problem. [03:26] Jeff Bezos has been quoted as saying, “Your margin is my opportunity.” [04:05] Billionaires are billionaires because they think “big”. [04:20] Money indicates how much value someone brings at the end of the day. [04:37] Billionaires don’t know when to quit; never say die. [0

On episode #501, Eric and Neil discuss why they enjoy working out of luxury hotel lobbies, as opposed to a communal work space like WeWork. Tune in to hear why you should consider spending some of your time in luxury hotel lobbies.  Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Work from Luxury Hotels for Free (and Why WeWork Sucks) [00:35] Even though Neil is a WeWork member, he prefers to sit and work in the lobbies of luxury hotels. [01:09] No one has ever kicked him out of the lobby nor asked if he was a guest. [01:20] Eric finds WeWork expensive and disappointing. [01:42] WeWork is great for freelancers looking for companionship. [02:11] Lobbies of luxury hotels provide networking opportunities. [02:30] Try it, because it’s a good experience and is better than a Starbucks. [02:50] Entrepreneurs are doing this all time (it’s their MO). [03:09] Look for hotels that are holding conferences that are relevant to you; work from the lobby and you will be much more likely to generate busines

On episode #500, Eric and Neil discuss the value of credit card points programs and how you can use them to your advantage. Tune in for some great tips on how to make money while spending money. Time-Stamped Show Notes:  [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Fly First Class Around the World for Free [00:37] As entrepreneurs and marketers, you have probably spent a good deal on Facebook or Google Ads. [00:50] Neil recommends getting an American Express Gold Card, because they give you 3x the points for every dollar you spend. [01:05] For example, a first-class round trip ticket from LA to Dubai will cost roughly $30,000. If you use a cash back credit card, you will get 1.5-2% cash back. [01:30] For every $100,000 spent on advertising, the AmEx gold card will give you three times the points. [02:00] Unfortunately, the gold card only gives you 3x cash back on your first $100,000. So Neil keeps applying for more gold cards. [02:35] If you can put your client’s cost on your card, you will rack up points very qu

On episode #499, Eric and Neil list five hacks that will help you make more money off your customers (particularly existing customers). Tune in to hear some great tips that will help to increase your profits!  Time-Stamped Show Notes:  [00:28] Today’s Topic: 5 Simple Yet Effective Hacks that’ll Get Your Customers to Pay You Double the Money [00:35] Hack #1: Increase your prices. [01:12] Hack #2: Add upsells and downsells. The easiest way to get more money, is to get your existing buyers to pay you more; it is easier to get people who are already paying you to pay more money. [01:34] For example, GoDaddy offers 10-20 upsells or downsells when you are checking out. [01:52] What Eric and Neil have found, is that upsells that offer speed and automation tend to have the highest “take rate”. [02:22] Hack #3: Retain your customers. Use a program like Ask Nicely, as it will help you automate communication between you and your clients. [03:06] Think about how you can retain customers and provide a service fo

In episode #498, Eric and Neil discuss how to throw a virtual conference when you don’t have a built-in audience. Tune in for tips and tricks for building an audience and making sure your information reaches the masses.  Time-Stamped Show Notes:  [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Throw a Virtual Conference When You Have No Audience [00:37] When Eric attempted to throw a virtual conference a few years ago, he had no audience. [00:45] When throwing a conference, you must, first and foremost, set your goal or objective. [00:59] Eric reached out to a lot of people that he thought would be “smart”; he then had them record segments and let them blast their email lists. He made it easy for them to share the event with their social media following. [01:30] Eric made sure to make other people’s involvement as easy as possible, by fitting it around their schedules and workflow. [01:50] The end result was that they collected 6000 or so emails and sold a bunch of recordings of the conference for a total of about $50

In episode #497, Eric and Neil talk about how you can boost your iTunes podcast rating. Tune in to hear some great tips and hacks in order to gain subscribers, increase your popularity, and expand your business. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:28] Today’s Topic: How to Increase Your iTunes Podcast Ranking. [00:50] When looking to improve your ranking, you need to get into the “New and Noteworthy” section. [01:05] Join podcast communities, such as Podcasters’ Paradise, because they can help promote your show and boost your rankings. [01:25] Asking for reviews and rankings doesn’t really help, but what does is sending people from your email list over to your iTunes page. You have to convince them to subscribe. [02:05] Semantics got people to subscribe by promising a bonus. [02:45] Marketing School got as high as #8 in their business podcast rankings, but they often hover around 50-100. [03:05] iTunes only counts your listens and subscribers on their site or app. [03:19] Russell Brunson from ClickFunn

In episode #496, Eric and Neil talk about the five hacks you can use in order to generate clients using LinkedIn. Tune in for some great advice about how to use this networking site to your advantage. Time-Stamped Show Notes:  [00:28] Today’s Topic: 5 Hacks to Generate Clients Using LinkedIn [00:35] Hack #1: Write content! They push content more than Facebook, because LinkedIn is hungry for content. [01:25] Hack #2: Use DuxSoup. DuxSoup allows you to visit profiles, collect email addresses, and send messages to LinkedIn users. DuxSoup will also help you sort out good contacts. [02:40] Hack #3: Ask people for feedback on LinkedIn. AlertFind allows companies to text and communicate with their employees with ease during times of crisis. You can use this system to hit up ideal customers and ask for feedback. [04:45] Hack #4: Filter out people for first or second-degree connections on LinkedIn. Using DuxSoup will help you filter and then reach out to these people. [05:42] Hack #5: Change your bio so that

In episode #495, Eric and Neil point out six ways to exponentially increase traffic to your site. Tune in to hear about simple and effective ways to boost your business’ visibility. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:28] Today’s Topic: 6 Ways to Exponentially Increase Your Traffic [00:34] Repurposing or updating your content increases hits to your site. You can reevaluate your content every few months. [01:15] Take the existing content from your website and put the opening lines or entire opening paragraph on LinkedIn and include a link to the full content located on your site. [01:45] Because LinkedIn isn’t as popular a networking site, it is more likely for them to push your content. [02:10] Another strategy is to use paid Twitter ads; engagement is high. [03:24] Try using SEMRush and Ahrefs in tandem: SEMRush will show you your competitors’ traffic, while Ahrefs will help you see the backlink count for their most popular pages. Take this intel and use it to write similar, but better content. [05:28] Th

In episode #494, Eric and Neil talk about ways to promote your business and retain customers without resorting to sleazy tactics. Tune in to hear how you can promote your business in an easy and fun way. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:28] Today’s Topic: Top Marketing Tools to Win Business Without Being Sleazy [00:35] An email service provider helps you send good content and increase business in a non-sleazy way. [01:02] Reaching out to customers or other companies individually provides value and goes a long way in retaining their patronage. [01:05] Neil also recommends checking out WebinarJam, because you can promote a product or service through “educating” clients. [02:00] WebinarJam is the best service, as they offer better tools to optimize your business. [02:50] Have some form of live chat available on your site. Intercom or Drift are great services for this, as they are more relaxed and conversational. [03:50] At Nextcon, Eric and Neil spoke with the conference founder who said he gets his custo

In episode #493, Eric and Neil discuss how you can create paid ad funnels through which you can drive traffic to your site and earn revenue through sales. Tune in to hear some great tips on how to automate your business in your absence. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Step Away From Your Business So It Grows on Its Own. [00:35] Neil believes you need a “funnel”. [00:47] If you can take your marketing funnel and fine tune it, you can constantly make income whether you are there or not. You can use tools like ClickFunnels. [01:07] Use Facebook to advertise, get people to register for a webinar, and then pitch your ebook or course (all of which brings in income). [01:27] You can also drive traffic through Google AdWords or YouTube. [01:52] You can also upsell (or downsell) different products and generate more interest and income. [02:22] The more products that you have to offer, the easier it is to step away from your business and still generate income. [02:38] It’s a similar c

In episode #492, Eric and Neil talk about how to manage your business while traveling. Tune in for some great tips on how to stay involved while also trusting others to step up in your absence. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:22] Today’s Topic: How to Run a Business While Traveling [00:31] Eric and Neil are going to try a new format for the next twenty or so episodes about this type of content and would like your feedback. [01:05] Eric likes to make sure he has ironed out processes and delegated important tasks before he travels. [01:40] Traveling internationally doesn’t mean you can’t reach your team; you can still work in your current time zone. [02:10] Compromising with your leisure and work time while traveling is the best way to get everything done. [02:30] Having amazing managers in place means you can actually enjoy your travels and have fewer work responsibilities while you’re away. [03:10] Parkinson’s Law applies: “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” [03:50] Jus

In episode #491, Eric and Neil explain the purpose of Google’s AMP and why it may be killing your revenue. If you are an e-commerce business, this episode should be of particular interest to you. Tune in to discover how AMP is hurting your business. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27]   Today’s Topic: Google’s AMP Is Killing Your Revenue [00:35] Explaining the purpose of Google’s AMP. [01:13] When stripping down sites for mobile access, it strips away ads to get the sites to load more quickly. [01:30] Reasons why certain countries have different rates of search traffic. [02:30] Why your revenue will tank in spite of search traffic increases. [03:13] Even though Google says they are adding tools for publishers, take it with a grain of salt. [03:35] If you are an e-commerce business, it can be detrimental to use AMP. [03:48] That’s it for today! [03:50] Marketing School is giving away a 90-day free trial to Crazy Egg, which is a visual heat-mapping tool. [03:55] Go to SingleGrain.com/giveaway to get y

In episode #490 of Marketing School, Eric and Neil explain why social media scheduling tools can hurt your numbers in terms of reach. Ultimately, live posts are still where it’s at. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:30] Today’s Topic: Buffer and Hootsuite Are Hurting Your Facebook Reach [01:05] When using Buffer and Hootsuite to schedule posts, it doesn’t get nearly as much engagement as “live” posts or by using Facebook’s own tools. [01:54] These tools are ok to use with Twitter. [02:19] They ultimately recommend to avoid using tools and post manually. [02:20] That’s it for today! [02:22] Marketing School is giving away a 90-day free trial to Crazy Egg, which is a visual analytics tool. [02:28] Go to SingleGrain.com/giveaway to get your free copy. You can also learn how to win a one-year subscription to Crazy Egg. 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: Neil