Closing More Leads, Losing Google Traffic, and Calling Out SEO’s Biggest Lie

In Episode #38 Eric and Neil teach you how to promote a blog post. Whether you have a tight budget or an endless one, one of these plans will help you get people to read your content and share it. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:24 – How to promote a blog post 00:43 – In the beginning, 80% of your time should be spent on promotion. 01:00 – Find people who have already shared content 01:15 – Use Buzzsumo and Twitter 01:50 – Think about how you can stand out. 02:10 – Link out to influencers within the blog post. 02:55 – Link out ten times for every 1000 words. 03:10 – Linking to companies. 03:28 – Paid social ads. 03:40 – A huge chunk of funds go to promotion. 04:14 – Drive people to your site using Facebook. 04:29 – Also use Google. 04:40 – Figure out how to write amazing headlines 05:00 – Copyblogger Headline Formulas 05:30 – Headlines make a huge difference! 05:45 – Portent Headline Generator 06:05 – Build up a group of people that will help promote your content. 06:35 – It will give you the initial boost with your posts. 07:15 – Meeting people at conferences and build relationships. 07:40 – One guy who had a smart strategy reaching out to Eric and Neil. 08:10 – Take a look at Gmail advertising. 08:35 – A lot of targeting options. 08:58 – Two Facebook strategies 09:08 – Boosting posts 09:23 – Buying page likes 09:55 – Not all of your posts will be a hit. 10:23 – Be creative and listen to digital marketers about how to boost posts. 11:00 – That’s the end of today’s episode! 3 Key Points: Don’t make crappy infographics. Contact people who shared the original source of your graphic, and invite them to share your design. If you use infographics effectively, your site’s rankings will skyrocket. Resources Mentioned: Buzzsumo and Twitter – How to find people who have shared certain content Facebook and Google – Create paid social ads Copyblogger Headline Formulas – Create effective headlines Portent Headline Generator – Generate intriguing headlines on any topic Gmail advertising – Create extremely targeted ads 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: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7 Syys 201614min

In Episode #37 Eric and Neil discuss the value of a good infographic. Neil has seen more traffic and backlinks from infographics than from anything else. Learn how you can create an all-star graphic that drives up traffic on your site. Time Stamped Show Notes:  00:24 – What goes into creating a viral infographic 00:40 – Links effect Google rankings 00:53 – Take complex info and make it visual, and people will link to it. 01:15 – Your rankings will skyrocket 01:30 – For Neil, backlinks and traffic have come mostly from infographics. 02:00 – There are a lot of crappy infographics. 02:10 – Start at Visual.ly to see examples of good infographics. 02:40 – Pull out elements that work in those designs. 02:50 – Dribbble is another resource to contact designers. 03:17 – The first step is to get good data. 03:28 – Get a researcher off of Upwork to collect and outlined data. 03:45 – Don’t have more than six main points. 04:05 – Flow these points into a story. 04:25 – Publish the blog and get an embed code generator so that people can share your graphic. 05:00 – You need to go to Buzzsumo to find a good topic. 05:25 – Upwork is a great way to keep your costs low. 06:08 – Their friend uses 99designs for his infographics. 06:30 – How did your infographic go viral? 06:45 – Find data from other sources. 07:00 – See who shared that original data on Ahrefs. 07:20 – Email those people to ask them to share your infographic. 07:52 – Reach out to people that linked to the original article. 08:40 – Think about repurposing your infographics 09:00 – It makes it worth the time and money. 09:38 – That’s the end of today’s episode! 3 Key Points: Don’t make crappy infographics. Contact people who shared the original source of your graphic, and invite them to share your design. If you use infographics effectively, your site’s rankings will skyrocket. Resources Mentioned: Visual.ly and Dribbble – See examples of good design Upwork – Hire researchers and designers Buzzsumo – Find a good topic for your infographic 99designs – Another tool to hire designers and get inspiration Ahrefs – See who’s sharing certain articles and posts 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: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6 Syys 201613min

In Episode #36 Eric and Neil talk about why you should create blog posts, and what the best process is to do it. Learn the tricks of the pros, and find out what resources are available to you to make your blog writing not only entertaining or educational but actually capable of converting customers. Time Stamped Show Notes:  00:24 – How to write amazing blog posts 00:35 – Educate and provide great information, and people will see you as an expert. 00:55 – People will share you and refer friends to you. 01:15 – The number one way they generate sign-ups for multiple companies. 01:20 – Thomas Tunguz’s Post 01:55 – The effects of content marketing over time 02:05 – It’s like compounding interest. 02:34 – You need one thing that stands out. 02:45 – Long-form blog posts backed by data. 03:04 – Not just content for content’s sake. 03:15 – Show something unique and useful. 03:29 – eHow is a great example of what you shouldn’t do. 04:12 – WaitButWhy.com 04:25 – Humor and long-form articles with stick figures 04:50 – Updating sites over time 05:26 – Write in a conversational tone. 06:18 – Engaging the audience and then going into your topic 06:45 – The intro, body, and conclusion 07:20 – End your blog post with a question. 07:45 – Don’t forget your conclusion! People will ready your conclusion first. 08:20 – WP blog checklists on WordPress 08:54 – Design Pickle for unlimited new images 09:13 – Stock Unlimited for stock images 09:30 – Hemingwayapp.com 10:04 – Learn how to educate and convert customers. 10:28 – Create an actual process. 10:42 – That’s the end of this episode! 3 Key Points: Content marketing will have a compounding effect on your sales. Structure your article with an intro, body and conclusion. Use a conversational tone and be unique. Resources Mentioned: Thomas Tunguz’s Post – Learn about the very real effects of content marketing WaitButWhy.com – An example of a unique and entertaining blog WP blog checklists – Stay organized with your writing process Design Pickle and Stock Unlimited – Sources for images to add to your blog Hemingwayapp.com – Learn what you need to change in your own writing to actually engage customers 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: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

5 Syys 201614min

In Episode #35 Eric and Neil debate whether marketing certifications are worth it—and here’s a hint: they’re not! Certifications are much like college degrees. They may get you in the right direction, but they will not give you the real experience that you need. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:24 – Are marketing certifications worth it? No! 00:45 – Most certifications take very little effort. 01:00 – It teaches you nothing. 01:15 – You need practical experience. 01:30 – One example of someone on Neil’s team 01:50 – It comes down to experience. 01:58 – Eric tried to get everyone on his team certified, but that didn’t really help anything. 02:35 – You’re better off learning on your own. 03:00 – Prove that you have real world skills. 03:10 – Certification is a starting point. It does not qualify you. 03:30 – Certifications are like college degrees. 03:45 – Neil’s friend who hires kids from Stanford. 04:05 – They are generating zero sales. 04:35 – It’s a resume builder, but it won’t help your business. 05:00 – Neil’s first experience with internet marketing as an intern. 05:45 – Internships give you real experience. 06:05 – Look for a free internship first. 06:25 – Employers don’t want to have to hold your hand. 07:00 – Don’t waste your time with certifications. 07:55 – That’s the end of this episode! 3 Key Points: Certifications just teach you how to memorize things. You need to get real, practical experience. Don’t waste your time with certifications! Resources Mentioned: N/A 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: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 Syys 201611min

In Episode #34 Eric and Neil discuss how to perform a competitive analysis. This process is not just a way to steal from your competitors—it’s also a great way to motivate your team to see where you’re lacking and start making changes. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:22 – How you can do a competitive analysis. 00:45 – If you use a tool like SEMrush or Ahrefs, you can find top performing pages. 01:10 – See what you can steal from those pages. 01:45 – An example: Companies using a hub-and-spoke model 02:40 – The BuiltWith Tool 03:04 – WhatRunsWhere captures your competition’s ads 03:20 –SEMrush tells you the keywords your customers are bidding on. 04:19 – Using ahrefs to look at a monthly graph and see how many links your competitor is adding 05:20 – Moz to compare competitors side by side 05:50 – You can show your team where you are lacking and ultimately drive action. 06:30 – Go to NeilPatel.com for his social media analysis tool. 07:35 – Use SimilarWeb to see even more details of your competitors. 08:15 – Don’t do too much at once. 08:25 – Pick one category and compare what you’re doing to your competitors. 08:45 – See you tomorrow! 3 Key Points: Make yourself aware of the resources available to you for competitive analyses. Use competitive analysis to drive your own team to change. Pick one marketing category at a time to see what your competitors are doing. Resources Mentioned: SEMrush, Ahrefs, BuiltWith, WhatRunsWhere, Moz, and SimilarWeb – All valuable resources to help you see what your competitors are doing for their marketing. NeilPatel.com – Access to a social media analysis tool 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: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3 Syys 201612min

In Episode #33 Eric and Neil discuss affiliate marketing. This marketing tactic, when pursued correctly, can be a very lucrative method for driving traffic. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:22 – What is affiliate marketing? 00:30 – Performance marketing. Someone else pushes your product. 01:00 – The seller collects the margin. 01:35 – There is a risk, but it can be very lucrative. 01:57 – Great opportunity if you don’t want to pay for marketing. 02:20 – Google search for affiliate networks and reach out to them. 02:40 – Release offers. 03:30 – Don’t jump the gun! 03:50 – Avoid legal battles and have good quality control. 04:10 – Use CallRail, LeadDyno, HasOffers 04:30 – Monitor the ads that affiliates are running. 05:00 – Bad traffic will give you bad reviews. 05:30 – The bigger the affiliate, the better. 05:45 – You need a strong website to give them a strong return. 06:10 – Read Affiliate Program Management: An Hour a Day 06:30 – If you’re starting out, affiliate marketing is a great way to start out. 07:10 – Learn more online about finding affiliates. 07:35 – Partners aiming for the same thing. 08:20 – Build a relationship. 08:45 – Rate and review our podcast! 3 Key Points: Affiliate marketing is a great way to start out! Make sure that you make smart decisions to avoid legal battles and maintain quality control. Look at affiliate marketing as a partnership, and foster that relationship. Resources Mentioned: CallRail, LeadDyno, HasOffers – Tools to help you with quality control. Read Affiliate Program Management: An Hour a Day 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: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 Syys 201612min

In Episode #32 Eric and Neil describe influencer marketing and teach you the most effective way to use it for your product. If you thought influencer marketing wasn’t for your new company, think again. It’s a lot easier than it may seem. Time Stamped Show Notes:  00:22 – What is influencer marketing? 00:35 – The Beats by Dre example 00:57 – Famous and popular people using products to attract more customers 01:30 – How can you leverage influencer marketing? 01:45 – Paying models per post. 02:10 – The numbers can be very lucrative for your company. 03:00 – One key thing: How loyal is someone’s following? 03:50 – Don’t pick the influencers with the biggest following. Look at their followers’ engagement. 04:25 – Buying ads in bulk packages 04:50 – You don’t have to reach out to these influencers on their own. Use Famebit.com. 05:50 – Make sure your influencer is the right fit for your product. 06:25 – Sporadic posts don’t have a big impact. 06:40 – A consistent weekly post will have a bigger impact. 07:20 – Using a specific coupon with influencer marketing 07:40 – You can track that ad’s success. 08:00 – See you tomorrow! 3 Key Points: You can leverage influencer marketing to bring in a lot of revenue. Look at someone’s follower loyalty—not the number of followers. Consistent posts will have a bigger impact. Resources Mentioned: Famebit.com – A great place to start when you are first getting into influencer marketing. 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: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Syys 201611min

In Episode #31 Eric and Neil teach you how to find a great consultant. They’ll discuss different sites and sources to find contracted workers and how you can find people with high-quality work for a low price. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:22 – How you can find a great consultant. 00:40 – Where can you find them? 00:54 – ProBlogger, AngelList, Hired.com, Crew.co 01:03 – You need a great process. 01:45 – Go to Upwork.com. 02:00 – Look for people related to the task you need done, and look over their reviews and portfolio. 02:25 – Be specific with what you need done. 02:45 – You will find people who are creative and are a good fit. 03:15 – Find out quickly who’s qualified. 03:30 – One of Eric and Neil’s main developers is a contracted worker. 04:36 – Another contracted worker from Growth Everywhere 05:05 – Use LinkedIn and search for people that work at your competition. 06:00 – Little to no risk. 06:24 – Force Hiring, from The Sale Acceleration Formula 07:40 – Reach out to people on LinkedIn. 08:10 – Don’t hire people from major cities. 09:15 – Get work done for a lot cheaper. 09:30 – Subscribe to our podcast learn more! 3 Key Points: Use hiring sites to find qualified workers. Create a process that will help you identify a good fit. Hire people in small cities, where the cost of living is lower. Resources Mentioned: ProBlogger, AngelList, Hired.com, Crew.co, Upwork.com, Growth Everywhere, and LinkedIn – Reliable sites that will help you find great workers The Sale Acceleration Formula – A sales book that teaches about Force Hiring 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: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

31 Elo 201612min