Marketing School - Digital Marketing and Online Marketing Tips

In episode #632, Eric and Neil discuss why you shouldn’t copy your competition. Tune in to see why past techniques may not work for you today. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: Stop Copying Your Competition [00:38] What worked for your competition won’t necessarily work for you. [01:17] The problem with content marketing is that there is now a lot more competition. [01:40] Whereas Neil had success within the first three months, it would take people a year to do the same today. [02:18] Costs of paid ads have gone up and bigger brands drive prices even higher. [03:00] What people were willing to spend years ago, was a lot less than you would have to spend today. [04:00] Just because one tactic worked for another company, doesn’t mean it will work the same way for you. [04:15] Dropbox referral programs worked in the past, but they probably wouldn’t work now. [04:50] If you’re in business to make money, you should do something else. [05:03] You have to be three steps ahead of everyone; think about what will be popular in the future. Spot trends. [05:40] Take chances and shoot for the moon. [05:50] That’s all for today! [05:53] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special marketing tool giveaway! 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/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #631, Eric and Neil discuss why it’s important to not overthink shit. Tune in to hear why overthinking could be ruining your business. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: Don't Overthink Shit [00:34] Everyone loves to come up with complex funnels. [00:48] When you make it complex, stuff is more likely to break down. [01:12] Start simple, then expand. [01:22] When Eric started, his channel was SEO. They wrote content and did a lot of guest posting. [01:43] They tried a complex marketing funnel, but it didn’t work. [01:55] They also were podcasting at the same time and then layered in content marketing once they got the hang of everything. [02:27] Just focus on the things that you are good at. [02:40] Don’t take on too much and you can layer things in later. [03:14] Why build a crazy marketing/sales funnel, when you haven’t tried a simple one in order to see if it would even work? [03:50] The boring growth is often the most sustainable growth. [05:06] Wait until the next marketing method has been effective and monetized by others, then jump on the bandwagon. You don’t have to be the first! [05:33] That’s all for today! [05:36] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special marketing tool giveaway! 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/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #630, Eric and Neil explain how successful marketers think. Tune in to hear what you should be doing to become a more successful marketer. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How Successful Marketers Think [00:35] Successful marketers are numb to failure. [00:45] Most experiments are going to fail, but as long as you continue to improve by 1%/week, that will be a 50% gain over the course of a year. [01:13] Consistency is key! [01:20] It takes time to get things right, but you have to stay the course. [01:45] Eric writes thousands of blog posts, even though he has terrible grammar. He knows it is important to follow through and be consistent. [01:50] Be a T-shaped marketer. [02:30] Spot trends! If you are not good at spotting trends, keep reading news sites and stay on top of things. [03:25] Things change so quickly in marketing. [04:45] If you are not thinking about ROI, you are not going to succeed in the marketing world. [05:20] It’s important to be data-driven; the numbers do not lie. [05:59] Don’t be afraid to shake up whatever industry you are in. [06:12] Neil is willing to do this by taking competitors products or services, copying them, and then offering them for free. [06:51] That’s all for today! [06:57] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special marketing tool giveaway! 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/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #629, Eric and Neil Discuss how to get started in SEO. Tune in to hear what’s changed and how you can get a successful start doing SEO. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Start in SEO [00:45] The biggest thing that Eric and Neil are seeing right now is that the path to success has changed. [01:18] If you spend a year practicing SEO on your own website, that’s no longer the way to go. [01:35] You should practice on someone else’s older website. [01:52] Hit up a ton of people offering your services for free. [02:00] It’s easier to grow a business than it is to start one. [02:25] During a TED Talk Eric saw, a Harvard Professor outlined the three elements of trust: authenticity, empathy, and logic. [02:45] When you develop your skills for free, you will eventually earn clients. [03:14] You will probably have to email 15-17 people before you get a solid “yes” when it comes to offering your services for free. [03:40] Make sure that the person to whom you offer your services is as committed as you are. [03:59] Even if you are working for free, make sure you get a contract to get the time that you need. [04:38] A semantic search tool was just released from a developer at Google. [04:57] Be aware that this is the future of searching and it will affect your SEO. [05:42] SEO and Sales are similar. [05:58] SEO is trying to sell yourself and get a link. [06:04] Victor Antonio has a great YouTube page about sales. [06:24] Most new SEO workers focus on traffic from relevant keywords, which Neil thinks is a terrible idea. [06:37] Just because you get more relevant traffic, doesn’t mean you get more sales. [06:50] Instead, look at Google Analytics, see where your ROI is coming from, focus on increasing traffic to the landing pages with the most revenue. [07:21] That’s it for today! [07:25] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special marketing tool giveaway! 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/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #628, Eric and Neil have a 6-ish minute chat about planning for the long-term. Tune in to hear why you should always focus on long-term goals and solutions. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: 6 Minutes For the Next 60 Years of Your Entrepreneurial Journey [00:36] When you think about starting a business, most people think about “what problem should I solve?” [00:54] But you should also ask “will this problem that I’m solving still be relevant in the ensuing years?” [01:08] You don’t want to have to create a new business every few years. [01:30] Eric thinks Singlegrain will still be around in 20 years, but that it will have to evolve. [02:10] Five years into his business, Eric believes he still has a long way to go. [02:36] If you come up with a short-sighted solution, then you will have to start a new business every few years. It is easier to grow a business than it is to start one. [03:00] Elon Musk has a long-term plan to work towards getting people on Mars. [04:07] Often times, the most difficult problems to solve are also the most boring, but the boring stuff stands the test of time. [05:00] Neil believes marketing will always be around as a industry. [05:45] Focus on your strengths and then see how you can expand upon that. [06:10] Do the boring stuff! [06:36] Don’t focus on the short-term solutions or businesses. [06:53] That’s all for today! [06:58] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special marketing tool giveaway! 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/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #627, Eric and Neil discuss how you can find a CMO. Tune in to hear what you should be doing to grab your next successful CMO. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Find a CMO [00:33] They get hit up all the time for people looking to fill this position, but it is the hardest position to fill. [00:55] Tap into referral networks. [01:05] When Eric was hired at Treehouse, he was referred in. [01:27] Don’t just hire a CMO, have someone prove in a lesser position that they can deliver results for you. Have people work their way up. [02:55] Instead of having a CMO, just make the marketing department work together to guide the mission. [03:41] Contingency firms whose focus is on hiring executives is another way to go. [03:48] They will cost you a lot of money, but will deliver on the mission. [04:34] Org structures are different now, so it changes how you can operate. [04:38] To recap: referral networks work, contingency firms work, having NO CMO works. [04:48] That’s it for today! [04:50] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special marketing tool giveaway! 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/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #625, Eric and Neil discuss where and how to focus your energy. Tune in to hear what you should actually be focusing on! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: To Focus or Not to Focus, The Marketer's Dilemma [00:50] People have different concepts of how marketing works. [01:02] Your tactics all depend on what your business is, what its status is, etc. [01:37] Pick a tactic that is working the best for you and focus all your energy on that. [01:55] Once that tactic is operating to its best abilities, add in other tactics. [02:24] Eric worked at a company that tried a bunch of different tactics and found video marketing worked the best, then focused all their energy on that. [03:14] Neil met the Legal Zoom/Shoedazzle CEO; he told Neil to have laser focus. [04:10] Steve Jobs said that he is better at saying “no” than other people. [04:40] If your growth rate is accelerating, hit the gas. If it’s decelerating, think about what you can improve. [04:55] That’s all for today! [05:02] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special marketing tool giveaway! 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/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #626, Eric and Neil explain why they don’t watch the news. Tune in to hear why  television news is a waste of your time. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: Why We Don't Watch The News [00:33] The news media is just another business. [00:45] It’s a viewership-driven business and they thrive on ad revenue. [01:00] Instead, Eric follows different people on Twitter and gets his news from that. [01:20] TV news is just noise! [02:21] You can get your news by browsing news sites instead. [02:34] If something really important or big happens, you will most likely find out about it on Twitter or social media, anyway. [03:15] By not spending time posting on social media, you gain a lot of hours back. [03:44] To beat your competition, focus on your business and what matters as opposed to being obsessed with frivolous social media posts. [04:40] The Economist Espresso is one or two paragraphs and summarizes the most important stories. [05:00] “If you want to do well, stop wasting your time” -Neil [05:07] That’s all for today! [05:10] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special marketing tool giveaway! 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/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #624, Eric and Neil discuss how you can get more out of your day. Tune in to hear how you should be organizing your life. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Get More Out of Your Day [00:40] Google “Michael Hyatt Perfect Day”, which will explain how to block out your day. [00:53] Eric and Neil record at a set time every week. [01:07] Thursdays are Eric’s content days. Fridays are for his SAS products. [02:05] Eric will do networking events, dinners, etc., because it is a priority for growing his business. [02:40] Figure out your end goal and cut everything else out. [03:00] Neil doesn’t do networking events, rather he does actual tasks. [03:15] He feels that if he hasn’t accomplished his goals, he can’t rest, so he doesn’t care about work/life balance: he works through illnesses and holidays. [03:29] Mark Schuster did a blog post “Learning Before Earning”, which you should read. [04:09] The book, The One Thing, tells you to pick your most important goal and to just focus on that. [05:06] Building or fostering good habits is key. [05:15] You have to rank things to determine which is the most urgent/important. [05:42] Check out Rescue Time: It will show you how you are spending your time and allow you to cut the fat. [06:15] Delegate! [07:10] That’s all for today! [07:16] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special marketing tool giveaway! 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/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #623, Eric and Neil discuss how you can stay top of mind. Tune in to hear what you should be doing to remain popular. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: Here's A Unique Way To Keep Your Brand Top Of Mind [00:38] If you look at Drift, every time they launch a new feature, they always have a lot of fanfare and masquerade it as a product launch. [01:26] In 2017, Neil bought UberSuggest and relaunched it as a free tool in 2018. [01:45] He used Product Hunt to promote it. [02:15] Neil publishes to his blog 7 days a week! [02:32] You have to be relentless in order to stay top of mind. Tom Brady is a great example of relentlessness. [03:00] There is no one specific thing you can do to stay popular, but rather you have to try everything. [03:42] The rule of 7: someone has to see something 7 times before they convert. [04:10] By putting yourself out there, eventually, you will become top of mind. [04:51] Zoom doesn’t run a lot of ads, but they have billboards everywhere in San Francisco. They even bought a sponsorship at the arena where the Golden State Warriors play. [05:28] That’s all for today! [05:31] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special marketing tool giveaway! 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/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.