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We interview social media consultant Mojca Marš, founder of Super Spicy Media. We talk about social media strategies, what works and what doesn't. We examine the dominance of Facebook, the future of Twitter, and should you be on Snapchat? You really don't want miss this really interesting and insightful interview.   It's almost an hour of great knowledge from a true social media expert. Here's the table of contents for our episode with Mojca: Show Table of Contents: 00:00 Intros 00:57 The Mojca Marš/Super Spicy Media origin story 2:05 What obstacles did Mojca face when first establishing her own company? 3:00 Establishing an online persona 3:28 Is automating social media okay? 5:27 Relationship marketing is what social media should look like 6:30 Showing personality of your brand and team stands out 7:38 How to differentiate your company on social media 8:20 What is the ROI of social media? 9:50 Measuring ROI on social does not happen in one day 10:40 Why do businesses spend so much on traditional PPC marketing? 12:15 Do early adopters to a platform have an advantage? 15:13 Jonathan gets in a meercat reference 16:53 Is more important to be on every social platform or just a few? 18:34 How do you know what social platforms you should be on? 19:08 What platform to be on if you don't know where to find your audience 19:30 The social media platforms that correlate to specific audiences 20:34 Creating content for different social platforms 21:27 Get familiar with each platform before creating content for it 22:31 The workaround you need to promote products on Instagram 23:30 When it comes to LIkes and followers, quality matters more than volume 25:08 Facebook video is going head-to-head with YouTube 25:21 A hack to get a Facebook post higher in the regular Timeline 26:29 Will we ever see another social network get as big as Facebook is now? 27:35 It matters where your friends hang out online 29:08 Where Twitter lost momentum 30:20 Why Facebook survived their dip 31:10 Why did Google+ fail? 32:21 Facebook seems to adapt well to change 33:13 Instagram lifting some features from Snapchat 34:20 Are GenXers reluctant to try new platforms like Snapchat? 36:20 Podcast outros   Visit Super Spicy Media:   http://superspicymedia.com/   Visit the website for bonus content from this episode:   https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/122-wp-tonic-mojca-mars-social-media-consultant/     ====================   WP-Tonic is not only a WordPress maintenance and support service, but we publish a twice weekly WordPress podcast where we talk with some of the brightest minds in WordPress development, web design, and online marketing.

We really have a great panel this week and discussion, We start the show with a couple WordPress and web focus stories then we go on to our main topic of the week  the main topic of the show "The Relations Between Agencies & Freelancers." We have a great panel of guests on the show this week. Matt Inglot https://www.tiltedpixel.com/ Nick Meagher http://byprimer.co/ Brian Jackson https://woorkup.com/ John Locke Lockedown SEO   Read the article: https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/121-wp-tonic-round-table-the-relations-between-agencies-freelancers/     ===========================   WP-Tonic is not just a WordPress maintenance and support service, but we publish a twice weekly WordPress podcast where we talk with some of the brightest minds in WordPress development, web design, and online marketing.

Matt Medeiros from The Matt Report is our guest. Our main discussion point, "Is it getting more difficult to make money in WordPress?" Matt Medeiros knows many different facets of the WordPress ecosystem. He's the owner of Slocum Studios, a WordPress agency that specializes in higher education and publication websites. He also hosts one of the most popular WordPress podcasts, The Matt Report. Slocum Studios is also behind the Conductor plugin, which is a unique display building plugin for WordPress. He recently launched PluggedIn Radio, which is a podcast and video channel dedicated to WordPress plugin tutorials. Because of the diversity of WordPress products and services Matt is involved in, we felt he was the perfect person to ask, "Is it getting harder to make money in the WordPress sandbox?" Here's our 70 minute conversation with Matt, and his thoughts on the ecosystem. Show Table of Contents: 0:00 Intros 1:28 An underlying theme in Season 3 of the Matt Report? 2:00 Is it getting harder to make money in the WordPress space? 2:55 Season 2 was an experiment 3:25 Season 3 is back to examining where people are in their business 3:54 Plateau or GTFO? 4:10 There's a trend going on in digital marketing 4:53 Things are getting a little bit harder 5:50 Focusing down on a vertical or niche makes it easier to survive 6:30 It's not getting harder because of more competition (at least not with people) 7:20 Other platforms are competition 8:50 Everyone is told to use WordPress..and then they give up on it 9:30 Getting things pixel-perfect is tough to do quickly 10:30 Where people hit the wall with Wix or Squarespace 11:35 The long game is WordPress will eventually be easier? 12:10 Why higher pay-scale projects seem to have a love affair with Drupal 13:55 Misconceptions about WordPress are still widespread 15:19 Enterprise companies like slow iteration in a CMS 16:30 Acquia may be more aggressive with enterprise sales than WordPress VIP 17:40 ExpressionEngine as a CMS 18:25 Some agencies think WordPress is equivalent to ThemeForest 19:10 Successfully positioning WordPress for enterprise projects 20:47 Products and client services in the WordPress space 21:30 Differentiation in the WordPress ecosystem 22:35 Educating low-budget clients for the future 23:23 The client exodus from all-in-one agencies or IT companies to boutique agencies 24:37 Specialization and looking for what you can focus on as a smaller agency 25:38 Where are agencies weak? Adapting to the market, and marketing in general 25:50 The drawback to productized services or consulting 27:00 Don't sell your value short 27:30 Figuring out pricing 28:05 Running your business like a business 28:35 Pushing your boundaries on pricing 28:59 The customer experience is part of your value 30:10 Finding the right clients takes work 30:55 You can't fake it till you make it with higher value projects 32:10 They hire you for continuity. 33:00 Sustainability and reinvesting 34:01 Just be real with customers 34:48 I've heard there's a gold rush, but where's the gold? 35:24 Define what you want out get out of the business 36:40 Find the clients you relate to best 37:30 You've got to get out from behind your desk 38:05 Content marketing takes time 38:29 Find the tools you are comfortable with 40:40 Podcast outros   Visit the WP-Tonic site for bonus content from this episode: https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/120-matt-medeiros-getting-harder-to-make-money-in-wordpress/ Guest: Matt Medeiros https://mattreport.com http://slocumstudio.com/ https://plugintut.com/ Hosts: Jonathan Denwood https://www.wp-tonic.com/ John Locke Lockedown SEO     ============   WP-Tonic is not only a WordPress maintenance and support service, but we publish a twice weekly WordPress podcast where we talk with some of the brightest minds in WordPress development, web design, and online marketing.

We have a great WordPress round-table discussion with a great WordPress community panel. We begin the show discussing the biggest WordPress news stories of the week. Then in the second half of the show we discuss our main show topic "Website Redesigns: What Should You Consider?" Our panel this week: Jackie D'Elia https://jackiedelia.com/ Sallie Goetch https://www.wpfangirl.com/ Jonathan Denwood https://www.wp-tonic.com/ John Locke Lockedown SEO Before the main topic, we looked at our two WordPress news stories of the week: WordPress 4.6 "Pepper" Released https://wptavern.com/wordpress-4-6-pepper-released-streamlines-plugin-and-theme-management Us vs Them https://wptavern.com/us-vs-them ================= Main Topic: Website Redesigns, What Should You Consider? Show Table of Contents: 0:00 Intros 2:30 News Story #1: WordPress 4.6 Released 10:41 News Story #2: Us vs Them 23:00 Why Do Businesses Need Website Redesigns in the First Place? 23:34 Mobilegeddon Is What Pushed Many People To Redesign Their Sites in 2015 28:02 Envy and Fear 30:23 Customers Judge Your Overall Business by Your Website 31:20 "Your copyright date is six years old!" 32:10 Even Regular People Notice Poor Website Usability 34:00 Why Large Companies Sometimes Have Horrendous Websites 34:30 Drive To Redesign Can Come From Comparing Your Website To Your Competitors 36:40 Redesigns Can Be Delayed Because of Bad Prior Experiences, or Decision Paralysis 39:50 Who Should You Ideally Be Looking For To Do a Website Redesign? 40:10 Pros and Cons of HIring Agencies, Solo Consultants, or In-House 42:10 Different-sized  Businesses Have Different Budgets for a Website Redesign 44:54 A Proper Website Redesign Takes Time 46:15 Some Thoughts On Who NOT to Trust With Your Website Redesign 48:23 "At a certain price, they're just going to farm it out to a 12 year old". 48:54 A Good Agency Will Take Time To Ask Questions and Learn About Your Business 50:20 What Drives Jonathan Crazy About Developers Underestimating Marketing Sites 52:20 A Big Disadvantage To Hiring In-House For a Website Redesign 52:45 What Should You Be Planning For Leading Into a Redesign? 53:45 Some Compelling Reasons Why Your Consultant Should Be Doing A Discovery Phase 55:45 Without A Proper Roadmap, Your Project Will Likely Go Over-Budget 57:10 Most Clients Don't Know What Their Website Can Actually Do For Them 1:00:40 If You Have A Restricted Budget, You Must Have Restricted Expectations 1:02:00 Quality Over Quantity 1:03:00 Podcast Outros   Visit the WP-Tonic website for bonus content from this episode! https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/119-website-redesigns/     =====================   WP-Tonic is not only a WordPress maintenance and support service, but we publish a twice weekly WordPress podcast where we talk with some of the brightest minds in WordPress development, web design, and online marketing.

This week, on WP-Tonic EP118, we're joined by Scott Buscemi, founder of Luminary Web Strategies, a WordPress agency that specializes in WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads integrations. Scott shares some of his extensive personal insights about what makes a great e-commerce site, and growing an e-commerce centered agency. He also delves into his 8 years of helping clients get the eCommerce results they are looking for. Some of the things we talk about have nothing to do with the technology, but more about helping the clients see what are the real business problems they are facing, and then offer them solutions! Episode 118 Table of Contents: Show Introduction 0:15 Scott's Background in Web Development 0:49 John and Jonathan Intros 1:55 What Scott Has Learned About Running An Agency and Serving Clients 2:58 Diving Into Business Objectives with Client Projects 4:00 Figuring Out The Business Model Before Hiring a Web Development Firm 5:50 Tips for Hiring Developers and Small Agencies 7:25 Make Sure The Money You're Spending Is Going In The Right Direction 8:09 Don't Get Distracted by Too Many Features Too Early 9:34 Launching A Website Is Easier Than Figuring Out Why You Want It 11:24 You Can Build An App, But Do You Have a Brand?  12:08 Building A Brand Is The Hard Work 12:28 Is WordPress and WooCommerce the Best Solution For e-Commerce? 13:53 Building a Minimum Viable Product On WordPress 14:40 Looking For a Consultant or Partner vs. Looking for a Developer 18:37 What Role Does Analytics Play in Web Strategy? 23:06 More Traffic Means Analytics are More Accurate 23:34 What Things Motivate and Inspire Scott 25:47 What Are Scott's Success Principles? 27:40 To Be Different, You Have To Be Act Different 27:56 Don't Let Fear Rule Your Life 31:15 Podcast Portion Outros 33:06   Visit the WP-Tonic site for bonus content from this episode: https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/118-wp-tonic-all-about-ecommerce-scott-buscemi/ Featured Guest: Scott Buscemi https://luminary.ws/ Hosts: Jonathan Denwood https://www.wp-tonic.com/ John Locke Lockedown SEO     =========================   WP-Tonic is not only a WordPress maintenance and support service, but we publish a twice weekly WordPress podcast where we talk with some of the smartest people in WordPress development, web design, and online marketing.

Our main WordPress topic is going to be "Email Plugins and Strategies for Email Marketing" We've also got three great stories from the WordPress community. Our Panel   Sallie Goetsch: from Wpfangirl.com Jackie D’Elia: from Jackie D’Elia Design Kim Shivler: from Whiteglovewebtraining.com John Locke: from Lockedown SEO   Our weekly WordPress news stories: Headway Theme's Future Uncertain Amidst Financial Troubles https://wptavern.com/headway-themes-future-is-uncertain-amidst-financial-troubles Competition, Crisis Management, and the Community https://serverpress.com/competition-crisis-management-community/ How To Create Accessible WordPress Websites https://pagely.com/blog/2016/08/create-accessible-wordpress-websites/ Show Table of Contents: 0:00 Intro 2:26 WP News Story: Headway Themes in Financial Trouble? 13:27 WP News Story: How To Create Accessible WordPress Websites 18:21 Main Topic: Email Marketing Strategies, Plugins, and Services for WordPress 18:43 Why Do We Still Care About Email Marketing? 19:58 Does Email Marketing Make a Difference in Your Revenue? 20:40 Three Categories of Email Subscriptions 23:58 E-Blasts Get Deleted 25:44 Consistency and Schedule 29:30 Segmenting Your List and Reader Expectations 32:00 Long Form Emails and Drip Campaigns 35:40 What Kind of Email Services Should You Use? 36:25 Using Obscure or Niche Email Services 40:00 The Problem With Email Templates 43:17 Drip Campaigns in MailChimp 43:50 Using GetResponse 44:50 SendGrid and other SMTP servers for Transactional Emails 46:07 MailGun and Google SMTP for Transactional Emails 46:48 WordPress Plugins that use the Host Provided Email System 47:46 What is the Difference SMTP and wp_mail 49:05 What Do You Use For Email Signups? 50:40 Exit Intent Email Signup Boxes and Pop-ups 53:15 Compelling Lead Magnets 54:17 You have to have enough signup boxes to get subscribers 56:18 "You know how to take the reservation, but you don't know how to HOLD the reservation." 57:04 Different Lead Magnets for Different Content Read the article:   https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/117-round-table-email-plugins-strategies-email-marketing/   =====================   WP-Tonic is not only a WordPress maintenance and support service, but we publish a twice weekly WordPress podcast where we talk with some of the brightest minds in WordPress development, web design, business, and online marketing.

Email marketing is a subject that causes a lot of confusion. How do you produce effective email marketing? Angie Meeker gives us some straightforward advice to get your email campaigns running on all cylinders. Show Sections 0:00 Intros 1:57 Where People Go Wrong With Email Marketing 4:10 Finding The Sweet Spot 6:12 The Promotions Folder in GMail 8:44 Getting People To Sign Up To Your Newsletter 10:42 Tailor Your Offer To The Content Being Read 11:19 You're Not Using Enough Opt-In Boxes 12:18 Pop-Ups Still Work 14:00 Add Email Opt-in Offers In The Content 15:00 Exit Pop-ups Are Best 16:16 How To Find Your Own Sweet Spot With Email Frequency 18:06 Correlation Between Conversion Rate and Sales 19:08 Fighting Inertia and Getting Businesses To Use New Tools 20:40 Establishing Trust With Business Owners 21:40 Show Them A Clear Path To Their Goal 22:30 Businesses Need To Find Their Marketing Voice 25:09 Feeling Confident in Your Marketing Message 27:06 Angie's Favorite Motivation Books 27:33 The 10x Rule 30:27 The Closers Survival Guide 31:48 Decoding Prospect Objections 33:42 Contact Information For Everyone Guest: Angie Meeker http://mynameisangie.com/ Hosts: Jonathan Denwood https://www.wp-tonic.com John Locke Lockedown SEO   Read the Article and get Bonus Content not included in the podcast: https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/116-truth-about-email-marketing-angie-meeker/     ====================   WP-Tonic is not only a WordPress maintenance and support service, but we publish a twice weekly WordPress podcast where we talk with some of the brightest minds in WordPress development, web design, business, and online marketing.

We have a great panel discussion connected to the latest WordPress news stories of the week then we go on to the main topic connected to what are the main WordPress page building solutions out there at the present moment. We really look at a number of different solutions. Sallie Goetsch: from WPFangirl.com Kim Shivler: from Whiteglovewebtraining.com John Locke: from Lockedown SEO Bridget Willard Social Media Manager at: WordImpress Jonathan Denwood: from WP-Tonic.com Find WP-Tonic on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wordpress-wp-tonic-jonathan/id893083124?mt=2 1 - Users of the Posts 2 Posts Plugin Left Searching for an Alternative   https://wptavern.com/users-of-the-posts-2-posts-plugin-left-searching-for-an-alternative 2 -  How ‘Pootle Pagebuilder’ Sold Licenses for $9K on Its 1st Month http://freemius.com/blog/success-story-of-pootle-pagebuilder-with-freemius/ 3 - Selling the Shovel vs. Mining the Gold https://syedbalkhi.com/selling-the-shovel-vs-mining-the-gold/ Plugins Page Builders https://wordpress.org/plugins/siteorigin-panels/ https://codecanyon.net/item/visual-composer-page-builder-for-wordpress/ https://www.wpbeaverbuilder.com/ http://www.getmotopress.com/plugins/content-editor/ http://www.pootlepress.com/pootle-pagebuilder-pro/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Themes http://www.elegantthemes.com/gallery/divi/ http://headwaythemes.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Themes/Plugins Hybrids http://themify.me/builder http://velocitypage.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------   Read the full article on the WP-Tonic website: https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/115-wp-tonic-visual-builders-good-bad-ugly/     =====================   WP-Tonic is not only a WordPress maintenance and support service, but we publish a twice weekly WordPress podcast where we talk with some of the brightest minds in WordPress development, web design, business, and online marketing.

If there's one area where most site owners could improve their WordPress websites, it is with their hosting. For membership sites or eCommerce, shared hosting is not going to work for you. The next logical step is to go to a WordPress managed hosting solutions. We will look at those, plus a new breed of VPS hosting as we talk with Constantinos Coudounaris of WPHosting Spot in episode 114 of WP-Tonic.   Topics discussed: - Why is cPanel bad for website speed? - Why should you use managed WordPress hosting? - Why is shared hosting terrible for e-commerce and membership sites? - What are good choices for WordPress hosting? - Are hosting companies still innovating? - How does caching affect page speed? - How does a CDN affect site performance and page speed? - Why is customer support so important in business? And especially in web hosting? - What are the success principles that Costantinos lives by? Episode #114 at WP-Tonic https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/114-wp-tonic-best-value-wordpress-hosting-options/ WPHostingSpot https://www.wphostingspot.com Hosted by: Jonathan Denwood https://www.wp-tonic.com/ John Locke Lockedown SEO   Read the article on the WP-Tonic website for bonus content: https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/114-wp-tonic-best-value-wordpress-hosting-options/   ================   WP-Tonic is not only a WordPress maintenance and support service, but we publish a twice weekly WordPress podcast where we talk with some of the brightest minds in WordPress development, web design, web hosting, and online marketing.

WP-Tonic #113: How do You Write Winning WordPress Project Proposals? Our panel: Morten Rand-Hendriksen: from Lynda.com Sallie Goetsch: from Wpfangirl.com Jackie D’Elia: from Jackie D’Elia Design John Locke: from Lockedown SEO Today the WP-Tonic panel discusses how to write a winning WordPress proposal. What things go into a great proposal? How do you handle the payment schedule? Who is responsible for content creation? How should you price? Should you use value-based pricing, hourly pricing, fixed pricing, or another means of pricing? What are some common mistakes to avoid? What items do you stress in your proposals? All these questions and more are answered on episode #113 of WP-Tonic. https://www.wp-tonic.com/podcast/113-how-do-you-write-winning-wordpress-project-proposals/   ------------------------------------------------ Spotlight WordPress news story (top of the hour): https://helen.wordpress.com/2016/07/13/theme-disconnect-and-discontent/ ---------------------------------------------   WP-Tonic is not only a WordPress maintenance and support service, but we publish a twice weekly WordPress podcast where we talk with some of the brightest minds in WordPress development, web design, business, and online marketing.