In episode #564, Eric and Neil discuss ways you can scale your ads without decreasing your ROI. Tune in to hear simple ways you can increase your conversion rate and make more money.  TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:  [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Make Your Ads Scale Without Decreasing Your ROI [00:40] Make sure that you’re running your ads to one post ID on Facebook. [01:08] Leverage more than one channel. [01:38] When you run all the paid channels at one time, your ROI goes through the roof because people are seeing you everywhere. [02:05] Look at your funnel through a full funnel attribution standpoint. Use Wicked Reports. [02:49] Run a ton of A/B tests. [03:19] If you run A/B tests, you can start generating more sales. [03:28] Have upsells and downsells. [03:50] Continually try to offer clients more services. [04:12] Eric helped a client with strategy, but also upsold him and added more value. [04:51] Neil loves ClickFunnels to help scale up ads. [05:35] Russell Brunson talks about three highest converting funnels: free offer, webinar funnel, high-ticket funnel. [06:05] Neil used the webinar funnel. [06:18] You’ve got to know your numbers. [06:33] That’s all for today! [06:35] 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/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #563, Eric and Neil lay out what they do with their blog posts and how it helps them succeed. Tune in to hear some great blogging tips!  TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: The Bare Minimum You Should Do With Every Blog Post You Publish [00:38] Neil thinks he’s published 6,000-7,000 blog posts. [00:57] Neil always has a simple checklist for writing blog posts. [01:12] When using BuzzSumo, you need to look at what has worked in the last year. [01:33] Go after social traffic and search traffic (SEMrush). [01:52] Come up with better headlines, outline the post, then complete it. [02:11] Go above and beyond and be super thorough. [02:21] Add custom images from stock photos or graphs. [02:31] Email everyone you link out to in your post. [03:00] Reach out to everyone who shared similar articles and direct them to your article. [03:38] Take the article and put it into Ahrefs and see who links to it. [04:05] Eric’s strategy: automate the process of sharing to your social channels using Zapier. [04:39] Blogging Checklist is a great plug-in for WordPress. [04:55] Have a word count, image count, source count, etc. and put it on the checklist. [05:24] Think about how to upgrade or repurpose your content. [05:43] That’s it for today! [05:45] 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/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #562, Eric and Neil discuss why you should probably not buy an expensive home. Tune in to hear on what you should actually be spending your money on. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: Should You Ever Buy a Multimillion Dollar Home? [00:34] The home Eric just sold was worth close to a million. [00:43] Neil has lived in some big homes. [00:55] Neil had an expensive condo on the Las Vegas Strip because the builder was selling them for less than their value. [01:20] Neil doesn’t think homes are valuable and a waste of money. [01:34] Neil’s friend has a two-bedroom condo and believes real estate is one of the worst investments. [01:52] You could make more money investing in Tech. [02:00] If you are interested in real estate, look up Grant Cardone, who has a funny YouTube channel all about it. [02:09] Eric’s mom is a real estate agent and she is always pushing him to buy a home. [02:31] Eric and Neil would rather invest in businesses and themselves. [03:19] All the homes Neil has ever purchased were for investments. He believes in staying in hotels and dumping money back into tech. [04:00] Instead of wasting money on a down payment, put it back into your business. [04:13] You are better off renting. [04:54] Warren Buffett talks about staying in your lane. [05:10] Eric and Neil focus on investing in what they are good at or that they understand. [05:38] If you choose to have a big home, use it to have dinners for entrepreneurs. [05:57] Dinners led to $200,000 in deals for Eric’s company. [06:15] Eric originally paid for dinners, but then found a way for his guests to pay for it. [06:23] He used Eventbrite and put a price on the ticket to dinner. [06:37] That’s all for today! [06:39] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special marketing goodies 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/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #561, Eric and Neil discuss how you can market your business for under $1,000. Tune in to hear how you can market your business for free! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Market Your Business for Less Than $1,000 [00:47] “Hand-to-hand combat” works in the beginning (making interpersonal connections). [01:17] It’s all about using cash flow from your first few deals to invest in basic marketing concepts. [01:43] Find people (via social media) who are unhappy with their marketing service and pitch them. [02:13] Offer free marketing in exchange for their positive testimonials. [02:24] One customer took a screenshot of his analytics and passed that on to other VCs. [02:45] Digital Telepathy did work for big names for free in exchange for having their name on the client’s website. [03:48] Look at Twitter List and Similar Web to get started. [03:57] Hunter.io is good for email marketing. [04:01] You can set up a mail-merge using GMASS. [04:12] There are plenty of free versions of helpful tools. [04:24] Listen to Eric’s other podcast, Growth Everywhere, to hear from your competitors and how they have succeeded. [05:00] Copy other people's tried and true methods! [05:25] One person listened to an episode of Growth Everywhere to pick up tips and now has a seven-figure business in Barcelona. [06:19] That’s it for today! [06:20] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special 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/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #560, Eric and Neil discuss ways that unhappy customers can actually help you grow as a business. Tune in to hear how you can turn failure into future success. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How Unhappy Customers Will Make You Grow - As Long As You Do This [00:55] Eric’s business grew 139% in 2017, but there was an “incident” and they lost 40% of their clients. [01:31] So they called an all-hands meeting and found out why they lost the clients. [01:50] Eric then reached out to the clients to see what their experience had been. [02:02] If you talk to your customers, it will help you figure out what needs to be fixed. [02:26] Neil calls former clients to see why they left and he performs surveys every month for current clients. [03:14] There is a process in place now at Eric’s company to help retain clients. [04:22] You need to do whatever it takes to improve. [04:36] Talking to unhappy customers helps you grow as a business. [05:18] If you please the majority of the customer base, they will remain loyal. [05:37] Eric personally reaches out to happy clients and he finds out what their goals are for the coming year. [06:24] That’s all for today! [06:26] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special 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/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #559, Eric and Neil explain when and why you should not hire freelancers. Tune in to hear how the allure of low-priced freelancers may end up costing your company more. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: When You Should NOT Use Freelancers [00:36] When you are looking for someone to do paid ads or an involved marketing activity, ideally this will be a full-time hire that you work with directly. [01:01] Freelancers have a few clients at a time and cannot give you their full focus. [01:25] As you’re trying to scale, you’ll find they won’t move as quickly as they want. [02:06] Because you are paying for their time, try to use time-trackers like HubStaff that takes screenshots of what your freelancers are doing. [02:54] As you start growing, freelancers will sometimes take your trade secrets and use them with other clients. [03:40] Freelancers are cheaper than employees, but it may hurt you in the long run. [04:02] Is it cost or is it price that is important to you? [04:15] If you hire the least expensive freelancer, what will it cost your company when you don’t get results? [04:49] If price is more important, you will probably lose out and cost your company more. [05:03] A full-time person may cost more up front, but cost your company less in the end. [05:15] When starting out, use freelancers. When you are trying to scale and grow, it is wiser to use full-time employees. [05:39] That’s it for today! [05:41] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

In episode #558, Eric and Neil explain why newsletters are dying out and how chatbots are the next big thing. Tune in to hear how to leverage your chatbots for better results. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How Newsletters Are Dead: You Should Do this Instead [00:45] Eric and Neil still have newsletters, but engagement is dropping. [01:01] It’s harder to get results because it can get filtered out or lost in the shuffle with the tons of emails everyone gets everyday. [01:26] You need to come up with new ways to connect. [01:38] Build up communities via social media and other outlets. [01:54] YouTube and chatbots have been great outlets for Eric and his clients. [02:11] Alex Becker does email a lot, but he is focused on building up his messenger subscribership. [02:36] Though newsletters are unpopular, they are still effective. [02:45] Eric and Neil have been moving towards shifting this message to chatbots. [03:15] Growth Everywhere added the Facebook Messenger App and they have seen great results from that. [03:38] ManyChat has growth tools that are helpful. [03:54] One of Eric’s most profitable campaign is shifting to chatbots. [04:15] Collect emails through things like content upgrades. [05:05] Always collect emails, because you don’t know when Facebook will change their algorithm and traffic will drop. [05:15] Zapier can work with ManyChat. [05:30] The bot will collect the email and it will be sent to your CRM and your webinar provider. [05:54] That’s all for today! [05:56] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

In episode #557, Eric and Neil discuss what they learned by putting a lot of money into YouTube Advertising. Tune in to hear killer tips for marketing yourself or your business on YouTube. Time-Stamped Show Notes:   [00:27] Today’s Topic: What We Learned by Spending $11K on YouTube Advertising [00:36] $11K is an arbitrary number. Chances are they have spent more than $100,000. [01:20] Eric found that when he started running ads on YouTube, his subscriber count doubled. [01:50] Neil did a test where he turned off his paid ads in early January. [02:18] His suggested video count continued to grow. [02:45] In general, it was higher than when he started ads. [03:06] He is trying to boost viewership and branding. [03:42] Most people run ads for views, but Neil was aiming to gain subscribers. [04:06] Tai Lopez is a great example of what to do using social media and YouTube. [05:15] He now has the most popular cryptocurrency-based podcast on a certain streaming service. [06:10] If you build your brand, you can use that to grow anything in the future. [06:20] That’s it for today! [06:22] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

In episode #556, Eric and Neil lay out five hacks that will help you increase your sales. Tune in to hear how you can convert more clicks into customers. Time-Stamped Show Notes:  [00:27] Today’s Topic: 5 Creative Ad Hacks That Will Double Your Sales [00:35] Hack #1: Use video re-marketing ads. [00:54] Create a video ad that shows what people will get when they purchase your service or product. [01:15] Hack #2: Use Facebook Analytics. [01:52] You will see diminishing returns on paid Facebook ads. [02:20] Agora is a great site that broke down the difference between 7, 8, and 9-figure earners. [02:39] Hack #3: You need to have upsells and downsells. [02:56] Hack #4: If you are able to consolidate your ads through one Page Post ID, it will help bring your CPCs and CPAs down. [04:03] Hack #5: Use the rule of 7: if people see you seven times, they are more likely to convert into customers. [05:10] Neil flooded the market with different types of ads on different platforms and he converted a large number of people. [05:44] Overall, the ROI numbers went through the roof. [05:49] That’s it for today! [05:51] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

In episode #555, Eric and Neil discuss ways in which marketing blockchain companies is like being in the Wild West. Tune in to hear their thoughts on successfully navigating this new technology. Time-Stamped Show Notes:   [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Market a Blockchain Company [00:47] One of the blockchain companies Eric is working with is very traditional. [00:51] They are doing media buys on a site with a lot of traffic, drive people to the landing page, and then get them on the email list. Then, they use a chat program, Telegram. It’s a high-level funnel. [01:34] The marketing is still very traditional. [01:42] It reminds Eric of the Wild West, because it’s new territory and people are getting paid in new currency. [02:16] Most people aren’t using traditional channels. [02:46] Banner ads and press aren’t doing much anymore. [03:03] Celebrity endorsements are passe. [03:15] You need to be focusing on the technology. [03:33] While it may be easier to raise money on the blockchain, that doesn’t mean it’s right for the long-term success of your business. [03:49] A lot of people raise money, but then don’t update their investors. [04:05] If you’re getting millions, you should at least update your investors. [04:42] Neil feels there is zero accountability in the startup industry right now. [05:18] In terms of marketing, “All the things that we talk about on this podcast are going to work.” -Neil [05:22] If you are looking to start a marketing agency, now is a good time, because everyone is doing things that have already been done. [05:43] Your brand is priceless. [05:54] Warren Buffett always writes a one-page update for his investors and top-level employees. [06:21] That’s it for today! [06:23] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping tool. [06:31] Tweet at Eric if you would like them to curate their podcast content. 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.

In episode #554, Eric and Neil share some of their daily habits that they believe contribute to their success. Tune in to hear some great tips for being productive!  Time-Stamped Show Notes:   [00:27] Today’s Topic: Daily Habits Shared by the World's Most Successful Marketers [00:36] You have to continuously learn, because things are always changing. [00:42] Eric is always checking Feedly to keep abreast of issues and changes in marketing. [01:30] Neil, one of the world’s most successful marketers, likes to make to-do lists and break things down into daily tasks. [01:42] He finds he learns the most from events and meetups. [02:15] Eric learned some vital techniques from the book The One Thing. [02:20] He uses Evernote to organize his to-do lists. He puts one thing at the top as the one major thing he absolutely must get done that day. [02:57] The tool that Neil looks at every day: Google Analytics. [03:20] He uses GA because it helps him see issues before they are even publicly announced. [03:43] He also uses Gmail and Skype daily, Ahrefs and SEMrush several times per week. [04:00] Daily tools that Eric uses: Pocket, Slack, Asana. [05:10] Neil likes Trello, as it allows him to see all his agency’s projects at once. [05:45] Daily meditation, journaling, and exercise are other great daily tools. [06:11] Neil’s daily habits are: waking up at 5am, working out for 30 minutes or so, eating breakfast, meetings throughout the day. [06:57] The more you can optimize your life, the better. [07:29] Neil also tries to take a walk every single day to clear his mind. [08:24] If you don’t want to spend money on expensive exercise classes, you can buy a walking/standing desk. [08:36] That’s it for today! [08:38] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

In episode #553, Eric and Neil reveal some important things that big agencies won’t tell you. Tune in to hear what you should know before signing on to work with a major marketing agency. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: What Most Marketing Agencies Won't Tell You [00:37] There are good and bad clients. [00:45] They measure this using the labor efficiency ratio. [01:04] When the whales are profitable, you are going to spend more time on that client. [01:24] Most agencies are pitching a dream, but they aren’t always able to deliver. [02:10] When you go to Chipotle or Taco Bell, you’re expecting the same thing every time. [02:20] When you have an agency with hundreds of clients, you are looking to deliver the same experience every time, to everyone. [02:32] Eric recommends that you actually have an in-house marketing person to have a laser focus on your goals. [03:12] Maybe start with an agency, then hire someone full-time, then consider using an agency again. [03:32] When you are starting out, you say “yes” to everything simply because you need to earn revenue. [03:40] When you’re established, you can be a lot more selective. [03:53] Eric feels the quality of his work suffered when he was doing every aspect of marketing and was trying to deliver on things that weren’t his or his agency’s strengths. [04:34] The quality of paid ads and SEO is better now, because he isn’t spread so thin. [04:56] People on Eric’s team want to add services, but he’s trying to temper that. [05:22] When working with an agency, you have to ask them what their strengths are. [06:04] You only want to work with people on things that they are good at. [06:22] Full-service agencies are big, brand names, with great revenue, but the quality suffered because they couldn’t possibly specialize in anything. [07:00] That’s it for Today! [07:04] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping tool. [07:09] Tweet at Eric @Ericosiu and let him know if you want them to curate their podcast content. 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.

In episode #552, Eric and Neil explain how you can get the best marketing tactics from other marketers. Tune in to hear how you can learn the latest techniques and get ahead.  Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How You Can Get the World's Top Marketers to Share Their Secrets with You [00:36] Once people start to share a tactic, it starts to get over-used. [01:00] So how do you learn about great tactics without becoming one of many using the same technique? [01:24] Neil thinks marketers like to party, spend money, and talk themselves up. [02:25] The creator of Growthhackers.com created the site because he wanted to have a community to share tips. [02:52] Marketers are going to try to outdo each other; by putting together a panel or roundtable, you will learn great techniques because they will all spill the beans just to impress each other. [03:36] You also want to share your tactics with others in order to get information back. [03:55] Neil likes to share tactics that work, but are kind of on their way out. [04:37] Sharing techniques that are new and on their way up, it will get spread around and overused. [05:07] The key is to be really careful who you share things with. [06:10] If you want marketers to share their secrets with you, your best bet is to go to conferences. [06:24] Conferences are where everyone wants to show off. [06:35] That’s it for today! [06:37] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping tool. [06:42] Tweet at Eric @Ericosiu and let him know if you want them to curate/bundle their podcast content. 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.

In episode #551, Eric and Neil lay out what makes a 7-figure business, 8-figure business, and 9-figure business. Tune in to hear great tips about how to gradually scale up your company. Time-Stamped Show Notes:   [00:27] Today’s Topic: The Difference Between 7-, 8- and 9-Figure Businesses [00:46] 7-figure businesses want a return on investment. [01:00] You want a 5:1 return, on average. [01:15] 8-figure businesses want to break even on their ad spend. [01:53] 9-figure businesses are willing to lose money at first. [02:13] They know the worth of a return customer down the road. [02:30] To compete, you need to outspend and have a funnel that converts very well. [03:00] “He who spends the most to acquire a customer, wins.” [03:58] Russell Brunson may lose money on the initial sale, because of his skill at setting up funnels he will recoup that money in the end. [04:30] It's hard to build a big business, unless you are willing to lose money up front. [04:45] You have to have the stomach for losing money. [05:00] The Microsofts and the HubSpots probably lost money their entire first year in business. [05:25] To build a successful 7-figure business, you have to hit product market fit. [05:41] 8-figure businesses capitalize on past successes and drop what isn't working. [06:15] 95% of the time, it's a process problem. 5% of the time it's a people problem. [06:54] When you're looking to go from 7, 8 or 9 figures, you need to look to your teams to start scaling up. [07:30] You have to know what you want and go for it! [07:34] That's all for today! [07:36] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

In episode #550, Eric and Neil briefly lay out seven important stats you need to track. Tune in to hear what you should absolutely be checking in on every week. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: The Marketers Checklist_7 Stats You Need to Check Every Single Week [00:38] #1: Check week over week search engine traffic. [00:59] Make sure you haven’t been affected by a Google update or penalty. 5 or 6% is a big change. [01:42] #2: Check cost per acquisition. [02:20] Look at gross profit LTB and fully loaded cap. [03:00] If you are not improving your LTB, you can’t compete. [03:25] #4: Check critical conversion rates [03:45] It can make a massive impact on your business. [03:56] #5: Check international traffic and conversion numbers. [04:15] When it’s big enough, consider translating to increase conversions. [04:50] If you don’t check, you won’t know where to expand! [05:00] #6: Track organic keywords. [05:05] Use Ahrefs or SEMrush to track. [05:30] You need to know which keywords will have big business implications. [05:52] #7: Use Google Search Console to check your impression count. [06:18] Your impression count may increase before your click count. [06:35] Try clickflow.io which will help you track this. [06:41] That’s it for today! [06:43] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

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 it. [05:25] Busy entrepreneurs should probably date other busy entrepreneurs. [05:30] That’s it for today! [05:32] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

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] Bitcoin is only ten years old. It may take another ten years to see greater success. [07:04] If you are not a long-term believer in what you are doing, don’t waste your time on it. [07:16] That’s all for today! [07:18] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

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 Eric’s team likes to use. It helps you understand how you are doing in terms of achieving your goal or goals. [06:41] Audit yourself every quarter! [07:22] To hit goals and succeed, you need to work with your team and be aligned with each other’s goals. [08:54] That’s it for today! [08:56] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

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 have to, but that won’t work for them in the long term. [04:32] Neil does more of everything that will pan out in the long term and ignores the bad marketing techniques. He likes to create more good will around his brand. [05:18] The Skyscraper Technique is more or less what Neil is doing. [06:00] Don’t worry about what your competition is doing if they are shady! [06:25] That’s it for today! [06:27] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

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. [07:22] Now, the marketer is a friend and network connection of Neil’s. [07:50] It’s easy to find a person’s email (try Hunter.io). [08:02] Take a risk and email people offering them something you think they would need. [08:43] That’s all for today! [08:45] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

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 with your website. [05:50] It will show people how to use your website and it’s highly customizable. [06:33] You can follow up with people after they’ve seen how your site works using Full Story. [07:02] Russell Brunson was giving away free MP3 players, but he created a funnel that got people to purchase his products and services. [07:45] He created video campaigns on how to retire using click-funnels. [08:18] Dollar Shave Club sold to Unilever for over a billion dollars. [08:43] Think about how to put a creative spin on things, like Squatty Potty and their bizarre/humorous ad campaign. [09:25] That’s all for today! [09:27] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

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 an entrepreneur, you’ll have a leg up on everyone else. [07:23] That’s all for today! [07:25] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

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. [05:32] Warren Buffett built an empire off of hard and consistent work. [05:51] Money magnifies your personality. [06:08] Focus on becoming a better person, not an overnight success. [06:35] That’s it for today! [06:37] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

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 luck, because you are trying a few different channels. [06:14] You can re-target people based on the content that they visited. [6:55] That’s it for today! [06:57] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.   ►Subscribe to our premium podcast (with tons of goodies!): https://www.marketingschool.io/pro   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.

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 financially successful. [03:12] As you are creating your business, your game plan is probably going to change, as will the industry in which you are investing. [03:55] In most cases, the business you start will most likely not be the business you end up with. [04:43] Warren Buffett didn’t get to where he is right away. He reached success at the middle point of his career. [05:03] Gary Vee started out helping his dad with a wine store, moved it online, began marketing it online, then eventually his career path became about marketing. He grew and adapted. [05:34] Things don’t blow up overnight: it takes hard work and persistence. [06:18] When Jeff Bezos started Amazon, they had little to no profit margin; today, it is a major corporation that brings in tons of revenue. [06:50] He’s a good example of a guy who stuck to his guns. [07:05] Once you focus on one thing, don’t be afraid to disrupt things. [07:18] Neil’s version of disruption is that he is creating software, but he wants to make it free and accessible to all; he believes software should be free. [07:50] Check out all the tools at NeilPatel.com or Quicksprout.com. [07:54] They just launched A/B testing and WYSIWYG, where any website can be CMS. [08:15] Ultimately, the message is to be patient, focus on one project, and stay the course. [09:00] Eric has other businesses, but they cost him time and money. If he could go back, he would only focus on the agency. [09:35] He thinks the agency would be five times as successful if he had focused solely on that. [09:44] That’s it for today! [09:46] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

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 data from this will help you adapt. [05:00] Google Authentication was performing well for a few years before it started tanking. [05:10] The market is moving at such a quick pace, things that worked 6 months to a year ago, will no longer be effective. [05:24] Rocket Fuel is a great book to refer to. It’s about being a visionary and an integrator. [05:49] Managing Oneself is another good resource. It talks about feedback analysis and will help you understand how to take stock of your strengths. [06:43] Hire people with skills that are complementary to your own. [07:00] Eric and Neil believe you need to be prepared for the future of marketing. Learn to adapt! Be comfortable with being uncomfortable. [07:22] That’s it for today! [07:25] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

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. The CEO simply called it a “billion dollar lesson”. [03:41] It’s important to have a plan for when your revenue tanks and learn from the mistakes that led you down this path. [04:45] Once everyone is on the same page with the same goal, you can get your company back on track. [05:00] Neil puts a person in charge of each aspect of the funnel or business process. [05:30] Once your revenue tanks, create your action plan. [05:52] Neil believes in firing the squeaky wheel, as opposed to considering it a lesson learned. [06:15] Survey your clients about their satisfaction levels. [07:04] Have a weekly sales meeting cadence, so it’s quick, informative, and concise. [08:10] Eric likes to use Ask Nicely for his surveys. [09:03] That’s it for today. [09:06] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

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 over 3,000 positive video testimonials on his website. [03:00] Everyone thinks these guys are scammers because there are a lot of affiliate marketer scammers. It is also because when people buy their products, the users don’t actually use the product. [03:40] If you take free, effective material from your blog and put it behind a paywall, people will inevitably complain and claim your tactics don’t work. In the end, it will come out that they didn’t even apply the tactics to their businesses. [04:45] Gossip doesn’t help you or anyone grow your business. It’s a waste of energy. [05:20] Instead of worrying who is a scammer, look at the products and techniques and use what works for your business. [05:51] That’s it for today! [05:53] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

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 to adjust your landing page to reflect this, but offer them a head’s up about the next sale if they give their contact information. [05:07] Look at the Jeff Walker Launch Sequence for reference. [05:30] Send multiple emails on the day before the sale ends or even on the final day. [06:11] Eric launched a product using urgency: it wasn’t based on expiration, but a one-time lower price offer. [07:03] That’s it for today! [07:13] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

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 way to drive conversions is through webinars. You can use Webinar Jam or Ever Webinar. Aim to make it 60 minutes long, with 30 minutes of education before your sales pitch. [06:22] Don’t sell your product for more than $2000, because your conversions will tank. [06:55] Give discounts and special offers in order to drive sales. [07:12] Have a cut-off for the discount, which will create a sense of urgency and exclusivity. [07:45] Consider collaborations with other up-and-comers. [08:28] Eric once bet an entire company (Treehouse) on his YouTube advertising plan. [08:50] If you don’t know how to make a webinar, check out Russell Brunson’s Perfect Webinar Formula or even his book, Dotcom Secrets. [09:11] That’s all for today! [09:17] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

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 which SEO is working and which needs improvement. [05:47] Click Flow is another great tool for tracking SEO. [05:58] Hack 6: Zapier helps organize your workflow and saves you time. [06:57] Hack 7: Buffer or Hootsuite social media schedulers can be used to schedule posts 10-20 times per day. Doing this will boost your Twitter traffic. [07:58] Meet Edgar is another social media scheduler that will help you plan ahead and score more Twitter traffic. Always re-post your blog entries! [08:50] That’s it for today! [08:52] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

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 to track how much time you spend on each client to determine profitability. [02:40] You can always draw up a Zero-Dollar Change Order, just to have a written trail of the changes in terms. [03:15] The third of fourth time the client tries to adjust the terms, point to the free Change Orders, and tell them you will have to charge them in the future. This way, you are protecting yourself. [03:49] iProspect charges based on an hourly rate. They will do whatever the client wants, because they are still getting paid for their time. [04:41] The hourly rate model is simple and straightforward, which prevent confusion and hard feelings. [05:27] Neil still does flat-rate pricing, but internally they track client hours and the ensuing costs. [05:42] Hubstaff is an invasive time-tracker, but works well for Eric and his company. [06:02] Toggl and Harvest are other great time-tracker options. [06:17] Ogilvy will charge by the hour, but will charge additionally for face-to-face work. [06:56] That’s all for today! [06:58] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special edition of Crazy Egg, the heat mapping 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.

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 “scaling”. [04:51] Once you get beyond the strategies that helped you reach 7 figures, think about what systems and processes you can build to reach 8 figures. [05:58] You have to be able to convey your vision to others (employees and investors), so that they can get on board and help you reach 8 figures. [06:20] Some people do not care for money and just want to live a quiet, relaxing life. [06:48] If you are one of these people, optimize your business for profit and don’t try to reach 8 figures. [07:12] Once you optimize your business, don’t spend too much and save your cash in order to float the “chill” lifestyle you desire. [07:42] Mergers and Acquisitions are another way to make quick, stable money. [08:15] If you look at Dentsu or Ogilvy, they have a number of different services and have grown through M&A. [08:42] Hitting the 7 figure mark is rare! [09:33] Once you reach 7 figures, you can’t take your foot off the gas. [09:44] Remember to CYA (Cover Your Ass): always have two to three months of expenses in the bank. [10:23] That’s it for today! [10:26] Go to singlegrain.com/giveaway if you want to get in on a special giveaway opportunity!  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.

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 with advanced segments you can duplicate, as well as using some templates he has built. [03:29] There is an article on Medium that has a few analytics hacks you can use. [03:37] Neil likes to see how quickly his site loads. [04:04] Look at your most popular pages and see the load times. Speeding them up will help boost your conversions. [04:41] Utilize Google Tag Manager. When you connect Tag Manager to analytics, you can check scroll depth and other cool analytics that will help you determine how engaged people are. [05:19] GTM Measure School is a great YouTube channel that will help you figure out Tag Manager hacks. [05:29] If you’re a content marketer, it’s important to know there is a tool within Google Analytics called “Content Groups”. You can set up content grouping to figure out how certain content is performing. [05:52] Content marketing is a hit or miss game, so you want to analyze topics and trends and see what is performing well. [06:02] By grouping your content, you will be able to better analyze content performance. [06:58] That’s it for today! [07:00] Go to singlegrain.com/giveaway if you want to get in on a special giveaway opportunity! 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.

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: Click on three buttons/check boxes on the top left (“CTR”, “Impressions”, and “Clicks”). [03:36] Step 4: Click on the radio button for “Pages”. [03:47] You want to see the pages that have a high impression count, but a low click-through rate. [04:17] Low click-through rates are the low-hanging fruit you want to optimize. [04:26] By changing the titles of these, it can help you change your click-through rate. [04:50] So, create a lot of content, see what performs the best in Google Search Console, go in and fine-tune your content (make it super detailed and try to maximize the traffic you can get from them. [05:15] No one knows why some pages rank and others don’t. That’s the big secret! [05:33] If you want the most traffic, you need to focus on quantity. [05:42] Write at least one article per day and don’t overlap your topics. [06:02] They built ClickFlow to help you manage the Google Search Console process. [06:26] Focus on creating quality content in mass quantities; over time, Google will start to see your site as an authority, which will cause your domain authority rise, and whenever you write new content, it becomes easier to rank. [07:10] Make sure you go after keywords that monetize. [07:27] That’s it for today! [07:29] Go to singlegrain.com/giveaway if you want to get in on a special giveaway opportunity! 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.

In episode #529, Eric and Neil discuss strategies for becoming "Instagram Famous." Tune in to her great tips on building relationships, growing your following, and attracting Likes. Time-Stamped Show Notes:  [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to be Insta-Famous Without Taking Off Your Clothes [00:37] Everyone on Instagram is either a celebrity or rich. The majority of the Insta-famous people are basically half-naked attractive people. [01:28] Eric follows Founder Magazine, because he likes their content and he believes they are adding value to his life. Tai Lopez is another account that Eric thinks ads value. [02:43] The more emotional content you use, the more engagement you will get. [03:13] If people don’t connect with you or your images, you won’t gain followers. [03:29] Engage with other users and respond to comments on your page as well as on other account pages. [03:57] Instagram tracks followers and likes; if the ratio is off, you won’t get promoted on the app. [05:10] Think about who you can build a relationship with via social media. This will help you grow your engagement and add followers. [05:45] You have to be able to tell a story in order to draw people in. [06:31] Partnerships with other users (photos, contests, etc.) will help you gain followers [07:02] If your content is truly amazing, it will get discovered. You always have to “one-up” people. [07:53] That’s it for today! [07:55] Go to singlegrain.com/giveaway if you want to get in on a special giveaway opportunity! 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.

In episode #528, Eric and Neil explain how you can be an event speaker without being a household name. Tune in to hear how you can eventually earn money and a following speaking at conferences. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Get Paid to Speak Even if Nobody Knows You [00:34] Neil shares the story about his early days of public speaking [01:00] He didn’t get paid at first and had to cover his own expenses. [01:26] A Harvard Football player now gets paid $25,000 for speaking gigs at financial firms regarding sales training. [01:33] The football player continuously reached out to every speaker bureau and eventually, they offered him paid gigs. [01:42] He also self-publishes books and then mails them out to the companies and people for whom he would like to work. [02:10] When you first start out, reach out to different conferences and offer your services. [02:26] The first speaking gig that Gary Vee (Gary Vaynerchuk) ever did, he asked for $5,000, because he wasn’t sure what kind of money he could get. [02:41] Now, Gary gets $100,000 per event. [03:11] Bryan Harris came out with a tool to help people get speaking gigs. [03:30] Make a prospect list to help you set your goals. [03:37] You can hire telemarketers from Upwork for about $30/hour to help you do cold calling. [03:52] It would be worth speaking for free at popular conferences, because it will help you build up your speaker resume. [04:34] Neil spoke about Wikipedia at the Search Engine Strategies Conference. He did not generate any revenue, nor did he gain any followers. [04:54] After doing a few more events for free, he eventually began to ask for money. [05:14] Go to the speaker bureau sites and see where those people are speaking, because those are the conferences that are paying. [05:25] Neil charged $5,000 for his first paid gig. [05:37] Eventually, he began charging more money. [06:03] That’s it for today! [06:05] Go to singlegrain.com/giveaway if you want to get in on a special giveaway opportunity! 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.

In Episode #527, Eric and Neil explain how you can quickly and easily create webinars. Tune in to hear some great tips for creating webinars and an explanation of why these could be key to your success. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Create a Webinar in Less than 45 Minutes [00:35] For those of you who already have content, you can turn it into a webinar. [01:01] For reference, look at The Content Reusage Workflow. [01:09] Eric recently looked at old content and repurposed some of it for a webinar. [01:21] However, if you don’t have any content yet, go to BuzzSumo, look at what topics are performing well, and then make your own webinar about those topics. [01:52] Check out SlideShare to see what the most popular presentations are. [02:18] You need to figure out how to transition people into leads or sales. [02:22] You want to do at least 30 minutes of education before you go into your pitch (max 15 minutes). [02:40] Follow all of that up with an offer for further webinars and opportunities. [03:20] Your pitch must be relevant to the topic covered in your webinar. [04:02] If you are selling a service, you can download a lead magnet or you can just offer your services at a discount for the first ten people to sign up. Create offers or opportunities. [04:42] Eric recently released a tool and offered a discount to the first people to sign up. [05:20] When you establish urgency, it causes people to take action. [05:37] Make sure to tease offers at the beginning of your webinar, so viewers will stay until the end. [05:52] If you are scheduling calls or selling a service, use Schedule Once to plug your offer. [06:04] If you are selling a product, use Webinar Jam’s countdown clock to help create the sense of urgency. [06:23] When you’re getting started, Google Hangouts is a great way to create free webinars. [06:27] Zoom and GoToWebinar are paid services you can also opt to use. [06:32] LeadPages is a great way to create landing pages for your site/webinar. [06:46] That’s it for today! [06:48] Go to singlegrain.com/giveaway if you want to get in on a special giveaway opportunity! 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.

In episode #526, Eric and Neil discuss the ways in which you can hook readers with a killer blog introduction. Tune in to hear their tips for creating great blog posts. Time-Stamped Show Notes:  [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Write a Killer Blog Introduction that Really Hooks the Reader [00:34] Neil likes something hard-hitting and quick, when it comes to blog entries. [00:56] Statistics really draw him in. [01:21] Conversational-style writing is also really appealing to Neil. Hooking people with a personal story is usually successful. [01:38] Neil likes to write in the first person, as it makes it seem more personal. [03:10] Eric likes reading things that are written by marketing copywriters, because they know how to write a good hook. [03:37] Eric likes looking at The Boron Letters and the book Breakthrough Advertising. [04:07] Perry Marshal said that your goal when writing an email is to hook them into the next email. [04:28] It’s important to focus on how to keep readers interested. [04:42] It must be authentic and fit your personality. [05:40] Take the signal that makes sense to you and adjust it to fit your style. [05:46] That’s it for today! [05:48] Go to singlegrain.com/giveaway if you want to get in on a special giveaway opportunity! 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.

In episode #525, Eric and Neil discuss the best way to market to people making more than $150K per year. Tune in to hear the exciting ideas they have to boost your reach and potential earnings. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: The Best Way to Market to Individuals Who Make Over $150K a Year [00:37] There was an article on the Salesforce Blog about podcasts. According to the article, 16% of the people who listen to podcasts make over $150,000/year. [01:01] In addition, that 16% listens to roughly five hours of podcasts per week. [01:07] So, if you want to target that 16%, you should consider starting a podcast to increase your traffic and sales. [01:18] Marketing School gets about 550,000 listens per week. [01:38] If you don’t want to create a podcast, you can simply advertise on a podcast. [01:55] You can target your ads towards a certain income group on Facebook. [02:28] You can target prominent Venture Capitalists on Twitter or similar types of people. [02:40] Eric likes the idea of targeting people through podcasts. The attention you get from a podcast is unparalleled. [03:05] If you create your own podcast, you can run your own ads to get more subscribers and listeners. [03:21] Eric and Neil considered using Russell Brunson’s method, which required giving away pre-loaded MP3 players. [03:55] iTunes has yet to open advertising for podcasts, but Spotify currently allows it. [04:00] Eric and Neil are planning to expand their marketing plan in 2018. [04:40] Wealthy people tend to listen to podcasts to gain skills that will make them more successful and effective at whatever it is that they do. [05:10] You can do AVM, which is targeting specific companies and accounts. [05:31] If you are delivering the right content to the right people at the right time, you are likely to close sales at a higher rate. [05:51] Marketing School episodes got shorter in 2017, but they started to focus on quality as well as quantity. They want to provide the best possible content to gain more followers. [06:44] Eric and Neil are keen to get your feedback on this podcast. If you like what you’ve been hearing, please leave a review! [06:47] That’s it for today! [06:49] Go to singlegrain.com/giveaway if you want to get in on a special giveaway opportunity! 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.

In episode #524, Eric and Neil discuss what to do when you get hit by a Google algorithm update. Tune in to hear why diversification is so important. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: What You Should Do When You Get Hit by a Google Algorithm Update [00:42] Eric likes to check Search Engine Roundtable, because they talk about algorithmic updates and signals from different SEO tools (Moz Cast). [01:02] He tries to correlate this information with things happening on his site and what steps he can take to fix the problems. [01:17] In December, Eric and Neil noticed their search traffic declining. So, they knew an update was happening. [01:48] They noticed people who were talking about losing their rankings. [01:57] SEroundtable is calling the current algorithm the “Maccabees Update”. [02:10] There is a trend where blogs are getting fewer hits. Sometimes you just have to wait it out and weather the storm. [02:55] Changing too many things in your content, could have adverse effects. [03:10] You don’t want to be reactionary. [03:41] Wait it out and follow the advice of the people at sites like SEroundtable. [04:13] You have to diversify. If you get hit with an algorithm change, that could be the difference between six or seven figures of business. [04:38] Organic traffic at Single Grain is about 60-70%. [05:02] To diversify his website, Eric would focus on emails. [05:20] Neil gets 50% organic traffic. [05:39] Eric tries to diversify further by focusing on the multiple touchpoints you can use to reach out to new followers (YouTube, etc.) [06:23] Neil is getting a million views per month. [06:50] Paid ads is a great way to get your numbers up. Companies wouldn’t keep spending money unless there was an ROI. [07:05] You can use services like Taboola and Outbrain, re-marketing pixels, and social media as marketing channels. [07:20] Tweet ten times per day and see if it increases your website traffic. Experiment! [07:40] Come up with ways to get increased traffic through your different marketing channels. [07:44] Use push notifications. [07:57] Drift or Facebook Messenger are great live chat options to gain followers. [08:07] You can tie Facebook Messenger in with Zapier. [08:21] Use the signals they are using to gauge their traffic and success. [08:41] That’s it for today! [08:43] Go to singlegrain.com/giveaway if you want to get in on a special giveaway opportunity! 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.

In episode #523, Eric and Neil explain how you can increase your social media traffic whether you have funding or not. Tune in to hear some basic ideas about how to gain new followers and increase your reach on social media. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Exponentially Increase Your Social Media Traffic [00:35] Within your content, block off specific pieces of it and make people Tweet or Share it to gain access to the full content. [01:07] This is an easy way to gain 700-1000 more followers. [01:53] Eric still likes using paid advertising. Even if you’re starting with a small budget, you can drive more clicks or page views by using Twitter ads. [02:37] They are allocating a certain amount of dollars to YouTube ads in order to promote their new video series. If you don’t have that kind of money, a few dollars a day can make a difference. [03:08] GaryVee (Gary Vaynerchuk) runs ads for his Youtube page and those have proven effective. [03:23] If you’re trying to get more social traffic, cross-promote throughout all your social media accounts. [03:50] Neil also puts re-marketing pixels on his site. [04:10] The rule of seven: if someone sees you online seven or more times, you are more likely to convert them into a follower/subscriber. [04:25] Eric really likes Meet Edgar, because it allows you to schedule posts across your different social media accounts. [05:00] He also likes If This, Then That or Zapier. When you have a new post, it will pull from the blog RSS feed and automatically posts it for you. [05:24] HootSuite, Buffer and the aforementioned scheduling tools can also hurt your business. You will get a bigger and better response from using Facebook’s own scheduling tool. [05:45] Neil tweets 40 times per day and can get 30,000 visitors per month! [05:39] Continually posting or re-posting content can get you more traffic. [06:10] That’s it for today! [06:11] Go to singlegrain.com/giveaway if you want to get in on a special giveaway opportunity! 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.

In episode #522, Eric and Neil outline ways that anyone can gain more Facebook fans without having to use paid ads. Tune in to hear their stellar advice on how to build a strong following. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Get Your First 1,000 Facebook Fans Without Paid Ads [00:36] Facebook is still important because they link back to other social media apps. [00:58] Blast your email list or whatever social assets that you have. [01:12] In your very first email, link to your Facebook page. [01:24] Use an exit pop-up on your website. For this, Neil likes to use Hello Bar on his Quick Sprout site. [01:33] Using this tactic, Neil gets about 1,000 fans per week [02:00] Think about who you can partner with for things like joint webinars; this will expand your reach. [02:40] You could get 50-100 more followers/subscribers doing collaborations. [02:58] If you want a lot of fans, join Facebook groups that relate to your business and participate. This means that you have to get in on conversations or even start them. [03:32] You can take shortcuts, but shortcuts won’t get you loyal fans. [03:41] “Give before you ask.” -Neil Patel [03:47] Neil and Eric give a ton of free advice in order to get return customers and to build an active and enthusiastic fan base. [04:17] Eric thinks giveaways are helpful to building a fanbase. KingSumo or Vyper are great ways to facilitate this. [04:59] Neil likes content gates: he blocks off certain content and makes it “premium” content that is only available to Facebook fans. [05:28] That’s it for today! [05:30] Go to singlegrain.com/giveaway if you want to get in on a special giveaway opportunity! 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.

In episode #521, Eric and Neil discuss how you can start to be successful with marketing. Tune in to hear specific ways you can achieve daily success as a content marketer. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How to Start Being Successful with Marketing [00:33] Establish a goal first, so you are not just shooting in the dark. [00:51] When you don’t have any set KPIs, it’s hard to nail anything down. [01:16] Once you have your KPIs, you want to break them down into specific small tasks that you need to complete in order to achieve them. [01:33] This way, as a marketer, you have a daily plan in order to hit your numbers. [01:48] A more specific goal would be to say, “I need to rank on Google for all the marketing-related terms.” [01:52] Then you do that by writing content and break your tasks down from there. You keep setting goal, upon goal, upon goal. It helps to break everything down into smaller bite-sized tasks. [02:26] You have to hold people accountable. [02:30] Their goal is to reach a certain number of YouTube viewers. To do this, they use a tool called 15Five and it checks in on your goals. [03:09] Document the process! [03:20] By the end of Q4, their goal is to have everything documented. In order to hand off your process to a new person and keep it seamless, you need to document your work. [03:55] You can use an internal Wiki to document your processes. [04:04] Document your wins and your losses so you can learn from them. [04:30] Eric and Neil found that when they gave more information before they asked them to become a lead, they are much more qualified and you collect more leads. [04:46] When they document, they also put in time stamps, because every six months to a year, they re-test they processes. [05:05] If you force people to Google Authenticate, you may lose business because people are worried about privacy. [05:44] You want to be able to have a feedback loop, but also use outside sources to gain knowledge about your company. Always be learning and innovating. [06:26] You’re going to make mistakes, but the key is to document and systematize everything. [06:47] Be ok with failure. [06:53] Eric received an anonymous feedback comment saying, “Less surprises, more planning.” However, they like to try new things very quickly and jettison whatever didn’t work. [07:30] That’s all for today! [07:32] Go to singlegrain.com/giveaway if you want to get in on a special giveaway opportunity! 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.

In episode #520, Eric and Neil talk about the year ahead in marketing and cover it all in six minutes. Tune in to hear what’s going to change and how to stay ahead of the curve in 2018. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: 6 Minutes of Marketing that Will Get You Ready for 2018 [00:35] It’s important to start looking at video and working on your video strategy. [01:10] The rate at which video is growing, it’s important to grab a slice of that pie. [01:30] Even Instagram has video! [01:42] Look at the struggling platforms. Facebook is trying to compete with YouTube, but they want different types of content from YouTube. You will get way more reach with certain types of video on Facebook. [02:25] Neil has 900,000 Facebook fans, 30,000 LinkedIn Connections, but his video views on LinkedIn equate to same amount as Facebook. [02:50] Snapchat has been getting their butts handed to them by Instagram. So, they’re willing to do whatever it takes to win. They will tweak their algorithms to your advantage. [03:13] LinkedIn will get you more listens and views than YouTube. [03:26] Twitter clicks get you pennies, but the clicks are connections being made. [04:15] Really focus in on the one thing that has been working for you and then double down on it. [04:40] How Eric and Neil have doubled down: Eric and Neil now sit next to each other in the studio, they post their show on Spotify, and they do live episodes at various conferences. [05:00] Ad costs are going to rise in 2018. [05:14] As the costs rise on AdWords and Facebook, you will have to: create a funnel, push upsells, and push downsells. [05:30] Without a funnel, it will be harder for you to compete. [05:49] Live chat is going to get exponentially better in 2018. Facebook has added the ability to add free Facebook Messenger Live Chat to your site. Drift has added a developer platform. Intercom will continue to innovate, as well. [06:12] That’s your six minutes! [06:13] Go to singlegrain.com/giveaway if you want to get in on a special giveaway opportunity! 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.

In episode #519, Eric and Neil give a few tips that they wish they had known when they were first starting out. Tune in to hear important tips that will help you succeed at content marketing. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: Simple Marketing Tips that We Would Give Our Younger Selves [00:34] Happy New Year! Welcome to 2018! [00:44] Tip #1: Build a brand. [01:08] One of the biggest thing Neil learned, is that you must always build your brand. Tactics are not as important as branding. [01:37] Whether you like a brand or not, the bigger it is, the more successful it is. [01:53] This doesn’t mean you can’t be a micro-influencer. Unity Influence compiles micro-influencers. [02:20] The first site Eric created was called “Light Show Videos” and he was obsessed with rankings, but when he tried to sell his site, he only got a $50 offer. [02:49] He would look at Black Hat Forums and Wicked Fire to learn all of the tactics that he thought would help him build his site. [03:05] To play the long game, you must build a brand. [03:33] It’s about long-term reach and flipping it into other opportunities. [03:51] Tip #2: It takes time, but you should always play the long game. [04:09] When speaking with a mentor, the ex-President of JBL, even he said it takes time to build a brand. [05:00] Tip #3: If you are a consumer-based marketer, stick with that. If you are a B2B type of person, stick with that and don’t switch back and forth. [05:41] Neil has a loyal following right now, so it would probably serve his audience to build upon his current brand. [06:10] Stay within your “circle of understanding” and build upon that. [06:35] An episode of “The Profit” covered the story of a Hollywood star who tried to start a brick-and-mortar store. Because it was beyond her skill set, it is not succeeding. [07:16] That’s it for today! [07:17] For our daily giveaway, go to singlegrain.com/giveaway for a special treat. 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.

In episode #518, Eric and Neil explain why it is very important to travel in order to successfully market to other countries and regions. Tune in to hear how traveling will help alter your perspective and the differences between some countries around the world.  Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: How Traveling Helps You Become a Better Marketer [00:34] Eric just got back from Japan and the trip gave him a lot of perspective. [00:49] He was invited to speak at an event and was given the opportunity to meet a lot of Japanese marketers. [00:52] He learned that LinkedIn isn’t popular there and people are more traditional in the work force. [01:15] A guy Eric met has his employees working from 7am to 10pm, which is a big difference from the American work culture. [02:15] The majority of the people in this world do not live in the US. If you really want to learn how to market to people in other countries, you have to travel. [02:35] Neil learned that Brazilians prefer to purchase from Americans over Brazilians. [02:42] In Brazil, when you do a payment plan, the law states that you must see the payment plan through. [03:06] Without traveling, you won’t understand what drives people to purchase. [03:22] The US is a melting pot, so traveling will be helpful to understand places within the country. [04:00] Eric met the CEO of a marketing agency and realized that in Japanese culture, it’s important to woo and entertain your clients in person. [04:47] Once you sign with an agency, the relationship spans years, unlike in the US, where people jump around a lot. [05:18] The cost to acquire a customer in Japan is more than in the US. [05:44] Their LTV (Life-Time Value) in Japan is almost double what it is in the US. [05:59] What Eric and Neil do in Japan wouldn’t work in the US. [06:25] In Germany they are very efficient, while Amsterdam is more laid back. [07:06] That’s all for today! [07:08] Go to singlegrain.com/giveaway for a special 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/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #517, Eric and Neil explain why you should be patient and play the long game. Tune in to hear what's changed in content marketing over the years, how long you can expect to wait to see results, and how many followers you need before things start really snowballing. Time-Stamped Show Notes: [00:27] Today’s Topic: Why You Should Play the Long Game [00:35] When Eric and Neil first started, you could get results within six months. [00:52] Now there are many potential marketing channels, so it takes different techniques and more time. [01:15] Now, it takes a year to a year and a half. [01:20] In the US, during 2017, Facebook had more advertisers than inventory. [01:37] The question is: when is it going to be too expensive to do paid advertising? [01:48] Go for the organic route, do it for two or three years: you will succeed. [02:13] The Panchenko marketing agency started small, but now is publicly traded and does $200,000,000 in business, [02:54] Americans tend to move onto the next thing over and over, while business people in Japan stick with on business for years. [03:15] Neil has been doing content marketing for sixteen years. [03:45] Neil started with blogging, but it has become so much more. Always play the long game. [04:04] Now, Eric and Neil get to call the shots about what they choose to invest. [04:30] Eric’s cousin works at a B2B marketing agency and gets most of his customers from old content he created. [05:00] This doesn’t mean new stuff isn’t working, it just means it will work in the future. [06:23] Eric has a great metric for content marketing. The URR (Unsolicited Response Rate) is important to gauge how well your content is working. [07:16] Once you get to 10,000 or so followers, it will continue to snowball from there. [07:31] That’s it for today! [07:32] Go to singlegrain.com/giveaway for a special 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/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.