Marketing Speak | Take Your Marketing To The Next Level

As marketers, we often make a lot of assumptions about what people want and how they'll behave when presented with certain information. Occasionally, we have a study or two to backup our hunches but often we rely on gut instinct and a few insights glean from the collective wisdom of our peers to get us over the line. Usually it's enough. But what if you were able to go beyond the general consensus, the conventional wisdom and access hard data about what works and what doesn't? Unfortunately, it's rare that someone takes a systematic approach to uncovering the underlying principles that drive human behavior and decision making and applies them to marketing. For the last 25 years, that's exactly what Dr. Flint McGlaughlin has been doing through his brands MECLABS, Marketingexperiments.com and Marketing Sherpa. Flint has been using the web as his testing ground in conducting behavioral experiments and real world situations to gain data on human decision making.  What has emerged from Flint's research is a repli

As marketers, it's really important for us to understand what makes people tick, our target audience in particular. We learned a lot from last week's episode with Dr. Robert Cialdini, author of Influence and Pre-suasion. Now, we're going to continue to dive deep into people's brains and why they do what they do, and how we can rewrite their source code, installing new tiny habits that change their lives and their destinies. And of course, what you learn today about habit formation can help you install the habits you've been wishing you had for years. For example, hitting the gym, quitting smoking, waking up early, creating a morning ritual that you actually stick with. So this is a game-changing episode for you personally.  Today's guest in this episode number 202 is Dr. BJ Fogg. BJ is a world-renowned behavior scientist with deep experience in innovation and teaching. He runs the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University. He also teaches his models and methods and graduate seminars. On the industry side, B

Persuasion, the ability to persuade. It's a core skill that every entrepreneur should be adept in. Without it, you'll probably find it hard to raise capital, attract clients, or even close a sale. Thankfully, becoming a master persuader is relatively straightforward. All you have to do is invest a little time and effort into learning a few basic principles, six of them to be exact. Those principles are outlined beautifully in the bible of persuasion, the book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by our guest today Dr. Robert Cialdini or Bob as he likes to be called by. These universal principles of persuasion are as follows. Number one, reciprocity. We tend to reciprocate even if we really don't want to. This isn't just because of social pressure, it's in our genes even. Hare Krishna, for example, want to give you a flower, but you'll go out of your way to avoid them so you don't get stuck with a flower you don't even want and feel obligated to make a donation. But you will make that donation even thoug

You and I have made it to episode number 200 together. This, my friend, is a milestone. It was pretty awesome when we got to episode 100. But now, we are at 200. This is almost four years in the making, my friend. I couldn't be happier that you have joined me on this journey. I want you to be with me for the next 200 episodes as well. This episode, in particular, I'm quite proud of because it is a culmination of some of my favorite knowledge bombs. I have my favorite interviewer in the world interviewing me, this is my wife, Orion Talmay. She has her own wonderful podcast, Stellar Life. She interviews some of the most amazing people in the world—big-time authors, speakers, personal development experts, and so forth. You know what? Couples who podcast together stay together. You're going to love this episode. It's got a lot of good stuff and we go off on some really interesting tangents that may not be directly related to marketing but will enhance your life, I promise. Now, without any further ado, on with

Link Building is an essential component to SEO, yet it is often given short shrift, probably because so much of it is outside of our control, at least in comparison to on-page SEO. While the on-page stuff can be quite technically complex in terms of the diagnosis and the implementation, after all, that's why a lot of companies bring me in to help them, at least it's pretty straightforward and that you are the master of your own destiny. Either you implement, or you don't. With link building, not so much. There's a lot of spray and pray happening, which obviously isn't very effective.  Effective link building is digital public relations. It's also mastering the science of persuasion- that wildcard element of the webmasters, bloggers, journalists deciding to link to your site doesn't have to be so much outside of your control. Yet too many businesses wind up throwing link building and the outreach side of it in particular into the too hard basket. This is a shame because it's often a massive missed opportunity

If you're like most business owners, you probably hate cold calling. I can relate. I hate it too. Selling isn't easy, not even for the raging extrovert who loves the limelight and chatting with random strangers. From a young age, we're taught to be humble and self-effacing. So it's no surprise that most of us find hyping up ourselves, our company and its products a little uncomfortable. Yet, sales is as necessary as the air we breathe. Without sales, a business can't exist. Even if you didn't have to interact with prospects and could leave it all to the sales team, it's still part of your job to get out there and evangelize your company.  Today, I'm joined for this episode number 198 by sales expert three-time author and HubSpot partner Wes Schaeffer, also known as the Sales Whisperer for a crash course in sales. Wes will be revealing the biggest mistakes business owners make in sales. We'll be talking about the difference between sales and marketing and the method great products sell themselves. I hope you'

If you have a unique skill or have cracked the code on running a successful business, sharing your heart and wisdom with others can provide you with an expanded product offering and generate a lucrative income stream. The main hurdle is finding a simple and scalable way to monetize your knowledge. If only there was a solution.  Enter Jonathan Cronstedt or JCron, as he prefers to go by, our guest for today's episode number 197. He's the president of Kajabi, an online platform designed for the digital education entrepreneur, that simplifies the process of creating marketing and selling digital products, like courses, and in the process generating millions of dollars of revenue for its users. Prior to working at Kajabi, JCron was the general manager of Digital Learning Systems at Success Magazine and the CEO of DigitalMarketer.  Get ready to learn what it takes to produce a profitable course, host your own events, and even start your own mastermind group. If you're an expert looking to diversify your revenue str

The traditional view of the entrepreneur is someone with superhuman stamina who works day and night to get their vision off the ground. For a long time, it was simply accepted as part of the culture that people who wanted to succeed work 14-hour days and spent their weekends buried in spreadsheets and contracts. On this episode number 196, we're going to hear from a man who embraced this lifestyle 100%, then he realized his mistake. I'm talking about author, podcaster, and entrepreneur Chris Ducker. Chris was so focused on building his business that he worked long hours and neglected his personal health and family. Then in 2009, he suffered shocking burnout that made him question everything he knew about work. Exhausted, he knew he had to make a change. He overhauled his business, embraced outsourcing, and by 2010, he was working an average of six hours a day and spending more time with his family. Not only was he happier and healthier, but even managed to start a second business while working less. If you'v

For the serious SEO practitioner, Ahrefs is a tool and brand that we're already well aware of. It's a powerful platform for many things, including competitor analysis and keyword research. As you can imagine, an awesome marketing tool like Ahrefs needs an awesome chief marketing officer, and that's where Tim Soulo comes in. Tim is a digital marketing thought leader, a frequent speaker at events around the globe, and a publisher of cutting-edge research and opinions on the Ahrefs blog. Before taking on the CMO role at Ahrefs, Tim forged his own path in the digital marketing world for more than a decade, building successful online businesses, and becoming an expert in SEO and the process. On this episode number 195, Tim and I will be delving into the most pressing issues in SEO right now, including best practices for link building, content creation, building authority online, and featured snippets. If you want the latest on SEO from the CMO of one of the biggest online digital marketing tools, tune in.

What's the difference between a viral video campaign that gets millions of views, shares, and likes and an equally valuable one that languages in the backwaters of YouTube? Daniel Harmon is the co-founder and the creative visionary of the Harmon Brothers. You may not have heard of the Harmon Brothers but they're a big deal. The agency has delivered over 1.4 billion video views—that's B, billion—with over $350 million in consequent sales to their client lists which includes brands like Squatty Potty, Purple, Chatbooks, FiberFix, and Poo-Pourri. On this episode number 194, Daniel will reveal the Harmon Brothers' unique approach to a viral video, which has been so successful that they've launched online courses teaching their techniques at the Harmon Brothers University, and published a book explaining their methods, From Poop To Gold. If you've ever wondered if there's a proven formula for creating a viral ad, stick around because you're about to learn from someone who's basically unlocked the secret to succes

Affiliate marketing can be lucrative, but it's an industry where only the strong survive. My guest for this episode number 193 is Ian Fernando. Ian is a digital marketer who cut his teeth in the affiliate marketing space for over 15 years, building a highly profitable business, and developing innovative monetization strategies. Ian has also appeared as a speaker at conferences around the world, developed affiliate marketing tools, and even built and sold a successful company in the early years of his affiliate marketing career. As influencers, podcasters and other content creators look to affiliate marketing for ways to generate a steady stream of revenue, Ian's wealth of knowledge of what works and what doesn't is only becoming more valuable. From monetization to mobile advertising, to cutting-edge strategies in affiliate marketing, this episode is going to provide amazing value for anyone who has ever wanted to monetize a website. 

How do you convince someone to take action? It's the eternal dilemma of the marketer. Unfortunately, too many people rely on their guts rather than facts and data when it comes to conversion strategies. Optimizing for conversion means understanding your customer's journey holistically—from the Google search to the shopping cart. It's about ensuring your copy, design, and overall user experience work harmoniously to gently persuade your customers to make that purchase or to sign-up for your newsletter.  Bryan Eisenberg is a master of conversion and user experience and internationally recognized as an authority in online marketing. Bryan, along with his brother, Jeffrey, has helped companies like Google and NBCUniversal boost their conversion rates and massively increase their bottom lines. Both brothers are also internationally sought-after speakers and authors of several bestselling books including Call to Action and Waiting for Your Cat to Bark.  On this episode number 192, Bryan and I would dig into the n

Building a website isn't that hard. Anyone can buy a domain and throw up a few pages of content into a plug and play website builder, like WordPress, Wix or Squarespace, but building a website that people actually want to use and even enjoy using, that can be incredibly difficult. It takes research, patience, and a deep understanding of the customers' needs, motivations, and desires. User Experience isn't just about good design. It's a crucial part of your customer journey and something that can impact not only how your customers feel about your brand, but how you rank in Google. Kelly Goto is a designer and speaker with a focus on UX design and mobile ethnography. She's worked with brands like Netflix, Citrix, Hyundai, and Sony to develop exceptional user interfaces. And she's the author of Emotional UX, and of the classic book, Web Redesign 2.0. On this episode number 191, Kelly will be revealing some of the most effective strategies for streamlining your user experience, including expert tips on usability

Some of the biggest influencers and internet celebrities of the 21st century rose to fame via YouTube. While you may think that they happened to get lucky by being in the right place at the right time, there’s actually a lot of work that goes into a successful YouTube channel.   YouTube has a tremendous audience--it’s the second largest search engine after Google--but you need to be smart about how you create, optimize, and format your content if you want to go viral.   One man who lives and breathes YouTube is Derral Eves. Derral is the founder and CEO of Creatus and VidSummit, and one of the first people to be a YouTube-certified expert in audience growth. He’s also an top-tier video marketer, and has produced several viral video campaigns himself, including Squatty Potty’s pooping unicorn ad, which won a Webby Award.   This episode is packed with massive value for anyone who has ever uploaded a video to YouTube. Derral and I will be talking content, algorithms, recommendation engines, and plenty more fun s

Every brand has a social media strategy. But which platforms should you focus on? Most businesses invest their time and money in the bigger networks - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and so on. Having a presence on these sites is a given, but what if there were other sites that actually delivered a bigger impact and ROI? Brent Csutoras is a digital marketing consultant, futurist, top-tier speaker, and managing partner at Search Engine Journal. With over 13 years of experience in search engine optimization, he surely knows this stuff. Brent is also an expert in one of the more underrated social networks out there - reddit. Historically, reddit has been a notoriously difficult online platform for brands to navigate. But for those who are persistent and savvy enough to leverage it, the payoff can be huge. After all, reddit users are some of the most influential people on the web and often make or break viral content. If you're looking to get an edge over your competitors online, this episode number 189 i

Digital publishing is difficult in the 21st century. The competition is tight and the industry is getting more and more saturated because of the internet’s open-source advantage. But one company that really stands out today is Digital Trends. In fact, it’s the largest independent tech publisher in the U.S. with over 30 million visitors per month. Here with me today is the co-founder of Digital Trends, Dan Gaul. On this Marketing Speak episode, Dan and I talk about Digital Trends’ humble beginnings and what sets it apart from the competition. Tune in for some of the best tips on how to maintain massive websites composed of hundreds of thousands of pages from creation down to promotion.

For years, you’ve probably heard people say that you should be using video in your marketing. It makes sense. After all, YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google. If you don’t have a YouTube strategy, you’re missing out on a ton of traffic and a massive opportunity to promote your brand. While creating video content is cheaper and easier than ever, it can still be intimidating if you’re unfamiliar with the medium or if you’re a perfectionist like me. If you’re ready to unlock the power of video marketing, keep reading because this episode is going to be a masterclass from a true expert. Sunny Lenarduzzi has been called a master marketer by Entrepreneur.com. She’s helped brands like Hootsuite develop winning social media and video strategies and she runs her highly successful YouTube channel, which has amassed over 260,000 followers and has been praised by Forbes. From scripting to why you need a loyal community of fans, Sunny will be revealing tried and tested techniques to help you leverage v

Podcasting is huge right now. Yet, many podcasters struggle to make money or generate leads from their podcasts. Some even have trouble building an audience or producing consistent, engaging content. If you’ve confronted any of these problems or thinking about dipping your toe into the world of podcasting, then you’ll want to know what my guest for this episode has to say. Like me, Nicole Holland was an early adopter of podcasting. She has now moved on to using her expertise to help others leverage podcasts to build their brands, generate leads and develop relationships with highly influential people in their niche. If you’re wondering about the tricky techniques people use to make money from podcasting, how to refine your content or how to get more readers, this episode is going to provide you with some incredible tips and strategies as Nicole and I have tried them firsthand.

Have you ever had a numerology reading? Are you superstitious about numbers? My guest is Blair Gorman, the Founder of Numerologist.com, one of the most popular and successful numerology sites on the web. You may be wondering what numerology has to do with marketing? Whether you swear by your destiny number or not, you can definitely learn some amazing lessons about digital marketing from this show. That’s because Numerologist.com is a powerful innovator in online marketing and has been for years. They are so innovative that at one time Google used them as a case study. Blair is often miles ahead of his competitors when it comes to embracing cutting-edge techniques. He’ll be talking about interactive Video Sales Letters or VSLs, augmented reality, virtual reality, social media, how to write killer copy and most importantly, how to incorporate it all into a marketing strategy that generates impressive growth. Number 185, which is this episode’s number, in numerology is all about professional success, material a

No one wants to wait around for a website to load. If you want customers to buy from you online, you need to give them what they want quickly. Google understands this better than anyone. That’s why they created AMP or Accelerated Mobile Pages. AMP is a technology that allows Google to serve up from its cache a trimmed down version of your mobile pages, thus massively reducing load times. Not surprisingly, using AMP can increase conversions and reduce bounce rates. In this episode, you’re going to get the low down on AMP from Google’s very own Developer Advocate, Ben Morrs. Ben and I will be deep diving into the technical aspects of AMP with plenty of insider tips on how to get the most out of it for your website. Ben will also be making his case for why nearly every website should implement AMP. He’ll be revealing the best way to get it up and running on WordPress. If you get any traffic at all via mobile, this episode is going to provide immense value. This is a rare opportunity to hear some best practices f