Monday, August 31, 2015
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Two Ways to Turn Facebook Fans into Paying Customers
Jon Loomer has been using Facebook for business since 2007. And despite the ever-changing landscape, Jon has continued to thrive by marketing on the platform. Jon is now a leading Facebook marketing expert, and in this episode of Technology Translated, it’ll be clear why.
When host Scott Ellis asked Jon to come on his show, he had no idea what a treat his listeners were in for.
By the middle of this episode, listeners will recognize the gold mine of information Jon is sharing, including how he executed one campaign that converted Facebook fans to email subscribers at the whopping rate of 92%.
It might sound to good to be true, but tune in and hear Jon describe how he did it, and it’ll all make sense.
In this 24-minute episode of Technology Translated, host Scott Ellis and Jon Loomer discuss:
- The state of Facebook business pages
- How to build your Facebook audience the right way
- The audience targeting priority list
- The best starting point for Facebook marketing success
- A dead-simple breakdown of Facebook retargeting
- The Facebook tools you’re not using enough
- How to build a targeted email list through Facebook
- How to filter out the wrong audience to get to the right one
- What delivering value before you ask for anything really looks like
- Jon’s two pieces of advice for anyone just starting out with Facebook advertising
Technology Translated on iTunes
Rainmaker.FM
Rainmaker.FM is the premier digital commerce and content marketing podcast network. Get on-demand digital business and marketing advice from experts, whenever and wherever you want it.
The post Two Ways to Turn Facebook Fans into Paying Customers appeared first on Copyblogger.
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What Craft Beer and Food Trucks Can Teach Us About the Power of Collaboration
Your fellow Showrunners, even those serving the very same niche(s) that you’re serving, are not your enemies. 95 percent of the world has no idea what you’re doing as “podcaster,” so don’t turn a cold shoulder to the few who do.
This week’s episode of The Showrunner begins with a discussion about the value of meeting your listeners in person when you get the opportunity to do so. Hosts Jerod Morris and Jon Nastor offer up a few actionable ideas on how to bring the topic up with your audience.
Then, for the final time, they harken back to their experience at Podcast Movement for inspiration.
This leads to a conversation about the power of cooperation, collaboration, and craft beer (yum!).
Seriously: there is a lot to learn from how craft breweries have banded together in their battle for market share against the big, bad beer bullies. It’s similar to how food trucks have joined forces to survive despite numerous forces working against them.
As Roman Mars said at Podcast Movement, “95 percent of the world doesn’t know what the ***k we do.” This is one reason why podcasters must fight the urge to see competitors as threats, and instead see them as potential allies who will raise all boats in the ever-growing podcasting tide.
Then Jerod and Jon turn to their listener question, which could have carried an entire episode. “What do we do when our podcasts start to lose traction?” They both have a lot to say about this, with Jerod concluding the section with something akin to a locker room speech for scuffling Showrunners everywhere.
Finally, they bring you this week’s podcast recommendation from the podcaster herself: Sonia Thompson explains why you should check out her new show, I Am The One.
Listen, learn, enjoy:
The Showrunner on iTunes
Rainmaker.FM
Rainmaker.FM is the premier digital commerce and content marketing podcast network. Get on-demand digital business and marketing advice from experts, whenever and wherever you want it.
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The Zen of Measurement, Optimization, and Focus
In this new series on The Mainframe, hosts Tony Clark and Chris Garrett discuss the importance of the right metrics in growing your business, and why you should not be paralyzed by math.
In this episode of The Mainframe, Chris Garrett and Tony Clark discuss:
- How you can determine the correct metrics for your business
- Where to start, and what you need to focus on
- Why the big Silicon Valley tech companies are not the right businesses to model
The Mainframe on iTunes
Rainmaker.FM
Rainmaker.FM is the premier digital commerce and content marketing podcast network. Get on-demand digital business and marketing advice from experts, whenever and wherever you want it.
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The Problem with the ‘Hell-For-Leather’ Writing Movement
As of late, it’s fashionable to write hell for leather. In fact, there’s a hot cottage industry in the writing culture. But is it good for the writing community? Or detrimental?
For lack of better terms, let’s call this trend the “The Hell-For-Leather Writing Movement.” Or HFLWM.
You see HFLWM in titles like “How to Write Fast,” “Write an Article in 20 Minutes,” and “How Fast Can You Write?”
Growing content demands and aggressive editorial schedules shove this thinking into our faces. But it gets empirical with 5 Personal Writing Metrics Every Content Marketer Should Track by Nate Baker at Raven.
And it also gets personal.
In this 7-minute episode of Rough Draft, Demian Farnworth discusses:
- If tracking your writing could make you write faster
- Why it’s a bad idea to compare writing to walking
- A more reasonable stretch goal than “writing faster”
- When writing faster is appropriate
- The perfect metaphor that describes how a serious writer revises
- And more!
Rough Draft on iTunes
Rainmaker.FM
Rainmaker.FM is the premier digital commerce and content marketing podcast network. Get on-demand digital business and marketing advice from experts, whenever and wherever you want it.
The post The Problem with the ‘Hell-For-Leather’ Writing Movement appeared first on Copyblogger.
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3 Easy Ways to Expand Your Creativity
Imagination is more important than knowledge. – Albert Einstein
Remember when you were little and the best gift of all was a large cardboard box?
That box could be anything from a small family home to the vanguard of an intergalactic attack fleet. With a few hastily drawn lines in permanent marker — and a wild imagination — we could go anywhere and be anything.
If you were given an empty box to play with today, would you find as many fascinating uses as you could back then?
As adults we tend to keep our imaginations locked in tightly controlled boxes — in case of emergency break glass.
We even schedule “brainstorms” as if it’s only appropriate to free our minds at a given time and in a specific environment. Are we afraid of what might happen if our imaginations come unglued?
It is only by being creative that we can create anything remarkable.
Like our writing muscles, our imaginations need regular attention and exercise if they are to serve us well. It’s so easy to get stuck on rails, doing what we always do, thinking the way we always think, producing what we always produce. Occasionally we need to break out of the norm and expand our repertoire, think differently, and keep our imaginations well-oiled.
Next time you need to create something new and original, try these creativity-boosting techniques:
- Connect the Dots
Find connections between seemingly unrelated concepts such as a cardboard box and copywriting.
- Change Your Perspective
Put yourself on the other side of an argument, or imagine yourself as a spectator. Even more wild, what would the world be like from the perspective of a small child, or even a paper clip?
- Switch Modality
If you tend towards the visual, attempt to think in terms of words and feelings. Writers habitually emphasize words so grab some crayons and draw instead. Logical left-brain people might spend time daydreaming to gain a fresh perspective, while intuitive right-brain people might try to solve a complex puzzle.
When you challenge yourself to use your brain in an unusual way, those creative juices truly start flowing. And it’s usually then that you arrive at an insight that has real potential.
What methods do you use to begin a creative project? Join us on LinkedIn to talk about them.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published on August 7, 2007
Chris Garrett
Chris Garrett is Chief Digital Officer at Copyblogger Media. He helps Copyblogger serve our customers by combining marketing strategy with technology. Connect with Chris on Twitter.
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Wednesday, August 26, 2015
How to Effectively Publish on LinkedIn, Part 3
In this final episode about publishing to the Pulse Network, you’ll hear directly from special guest Katie Carroll, Social Media Editor at LinkedIn Pulse.
The Missing Link hosts Sean Jackson and Mica Gadhia ask Katie the burning questions sent in by audience members.
In this episode of The Missing Link, hosts Sean Jackson and Mica Gadhia — along with special guest Katie Carroll — discuss:
- Why LinkedIn Pulse is where you want to be
- How to understand content duplication
- How to build traffic on LinkedIn
- Best practices for self promotion (you’ll definitely want to hear this again)
- A cool trick for getting your articles noticed by the Pulse team
The Missing Link on iTunes
Rainmaker.FM
Rainmaker.FM is the premier digital commerce and content marketing podcast network. Get on-demand digital business and marketing advice from experts, whenever and wherever you want it.
The post How to Effectively Publish on LinkedIn, Part 3 appeared first on Copyblogger.
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How to Optimize Your Headlines for Content Discovery with Vinegar (Before You Die of Cholera)
Are you curious how the beginning and end of this headline actually fit together? It’s quite a promise to deliver on. Well, hosts Demian Farnworth and Jerod Morris do just that on this week’s episode of The Lede, and they improve your content discovery in the process.
And that’s important, because optimizing your content for discovery is a foundational principle of SEO on the modern web. And the element that most influences whether your content gets discovered is the headline.
On this episode of The Lede, hosts Jerod Morris and Demian Farnworth discuss:
- What they mean by “content discovery”
- A short history of content discovery
- The change in editorial strategy that led one major publication to a monthly visitor jump of ~13 million
- The elements that make a great web writer and content producer
- What traits a headline needs in order to cut through the noise and get your content discovered
- A real-life demonstration of the 4 U’s (that will make the headline make more sense)
- Resources you can use to improve your headline writing
The Lede on iTunes
Rainmaker.FM
Rainmaker.FM is the premier digital commerce and content marketing podcast network. Get on-demand digital business and marketing advice from experts, whenever and wherever you want it.
The post How to Optimize Your Headlines for Content Discovery with Vinegar (Before You Die of Cholera) appeared first on Copyblogger.
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One Product Does Not a Business Make
Today’s guest on Hack the Entrepreneur is the founder and CEO of Digital Marketer, where he blogs and coaches for the Digital Marketer Lab and other training courses. He started marketing online from his dorm room in 1999, and has worked in over 500 different markets.
In the last three years, he and his team have invested over $15,000,000 in marketing tests, and have generated tens of millions of unique visitors.
He’s also a sought-after public speaker and consultant, and his work has impacted over 200,000 businesses in 68 countries.
Now, let’s hack …
Ryan Deiss.
In this 36-minute episode of Hack the Entrepreneur, host Jon Nastor and Ryan Deiss discuss:
- Why you should aim to become a Chanel business
- Not being fixated on a product, but being in love with a market
- How opportunity is everywhere (grab it)
- The difference between making money and keeping money
- How and why to not get the answer you want to hear
Hack the Entrepreneur on iTunes
Rainmaker.FM
Rainmaker.FM is the premier digital commerce and content marketing podcast network. Get on-demand digital business and marketing advice from experts, whenever and wherever you want it.
The post One Product Does Not a Business Make appeared first on Copyblogger.
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How to Avoid Getting Sucker-Punched by Internet ‘Facts’
Don’t you love those Internet facts? You know, the ones that aren’t facts at all, they’re fodder for our own confirmation bias, and weapons in the Outrage Wars.
In the early days of the social web, we thought that bringing people together would create a knowledge utopia. What we got instead was a battleground of competing ideas — many of them misguided or just plain wrong.
In this 20-minute episode of Confessions of a Pink-Haired Marketer, host Sonia Simone talks about:
- What a faked chocolate study showed about our own gullibility
- The scary power of our own bias
- How “Internet facts” can hurt business
- The pitfalls of content marketing best practices
- Why your data is more important than big data
Confessions of a Pink-Haired Marketer on iTunes
Rainmaker.FM
Rainmaker.FM is the premier digital commerce and content marketing podcast network. Get on-demand digital business and marketing advice from experts, whenever and wherever you want it.
The post How to Avoid Getting Sucker-Punched by Internet ‘Facts’ appeared first on Copyblogger.
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Why These Famous Time-Management Techniques Are Ruining Your Productivity
Most creative people will take your head off if you butt in while they are “flowing.”
But that’s exactly what the Pomodoro technique does, a popular time management trick designed to boost your productivity.
The concept is simple: set a kitchen timer for 25 minutes and work until it rings. Then take a short break.
Eugene Schwartz swore by a similar method. He gunned for 33.33 minutes (not sure how he managed the .33 part given he wasn’t using a digital clock — I guess he eyeballed it).
During those 33 plus minutes he could do anything he wanted: stare out the window, drink coffee, drool on his wrist, or write the ad he needed to write.
The hitch? He couldn’t leave his seat.
The hope was he’d get so bored he’d just write. And soon enough that’s what would happen.
And now, fortunately, the recommended burst of focus time is getting longer. And that’s a good thing.
In this 5-minute episode of Rough Draft, host Demian Farnworth discusses:
- The rule of 52 and 17 (it’s random, but is supposed to up your productivity)
- How resumption lag ruins productivity
- Why it’s important to find a rhythm that fits your disposition
- And more!
Rough Draft on iTunes
Rainmaker.FM
Rainmaker.FM is the premier digital commerce and content marketing podcast network. Get on-demand digital business and marketing advice from experts, whenever and wherever you want it.
The post Why These Famous Time-Management Techniques Are Ruining Your Productivity appeared first on Copyblogger.
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Is Podcasting Replacing Written Content Marketing?
That is the question.
It’s the question I’m asked as soon as someone discovers that I manage the editorial team for Copyblogger.
You see back in March, there was a sudden influx of audio content here on the pages of Copyblogger. We launched our podcast network — Rainmaker.FM — and (of course) wanted to share the new content we were creating with all of you.
But we may have confused you, too. Based on the questions I get, we’ve certainly confused at least some of you.
I’m here today to set the record straight. I want to let you know what we really think about podcasting, and how it relates to written content, and where we see content marketing going in the future.
What’s so great about podcasting?
Podcasting boasts some pretty big advantages.
We’ve covered how podcasts have the power to connect you to your audience like nothing else.
But there’s something else that’s important to note about podcasts and we haven’t talked about it in detail here.
Podcasts are on-demand media. You can consume a podcast whenever you want, and almost wherever you want. And — this is a big one — you can consume podcasts while you’re doing something else.
I’ve listened to podcasts while:
- Walking
- Gardening
- Driving a car
- Cooking
- Painting walls
- Cleaning house
- Flying on an airplane
- Walking through a grocery store
- Making artwork
- Trying to fall asleep
Try doing that with a blog post!
That’s why we’re bullish on podcasting. There’s no other media that is as portable as a podcast, or as easy to consume while otherwise occupied.
It’s why we’re pouring an enormous amount of time and energy into creating and maintaining an entire podcast network.
And it’s why we’re giving that podcast network space on Copyblogger. Because we want you to find your favorite shows, and we want you to become a loyal listener.
We want to offer you content for all those times when reading on a screen isn’t convenient, or even feasible.
But wait: what’s that knocking sound I hear? Ah yes, it’s written content, asking for a moment in the spotlight.
Let’s give it some time.
Why written content rocks
Written content is how Copyblogger got its start back in 2006. It’s the foundation we stand on, and we always will. That’s not changing.
As a matter of fact, Copyblogger has been publishing five content marketing posts a week since we started publishing Rainmaker.FM content in March.
We’re bringing you our best content marketing tips, techniques, and guidance every Monday through Friday.
There are a few reasons written content rocks our world, and we think it rocks yours too.
You see, written content came first on Copyblogger, and there are a few things it does extremely well — even better than a podcast.
Written content on Copyblogger offers things like:
- Information that is quick to consume
- Easy-to-follow links to additional content
- Post images that add meaning to our words
- SlideShare embeds you can click through
- Downloadable PDFs you can keep for reference
- One-click access to author archives if you’d like to read more
- On-page infographics to supplement our information
- Easy access to social sharing buttons so you can spread the word
- Quick sign up buttons for upcoming webinars (see below for an example)
- Instant access to the rest of the Copyblogger site
Written content is here to stay. And the best news of all? There’s room for both.
“Is podcasting replacing written content marketing?”
That’s what people ask me, under their breath and wide-eyed with confusion.
My answer is no. There’s a time and a place for both written content and podcasting.
One big reason Rainmaker.FM came into being is we wanted to demonstrate that podcasting is a viable format for content marketing. We wanted to explore podcasting while offering you content in a brand-new form.
And we’ve picked up a few tips along the way.
Want to discover what we’ve learned about podcasting?
Join Brian Clark and Jerod Morris tomorrow, August 27, 2015 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time for a free webinar, Start a Podcast to Attract Attention and Seed Your Content Library.
Brian and Jerod have used podcasts to drive audience attention, to seed courses and content libraries for email list building, and to drive digital commerce.
They’re ready to share what they’ve learned with you, as well as show you the nuts and bolts of how to do it with the Rainmaker Platform.
Start a Podcast to Attract Attention and Seed Your Content Library
Podcasting isn’t going to replace written content. Both written content and podcasting have too much to offer for either to supersede the other.
We’re thrilled to be able to deliver content to you in both formats, and we hope you’re enjoying (and learning) from what we create.
Pamela Wilson
Pamela Wilson is Executive Vice President of Educational Content at Copyblogger Media. Follow her on Twitter, see her Copyblogger quotes on Instagram, and find more from her at BigBrandSystem.com.
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Tuesday, August 25, 2015
How Neuroscientist Michael Grybko Defines Storytelling
Have you ever wondered why storytelling is such an omnipresent theme of human life? Welcome to another guest segment of “The Writer’s Brain,” where Kelton Reid picks the brain of a neuroscientist about elements of great writing.
Research scientist Michael Grybko — of the Department of Psychology at the University of Washington — returned to the podcast to help Kelton define storytelling from a scientific standpoint.
If you missed the first two installments of The Writer’s Brain — on How Neuroscience Defines both Creativity and Empathy — you can find them on writerfiles.fm and iTunes.
In this file, Kelton Reid and Michael Grybko discuss:
- Why storytelling is the default mode of human communication
- How empathy makes storytelling such an effective tool
- Why Hollywood continually taps into ‘The Hero’s Journey’
- How blueprints help writers connect with their audience
- Why reading fiction makes us more empathetic
- Writers’ addiction to stories (especially the dark ones)
- Where humanity would be without storytelling
The Writer Files on iTunes
Rainmaker.FM
Rainmaker.FM is the premier digital commerce and content marketing podcast network. Get on-demand digital business and marketing advice from experts, whenever and wherever you want it.
The post How Neuroscientist Michael Grybko Defines Storytelling appeared first on Copyblogger.
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How to Write Multiple Magnetic Tweets About Any Content (Without Being Repetitive)
If you’re using social media channels such as Twitter to promote your content, then this show is for you. This week, Hit Publish host Amy Harrison is looking at different ways you can ‘beef up your tweets’ and write multiple updates to promote just one post (without sounding boring or repetitive).
When you’re posting tweets (or other social media updates) to get people to your content, it can feel like you are broadcasting again and again, just repeatedly sending out information and hoping someone bites.
But social media is really just a conversation, so when you’re thinking about what to write, don’t think about sending a message to your followers, instead, imagine you’re sitting opposite one potential reader. You have one sentence to encourage them to read your content. What would you say?
In this episode of Hit Publish, host Amy Harrison discusses:
- Different styles of questions you can use to engage your reader
- How to make people feel special and included by asking for their opinion
- Why warnings make readers sit up and listen
- How you can find multiple ‘benefit’ angles to talk about just one post
Hit Publish on iTunes
Rainmaker.FM
Rainmaker.FM is the premier digital commerce and content marketing podcast network. Get on-demand digital business and marketing advice from experts, whenever and wherever you want it.
The post How to Write Multiple Magnetic Tweets About Any Content (Without Being Repetitive) appeared first on Copyblogger.
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The Value of Crafting an Entrepreneurial Vision (and Sticking to It)
Today’s guest on Hack the Entrepreneur is a scientist turned digital artist, animator, entrepreneur — as well as an academic escapee.
She has a Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo and has over 15 years of experience in research. During this time, she has generated $340,000 in funding, prepared manuscripts, and lectured.
Today, she is the founder of Sciconic.com, where she explains scientific concepts by creating simple graphics, infographics, custom animations, and explainer videos.
This year, she was named one of the 25 entrepreneurs to watch by Fizzle.co.
Now, let’s hack …
Shelley Sandiford.
In this 32-minute episode of Hack the Entrepreneur, host Jon Nastor and Shelley Sandiford discuss:
- How taking herself seriously affected Shelley’s business decisions
- How indecision can kill your business
- The benefits of self awareness
- How to embrace and celebrate the little things
Hack the Entrepreneur on iTunes
Rainmaker.FM
Rainmaker.FM is the premier digital commerce and content marketing podcast network. Get on-demand digital business and marketing advice from experts, whenever and wherever you want it.
The post The Value of Crafting an Entrepreneurial Vision (and Sticking to It) appeared first on Copyblogger.
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How to Promote a Blog Post on Social Media #JimAndAnn Show
Once you publish an article, your job is not done! You need to invest at least 30-40 minutes in the basic social media sharing tasks which we’ll discuss today!
Do your homework: Share your blog post like a PRO
Ann is sharing her social media marketing technique:
- Immediately after you publish a blog post, share it on social media. It’s recommended to share (not schedule first) because you’ll be able to interact in case anyone responds to your share.
- Tweet your article tagging every blogger, brand, tool you mentioned in the article
- Share on Linkedin tagging every blogger, brand, tool you mentioned in the article
- Share on Facebook tagging every blogger, brand, tool you mentioned in the article you can (Facebook will only let tag anyone if you are connected)
- Share on Google Plus tagging every blogger, brand, tool you mentioned in the article. Note: If you can’t tag on Google Plus, use the trick I mentioned here.
- Add this URL to ViralContentBuzz, the free platform where users share each others’ content on social media
- Schedule 5 more tweets (using different text) for the week ahead. Share 2-5 more tweets for a few weeks ahead
- When scheduling use different variations of specific hashtags
- Schedule a few visual updates using MavSocial (free tool). You can add several Twitter accounts, lots of Facebook pages, Tumblr accounts, Linkedin (personal and company pages) and even Youtube. MavSocial lets you upload an image to go live as a visual update. Visual updates normally receive more exposure on social media
- Use Hootsuite to publish your article to a few business pages of yours (Facebook business and Google Plus business pages).
Here’s a handy checklist for you not to forget:
Content quality really comes first
The above checklist doesn’t really make sense unless you have a top quality piece of content.
MyBlogU is a great free platform to improve the quality of your content. It allows you to invite free collaborators who will suggest tools, paragraphs, infographics, etc to add to your article.
Here’s a case study on how MyBlogU works.
Other marketing tactics to try
- Reach out to 10-20 bloggers who have covered this topic before and may be interested in your perspective (Make sure you write a personal email to each person)
- Try Facebook and Linkedin Promoted stories (Twitter ads don’t seen to be as effective)
- Try niche communities and voting sites because this is where bloggers and niche publishers are hanging out.
And what’s your content marketing routine and tools? Share!
Subscribe to us in SoundCloud!
Watch the full video: How to effectively promote each blog post
The post How to Promote a Blog Post on Social Media #JimAndAnn Show appeared first on Internet Marketing Ninjas Blog.
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