Recent Updates
297: LinkedIn Ads: Target Professionals and Get Your Message to Specific Targets with AJ Wilcox
AJ Wilcox, an advertising specialist from B2Linked, wants to tell you about LinkedIn ads. They're not for every type of business, but they're great for specific B2B targets, for example, enterprise-level medical companies and high-dollar software as a service companies (where deals are worth $15,000 or more).
Quotes:
“If you're not making $15K from a deal, LinkedIn's initial cost per click is probably going to be too expensive, and you should probably stick to Facebook ads.” – AJ Wilcox
“When you're on LinkedIn, people are either thinking about their work or their career. So when you give them an offer that helps augment either of those, they're really eager to participate in it.” – AJ Wilcox
“LinkedIn is awesome because most people don't check it nearly as often as they do Facebook. So if you're showing ads, those ads are going to have a higher lifetime.” – AJ Wilcox
Takeaways:
02:20 LinkedIn ads work best for B2B companies with high-value transactions over $15,000, targeting specific professional audiences like HR departments or enterprise software sellers.
10:11 LinkedIn's ad targeting allows hyper-specific audience selection based on job titles, company sizes, departments, skills, and professional groups, making it powerful for precise marketing.
11:12 LinkedIn ads require less frequent creative refreshes compared to other platforms, with ads typically maintaining effectiveness for 28-33 days.
17:03 Successful LinkedIn ad strategies involve testing multiple ad variations, understanding conversion bottlenecks, and creating landing pages that make job opportunities or offers feel special.
22:14 When creating LinkedIn ad campaigns, name audiences by their professional characteristics instead of content names, which helps track performance and create evergreen campaigns.
Resources
- B2Linked: LinkedIn Ads Performance (Agency)
- How to Target Your Ideal Prospect on LinkedIn (Article)
- AJ Wilcox (LinkedIn)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:35 — 23.4MB) | Embed
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296: Create a Great Customer Experience, Build an Environment Where People Love to Work, and Solve a Real Problem for Lasting Change with Kenneth Bator
Kenneth Bator from BTCINC.net says that you should align your brand, culture, and strategy for maximum results. Pay attention to the little details that your customers love, that keep you consistent and removes your decisions. Write and implement service standards. For example, you may always show up 15 minutes to meetings, greet customers in a certain way, or respond to calls and emails within 3 hours.
Also, ask yourself: 1. Who do I want to serve, and 2. What problem do I want to solve?
Quotes:
“People aren't buying products and services. They're buying solutions to their problems.” – Kenneth Bator
“If you're going to put a service standard on paper, you darn well better have the resources and the wherewithal to adhere to it.” – Kenneth Bator
“If you're the smartest guy in the room, you're probably in the wrong room.” – Kenneth Bator
Takeaways:
04:47 Create a consistent, detailed customer experience that goes beyond just delivering a product or service.
05:18 Write down clear service standards to remove decision-making friction and ensure team consistency.
14:57 Focus on solving specific problems for a well-defined target audience rather than trying to serve everyone.
16:53 Understand that customers buy solutions to their problems, not just products or services.
22:03 Regularly review and adjust your business standards and offerings to maintain brand alignment.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:49 — 23.6MB) | Embed
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295: Discover Your Content Personality: Thought Leadership, Branding, and Content Strategy with Shannon Hernandez
Shannon Hernandez from MShannonHernandez.com and Content Strategy Academy wants you to take a content personality quiz for a very important reason: the content you're creating (audios, videos, books, live streaming) is most likely clashing with your personality.
Listen in as Shannon shares content ideas with us (benefits, drawbacks, why vs. alternatives), how to pace yourself, stay in alignment, and attract the right people into your business.
Quotes:
“Don't be who you're not. People will see through that—whether it's your message, your marketing, or the content you're putting out into the world.” – Shannon Hernandez
“When you're having fun in your business and fun in life, it's fun to keep going, it's inspiring, and you're getting results.” – Shannon Hernandez
“Honor people's time and space, and let's give them what they need right away.” – Shannon Hernandez
Takeaways:
07:43 Matching content creation to your personality helps you enjoy marketing and attract the right audience.
15:22 You don't need to create content in every format - focus on your top two content personality types.
18:31 Quality matters more than quantity when producing content for your business.
22:05 Consistency in content creation builds your brand's reputation and expertise.
23:25 Give yourself permission to stop creating content that feels like a chore.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:13 — 37.4MB) | Embed
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294: Sell Both High and Low Ticket, Put Out Tons of Touches (Content Marketing), and Choose Course-Correction Over Perfectionism
Sell Both High and Low Ticket
- Membership Cube: full price or payment plan
- Video Sales Tactics: just get them buying again
- Funnel, levels, conversions
Content Marketing Touches
- Go the extra mile
- It's ok to look homemade and authentic
- Don't slow down (put out tons of podcasts and blog posts to see where you're at, restaurant menu mentality)
Course Correction
- The Mirror: if someone criticizes you about something, they're secure about that themselves.
- Don't ignore $1000 because you're looking for $100,000
- Repetitions, checklists and templates (move the raw materials around) -- same podcast interview questions, 3x3 for podcasting
- Be aware but still optimistic
Quotes:
“Price doesn't matter that much. A lot of marketers obsess over the price, putting all their energy into thinking they'll have something really high-priced or really low-priced, and they don't give much thought to their offer, their package, or the problem it solves.” – Robert Plank
“It's okay to look homemade and authentic, as long as you need to pump out a bunch of stuff.” – Robert Plank
“If someone criticizes you about something, it's usually because they themselves are insecure about that thing.” – Robert Plank
Takeaways:
05:57 Price doesn't matter as much as the value and problem-solving capability of your product.
07:18 Build a list of buyers by offering low-ticket items that get people to take action and spend money.
12:03 Don't let perfectionism stop you from putting out content - it's better to start and improve over time.
16:07 Consistently create content across multiple platforms to keep your audience engaged and growing.
24:57 Have both high-ticket and low-ticket offers in your product lineup to cater to different customer needs.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:11 — 24.9MB) | Embed
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293: Kindle Machine: Build a Loyal Fanbase, Drive Traffic and Become a Self-Published Author with Adam Houge
Adam Houge is a preacher, teacher, novelist, and #1 international best-selling author of over 100 books on the Christian faith. A health crisis forced him to become a full-time Kindle author, and he's learned all the secrets about Amazon's ranking algorithm, how to produce lots of books quickly (and consistently), how to research books, get lots of buyers and reviews, and send traffic.
Quotes:
“Turn your lemons into a lemonade stand and share it. Turn your mess into a message, and share that with others.” – Adam Houge
“If you can't get it in front of eyes, you can't get it out there. If it's a product you're trying to sell, the more eyes you get on it, the more you're going to sell.” – Adam Houge
“A target audience isn't defined by who you are targeting—it's more about the interest that they have.” – Adam Houge
Takeaways:
10:35 Set clear, achievable writing goals to overcome procrastination and boost productivity.
19:18 Build an engaged email list to drive consistent book promotions and gather reviews.
22:15 Focus on defining a specific target audience and genre before creating multiple books.
25:46 Understand and adapt to platform algorithms to maintain book visibility and sales.
29:58 Invest time in crafting a compelling book description, as it's your primary sales tool.
Resources
- Adam Houge (Official Site)
- Adam Houge's books (Books)
- The Fanbase Formula (Free Video Series)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:22 — 29.6MB) | Embed
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292: Get a Copywriter Today, Discover Aggressive Content Marketing, and Scale a Service-As-A-Service with Gabe Arnold
Gabe Arnold from CopywriterToday.net wants to write your emails, blog posts, and press releases, so that you don't have to. Listen in as he tells you how content marketing can help your business, and how he discovered (and grew) this "service-as-a-service" model that provides unlimited content to monthly buyers.
Quotes:
“If you can commoditize your product or service, you can reach the masses. And when you can reach the masses, you have a business that can scale and is far more profitable and stable than doing one-off consulting or project-based work.” – Gabe Arnold
“You have to be able to jump in and do whatever it takes. You need to get your hands dirty and do everything to truly understand what's going on.” – Gabe Arnold
“The people who have been most successful with us came in with the mindset of taking the first few weeks to a month to get everything synced up and get everyone on the same page.” – Gabe Arnold
Takeaways:
07:58 Getting your hands dirty and understanding every detail of your business is crucial for long-term success.
14:31 Launch quickly and simply, then refine based on customer feedback rather than getting stuck in over-complicated planning.
18:57 Create an automated hiring process that filters candidates through practical tests, ensuring only top-tier talent joins your team.
24:50 Build a content service that offers flexibility across different business sizes, from small businesses to large agencies.
27:35 Expect a 90-day learning curve when starting with a new service, focusing on clear communication and feedback.
Resources
- Copywriter Today (In The Referral Field, Answer "Robert Plank")
- Design Pickle (Website)
- The Foundation Podcast: Interview with Dan Norris of WP Curve (Podcast)
- WP Curve's hiring process (Blog Post)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:15 — 26.8MB) | Embed
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291: Amazon Done-For-You: The Secret Sauce Behind Profitable FBA Brands with Brad DeGraw
Brad DeGraw from AZDoneForYou.com knows quite a bit about narrowing down the perfect product to sell on Amazon, how to negotiate with suppliers, market products and get reviews and sales. Listen in as he walks us through the process of getting samples, involving an inspection company, getting insurance, researching competitors, and creating images, titles, bullets, a description, and testing pricing. When selling on Amazon, be sure to notice customers' problems, fantasies, and desires to avoid becoming another "me-too" product.
Quotes:
“Find the problem or fantasy desire that exists in the marketplace. It doesn't have to match who you are—it just has to align with a proven model of success.” – Brad DeGraw
“Don't just talk about the product. Don’t make it too technical—talk about the benefits, how it enhances people’s lives, and how it makes them better.” – Brad DeGraw
“If you can save yourself time, money, and—most importantly—stress, do it. You can always get money back, and you always have another day, but minimizing the stress you're building in your life is what we really thrive on.” – Brad DeGraw
Takeaways:
02:14 Amazon is the new Walmart, offering entrepreneurs a chance to change their income level by selling the right product.
08:13 Always aim for a minimum 300% markup when selecting products to sell on Amazon, with 5x markup being ideal.
11:09 Keep initial product orders small to minimize risk and allow quick improvements based on early customer feedback.
14:26 Outsource technical tasks like product listing and graphics creation to experts who can execute them more effectively.
22:58 Success in product creation comes from understanding customer problems, fantasies, and desires through careful review analysis.
Resources
- AZ Done For You (Website)
- Amazon Sherpa (Site)
- Freeeup (Outsourcing For Graphics)
- JungleScout (Website)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:27 — 22.4MB) | Embed
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290: Webinar Ninja: Present Live, Automated, Summit, and Hybrid Webinars By Keeping it Simple with Omar Zenhom
Omar Zenhom from Webinar Ninja wants you to use webinars to make your business stand out. You can present a live webinar (on or off camera), automated webinars, summits, and hybrids. Your first webinar could simply be a Q&A session where you answer common questions. Webinars can also serve as a nice bridge for you to become a better public speaker and sell from the stage.
Quotes:
“Trust is the most valuable asset you have in your business, and you want to earn it. The whole point of the webinar is to build trust with your audience.” – Omar Zenhom
“Delivery is really what we're rehearsing here—not the content. The content is something you should already know, because it's what you're talking about.” – Omar Zenhom
“The hardest part of doing a webinar is just doing your first one—so get that out of the way first.” – Omar Zenhom
Takeaways:
00:33 Webinars are powerful lead generation tools that capture email addresses, allowing direct follow-up with interested audiences.
03:02 Trust and transparency are paramount - always clearly communicate whether a webinar is live or automated.
17:39 Your first webinar should be a simple, low-pressure Q&A session to build confidence and understand audience needs.
22:30 Rehearsing webinar delivery is more critical than knowing content, focusing on engaging presentation techniques.
30:31 Webinar platforms should simplify technology so hosts can concentrate on delivering valuable content.
Resources
- Ultimate Webinar Course (Course)
- Webinar Ninja (Webinar)
- 100 Dollar MBA (Website)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:20 — 33.3MB) | Embed
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289: Marketing Multipliers: Masterminds, Direct Mail, Membership Sites, Copywriting, Freelancing, Newsletters and Networking with Kevin Donlin
Kevin Donlin from MarketingMultipliers.com has been an online copywriter and direct response master for over 23 years. Copywriting is salesmanship multiplied, and Kevin has tons of amazing advice about how to write copy (and web pages), that get attention and sell. Sell with a credible deadline, don't devalue your offers, and use clear (simple) wording.
Quotes:
“If you never quit, you will succeed. It's as simple as that. The people who quit are the ones who fail.” – Kevin Donlin
“There's no penalty for clarity. If you think so—if that concept offends you—you're going to struggle in your marketing.” – Kevin Donlin
“The cure for writer's block is research. If you run into writer's block, it's because you didn't do your research.” – Kevin Donlin
Takeaways:
07:12 Research and time are critical ingredients in producing high-quality marketing copy and business strategies.
13:26 Simplicity in marketing communication trumps complexity, making your message clear and easy to understand.
37:21 Consistent daily actions and never giving up are the true paths to building a successful business.
40:01 Creating multiple versions of marketing materials, especially headlines, increases the chances of finding truly compelling content.
44:53 Support from peers and accountability groups can significantly accelerate entrepreneurial growth and overcome challenges.
Resources
- Marketing Multipliers Membership Site (Tell Kevin That "Robert Plank Sent Me" When Joining The Site To Get His Marketing Multipliers Book For Free)
- Marketing Multipliers (Book)
- Marketing Optimizer (Split Testing Platform)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:42 — 41.8MB) | Embed
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288: Humanistic Business Management: Find Perspective, Compassion, and Reason in Your Customers and Team Members with Jennifer Hancock
Jennifer Hancock from HumanistLearning.com wants to teach you humanistic business management, which means you integrate ethics and critical thinking when dealing with team members, contractors, or even cranky customers. Stop rewarding bad behavior, and instead, examine how you respond (and what you reinforce), use confident body language, and finally, be calm, measured, and direct.
Jennifer says that angry customers respond in one of three stats: a child state (where you respond that you want to help but need to wait until they calm down), an adult state (where they are calm and professional), or a depressed state (where they "ghost" you).
Quotes:
“Humanistic business management is about being a good person and using your business to do good while also making money.” – Jennifer Hancock
“If you're in business for yourself, obviously you want to make money, but if that's your only reason for being in business, you might make decisions that are unethical.” – Jennifer Hancock
“An adult, compassionate thought is recognizing the other person as fully human and worthy of your compassion.” – Jennifer Hancock
Takeaways:
01:40 Scientific understanding of behavioral psychology can help manage interpersonal dynamics and workplace challenges.
04:10 Personal ethics should be consistent across professional and personal environments.
14:21 When facing difficult interactions, remain calm and avoid rewarding bad behavior to encourage positive change.
22:02 Treat customers and team members with compassion, understanding their emotional state can help resolve conflicts more effectively.
37:34 Workplace culture can shift when a few individuals consistently model professional, ethical behavior.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:02 — 40.3MB) | Embed
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