http://traffic.libsyn.com/smarttimeonline/sto32.mp3 Click here to subscribe to the ‘Smart Time Online Podcast’ in iTunes I’ve read many blog posts and articles about the benefits of hiring virtual assistants to help grow a business. In fact, some of the most notable bloggers I know have written very supportive articles without even a sentence that speaks to the cons, or to the underlying fundamentals that must be in place before even beginning your search for a virtual assistant. In this episode of the Smart Time Online podcast, I speak with Virtual Assistant expert, Chris Ducker, about those very things. We break down what you should have in place before you hire your first virtual assistant, the challenges you can expect to encounter, how to avoid them and even how to best delegate tasks to them. An important distinction to make when hiring a virtual assistant is the reality that like a brick and mortar business, you are a real business owner – and you must hire, delegate and manage your staff in ways that both support their own personal growth and your businesses. Click play and have a listen. Whether you’ve hired, have yet to hire or are even far off from hiring a virtual assistant – if it is just a remote possibility (most of us, I think), then you’ll want to pay attention to what Chris says with regards to hiring your first virtual assistant. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL DISCOVER: The ONE habit Chris attributes most to his success, and how you can apply it to your business. The mistakes Chris learned from hiring his first virtual assistant (and how you can avoid making the same mistakes). What Chris has learned from the YEARS of hiring and managing virtual assistants from all over the world. The ONE thing you MUST have in place before hiring your first virtual assistant. The ONE question you should ask every virtual assistant you interview (this is so, so important). Why Chris says to hire for a full-time position when hiring your first virtual assistant (I didn’t agree with this until I heard his reasoning). Chris’s suggestion on the NEXT action you should take this week in your business to better leverage your time online. ACTION STEPS:...
Read More
http://traffic.libsyn.com/smarttimeonline/sto31.mp3 Click here to subscribe to the ‘Smart Time Online Podcast’ in iTunes What do you think a random person would say if you randomly walked up to them and asked, “what is marketing?” I guarantee you would hear something like, “uhhh, well it’s those big billboard things, and TV ads and radio commercials and that annoying junk mail I get all the time. Stuff like that.” They’d explain advertising that interrupts their day, and things they didn’t particularly want to see, read, or receive. Outbound and interruption-based things. Unfortunately, though, that doesn’t mean it’s working on them. It’s no secret that we’re gaining more control over things that we used to have no control over. From DVR’s to skip over T.V. commercials and on-demand entertainment like Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime and other services that let you watch TV shows without commercials to the browser add-on’s that literally allow us to make website ads invisible and block cookies that track our online behavior. Even the government gives you a way to block telemarketing calls with donotcall.gov. In this episode of the Smart Time Online podcast, I made a mistake. A pretty big one. I referred to this whole Inbound Marketing thing as a trend… but make no mistake – it is no trend. It is a SHIFT. It’s a shift in how both consumers behave and respond to our messages and it’s a shift in how we, as marketers, market to people. Permission-based marketing is overcoming non-permission, in-your-face traditional marketing and I think it’s only a matter of time before we see TV, radio and even billboards promoting content and value-based incentives that focus more on an inbound marketing method. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL DISCOVER: Why Inbound Marketing matters, and why you need to consider consumer behavior. Why “old marketing” is making way for “new marketing” methods. How social media plays a massive role in this consumer behavior shift. How to leverage social media to create inbound marketing that works for you. The one place you can literally have a conversation with someone ON YOUR ADVERTISEMENT. A real-world example of using social media advertising as an inbound marketing strategy (hint: involves a brick-and-mortar business example) Examples of inbound marketing and...
Read More
http://traffic.libsyn.com/smarttimeonline/sto30.mp3 Click here to subscribe to the ‘Smart Time Online Podcast’ in iTunes Here’s a fact: The people who are on your email list are all different – regardless of what niche your business is in. People have different fears, desires and challenges, and they have individual reasons for being on your list. Have you considered that? What if every time you emailed your list, you could send highly targeted emails to sub-segmented demographics whose fears, desires and challenges are matched precisely? Can you imagine the engagement rates? Open rates? REVENUE GROWTH? In marketing, everything is about tailoring the right message to the right audience. Common sense says you don’t go sending shoe-store deals to a list of men who signed up on a bodybuilding forum. But common-sense also says to segment your list and send tailored email messages to each segment to better connect, right? So why aren’t you doing it? Not only do your subscribers have different fears, desires and challenges – but they’re at different points in your sales cycle. If you had a list of people who have purchased a $100 product for you, could you promote a higher-ticket offer to them? Absolutely! To do this, you must segment your list. In this episode of the Smart Time Online podcast, email marketing expert Dan Faggella from CVLBoost.com reviews email list segmentation best practices and strategic email marketing and how you can increase your open rates, read rates, click-through rates and… revenue. He also reveals how he got a jump-start in his online business by leveraging a joint-venture strategy that literally anyone can do themselves. It’s brilliant, and you’re going to want to hear it. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL DISCOVER: The ONE habit that Dan attributes most to his success, and how you can apply it to your business. How Dan leveraged other peoples email lists by crafting a win-win joint-venture strategy (hint: you can do the exact same thing). Why having an “Opportunity Cost Perception” is so important to your success. How to leverage guest-posting on websites that can not only increase your personal (or professional) clout, but also allow you to use other peoples email lists. Why you should consider email list segmentation best...
Read More
http://traffic.libsyn.com/smarttimeonline/sto29.mp3 Click here to subscribe to the ‘Smart Time Online Podcast’ in iTunes One of the most important aspects of business is your website. It serves as the virtual front door to your brand and like walking into a brick-and-mortar business, first impressions count. In this episode of the Smart Time Online podcast, I reveal 10 significant web design trends that you should know about. Some of these trends are on the cutting edge, while others are shifts that have been around for a year+. Either way, they matter and you should consider if whether or not your website serves your visitors with these trends in mind so you can maximize your visitor impression and ultimately conversion rates. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL DISCOVER: The one trend I feel everyone should implement as soon as possible. Why optimization isn’t always about copy, but design too (and why split-testing usually involves design, first). Why you should use better imagery and examples of big companies making use of high-quality images themselves. Why featuring your picture on the homepage of your personal website can increase your overall conversions. The new navigation style that can mean more engagement, higher page views and better conversions. How 1-click registration can literally double your opt-in conversions for your lead magnet, webinars, and products. How your website visitors TRULY read your webpages and what to do to make the most of this habit. Why fancy designs can often times hurt your conversion goals. The most important web design trend (and probably easiest to implement). ACTION STEPS: Start with thinking about how you can stand out with your content and the experience it provides. Think about what type of content would best serve your audience, then take action with creating that type of content. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Start off by implementing the easy-to-do things and go from there. Often times, the easy things are the most measurable. Remember: not all trends can have an effect on your website and visitor experience. It’s important that you test changes and fine-tune as you go. Remember this, too: performance is design. Slow load times cost websites a TON of money, and your load times and website performance should come before any design implementation!...
Read More
Episode 28 http://traffic.libsyn.com/smarttimeonline/sto28.mp3 Click here to subscribe to the ‘Smart Time Online Podcast’ in iTunes About two months ago, Facebook changed the game (again) for PPC (pay-per-click) advertising by introducing their own in-house Facebook Retargeting. Last year, Twitter introduced Twitter Ads. On top of testing ROI and determining best practices with regards to all of the changes being made by social media network giants, is Digital Marketer. In this episode of the Smart Time Online podcast, I sit down with Molly Pittman, the brilliant Social Media Marketing manager for Digital Marketer, and pick her brain about what she’s been up to with testing the latest social media marketing strategies and the results generated. I asked her to share what Digital Marketer’s current BEST strategy is – and she left us with something I didn’t expect her to mention. Something so powerful, that if you implement it today – you could see your business double, triple or even quadruple this month. No joke. Want to know what it is? Click play! IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL DISCOVER: The ONE habit that Molly attributes her success to most, and how you can apply it to your business. How her college-internship with Digital Marketer blossomed into becoming the company’s Social Media Manager (and why her 2 years of experience is worth closer to 10 years for most people doing this stuff). What working with Marketing Geniuses like Ryan Deiss and Perry Belcher is like. Why Digital Marketer utilizes “living, breathing” Standard Operating Procedures (and why you should too). The first Standard Operating Procedure to create if you have yet to create them in your business. What a $30 Million Dollar+ digital marketing company considers their best current marketing strategy (and how you can use it in your business so you can skyrocket your profits) How Molly is utilizing Twitter Ads to turn a positive ROI, and how you can too. Molly’s suggestion on the ONE action you should take within the next week to improve your business and time spent online. ACTION STEPS: Get into a mastermind, pay for some consulting or coaching, join social network groups, pay for an event – do what it takes to surround yourself with smart people and seek to grow,...
Read More
